Fanball.com Monday, February 23, 2004 The Texans' record may have increased by only one victory over their inaugural season, but the club was noticeably more competitive in their sophomore season. Houston beat Carolina, the NFC's representative in the Super Bowl, 14-10, and took Super Bowl champion New England to overtime before falling 23-20. Much of Houston's success could be attributed to a vastly improved offensive line. Quarterback David Carr was kept upright most of the season—though, ironically, both he and backup Tony Banks suffered injuries despite the team cutting the number of sacks allowed almost in half. And the Texans discovered a ground game—though it didn't come from free agent signee Stacey Mack or supplemental draft pick Tony Hollings. Fourth-round pick Domanick Davis rewrote the team record books, recording the franchise's first 100-yard game and 1,000-yard season en route to earning Rookie of the Year honors—an honor many predicted might go to the team's first-round pick, wide receiver Andre Johnson. While some thought Johnson would be bigger in 2003, his game-breaking talents, coupled with Carr's maturity after a season of hard knocks, helped the Texans blossom in their second year in the league. It didn't hurt that Dom Capers was rarely, if ever, outcoached. Despite closing the 2003 campaign with four straight losses, the fact that AFC South kingpins Tennessee and Indianapolis each had to struggle to come away with three-point victories indicate the Texans must be taken seriously on a weekly basis. Needs: After snagging franchise cornerstone Carr two years ago and buffing up their offense with Andre Johnson and draft-day steal Davis last year, the Texans are relatively set at the skill positions. The key in year three will be to upgrade the team's depth—Houston was decimated by injuries on the defensive line and in the secondary—and land some playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. Capers' system thrives on a dominant pass rusher from the outside, and the Texans have been woefully devoid of such a presence. Another area in which the Texans will spend some of their money is on the offensive line. Heading into last year's draft, the club's woes at that position were so dramatic ESPN aired a commercial depicting Carr in game action without an offensive lineman in front of him save for the center snapping the ball. Last year, however, the Texans reduced the number of sacks allowed from 76 to 36. The team will need to spend money to keep UFAs Todd Washington and Greg Randall, but both have said they'd like to stay with the club and neither is expected to break the bank. Finally, the club will likely address special teams, specifically the need for a kick returner. Davis was expected to play that role last year, but once he emerged as the team's best rusher he became too valuable to use in the return game. Salary Cap Situation: The Texans are approximately $10.4 million under the projected $80.5 million salary cap for 2004, according to ESPN.com. Unrestricted Free Agents: QB Mike Quinn, RB Stacey Mack, RB Greg Comella, C Ben Lynch, G Todd Washington, T Jimmy Herndon, T Greg Randall, DT Steve Martin, DE Corey Sears, LB Steve Foley, CB Jason Simmons, S Pat Dennis Restricted Free Agents: RB Moran Norris, TE Jabari Holloway, DT Jerry DeLoach, CB Jason Bell, S Marlon McCree, S Darrick Vaughn The Draft: With sights set squarely on defensive players, the Texans are hopeful either Miami safety Sean Taylor or Oklahoma defensive tackle Tommie Harris slide to them with the 10th overall pick. In the likely event both are taken ahead of them, fallback plans include Ohio State defensive back Chris Gamble, fellow Buckeye defensive end Will Smith, or USC defensive end Keneche Udeze. Gamble makes sense because, while raw as a pure corner, he's a proven talent in the return game and could double-dip while maturing into the cover corner everyone anticipates he'll become. The Texans parted with their first of two second-round picks to get Hollings in last year's supplemental draft. The plan at the time was to let Mack keep the position warm while Hollings developed, but with the emergence of Davis, Hollings is a bit of a luxury. Still, there are far worse problems than having two young, talented running backs on your roster. Don't fret for Houston, however, as they still have top-10 picks in each round of the draft. The latter rounds will likely yield help on the offensive line and more defensive help, though if one of the talented wideouts slips through to the 40th overall pick they may not be able to resist giving Andre Johnson a partner in crime. Last year's shrewd selection of Drew Henson in the sixth round won't pay off until next year, as the club's asking price is a second- or conditional third-round pick in 2005. But the move indicates Charley Casserly is worth keeping an eye on this draft day; you never know what he's got up his sleeve. Injury Watch: The Texans played much of the season without two key defensive linemen, Gary Walker and Seth Payne. Walker is hoping to have shoulder and to problems corrected without surgery, and the club hopes to bring him back. However, they'll have to release him first to avoid the $11.85 million cap number he currently presents, and the Ravens have expressed interest in wooing him to Baltimore if he's healthy. Payne, meanwhile, has had numerous problems since ACL surgery and will likely be limited through training camp. The team hopes he'll be at full go by the start of the 2004 regular season. Defensive back Aaron Glenn had groin surgery in December but should be back to full speed by minicamp. Backup quarterback Tony Banks, who filled in well when David Carr went down with a shoulder injury, had the pins removed from his surgically repaired throwing hand in late December; he is expected to be ready for minicamp as well. Stacey Mack had his season ended prematurely by turf toe, but he'll be with another team in 2004. Other Texans who missed part or all of 2003 with injury but will return this spring include fullback Jarrod Baxter (broken foot) and tight end Ben Joppru (athletic pubalgia, a.k.a. the dreaded sports hernia).
