The Texans Will Be the Most Popular Pick To Win the AFC Next Year

[TexansFanatic]

No doubt about it.

If Schaub is healthy right now, the Texans are preparing to play New England next weekend.

The Texans have all the ingredients for the most tried and true formula for Super Bowl success: a good quarterback, a great running game, and a great defense.

Don't be surprised this coming summer when most NFL prognosticators are pointing to the Texans as their pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl next year.

[rush2112mn]

This team went through a lot this year. From losing your starting qb and ending up playing your 3rd stringer for a part of it and into the playoffs. You lost your starting rb for the start of the season and your #1 wide receiver for most of the season and still make it into the playoffs.....and almost go to the afc championship game and a new defensive scheme with new coaches and some new players both rookies and vets. I think this team overachieved this year big time.
Congrats on a great season Texans......Training Camp cant get here fast enough........

[dream_team]

Originally Posted by rush2112mn

This team went through a lot this year. From losing your starting qb and ending up playing your 3rd stringer for a part of it and into the playoffs. You lost your starting rb for the start of the season and your #1 wide receiver for most of the season and still make it into the playoffs.....and almost go to the afc championship game and a new defensive scheme with new coaches and some new players both rookies and vets. I think this team overachieved this year big time.
Congrats on a great season Texans......Training Camp cant get here fast enough........

Ummm... You also forgot about Mario, our best pass rusher and edge-setter, missing most of the season.

[Texecutioner]

Waaaaaaaaayyy to early to say that. We haven't even had an off season with free agency movement yet to determine that. There will be all sorts of teams that get better or get worse going into next off season. Teams will fill holes in certain spots and some teams will have really good draft picks. The Texans need to be active in free agency again and have another good draft. THey should be up there as one of the front runners though.

[Corrosion]

Originally Posted by Texecutioner

Waaaaaaaaayyy to early to say that. We haven't even had an off season with free agency movement yet to determine that. There will be all sorts of teams that get better or get worse going into next off season. Teams will fill holes in certain spots and some teams will have really good draft picks. The Texans need to be active in free agency again and have another good draft. THey should be up there as one of the front runners though.

They get better by getting healthy at the most important position on the field .... If they can manage to resign Foster and MW while adding a legit WR there is little doubt that they are at the head of the class .... A solid FA and Draft and they could be front runners for a superbowl appearance.

[fiasco west]

I thought about this but the one thing that makes me nervous is not seeing Matt 1 in a playoff game or not. What if he himself gets the jitters in the big game?

[Texecutioner]

Originally Posted by Corrosion

They get better by getting healthy at the most important position on the field .... If they can manage to resign Foster and MW while adding a legit WR there is little doubt that they are at the head of the class .... A solid FA and Draft and they could be front runners for a superbowl appearance.

Dude, teams dramatically change every off season. You have no idea what any team is going to do going into this off season. What if the Colts end up wanting to trade Manning and he ends up on the Ravens or the Jets? What if the Patriots stack up some players to help out their defense and get some better deep threats at WR? There are all sorts of things that can happen. We still don't have an elite QB that is up there with Tom BRady and the Patriots could possibly stack that team up like they did before they had the perfect season that the Giants barely stole from them. That off season they got Stallworth, Moss, and Welker and Junior Seau on defense and they were a miracle play away from being the best team of all time. They still were in my opinion. One miracle play doesn't all of a sudden take away from that team's greatness of that season personally.


There are way to many things that can happen in an off season to suggest this right now. Wade could still leave, Andre could somehow get hurt in camp, anything could happen.

It's way to early to have this discussion.

[gtexan02]

If the Ravens or Pats win the SB they will be the favorites. I can't think of a major piece of any organization that is going after this season.

[fiasco west]

Originally Posted by gtexan02

If the Ravens or Pats win the SB they will be the favorites. I can't think of a major piece of any organization that is going after this season.

Ray Lewis says he may retire if they win. If he does Reed will follow I am guessing.

If those two go their defense is just takes a tiny step back. They will still be really good, but Rey made a ton of smart plays most LBs don't make and both of those guys are some really clutch players on that side of the ball.

[badboy]

I think Pats will be the favorite and we will be 2nd or 3rd favorite.

[michaelm]

Originally Posted by fiasco west

Ray Lewis says he may retire if they win. If he does Reed will follow I am guessing.

If those two go their defense is just takes a tiny step back. They will still be really good, but Rey made a ton of smart plays most LBs don't make and both of those guys are some really clutch players on that side of the ball.

I don't know if Ray ever said he would retire if the Ravens won the SB this year, but if he did say it, it looks like he doesn't feel that way anymore.

“Let me sum it up for all players: This is a one-time thing,” Lewis said. “We don’t get youth back, so there isn’t any coming back to this for me.

Ray Lewis has celebrated one Super Bowl championship. Two more wins and he'll be doing it again, this time in Indianapolis.
"If we go win the Super Bowl this year, what am I supposed to look at my team and say? Individually, ‘I have two, I’m done.’ Or do I look at my fellas and say, ‘Let’s scrap it up one more time, let's see if we can make this run one more time.' "

Although Lewis is already a shoo-in Hall of Famer and on par with legendary Dick Butkus as one of the two most dangerous middle linebackers to play football, it's no surprise his fire for the game is hard to put out.

"That’s all what the legacy is about," Lewis said. "Togetherness and to hoist that Lombardi (Trophy) with my boys. There is nothing I wouldn’t give up for that.”

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/stor...on-win-or-lose

[run-david-run]

Originally Posted by fiasco west

I thought about this but the one thing that makes me nervous is not seeing Matt 1 in a playoff game or not. What if he himself gets the jitters in the big game?

That's where that great D and running game come in. If we were healthy this year, we would have been the only team (I believe, haven't actually looked it up) with the potential for a top 5 offense and defense. When you have that balance, you can overcome bad games from key individuals because there are so many other good players to pick up the slack.

On the other hand, when Brees or Rodgers or Brady have bad games, their teams will lose. Is it week one yet?

[TheMatrix31]

Many are going to do that "Everyone's picking the Patriots, Ravens, or Steelers, well I'M taking the TEXANS to be in the Super Bowl" thing.

[Thorn]

We all know that each season is different for most teams. Some continually stay good for a while, then fade out, some flare up for a bit, then go back to being average at best. I think the most interesting stories next year will be the 49ers, Lions, Bengals and Texans. Four crappy teams that had a good year. Will they build on their success? I feel good that the 49ers, Lions and Texans will do very well next year, don't know about the Bengals just yet.

[fiasco west]

Originally Posted by michaelm

I don't know if Ray ever said he would retire if the Ravens won the SB this year, but if he did say it, it looks like he doesn't feel that way anymore.




http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/stor...on-win-or-lose

Hmm...

I was saying that from this...

“My son will be a junior this year. I only play this game for another ring,” Lewis told Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com. “If we can win it this year, and I’m being brutally honest with you, if we win it this year, I’m gone to then spend as much time as I can with him. I’m gone to be with my son. And I feel like now we have enough pieces in place to make a good run at the Super Bowl.”

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...-a-super-bowl/

Personally I think the best way to go out is on top and if they do win it'll be tough to turn down to go out like that and not be run off the team like Brett Favre.

Although that quote from Rey I posted is last year at the start of the season. I do think he'll seriously consider it either way, he definitely still has it though despite what some may say. At least he still has it when it comes to big games.

[Dutchrudder]

The Texans Will Be the Most Popular Pick To Win the AFC Next Year

I don't agree with this at all. Whoever wins the AFC likely will be the pick next year. Likely to be the Pats given what I have seen this year. If Peyton comes back, I'm sure the Colts will get some votes for winning the AFC South alone. We will probably start the season around 8-10th for the power rankings. (not that any of it really matters)

[Texecutioner]

Originally Posted by run-david-run

That's where that great D and running game come in. If we were healthy this year, we would have been the only team (I believe, haven't actually looked it up) with the potential for a top 5 offense and defense. When you have that balance, you can overcome bad games from key individuals because there are so many other good players to pick up the slack.

On the other hand, when Brees or Rodgers or Brady have bad games, their teams will lose. Is it week one yet?

Really? The Texans went 3-3 with Yates and his stats weren't good at all.

The Packers had one game without Rogers and Flynn threw for like 6 TD's and won a game where he had to score almost 50 to win, but he did. The Saints also have a pretty good backup that is similar to Brees as far as his size and how he plays in Chase Daniels.

Just like most teams if we all lose our QB's we're pretty much screwed for the rest of the season. You might be able to still make the playoffs if your team is good all around, but unless you find the next Kurt Warner or Tom Brady by accident and by luck you're screwed. Yates wasn't ever going to take us anywhere.

[DX-TEX]

Fear the Texans next year. That is a talented football team. Who knows how good they could have been if Matt Schaub didn't go down? That defense can be special. They do have to decide what to do with Mario Williams? Do they tag him? That would cost $22 million. That's way too high, considering they played without him for most of the season and finished second in total defense. Rookie Brooks Reed and Connor Barwin are both good players at outside linebacker. If Williams hits the market, he will be by far the highest-paid free agent out there

Pete Priscoe CBSSports.com

I’ll go against my own credo here for one post.

Generally if you ask me now how I like a team next year, I’m going to ask for time. Can I see what they do in free agency? Can I see how they draft? Can I see what everyone else does?

But as the Texans wrap things up today, it’s hard not to look at them with a great deal of positivity. They’ve got a green neon up arrow attached to them, flashing brightly.

Never mind losing Mario Williams for the year, never mind how much time they played without Andre Johnson. If Matt Schaub hadn’t suffered a serious foot injury at Tampa Bay on Nov. 13, the Texans very well could have been one of the top two seeds in the playoffs and very well could have been the most well-rounded team in the AFC playoff field.

“You always wonder a little bit and you always will,” linebacker Brian Cushing said. “But you’ve got to play with what you’re dealt and what you have. The adversity we went through, next year’s team is going to be so much stronger from it.”

It’s dangerous to presume a team picks up where it left off.

Everybody starts from zero when training camp opens and Gary Kubiak will have to sell his guys on that, make sure that no one heads into the offseason thinking they’ve made it.

Presuming the mindset is right and everyone is healthy, this is a team that should head into the 2012 season with as good a chance to represent that AFC in the Super Bowl in New Orleans as anyone.

“We’re going to get better every year,” cornerback Johnathan Joseph said. “The sooner we can back on the field, the better. This is our first time around on the playoffs and I know that we will be back. The sky is the limit for this team.”

Paul K AFC South Blogger ESPN.com

[GP]

It's time the NFL has the draft the first weekend in March. The end of April is light years away. Do it, Goodell. DO IT.

[TheMatrix31]

I want the free agency period to be a flurry like it was this past "offseason".

Make the draft in June. Make FA the first two weeks of July. Training camps as usual.

Best week ever. Seriously.