HARD TO FATHOM
Texans entering camp with a first-year GM, a rookie head coach and some 50 new players
It’s difficult to see this Texans’ roster winning a lot anytime soon.
The Cleveland Indians Major League Baseball franchise changed its name to the Cleveland Guardians, mainly because the argument for justification of using a group of people as a sports mascot is tenuous at best.
This was an unwinnable position in Cleveland, considering that toothy Chief Wahoo logo the team used to proudly display.
Imagine the Texans promoting a toothless East Texas bumpkin as a mascot. LOL? No. Not funny.
Instead, they borrowed Toro the Bull from “Looney Tunes” and didn’t look back.
If the Texans were to change their mascot from the one that subjects me, you and every other Lone Star State citizen to ridicule based on the team’s less-than championship operation, what could it be?
Whatever moniker you suggest, right now, a furry mascot in the shape of a huge question mark would be most fitting.
Nobody knows what the Texans will be going forward.
A first-year general manager, a rookie head coach and some 50 new players — mostly castoffs from other teams — on a roster that was among the worst in the NFL last season.
Need I mention the star-level quarterback whose official status is uncertain but unofficial status is persona non grata?
I’d like to argue that there isn’t enough information to be definitive about what the Texans will be in 2021, but that would be disingenuous. There is plenty data to work with. Very little of it is positive.
Still, I’m predicting this Texans’ season will not be as disastrous as most believe it will be. Don’t ask why, I can’t legitimately defend the position, it’s just a feeling.
(Editor question: You mean like the feeling you had when you predicted a Super Bowl run by the Texans in 2020?)
(Writer reply: Ha ha ha, very funny. Please delete this from the system so it doesn’t inadvertently appear in my column and damage my credibility. Thanks.)
I believe in Nick Caserio as a long-term general manager. He has seen enough to know what it takes to win and should have developed an eye for talent that ought to serve him well.
Despite having never been a head coach, David Culley is a motivational force who gets the best out of players. They want to win for him.
Of course, “want to” rarely overcomes talent, and the Texans are certainly short on that.
Players take to the field Wednesday for training camp, with oddsmakers listing the Texans as having the best chance (plus-175) of finishing the season with the worst record in the league. In other words, gamblers stand to win more money betting on the Texans to lose than on them to win.
The excitement of a training camp will be ratcheted up by fresh faces trying to impress a new staff. The questions about who they are and what they can do won’t be answered in the next few weeks.
Thus, this is more than a transition year for the Texans. Theirs is not a simple makeover.
As with most full-scale renovations, Step 1 is the demo, a full-on demolition.
It is a remodeling job for the ages, which is particularly remarkable considering that not too long ago, the Texans held a 24-0 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs in a playoff game.
They had their quarterback of the present and future, and a legitimate chance at making a Super Bowl run. Instead of reaching the peak, the Texans lost their grip and fell down the mountain. All the way down.
Bill O’Brien got the hammer a quarter of the way through last season. Aside from owner Cal McNair, he held the top two football positions in the organization.
It will be a while before we can examine the Texans and not find O’Brien’s DNA.
We will not find the answer to many of the questions surrounding the Texans in 2021, because it will take time for the organization to move on.
Relax, wait for better days, deal with losing for now.
Yep, more reasons the nickname Texans doesn’t fit this organization.
We aren’t patient.