The Ultimate Sports Blog's
2015-16 NFL Preview
2014-15 Record: 9-7
Last Playoff Win: 2012 Wildcard vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Last Playoff Appearance: 2012 Divisional vs. New England Patriots
Last Super Bowl Win: None
Last Super Bowl Appearance: None
Head Coach:
Bill O'Brien (9-7 all-time in Houston, 0-0 in playoffs)
Offensive Coordinator: George Godsey
Defensive Coordinator: Romeo Crennel
2014-15 Team Leaders:
Passing Yards: Ryan Fitzpatrick (2,483 yards, 63.1% completions, 17 TD's, 8 INT's, 95.3 QB rating)
Rushing Yards: Arian Foster (260 attempts, 1,246 yards, 8 TD's)
Receiving Yards: DeAndre Hopkins (76 receptions, 1,210 yards, 6 TD's)
Tackles: Kendrick Lewis (89 tackles)
Interceptions: A.J. Bouye/Kareem Jackson/Jumal Rolle (3 interceptions)
2014-15 Team Rankings:
Passing Offense: 24th in NFL
Rushing Offense: 5th in NFL
Points Per Game: 14th in NFL
Least Points Allowed Per Game: 7th in NFL
2014-15 Potential Starters:
Purpe - Elite Starter
Blue - Above Average Starter
Green - Average Starter
Orange - Below Average Starter
Grey - Rookie
Red - Disgusting, Awful, Horrible, E.J. Manuel
Offense:
QB: Brian Hoyer
RB: Arian Foster
WR: Cecil Shorts
WR: DeAndre Hopkins
TE: Garrett Graham
C: Ben Jones
OG: Xavier Su'a-Filo
OG: Brandon Brooks
OT: Derek Newton
OT: Duane Brown
Defense:
DE: J.J. Watt
DE: Jared Crick
DT: Vince Wilfork
LB: Whitney Mercilus
LB: Jadeveon Clowney
LB: Brian Cushing
LB: Bernardrick McKinney
CB: Johnathan Joseph
CB: Kareem Jackson
FS: Rahim Moore
SS: Eddie Pleasant
2014-15 Schedule:
(September 13) vs. Kansas City Chiefs
(September 20) vs. @ Carolina Panthers
(September 27) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(October 4) vs. @ Atlanta Falcons
(October 8) vs. Indianapolis Colts
(October 18) vs. @ Jacksonville Jaguars
(October 25) vs. @ Miami Dolphins
(November 1) vs. Tennessee Titans
(November 8) BYE WEEK
(November 16) vs. @ Cincinnati Bengals
(November 22) vs. New York Jets
(November 29) vs. New Orleans Saints
(December 6) vs. @ Buffalo Bills
(December 13) vs. New England Patriots
(December 20) vs. @ Indianapolis Colts
(December 27) vs. @ Tennessee Titans
(January 3) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Overlook: I want to fall in love with the Houston Texans. I really do. This is a pretty well constructed roster from top-to-bottom with no huge weaknesses, except for one gigantic sore thumb that can be seen from space. That sore thumb also happens to be the same thing that has plagued the Houston Texans franchise since it's inception in 2002. The lack of a true elite NFL franchise quarterback. When the Texans first started out, they drafted David Carr to be the face of their franchise and he flamed out in spectacular fashion. After Carr was gone, they hoped backup QB Matt Schaub was good enough to lead their franchise and he was....for a short time. Then something happened to Schaub and he was never the same. With Schaub gone, the Texans are still looking for their next "guy" at the QB position. Who will it be? Will Ryan Mallett finally grab the reigns and run with them? It seems like that guy's been an "NFL project" for 6 years now so I wouldn't bet my money on it. The Texans starting QB will likely be Brian Hoyer this year. Hoyer was decent at times last season with the Cleveland Browns and is likely Houston's best bet to get to the playoffs. Hoyer shows signs of being a good NFL QB, but he's also mistake-prone and isn't the most accurate passer in the league. Is he good enough to get the Texans to the playoffs? Yes. Is he good enough to lead the Texans to a playoff win? Yikes.
How's the rest of the offense look for the Texans? Not too shabby. The offensive line has a few holes that the Texans need to fill immediately, but this unit should still be adequate enough to make life a little easier for whoever is throwing the ball. The tight end position is also a bit of a mess, but the Texans have some skill players on offense that will definitely make NFL defenses sweat. DeAndre Hopkins is quickly turning into one of the most explosive weapons in the league and he should only improve if the play at the QB position does. Where I'm worried the most is the running back position. Arian Foster is hurt already and likely won't be at full strength at all this season (groin injuries are a mother). Can Alfred Blue or Kenny Hilliard take the keys from Foster and keep the Texans offense multi-dimensional? I have my doubts.
While I might be lukewarm on Houston's offense...I absolutely love their defense. There are no real weaknesses on this side of the ball and there are some legit scary dudes over here. Justin James Watt needs no introduction. He's probably the best player in the league. He's only going to be better this season and that scares the ever-loving crap out of me and opposing NFL QB's. The Texans also added Vince Wilfork to their defensive line because apparently they REALLY hate quarterbacks and want to kill them all. Enough about the defensive line though. We all know how good they are going to be. Questions start to arise for the Texans when you look at their linebackers. Can Brian Cushing return to his dominating ways after a few disappointing seasons? Can Jadeveon Clowney turn into the NFL player everyone thought he was going to be when the Texans drafted him #1 overall last year? How good is rookie Bernardrick McKinney? If these three guys can step up their play....I'm not sure anyone is going to score on the Houston Texans this year. Downright scary defense.
So, what's in store for the Texans this season? On paper, this is a sexy team to take. The defense is definitely an elite unit. I like their head coach (Bill O'Brien just FEELS like an NFL head coach to me) and some of their offensive personnel. However, the lack of a decent franchise QB scares the crap out of me. That's the one position that Houston is lacking an elite player in and that's the one thing stopping this team from being a "Super Bowl team". Are they a playoff team? Probably. A Super Bowl team? Not a chance.
No comments:
Post a Comment