Texans find alignment
A new alignment might help re-establish an identity on Kirby Drive that has been missing from the Texans
Alignment. That was the word that best captured the in-flux Texans at the end of a highly frustrating and disappointing 2017 season.
Bob McNair’s franchise finally chose sides, sticking with and extending Bill O’Brien as coach, while parting ways with longtime general manager Rick Smith. O’Brien got the GM he wanted in rising name Brian Gaine — who had once been pushed out of NRG Stadium under the old regime — and the Texans began to remake themselves in the vision of a fiery coach entering his fifth year.
The man holding the playcard and the guy calling the front-office shots were at last on the same page. Add in a young franchise quarterback (drafted by the old GM, of course), a recognition of glaring holes (offensive line, defensive secondary) and the promising return of key missing names, and the 4-12 Texans suddenly possessed a critical asset that had been MIA on Kirby Drive. Alignment. We’ve seen that word play out during the early days of free agency. Three offensive linemen, a versatile cornerback and a special-teams specialist added as the big money flowed. Then a big splash and potential major steal Friday night, as a safety best known to Football America as the “Honey Badger” decided the Texans were the best home for his many talents.
Mathieu a huge addition
Tyrann Mathieu — only 25, despite five years in the NFL, and just two seasons removed from being one of the best overall defenders in the sport — could, at the most, cost the newly aligned Texans just $7 million this season. If he disappoints or injuries again limit his power, McNair’s team will financially be fine. New lineman Seantrel Henderson, who will compete for the right tackle spot, is set to make $4 million in 2018. Mathieu was clearly worth the one-year investment, and if he returns to his 2015 form, the former Louisiana State standout and his new pro team could be linked and winning together for years.
Mathieu’s signing jolted a fan base that can’t wait for Deshaun Watson to start lofting touchdown passes to DeAndre Hopkins again, but also has understandably flip-flopped between pride, skepticism and bitter frustration since 2012. Going 2-14, 9-7 three consecutive years, then falling back to 4-12 — all after briefly being a Super Bowl contender during the franchise’s peak — would wear on anyone.
Mathieu betting on himself — ball out in 2018, then truly get paid — and intentionally choosing the Texans over other desirable suitors also instantly flipped my brain back to 2016.
That was when Romeo Crennel led O’Brien’s defense. That defense had the Texans one strong quarter away from stealing a divisional-round playoff victory in New England from the team that eventually stole Super Bowl LI, and Houston’s football team had one of the most dominant attacks in the league.
During the initial three years under O’Brien, the Texans were constructed defense-first and went through more starting quarterbacks than anyone in the NFL. Even in 2016, the team was strong enough to shake off the walking collapse that was Brock Osweiler and win tough, tight, old-school fights because of the strength of its defense.
That attack fell apart in 2017, thanks to injuries and attrition. The Texans allowed more average points (27.3) than anyone else in the NFL and weekly blowouts (45-7, 34-6, 33-7) became the troubling norm.
Now, for the first time since he took over the Texans, O’Brien has a locked-in QB, a general manager who has his back and a shared vision on Kirby Drive.
Real complementary football
Which brings me back to a word we haven’t heard in a while: identity.
That used to be the key term inside NRG Stadium.
Defense, defense, defense. A constant running game — the Texans ranked fifth in the NFL in average rushing yards (135.1) in 2014. Keeping it close, winning with grit, overcoming the crazy carousel of rotating arms, and surprising — even impressing — all those who counted them out.
With Watson wowing us all in 2017, the Texans suddenly possessed the most dynamic offense in the game (remember 57-14 over the Titans in Week 4?) and the endless search for a lasting QB finally ended.
Crennel guiding Jadeveon Clowney, J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus, Mathieu and Co. should give the Texans their identity back in 2018. Watson and Hopkins could be the most electric TD duo in the league.
Defense and offense — real complementary football.
An improved secondary, O-line and special teams, and increased roster depth.
It’s still a long time until September. It’s probably all going to come down to keeping Watson healthy and upright into January.
But with the “Honey Badger” wanting to be a Texan, the new alignment on once-fractured Kirby Drive is already making a mark.