With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.
Meet The ... Quiet Contenders. With an explosive offense -- last season's third most prolific to be precise -- Houston is a hot topic this season in fantasy terms. Last season, starter Matt Schaub and backup Sage Rosenfels combined for a franchise record in passing offense. Furthermore, rookie running back Steve Slaton proved to be the sleeper of the season.
This year, with an improved defense and a healthy Schaub, the Texans look like real deal contenders. The defense remains the big question mark, but the offense should keep them in contention, and more importantly continue to provide fantasy owners with big-time points.
As we get ready for the Steelers-Texans game, I laid out three things that look good for the Steelers. Now here are three worrisome aspects of the game for Steelers fans.
1. The Steelers offensive line will face a tough test.
Yes, we could say this every week, but facing Mario Williams will give Pittsburgh plenty of challenges. Williams will likely be facing Marvel Smith for most of the game, which is actually a very good thing for the Steelers. If Williams moves around and flops over to the other side, he could give Willie Colon nightmares, especially as Colon sometimes has trouble maintaining his blocks when he gets double-team help (something that would be required if he's asked to block Williams). If Williams is left on the right side, facing Smith, Pittsburgh can at least endure that with minimal problems.
Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
Quarterback: In Matt Schaub and Sage Rosenfels, the Texans have two quarterbacks who could start in this QB starved league. Schaub needs to show he can hold up over a full season, and have better decision making in the red zone. Even so, he could end up having a breakout season assuming he and his supporting cast stay relatively healthy. Heat Index: 7
Running Backs: The Texans have been busy fixing so many other parts of their team that they have had little interest in drafting running back with a high pick. The running back group consists of Ahman Green (old and oft injured), Chris Brown (oft injured), Chris Taylor (inexperienced and coming off of injury), Darius Walker (inexperienced), Steve Slaton (3rd round pick rookie and more of a third down back). Coach Gary Kubiak won't want to have to rely on a young player because of concerns about blitz pickup. The best hope for this group is if offensive line guru Alex Gibbs shows some magic in his run blocking teaching that makes this group look good. Heat Index: 4
Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.
Meet The ... Team that needs to change divisions. How about going 8-8 and finishing last? The Texans are joined in the AFC South by three playoff teams, none of which is significantly worse entering the 2008 campaign. The problem for the Texans is that their offense didn't really improve itself and the rest of the divisional teams have stout defenses. Having Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub healthy for the entire season, though, is a start. Those two have a year under their belt working together and will be the key to this offense. You also know Gary Kubiak likes to run the ball, but it's tough to trust Ahman Green or Chris Brown.
The Breakout ZZZZZ ... sleeper time. Steve Slaton, the rookie RB from West Virginia was the Texans' third round pick. I just mentioned how Coach K (is that blasphemy to say when it's not "him," by the way?) enjoys running the football. Again, do you trust Ahman Green to stay healthy? Do you trust Chris Brown at all? If you shook your head at both of the above -- I know I did -- enter Slaton. The best part is that he'll be dirt-cheap on draft day. Last round flier time, baby!
The Houston Texans have been pretty low key in free agency, mostly because they: 1. aren't one player away; 2. don't have a ton of money to spend; 3. usually make bad free agent acquisitions and trades (see e.g. Anthony Weaver, Ahman Green, Phillip Buchanon).
How many running backs can you sign with their best years behind them?
For the most part, the Texans have spent this free agency period shoring up weaknesses with not terribly splashy acquisitions: former Dallas CB Jacques Reeves, former Seattle linebacker Kevin Bentley (seen in above HT.com video or video transcript here), and re-signing Andre Davis.
A report in a Brazoria country website states that Houston Texans returner/receiver Jerome Mathis was arrested late Sunday for allegedly choking his pregnant girlfriend late Friday night. She declined to press charges, but under state law, the state can file charges in a domestic violence case. The Texans are further investigating this matter before they make a statement.
Mathis has already been in the Texans doghouse for maturity issues. After a breakout season where he was All Pro as a returner, he injured his hands riding a motorcycle. In his rookie season, he got into a fistfight with TE Marcellus Rivers on the team bus. After 2005, he spent the most of the next two season on IR with various leg problems.
Before last season, Mathis claimed that he was maturing and that all his problems were behind him. Or not. He received citations in December for his pit bull escaping and threatening people, and also in January for another escape.
I guess this will end up being yet another reason why the Texans will want to re-sign returner/receiver Andre Davis. Mathis already has been tagged as someone who can't stay healthy, and his latest issues with the law if true might be the end of Mathis as a Texan.
For as long as the Texans play the Vince Young-led Titans, two times each NFL year, it will be Vince Young Man Crush week. Some of the fan bases will rehash the 2006 draft. Texas sports writers will bemoan that the Texans passed on their love interest Young. For the game in Houston, Longhorn fans who are normally recovering from Saturday games on Sunday and don't really care much about the NFL, shell out big money to watch the object of their manly affection.
Even Vince Young (see video) is sick of the mancrushers making him the story of this match up.
And he's getting all this attention, even though he might not play due to a quadriceps injury. And ultimately, it is hard to write a preview of this game without knowing if he is going to play or not.
The Jaguars beat the Texans by sticking to their formula: Run the ball, conservative mistake-free quarterbacking, and play aggressive defense to make the other team one dimensional.
The Texans couldn't convert 3rd and goal early in the game after marching it down the field. They marched easily down the field again the next possession and Andre' Davis appeared to score another touchdown. Replays showed that he fumbled it out of the endzone for a touchback.
One of the key plays of the game was a Jack Del Rio Has Stones call. Before the half, with the game close, Del Rio called for a surprise onside kick. It caught the Texans off-guard and the kicker recovered it. This kept the Texans defense on the field longer on a hot day, kept the Texans offense from having the ball with much time left, and allowed the Jags to get a field goal to go into half time leading 10-6.
With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all. 
As we get ready for the Steelers-Texans game, 
Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. 
A report in a Brazoria country website states that Houston Texans returner/receiver 
To get you ready for week 7, 
The Jaguars beat the Texans by sticking to their formula: Run the ball, conservative mistake-free quarterbacking, and play aggressive defense to make the other team one dimensional. 
