The Texans overcame a shaky start on Sunday to rise up and crush the Jaguars 42-28. A strong ground attack and a pair of electric kickoff returns by Andre Davis pushed the Texans to their best-ever season record. At 8-8, the team finished right about where most expected them to, and there is still a ton of work to be done before this team will be in a position to make the playoffs.

Don’t believe the media hype. BOTH teams had several players out today.
I’m not one to be a homer, and that’s not going to change today - but I have to address the media blitz today that was pounding us in the face with a hammer labeled “The Jaguars are resting their best players.” Let me cut right to the chase. If you want to see who the Jaguars were playing without - go to ANY football site in existence and there will be an article about it, or watch highlights of the game and listen to the announcers regurgitate the information over and over. Here are the players the Texans were playing without:

Starting QB Matt Schaub
Starting RB Ahman Green
Starting C Steve McKinney
Starting OG Fred Weary
Starting DE Anthony Weaver
Starting SS Glenn Earl
Starting CB Dunta Robinson
Starting KR Jerome Mathis

So it would be nice if the media, who have suddenly made darlings out of the Jaguars, could just shut their mouths about that garbage. The bottom line is - the Texans beat the Jaguars handily, and BOTH TEAMS had a lot of key players not in the starting lineup. Now, to say the game was meaningless to the Jaguars - that’s a fair point that can’t be argued. Some would say that it’s more important to have momentum going into a playoff game than it is to rest your players - hogwash. The Jags would have played far better had they started their full compliment of players, and if the game had been important to them. That’s not the point I have issue with. But this noise about how the Jaguars were somehow at a huge competitive disadvantage because they didn’t play all their best guys is a load of bull.

Rant over. Okay, let’s get back to the actual contest.

Sage Rosenfels asserts his worth yet again.
Sage didn’t have a great game against the Jaguars, but with the way the Texans ran the ball, he didn’t need to. For those of you who are excited that he could possibly fetch a first-day draft pick, forget it. Having a backup quarterback the stature of Rosenfels in this league is both priceless and invaluable. Matt Schaub is and will be the starter, but so far he’s spent a lot of his time with the Texans being banged up. Because of that, Sage is an incredibly valuable piece of the Texans’ puzzle. Don’t look for him to go anywhere, unless someone offers up a completely ridiculous package (and that’s not going to happen.)

As a courtesy to Sage and his play this season, I’m sure coach Kubiak will at least give him a chance to compete for the starting position - but he won’t win it, even if he outplays Schaub. So hopefully, Houston fans will realize how much of a jewel Rosenfels is, and not push for him to be traded. I’ve been saying it the entire second-half of the season - Sage Rosenfels is the best, and most capable backup quarterback in football. Be happy about it.

Signing Andre Davis should be a huge priority.
I’m not exactly going out on a limb with that analysis, am I? If you’re a real estate agent in Houston, it might be a good idea to contact soon-to-be former Texans kickoff returner Jerome Mathis. He’s virtually assured to be gone now that Davis has proved to be one of the top kick returners in the game - but his value goes much further than that. Unlike Mathis, Davis has also been the Texans’ most dangerous deep threat at wide receiver, and has been fantastic as both a starter in place of Andre Johnson, and as a reserve since Johnson returned.

Hopefully, Davis and his agent will show some loyalty to the team that gave him another chance. At the same time, the Texans front office must not undervalue Davis, and should avoid insulting he and his reps with a low-ball offer. Another problem that Houston will have to contend with in this situation is that Davis will likely want to play somewhere next year where he can start. The Texans won’t be able to guarantee him that opportunity, but they should at LEAST tell him he’ll have a fair chance to win the job away from Kevin Walter. It’s interesting how the wide receiver position was one that entered the season with the most uncertainty, and ends the season as arguably the the strongest on the team.

For the second-straight week, the defense was awful.
Defense will be a big topic in the off-season, and it should be. The Texans were once again abhorrent against the pass today, giving up 302 yards and four passing touchdowns to backup quarterback Quinn Gray. Texans’ defensive backs were getting beaten up and down the field severely at every turn. Fred Bennet had another rough game, and Von Hutchins was doing his best to out-Faggins DeMarcus Faggins. It was brutal to watch, and you can bet Kubiak will have some harsh words for the secondary before the Texans empty their lockers. Let’s face it - if not for Andre Davis’s incredible day, this game might have had a very different outcome. If defensive coordinator Richard Smith returns next year, he’ll need some serious help in free-agency and the draft.

Darius Walker and Ron Dayne were an impressive one-two punch.
Playing ahead for most of the game, the Texans were able to roll up 170 yards rushing, including a season-high three rushing touchdowns. The running back position is one of mystery heading into the off-season. Ahman Green, Ron Dayne, Darius Walker, and Chris Taylor could all figure to be in the mix, yet none of these guys are guaranteed to be here next season. Walker seems to have at least proven his worth as a solid third-down back, and having a full season in the offense would certainly seem to bode well for his chances of making the team next year. Lots of draft prognosticators have the Texans taking a running back with their first pick in the draft, but as it stands right now I’d be willing to bet they are going to draft for defense in the first round again.

It’s going to be a long, long off-season.
Well, it wasn’t a winning season. It wasn’t a losing season. To quote Denny Green, the Texans are who we thought they were. Most predictions ranged from 7-9 to 9-7, and the Texans will go on vacation with some positive feelings. Now, we have to sit and wait. Wait for the draft. Wait for the off-season program. Wait for training camp. Wait for pre-season, and finally, for the 2008 season. I’m already feeling the early symptoms of no-football depression.  This team certainly has far to go, but it also has a lot to build on.  In 2008, it's playoffs or bust!

Please visit www.HoustonDiehards.com for more Texans analysis.  We'll talk draft, free-agency, and anything else related to the Texans all year long.   

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