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Houston Texans NFL Predictions 2009

It’s time for winning results if Gary Kubiak is going to remain the Houston Texans head coach. In his first three seasons on the job, mediocrity proved to be OK for this up-and-coming franchise. But after back-to-back 8-8 seasons, Kubiak must lead his team to a winning record for the first time in franchise history. The focus in the offseason rested with the defense, where Kubiak fired three defensive coaches. The schedule has been set up for the Texans to get off to a much better start in 2009 after Houston started 0-4 last season. The Texans play three of their first four games at home against non-playoff teams. Houston is listed at +350 to win the AFC South at Sporsbook.com according to their NFL odds for this division.

Offense: Matt Shaub must stay healthy for the Texans to develop into an elite offense. He has all the tools with accuracy, poise, and good decision-making to be one of the better quarterbacks in the league. But he’s missed five starts each of the past two seasons. Dan Orlovsky signed with Houston to be their backup knowing that he might get a chance to play. Also, Rex Grossman signed a one-year deal to give the Texans another experienced backup. Shaub finished last season with 3,043 yards, 15 touchdowns and the best passer-rating of his career at 92.7. When he returned from a knee injury, he led the Texans to a 3-1 finish. Steve Slaton was the feel-good story of this team last season. He compiled 1,659 yards from scrimmage and scored 10 touchdowns in his rookie season. Because he’s so small, the coaches would like to limit Slaton to around 20-22 carries per game. Ideally his backup would get 10 to 12 reps, where both Ryan Moats, Andre Hall and Chris Brown are candidates.

The Texans have a pair of the best receivers in the league with Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter. Both are 6-3 with good hands. Johnson led the league with 115 catches for 1,575 yards and made his third Pro Bowl. He remains one of the most underrated players in the league. Walter had 60 catches for 899 yards and eight touchdown grabs. Andre Davis, David Anderson and Jacoby Jones give the Texans some experience and depth at the position. Owen Daniels emerged as one of the best young tight ends in the league last year. He caught 70 balls for 862 yards to make his first Pro Bowl. In the zone blocking scheme the Texans use, offensive linemen don’t have to be all that talented, but they must be intelligent, quick and physical. There are a number of players who fit that description. Left guard Chester Pitts has played in all but one series in team history, and right tackle Eric Winston is well-rounded up front. Left tackle Duane Brown is the team’s most important player, a 2008 first-round pick who started every game as a rookie. He still has a lot of improving to do, and must take quicker drops to protect Shaub’s blind side. Center Chris Myers was manhandled by the bigger nosetackles in 3-4 alignments, so he must use better leverage and add strength. Third-round pick Antoine Caldwell will challenge Myers and right guard Mike Brisiel for their starting jobs as he can play both positions. He is very smart, earning his degree at Alabama faster than anyone in school history in less than three years, so he should grasp the system right away.

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Defense: Remember when everyone was saying the Texans were making a huge mistake when they passed up on Reggie Bush to draft Mario Williams? Well it looks as though Williams has taken it personal, compiling 26 sacks in his last two seasons. He has improved each season, getting better against the run and learning to fight through double-teams. Tim Bulman recorded four sacks off the bench, and he’ll man the left side with free agent signee Antonio Smith. Travis Johnson is back at left tackle, but the line will get a big boost if right tackle Amobi Okoye finally starts playing up to his potential. Frank Akam will step in if Okoye can’t put it all together this season. Rookie end Connor Barwin and veteran tackle Shaun Cody, who came over after a disappointing season in Detroit, are supposed to improve the depth up front.

DeMeco Ryans is far and away the best linebacker on the team. He is the defensive leader at middle linebacker, playing through injuries and rarely coming off the field. He takes on blockers with the best of ‘em, and can cover the middle of the field in pass coverage. Outside backers Zac Diles and Xavier Adibi finished the season on inured reserve. Diles led the team in tackles in his first season as a starter, but he broke his leg last season. He may take a backseat to No. 1 draft pick Brian Cushing of USC. Coaches want to get bigger, stronger and meaner on the outside and Cushing fits that description. Adibi is undersized at just 232 pounds, and if he keeps spending time on the sidelines with nagging injuries then Cato June will become his replacement. It has been hard to get an accurate rating of the secondary because of a poor pass rush from everyone but Williams. Dunta Robinson is the best cornerback, and Jacques Reeves played much better on the other side than he did in Dallas. Reeves allowed just 48 percent of passes thrown his way to be completed, while Robinson allowed 67 percent. Fred Bennett is the top backup, but he’s inconsistent. This is probably the biggest reason why the Texans signed Deltha O’Neal, who picked off three passes last year for the Patriots. Antwaun Molden is a solid special teams guy who will be in the running at corner as well. Eugene Wilson impressed coaches enough at safety to earn a new three-year contract. Second-year strong safety Dominique Barber played well enough at the end of last season to earn a starting job. This group should be a lot better this season if the Texans can muster up a better pass rush up front.

InfoPlays Prediction: 2nd in the AFC South – The Texans will finally put it all together this season. Their offense is as dangerous as any in the league when healthy, with Shaub having three proven targets on the outside to get the ball to. Slaton should pick up right where he left off last season. Houston was killed by the injury bug last season defensively, and those same problems can’t be expected again in 2009, at least not to the same extent. Four of the team’s eight losses last year came by 7 points or less, including two losses to the Colts which they let slip away and should have won. A second-place finish in the AFC South will be their result in 2009 and perhaps a Wild Card berth.

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