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It's crazy, I know. Those lovable, huggable, hapless Texans are 2-0 in 2007, and they have looked very impressive getting there. It's a topsy-turvy league, folks. New Orleans and Philly look dead in the water while Houston and Detroit are 2-0. Soon the seas will boil, the skies will fall. The dead will rise from the grave. Human sacrifices, dogs and cats living together; MASS HYSTERIA!
It's a crazy, crazy world.
Or, maybe not. If you look closely at the Texans, you will see that this is a solidly built team with a clear goal in mind: Win with defense. It's a smart goal for a franchise like Houston. Their first model, winning with youth on offense and old, useless sacks of flesh on defense didn't quite work out. Before Charlie Casserly left (or "Chuckles" as Texans fans call him) the last two drafts under his guidance produced some pretty damn good players. The Texans are currently built around players DE Mario Williams, LB DeMeco (I say DeMarco) Ryans, and CB Dunta Robinson. All three are Pro Bowl caliber. All three, Casserly picks.
I guess "Chuckles" didn't suck after all.
I think the problem Casserly had when starting the Texans is he both needed to build a quality team AND find a face for the franchise. He also made some truly dumb moves with his coaches. Dom Capers is mediocre at best, and Vic Fangio as their defensive coordinator was one of the best thing that ever happened to the Colts. Fangio used to coach Indy's defense, and he sucked so bad he got Jim Mora fired. When Fangio went to Houston, it all but sealed their fate.
Now, the Texans have a great system in place, and their players have bought into it. Their strength is their defense, and they use their running game and clock management to win games. They don't make mistakes. They don't act like punks. This looks like a maturing football team that fans can be very proud of. I think they'll win 10 games, but that's just me.
This next game is the biggest game in their franchise's young history. They win this, they are #1 in the AFC South for the first time ever! The fans are excited. The players are pumped. The city is charged. It doesn't get any easier for the Colts in Week 3. Like last week, this is a very hostile environment that wants to eat the Colts alive!
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