CHANGE IS COMING

Here are all the reasons Houston sports fans should embrace 2021

Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve of the Astros
A lot can change in a year. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve of the Astros

Where's my thermal underwear? It was 61 degrees when I stepped outside to take my dog for a walk this morning. What is this … the North Pole?

You know what it means whenever the temperature drops below 70 in Houston. TV reporters will be wearing gloves and bundled up like the Michelin Man. Such weenies.

Seriously, wasn't last night just the best? I absolutely jumped up from the couch when Carlos Correa blasted a shot over the centerfield fence for a walk-off homer. Everything is falling into place for the Astros – we're throwing pitchers who don't even have a baseball card yet, our second baseman can hit 400-foot home runs but can't throw the ball 30 feet to first base, and our best hitter can't buy a base hit.

Yeah, the Astros are on their way to the World Series, after dropping the first three games to the suddenly puckered-up Tampa Bay Rays. It's going to happen. It's destiny.

Don't worry about these 2020 Astros. Of more concern, though, are the 2021 Astros. And 2021 Texans. And 2021 Rockets.

Houston is the 4th largest city in America, a big-time market with fans that see the regular season merely as opening acts for the playoffs. Yet all three of our teams seem to have precarious futures, trending in the wrong direction. At the least it's a fair question: who's minding the store?

The Astros may be losing its entire outfield, possibly in a matter of days. Slugger George Springer and professional hitter Michael Brantley are headed to free agency for big bucks (no whammies) that could be too rich for the Astros' blood. Josh Reddick also looks destined for another team. At some point soon, the Astros will have to back up the Brinks' truck if they hope to sign Carlos Correa long-term.

Meanwhile, manager Dusty Baker, suddenly a genius the last two games, is really a seat filler until all the dust settles from the Astros cheating scandal. He's signed for next year, not to infinity and beyond.

The Houston Texans have neither a general manager nor fulltime head coach. That's what happens when you give both jobs to one person who does not play well with others, and the team starts 0-4 with the highest payroll in the NFL. And the team traded away its best receiver with little to show in return. The cherry on top, the Texans don't have a first-round pick next year.

Over at Toyota Center, the Rockets also don't have a coach and its much-admired general manager quit for "personal reasons." I've got a feeling that Daryl Morey's personal reasons will vanish in another NBA city pretty soon. The Rockets have a new, first-time general manager Rafael Stone, who will guide their search for a new coach. Jeff Van Gundy seems to be the front-runner for the job, with John Lucas moving up fast on the outside. Van Gundy is excellent on ESPN games, and Lucas knows the organization.

The Rockets appear ready to unload Russell Westbrook to the highest bidder, with the Knicks the most likely trade partner. Rockets better hurry if they want Westbrook to be happy in New York - Fashion Week is in December.

All that to say, enjoy these moments right now. A pandemic robbed us of a normal sports year but these are highly interesting, if not historic times. Houston sports may not be this interesting for quite a while. Be thankful you're not rooting for the Pirates, the Knicks, or the Jaguars. Change is uncomfortable but can be bundled with hope. In the absence of hope, a fanbase becomes generally disinterested like the aforementioned teams. And as the famous Seinfeld quote goes, "that's not gonna be good for business. That's not gonna be good for anybody."

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The Texans are the class of the division. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

The Houston Texans received a lot of praise for their moves in free agency across various outlets. And for good reason, most people believe the team got significantly better with the additions of Danielle Hunter, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Denico Autry among others.

But there's another factor to consider this offseason. How much have the other teams in the AFC South improved?

When looking at the PFF grades in free agency, the Colts received a B-minus. Most of the Colts moves this offseason involved spending a lot of money re-signing their own players. Which is great in theory, but it's hard to improve the overall quality of your roster when you're bringing back players that were already there to begin with. A lot will be riding on player development for the Colts to see a big jump this season. A healthy quarterback wouldn't hurt either.

The Jaguars have made some big additions financially this offseason by signing receiver Gabe Davis and defensive tackle Arik Armstead. They also lost the top receiver on the market, Calvin Ridley, to the Titans. Gabe Davis wasn't able to establish himself as a reliable No. 2 receiver with Josh Allen throwing him the ball in Buffalo. So it's hard to believe he'll take the next step in Jacksonville. Their best move of the offseason might have been retaining edge rusher Josh Allen by using the franchise tag on him. So what did PFF think of Jacksonville's offseason? They received a B-minus, just like the Colts.

The Titans have a lot of turnover heading into the 2024 season, and not just on the roster. They have a new head coach in Brian Callahan, who's looking to revamp Tennessee's offense. Early in free agency, they agreed to terms with former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, signing him to a 3-year deal at $8 million per season. Which is more money than the Ravens are paying for Derrick Henry, who left the Titans in free agency. Calvin Ridley was the most notable addition to the squad, he received a 4-year, $92 million deal. And while this could be viewed as an overpay, at least he gives the Titans' offense some upside. Their receiving corps looks a lot more dangerous with Ridley added to DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks.

They also spent big at the center position, adding Lloyd Cushenberry on a 4-year, $50 million contract.

Because the Titans spent a lot of money on some highly coveted players, PFF gave them a B.

Now that brings us to the Texans. The Texans re-signed some of their own players like Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown. But they also made some big splashes with Hunter, Autry, Al-Shaair, and Joe Mixon. But the Texans spent their money in a more conservative way by not handing out many contracts over two years in length.

The Texans managed to add the best pass rusher in free agency with Hunter, but it's only a two-year deal. The overall talent level is going up on this roster, and GM Nick Caserio isn't having to sign players to long contracts that could come back and haunt him.

That's why we're seeing post-free agency power rankings coming out with Houston in the Top 10. And that's also why PFF gave the Texans an A for their moves in free agency.

Be sure to check out the video above as Craig from Sports Talk Extra takes an in-depth look at PFF's grades for the AFC South, and much more!

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