Time for Texans to Emerge from Expansion Woes

HOUSTON TEXANS

LAST SEASON: 9-7 - second place in AFC South

AT THE HELM: Gary Kubiak (fifth season, 31-33 with Houston)

NEW WEAPONS: QB Matt Leinart, K Neil Rackers, CB Kareem Jackson (R)

SENT PACKING: CB Dunta Robinson, RB Ryan Moats, K Kris Brown, QB Rex Grossman

THE VIBE

Eight years separate Houston from its inaugural season. The luster of the dark blue and red uniforms is faded and the Texans are no longer the loveable fledgling franchise of seasons past. After meandering its way to mediocrity for nearly a decade, the time has come for the Texans to answer what is fast becoming an annual offseason question in professional football. Is Houston finally ready to grow up?

Head coach Gary Kubiak - freshly signed to an extension through 2012 - must be an awfully patient man. Along with general manager Rick Smith, Kubiak took on the challenge of building a roster almost entirely through the draft. The native Houstonian inherited a Texans team that posted just 18 wins through four seasons of existence, including a 2-14 stinker in 2005. Four years later, Kubiak's squad is fresh off its first winning campaign. But following two consecutive 8-8 seasons leading up to '09, the 9-7 record didn't exactly fire up the fanbase.

The AFC is deep - approximately a dozen teams have a legitimate shot at the postseason this year - and in order to survive the rigors of an arduous path to the playoffs, Houston needs to get nastier. Spearheaded by a defense loaded with young stars, it shouldn't be too difficult.

Linebackers DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing are former Defensive Rookie of the Year award winners, while defensive end Mario Williams was the first overall pick of the star-studded 2006 draft class (collegiate legends Reggie Bush and Vince Young followed him off the board). Upon being selected tenth overall in 2007, 19-year-old Amobi Okoye became the youngest plyaer in league history. Now in his fourth season, Okoye anchors the interior of a developing defensive line. As he grows more stout against the run, Williams will receive a lot more freedom to maneuver on the outside.

Despite losing speedy cover corner Dunta Robinson to Atlanta in free agency, Houston's 2010 first round choice should prevent a drop-off at the position. Kareem Jackson - a standout member of Alabama's national championship squad - may already be further along in his progression than Robinson. Though he has a gambler's mentality when it comes to going for interceptions, players like Pro Bowler Asante Samuel have flourished while leaving on the edge. Jackson's ability to step up and defend the run on the perimeter makes him much more valuable than the overly abudnant finesse cornerbacks who spend Sundays playing pattycake.

Houston's offense seems to be one step ahead of the defense in its maturation. Quarterback Matt Schaub stayed healthy in 2009, playing more than 11 games for the first time in his career. The results were impressive. Schaub led the league in passing yards (4,770) and threw for 29 touchdowns. The seventh-year passer has evolved from a seldom-used backup behind Michael Vick in Atlanta to one of the NFL's elite. It doesn't hurt to have freak of nature Andre Johnson running and leaping after your passes. You won't find a better receiver in the NFL than Johnson, who signed a two-year, $24 million extension this summer. His 216 receptions, 3,144 yards and 17 touchdowns since 2008 are off-the-charts statistics that he should keep pace with this season.

Although Houston's ground game is the awkward little brother of a practically unstoppable air assualt, the Texans have some interesting options at running back. Steve Slaton followed up a terrific rookie year (1,282 yards, 9 touchdowns) with a forgettable 2009 (437 yards, 3 touchdowns). The speedster suffered from a pinched nerve for much of the season and it eventually cost him the final five games. Rookie Arian Foster took advantage of Slaton's misfortune, scoring three touchdowns and showing promise in December. Foster enters his second year atop the Texans' depth chart at running back but you can be sure that a healthy Slaton is hell-bent on reclaiming the starting gig he held just a season ago.

THE VERDICT

11-5 - second place in AFC South - lose to Indianapolis in divisional round

Houston - the only existing franchise of the four major American pro sports leagues (MLB, NHL, NBA and NFL) to never reach the postseason - finally plays beyond 16 games and proves to be an emerging conference power. Kubiak's young squad steps up in the same spots it used to wilt - particularly fourth quarter defense. Slaton escapes the head coach's dog house by reeling off a string of strong performances that vault him past Foster as the team's feature back. An improved running game cuts into Schaub's gaudy stats, but the quarterback still manages to hook up with Johnson for at least ten scores.

The Texans earn a regular season split with the hated Colts, who own an all-time record of 15-1 against Houston. But Indy keeps command of the rivalry by delivering a knockout punch against the Texans in the playoffs. Cue the "Who's your daddy?" chants.