The Houston Texans have made a lot of changes to the team’s
personnel, both on the field and on the sidelines.
They have brought in new coaches, including new head coach
Gary Kubiak and assistant head coach/offense Mike Sherman, that have had a
positive dramatic impact on the Texans’ play style. The selections made in the
offseason have thus far proven to be beneficial to the Texans depth both
offensively and defensively.
During Houston’s first preseason victory against the
Chiefs, Texans fans got a chance to finally see some of the players and the
potential they have for helping the team keep a winning pace this year.
The Texans played three quarterbacks against K.C. First
string QB David Carr started and only played two drives during the first
quarter, completing 3/5 for 23 yards and rushing for 20. The Texans second
string quarterback Sage Rosenfels, a free agent signing from the Miami Dolphins, played the
majority of the game until Quinton Porter took over the offense in the fourth
quarter. Rosenfels looked good for a backup role, but the big surprise came
from Porter who was 4/4 with 51 yards.
Carr looked a little sloppy during the game, but Kubiak has
really worked on David this past week, preparing him and the rest of the team
for the Texans next contest against the St. Louis Rams. Seeing the rest of the
depth at QB should give Texans fans some relief, as Kubiak doesn’t strike me to
have the same issues that former head coach Dom Capers had regarding the Texans
premiere quarterback. Kubiak looks to me like he will not hesitate to pull Carr
from a game if he is performing poorly.
The question mark that is beginning to surround Carr is
becoming more and more noticeable, or at least discussed. Some fans are
beginning to wonder if Carr has been ruined by the record number of sacks he has
taken in his short NFL career. They wonder if he will be able to develop more
and work with the new offensive scheme the Texans will be using this year.
Texans’ C Mike Flanagan, who joined the team this offseason
from Green Bay, was asked how he thinks Carr is coming along after practice on
Wednesday.
“Conceptually he understands the offense better; he’s taken
more control of the huddle,” Flanagan told the media. “Obviously the plays he
can make on the move with his feet, I don’t think there are many guys in this
league who can do that. I think this offense is kind of built for a guy like
that.”
The Texans gave all three quarterbacks time with the ball
playing against a live defense during practice yesterday. The team is holding
their final two-a-day practices today, and is holding a closed practice on
Friday before flying to St. Louis to play Saturday. It is likely that fans will
see the same rotation regarding playing time during that contest.