As the end of the 2015 offseason approaches for the Houston Texans and all NFL teams, at least as far as roster moves goes, teams and fans of teams all ask themselves the question: What is the reality for this year’s season? Of course, it goes more in depth than this, but that’s the question that captures any questions or uncertainties we have. What’s the reality, and where, realistically can I expect my team to be at the end of this season?
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Sometimes even though we feel like we have a good grasp on reality going into the season, the year doesn’t meet what we expected. Is this how the Texans year will shape up? Is it going to be a year of broken expectations? After losing longtime Texan Andre Johnson, it’s going to be a transition season, for sure.
They signed all of their seven drafted rookies, a good sign, and a step in the right direction for all of them.
They do have a great leader in the coaching slot, as Bill O’Brien does a great job leading his team. I feel like if they win a Super Bowl in the next decade, it will be under coach O’Brien. He fits well with the system and clearly his passion for the game rubs off on other players.
The defense is still one of the best, and most intimidating in the league. With J.J. Watt and Vince Wilfork coming fast at quarterbacks, they’ll be able to rush passes and often get running backs stuffed in the backfield for losses. Their secondary had some work done to it as well, which will make them a shut-down defensive team on all levels, hopefully.
The wide receiver core has gotten a new look, and it’s clear that the work will be more evenly distributed next year than it has been before. This could be good, and they’ve got a lot of receivers with some great potential.
Despite it being a transition season, my expectations aren’t necessarily low for the team. However, I don’t think most would consider my expectations to be very high, either. Do I expect them to win the division? No. The Colts still are a team that has a lot of the pieces they need to win the division, and they have a few that the Texans do not have.
Do I expect them to compete for the top of the division and the AFC Wild Card? Absolutely!
Although the Texans have a lot of weapons, and a lot going for them as far as being playoff contenders, there’s some alarming factors as well.
Huge questions surround the offensive side of the ball. They need a quarterback. Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer are decent, but they haven’t shown they have what it takes to be a leader of a team yet, which alarms me, because often, teams deep in the playoffs have a quarterback that is a great leader.
Mallet seems like he could be a leader down the road, but right now he’s still a young player, and he has a lot to learn. I don’t think he could lead a team to a championship at this point, but he could be moving in the right direction.
I feel that this embodies what the Texans’ season will be like this year. They aren’t ready to win a Super Bowl, because they aren’t matured enough to do so, but they have definitely moved in the right direction with the moves they made this offseason.
So here’s the reality. In my opinion, we should expect a successful year from the Texans. We should expect them to be one of the contenders for the wild card spot, and expect to see them playing in the playoffs, if all goes according to plan. Although their offense isn’t the most solid thing in the league, the fact that they have one of the best defenses and some good wide receivers should make us excited.