Case Keenum named Houston Texans Starting Quarterback
Oct 20, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Case Keenum (7) reacts in the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak announced Monday that Case Keenum will be the starting quarterback for the Texans this coming Sunday night when the Texans host the Indianapolis Colts.
In an ESPN.com article, Kubiak is quoted as saying:
"“[Schaub] is obviously disappointed. I wouldn’t expect anything else. We talked for a long time. He’s a competitor. He wants to be the guy in there. I know it’s very difficult on him. It’s very difficult on me, too.”"
As for Keenum, he started the Texans’ previous game in week seven, a 17-16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
This is a move the Texans desperately needed to make. It was a given the Texans were going nowhere with Schaub being the quarterback for the remainder of the season, and for that reason alone, the Texans needed to make this change.
Keenum gives this team some hope, but in all honesty, I don’t see any epic comeback in the standings this season for the Texans. This is a good time to evaluate the entire offense and see what improvement they can make to become a better team.
This will also be a good way to evaluate Keenum to see if he is in fact “the guy” that can lead them to a championship, because if not, they may have to look into drafting a QB in the May NFL Draft.
Schaub became the starting QB in Houston in 2007 and before that was a member of the Atlanta Falcons from 2004-06.
The Texans have two AFC South titles with Schaub as the primary starting quarterback, but this season, he set an NFL record by throwing a pick-six in four straight games as the Texans are 2-5 overall.
This season, Schaub has passed for 1,552 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. His QB rating is 78.8, far below the average of 90.9 for his career.
In his lone start this season, Keenum was 15-of-25 for 271 yards and one touchdown and no interceptions. The former University of Houston Cougars quarterback also rushed for 10 yards in his first career NFL start in week seven.