Imagine coming into the league to a football crazed city and state. Houston had their team taken away by that dastardly old Grinch, Bud Adams! Dom Capers and Charley Casserly couldn't get it done. Enter Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith. They brought in the first era of winning. When they were brushed aside, Bill O'Brien came in. He pushed Smith out for his own guys. There was some relevance and winning under O'Brien, but he got himself axed (along with his cronies). Still, the city was left starving for a consistent winner.

Nick Caserio came in and was seen by some as another New England guy the franchise was obsessed with. He had some hiccups to start because he was trying to clean up a mess leftover. Enter DeMeco Ryans. Now we're cooking with some good oil! Not only did he appeal to the fans by being a former franchise great, he was also the hottest coaching prospect this past hiring cycle. He spoke and carried himself like nothing this team had previously. Caserio was busy working to acquire the groceries DeMeco needed to cook with. NOW the culture has finally shifted!

Caserio bought himself some time with DeMeco's hire. The draft they put together infused hope with the new-found faith the fans had in the organization. After a 2-2 start, there's more than faith, hope, and a culture shift. The Texans have arrived as a team to be taken seriously. Don't believe me?

There's a reason why national shows are looking to talk to C.J. Stroud. He came in with the hype of being a top prospect and one of, if not the most accurate quarterbacks in his draft class. He's living up to the hype and breaking the mold of what's expected of rookie quarterbacks. Setting passing records is one thing, but he's leading his team. The story of him hosting dinner every night is very believable. When ESPN Houston/ NFL Network's Lance Zierlein talked about the dust up between C.J. and Texans OC Bobby Slowik during the draft process, he thought they wouldn't draft him. It led to them believing in him more because of his passion. Now it's paying off in spades.

Will Anderson Jr. is another guy they drafted out of need. They also wanted his attitude and leadership. Known as a lead by example guy from his time at Alabama, he's brought that same lunch pale work ethic to the Texans. Tank Dell was seen as too small by some. He's worked his butt off and has become one of C.J.'s favorite targets. These rookies have come in and shown what the future of this franchise will look like under this new regime.

Not only are they performing on the field, but they seem to be good guys off the field as well. All they seem to want to do is play football, practice, workout, and hang out with people who'll better them. C.J. and Tank were seen attending a UH football game with Case Keenum. C.J. was also at an all white party getting to know some high profile celebs, namely Tom Brady.

Final thoughts

There was an iconic scene in the movie Goodfellas. Billy Batts came home from prison. Tommy was a shoe shine guy before he went in. Now, Tommy is an up-and-coming mafia associate. Billy gives him a hard time and Tommy sets the record straight, not before getting offended. When Billy goes back at him, Tommy is ready to fight. The Texans are Tommy and the rest of the unbelieving world is Billy Batts. “I don't shine shoes no more” is what this team is now telling the doubters.