With the season pretty much in the books for the Houston Texans, it has now become time to look ahead. After a 38-15 loss to the Colts on Sunday, the Texans, at best, can finish the season 8-8.
A win away from my prediction, I still can say this team has made a very strong move in the right direction.
A season ago, the Texans looked as if they might never get it together. Now, Houston finally has a team they can look forward to watching.
At the beginning of the season, I made a few predictions for what I thought this season could bring. Looking back, I hit the right topics, but might have been on the wrong side of the ball on some of them.
"Mario Williams has something to prove." And boy did he. Williams is going into the final game of the season leading the NFL with 14 sacks.
It still boggles me that he isn't going to the Pro Bowl, however, the Pro Bowl is a joke of a game anyway. But we have watched Williams go from what many claimed as the biggest mistake in NFL draft history, to the best defensive end in football.
"They aren't giving the ball away." Of course, that was the preseason. And now the Texans are the league leader in giveaways. You have to think to yourself though, with that stat haunting them, the Texans still had a legitimate shot in each game, with the exception of the first game against the Jags and the Colts game on Sunday.
"Houston we have a quarterback." Well maybe. It is hard to say what the ceiling for Schaub is yet because of his injury-plagued season. I was getting ready to say there might be a quarterback controversy until I watched Rosenfels against the Colts. If Schaub comes in next season and shows a little bit of consistency and decides to not be made out of Play-Doh, then the Texans could be a contender.
"The offensive line might actually be able to block someone." The Texans offensive line has given up 21 sacks, which is tied for sixth best in the NFL. I would say we learned two things from this: One, that they are actually able to block someone, and two, that the previous seasons were all of David Carr's fault. Look I haven't taken a shot in three weeks, I had to.
"After the preseason Jacoby Jones is having, there is no question he will line up in that second receiver spot." Okay, so I was way off with this one, and I might have called for his release two weeks ago. He just doesn't have "it" like he did when it didn't count for anything. Jones did teach me to not get excited about something that isn't proven yet.
"The Texans have a running game with Ahman Green." And they might have had one, had we been able to see Ahman Green play. Gotta love that injured reserve.
And now the Texans finish the season off at home against the playoff-bound Jacksonville Jaguars. Although it should be pretty tough, and the Texans struggled the first time against them, I think they will come out strong to finish the season at .500.
My Prediction: Texans 21, Jaguars 20.
Sports
Looking toward the future
- Sports
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Bigger, faster and stronger, Hornets can’t wait to kick off 2012 football campaign
This spring, the Hornets have overhauled their offensive plans and head coach Shane Martin, his assistant coaches, and most importantly, the players are pumped about the changes they’ve made.
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Schallenberg: Kats now hoping résumé speaks for itself
Despite one of the best seasons in school and Southland Conference history, all the Bearkats can do now is watch scoreboards, wait and hope for the best.
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The thrill of victory ... the agony of defeat
The Bearkats knew exactly what they needed to get done and they were up to the task.
In order to reach championship day of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, the Kats would have to stave off elimination twice just to get to today’s final round.
The Bearkats nearly pulled it off. - Kats beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-3
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Alive and kicking: Bearkats still in hunt at SLC baseball tourney
With the possibility of going home early from the Southland Conference Tournament and a chance of their season coming to an abrupt end, the Bearkats needed some quality starting pitching and production from their bats in the worst way.
Like he has done all year long, Sam Houston senior Justin Jackson delivered a lights-out performance on the mound and the offense made the kind of impact the Bearkats have been looking for Thursday morning.
Both elements came together at the exact right time as the Kats stayed alive in the tourney with a 7-1 victory over McNeese State in an elimination game at Bobcat Ballpark. -
Bad day for Bearkats
The Bearkats’ road to the NCAA tournament just got a little bit tougher.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi broke out for four runs before top-seeded Sam Houston even stepped to the plate Wednesday afternoon, but the Kats couldn’t find a way to counter that first punch.
Sam Houston connected for eight hits, but could not get enough of those in a row to make a dent in the deficit and are now one loss away from being eliminated from the Southland Conference tournament following a 9-2 loss at the hands of the eighth-seeded Islanders on Wednesday afternoon at the Bobcat Baseball Ballpark. -
Schallenberg: Time is now for Bearkats in Southland tourney
The Bearkats look to take care of business this week in the Southland Conference baseball tournament.
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Alpha Omega Academy trio shine at state track meet
Freshman brings home four medals, including two golds
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Tough night for Kats against Rice
The Bearkats had a golden opportunity to make a lasting impression for a potential at-large bid in the NCAA tournament with fifth-ranked Rice coming to town. Sam Houston’s bats couldn’t get going early enough or be able to link enough hits together against the Owls pitching staff and succumbed to a 5-0 loss in the final game of the season at Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday night.
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BEARKAT BASEBALL — Plenty up for grabs against fifth-ranked Rice
For several reasons, today’s game against fifth-ranked Rice is going to be a biggie for the Bearkats.
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