What went wrong for the Texans?

Nov 30, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) on the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

What went wrong for the Texans? We’re going to break down what went wrong for the Texans this season and later what went right for the Texans and finish up this little series with a where do they do from here. I like to get all the downer stuff out of the way first.

1. Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Bill O’Brien questionably decided that the best guy out there to lead his team was ten year veteran journey man Ryan Fitzpatrick. Signed by the team in March to a two year deal, O’Brien quickly hung his hat on a player whose career statistics that were average at best. Fitzpatrick has frustrated fans and teams everywhere he’s played and his time here was really no different. While you cannot question the mans heart, he gives his all every game and is one tough hombre the reality is his abilities do not match his desire. While he’s probably one of the smartest guys to ever play the game on a cerebral level, he has never lead a team into the playoffs.

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In 12 games, after being benched once, Fitzpatrick ended with a 63.1 completion percentage and a QBR of 93. Those are his best numbers of his career. He even beat his own near 1:1 TD to INT ratio for his career. Bill O’Brien got the best from Fitzpatrick, but it wasn’t enough. Going 6 wins and 5 losses with many a slow start games Fitzpatrick was never able to find a solid rhythm. As the losses mounted he was sent to the bench in favor of Ryan Mallett but brought back after Mallett suffered a torn muscle. This lasted 3 games after which Fitzpatrick broke his leg on an ugly play where he tried to scramble for yards.

Fitzpatrick, is a good guy. He’s a family man, a good team mate by all accounts. But he just isn’t the guy you build your franchise around. The Texans passed over a lot of potential quarterback talent in the draft believing Fitzpatrick was the man, and they ultimately came up short on their quest for the playoffs in a large part due to the selection of Fitzpatrick early in the off season.