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Another year of 32 for 31, Sports News on Tap takes the month of August to preview the National Football League. We spend every day of the month looking at a new team and how they will fare in 2013.
It is hard to quantify how important a season to a collective team. The Houston Texans won the AFC South and went to the divisional round of the playoffs losing to the New England Patriots. Both of those were massive steps in the young franchise's history and the thought is they want to take it to the next level in an AFC where it is completely wide open. There might not be a better time than now for the Texans to make it to their first Super Bowl, but will they have enough to complete one of the hardest tasks in professional sports?
OFFENSE
It starts and ends with Arian Foster. There are people concerned about Foster for the 2013 season though.'Curse of 370 carries' when discussing running backs and how it effects their long-term success; Foster nearly reached that number last season. There needs to be more of an emphasis with the Texans to spread the wealth around their offense this year even if Foster is clearly the best player on this team. He is definitely been a workhorse running back for the past couple of years with his carries hitting at all-time high last year with 352. Many people worry about theMatt Schaub has been the Texans quarterback since 2007 and while he did throw for 4,000 yards last season, he did not have an impactful season. He only threw 22 touchdowns and had a 90.7 quarterback rating which is an all-time starting low for Schaub. If he has another 'so-so' year, the Texans might start looking for another quarterback given the former Virginia quarterback is not getting any younger (Currently, 32 years of age).
Schaub gets an added weapon next season with Nuke Hopkins out of Clemson and he could be a Rookie of the Year candidate to watch. Hopkins will be able to spread the field and provide a deep outlet for Schaub when Andre Johnson is not open. Speaking of Johnson, he had a bounce back year with limited injuries. As he is getting up there in age, who knows if he can repeat that this upcoming year, but if he does, the Texans might really have something on the outside.
DEFENSE
As the offense, starts and ends with Arian Foster, the same can be said for the Texans defense with J.J. Watt. He had a breakout year last season leading people to believe he will be the next great defensive end, but his apparent elbow injury would have me somewhat concerned if I were a Texans fan. Watt will be wearing a brace most of the season and that could limit his ability to breakthrough the offensive line. Trust me, not having an arm with full range of motion for a lineman is truly a pain in the ass.
The Texans had major secondary problems last year as the Texans looked like burnt toast for the majority of the season. Houston hopes that it was just a bad season and they will return to form in 2013. They also added Ed Reed from Baltimore giving the secondary its most vocal leader. There are definite concerns about Reed's health, but if he is able to be a playmaker, he could really impact the Texans defense in a positive manner.
SPECIAL TEAMS
They added Shane Lechler and he will do absolute wonders for them in terms of field possesion. Lechler boomed punts with the Raiders with a majority of his games outdoors. Now he gets the luxury of playing in a retractable roof stadium for eight games out of the year. He will be great for them.
KEY ADDITIONS
S Ed Reed, FB Greg Jones, P Shane Lechler -We already discussed Reed and Lechler, Jones is a nice fullback option who can carry the ball now and again.
KEY DEPARTURES
LB Connor Barwin, FB/TE James Casey, LB Bradie James, S Glover Quin, CB Stanford Routt, LB Barrett Ruud, WR Kevin Walter.
TEXANS DRAFT PICKS
WR DeAndre 'Nuke' Hopkins, S D.J. Swearinger, OT Brennan Williams, OLB Sam Montgomery, OLB Trevardo Williams, OT David Quessenberry, WR Alan Bonner, NT Chris Jones, TE Ryan Griffin
I personally love Swearinger will learn under Reed. He is one of the hardest hitters out of the draft and will probably be fined by the NFL before November. Also don't sleep on Montgomery, if he figures his work ethic out, watch out.
GAME TO WATCH
Sunday December 1st: vs. New England 3:25 pm - The Texans are calling this their 'homecoming' game after everyone overreacted to them wearing letterman jackets to New England last year for a Monday night game. Let's hope this does not spark a trend in the NFL because homecoming games are for college and high school. Given last year, it is still the biggest game on their schedule.
PREDICTION
9-11 wins - Let me be clear, I think nine is probably too low although I feel the ceiling is eleven if that's makes any sense. The Texans should win the AFC South again this year. I am betting on an improved year from Schaub and Foster to stay consistent. Additionally, Reed is a great addition to the team plus they had a good draft.
Charlie.
