My Dallas Clark Blog

Interested in that other Texas football team? Why not, especially if you live down south of the DFW metroplex and want to root for someone closer to home. The Houston Texans are members of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference and are a relatively new team, first being launched in 2002. While the team's win-loss record leaves much to be desired, Houston fans still hold loyalty for the team, as the original Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee (and became the Tennessee Titans) while the original Dallas Texans became the Baltimore Colts and later the Indianapolis Colts. True Texans still love to show their support to a "truly Texan" team, which fights alongside the Cowboys to represent the Lone Star State. In 2007 the Texans' 6th season was underwhelming, as the team settled on a final 8-8 score. However, it should be noted that this was the first year that the team achieved a non-losing season in the franchise's short history.

What's in store for Houston fans in the coming season? First consider the team's changes in management. The team is continuing to follow head coach Gary Kubiak, who returns for the third year, and will add Alex Gibbs as the assistant head coach. He will replace Mike Sherman, who left to become head coach over at Texas A&M. Meanwhile, Kyle Shanahan will take over the job of offensive coordinator. Owner Bob McNair and General Manager Rick Smith are betting that the status quo will continue to improve, as the Texans are a relatively new team and on the upswing as regards total victories.

The team had some notable additions in preparation of the upcoming season, including linebacker Kevin Bentley, running back Chris Brown, quarter back Quinn Gray, cornerback Jacques Reeves, line backer Chaun Thompson, center Chris Myers and safety Nick Ferguson. However, the team also lost a few key talents such as Charlie Anderson, Michael Boulware, Danny Clark, Von Hutchins, Jerome Mathis, Jeb Putzier, Mike Flanagan, Steve McKinney and Shawn Barber.

How about the draft picks of the season? The Houston Texans had seven selections in the draft; they traded their second round selection to the Atlanta Falcons to land quarterback Matt Schaub (who later replaced David Carr), and then gave their sixth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for center Chris Myers. Other notable draft signings included offensive tackle Duane Brown from Virginia Tech, cornerback Antwaun Molden from Western Kentucky, running back Steve Slaton from West Virginia, linebacker Xavier Adibi from Virginia Tech, defensive tackle Frank Okam from Texas, safety Dominique Barber from Minnesota and quarterback Alex Brink from Washington State.

Fans remain enthusiastic about the Texans' chances for the upcoming season, particularly since they have tried to build up important positions such as cornerback, running back, offensive tackle and strong safety. The team's first preseason game will be against the Denver Broncos, while the first regular season opponents will be the Pittsburgh Steelers. Say what you will about the Texans, they are a very tough team considering their challenging schedule and the fact that they keep improving their scores year by year.