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Why it's time to shift focus to the end goal for Houston Texans
May 10, 2023, 5:57 pm
Now, the real work begins. Composite Getty Image.
How Texans most important deadline could make or break GM
The NFL offseason doesn't have a real “offseason.” Most sports have a lull in their offseasons in which there's very little to nothing going on. It's either that, or the happenings aren't very newsworthy. Instead, the NFL has grown to the point where releasing the schedule has become a prime-time tv special. “We're talkin bout the schedule!” (AI voice…the basketball player)
Attaining that level of success takes time, effort, and marketing a product the people want to consume. Cultivating that product and making it want to be constantly consumed takes serious skill. There will be steps along the way that some, maybe even most, may not agree with. However, when the results are as desirable as they have been for the league, you take the good with the bad. The main thing is to keep going and focus on the end goal, not the journey.
Focusing on the end goal and not the journey is something I hope Texans fans are still doing. All the vitriol spewed regarding the draft, the trades, the moves made and so on are tailing off. It's time to move on and focus on the upcoming season. Enough is enough already!
People are entitled to their opinions. Saying one's opinion is wrong can lead to arguments. There are no wrong opinions. There are stupid ones that make very little to no sense and will call you to question that person's freedom to have internet access. Those and similar opinions should be tabled for a while. We do not know whether these guys will be hits or misses until they play. Once they play, give them at least two seasons, then and only then can we judge the moves that were made.
The schedule will be released this week. Rookie mini camps are taking place now or occurred last week. Spring League Meetings take place the end of May. June 1st is when some vets will be cut and can officially sign with other teams. July 1 is the last day for franchise tagged players to sign extensions. Late July/early August is when training camps start. Throughout this time, you'll get updates on players' recovery from offseason surgeries and injuries. There will also be the inevitable trouble some will find themselves in. As you can see, there's a lot to pay attention to.
We also have to keep in mind as outsiders, meaning people who don't work in the building and aren't privy to those conversations, we can't say what they did/didn't do is wrong. We don't know the true plans they have and never will. We can't say with any certainty that they messed up or that it's their greatest draft/offseason.
Perhaps my biggest takeaway I'd like to give fans moving forward is to trust the process. If you believed in Nick Caserio before, don't stop believing now. If you were a fan of the DeMeco Ryans hire a couple months ago, keep that same energy. They were two of the most sought after at their respective positions when hired. Caserio meant so much to New England, they blocked him from interviewing and accepting other jobs for the longest time (remember the tampering charges). DeMeco was THE coaching candidate this past hiring cycle. Bottom line: we get mad at the weather people for not predicting the weather very accurately, yet we still use them daily. They're right more often than they're wrong. Why don't we give our GMs and coaches the same treatment until they prove otherwise?
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NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
C.J. Stroud faced criticism in Houston's last few games as the Texans hit a rough patch after losing just two of their first eight games.
But the second-year quarterback remained confident and his strong performance last Sunday helped the Texans (8-5) to a 23-20 win over the Jaguars to enter their bye with a two-game lead atop the AFC South.
“When he is leading and playing the way he is playing, our entire team feeds off of him,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I am excited for his second year. I think he is showing a ton of growth, he is in a really great spot for us physically, mentally. I really love where he is and I am excited to see how he comes back after the break.”
Stroud threw for 242 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville to leave him ranked fourth in the NFL with 3,117 yards passing this season. That game came after he threw two interceptions in a 32-27 loss to Tennessee a week before for the team’s third loss in four games.
Those two interceptions brought his season total to nine, which are four more than he threw in 15 games a rookie. But the Texans aren’t worried about that statistic and believe he has grown in his second year.
“He’s made a lot of progress,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “There are some plays, like all of our players, that we probably wish he could have back, but happy he’s our quarterback, happy with what he brings to the table. ... Wouldn’t want anyone else leading this team.”
The Texans are in position to win their division for a second straight season despite dealing with several significant injuries on offense. Running back Joe Mixon missed three games early with an ankle injury and leading receiver Nico Collins was sidelined for five games with a hamstring injury.
They also lost four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs for the season when tore an ACL in Week 8.
Mixon leads the team with 887 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and has added four touchdown receptions. His work in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati has helped the team deal with those significant injuries to the receiving corps.
Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing in seven games.
Stroud has continually raved about Mixon’s contributions on and off the field.
“He’s a servant, a helper,” Stroud said. “That’s ultimately what I want to be as well. Who can I serve and how can I help? That’s ultimately what the game of football is.”
While Mixon has been the team’s most important new acquisition on offense, Danielle Hunter has been Houston’s new defensive star. The defensive end spent his first eight seasons in Minnesota before joining the Texans this year.
He has helped Houston lead the NFL with 84 tackles for loss after piling up 15 this season, which is tied for third most in the league. He also leads the Texans with 10½ sacks to help them rank second with 42.
Hunter been a great addition to a team that already had defensive end Will Anderson Jr., last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson ranks second to Hunter on the team with 13 tackles for loss and 9½ sacks.
Ryans said this week’s break is much needed for a team that opened the preseason on Aug. 1 in the Hall of Fame game.
“It’s here and we’re going to take advantage of it,” he said. “We’ve been going at it for a long time.”
The Texans need to recharge this week with a brutal stretch of three games in 10 days when they return from their bye. Houston hosts Miami on Dec. 15 before a trip to Kansas City on Dec. 21 and a visit from the Ravens on Christmas Day.
“It’s Christmas and all that, but we can’t worry about that. All we can do is focus on Miami,” Caserio said. “And then when we get through the Miami game, then we kind of turn the page to the next. ... We’re either going to earn it or we’re not. Not to oversimplify it, but that’s the truth.”
The Texans will play those game without starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after he received a three-game suspension for his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion.
Al-Shaair will be eligible to return for Houston’s regular-season finale against Tennessee.