Texans Ranked 20th - ESPN Power Rankings

[TheMatrix31]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2008&week=0

Don't know how I feel about that ranking. We're in the toughest division in football though, so that should factor in when deciding our ranking. I think we could/should be a few slots higher, but we haven't proven anything. Then again, these rankings don't mean jack.

Discuss.

[cadams]

saw that. you are right they don't mean anything. they are based on how they saw the draft playing out, and we know how great they are at actually determining who had the best draft. wait until they get on the field, then we can have an idea of what we have

[Joshua]

If it makes you feel any better, NFL Live went through the power poll yesterday on the show and Mark "Stink" Schlereth picked the Texans as the team between rankings 11 and 20 who he believed was ranked too low and could make some noise.

I realize all of this is meaningless but I got nothing else to talk about.

[TheMatrix31]

Yeah, I mean, this would never be a topic I would post. But it's May, my Suns are out of the playoffs, and there's no other real news regarding our Texans.

The NFL needs to start. Now.

[Roy P]

If Mark "Stink" Schlereth picked the Texans as the team between rankings 11 and 20 who he believed was ranked too low and could make some noise.

Stink played for Gibbs, so maybe he's a little biased.

Let me just rattle off a few teams that I think the Texans are better than...

32 Falcons
31 Raiders
30 Dolphins
29 49ers
28 Bills
27 Lions
26 Jets
25 Titans
24 Bengals (Yup)
23 Bears (Offensive woes)
22 Chiefs (Great draft, but still rebuilding)
21 Rams
20 I can't think of anybody a lot worse than us. Sure, there are some teams like the Panthers, Bucs, Ravens, Redskins, Cardinals, Saints, Vikings, etc. that we could compete with and possibly win against on any given Sunday; but those teams could also beat us two out of three too. If we stay healthy, I could see a 10 win season, but 7-9 is not out of the realm of possibilty either.

[painekiller]

20 I can't think of anybody a lot worse than us. Sure, there are some teams like the Panthers, Bucs, Ravens, Redskins, Cardinals, Saints, Vikings, etc. that we could compete with and possibly win against on any given Sunday; but those teams could also beat us two out of three too. If we stay healthy, I could see a 10 win season, but 7-9 is not out of the realm of possibilty either.

Wow, you don't think to highly of this team do you?

I see this team as better than the Panthers, Bucs, Ravens, Redskins, Cards, Saints and Vikings. I was pi$$ off seeing ranked behind these teams.

OK the Redskins and Bucs where in the playoffs last season, but are they really solid teams? One team replaced it's head coach with a guy who has never been a coordinator on any level, and the other team was talking about finding a new HC prior to last season.

If the Texans had been placed any division but the one it's in and maybe the NFC East, they would have been a playoff contender.

60 something QBs started in the NFL last season, and we have 2 solid guys and 1 better than most on the roster.

Until this training camp, we have been weak at RB.

Our OL is average. 20 sacks is not a bad number. And the lack of a true NFL RB hurt the run game numbers.

Our WR corp is solid. They need to stay healthy now.

And ranking our defense is impossible with a league high 17 players on IR last season.

We never played a game with our full deck last season, major players where gone from before the season.

I see this season as one in which we cut some really solid players. Guys that end up starting for other teams before the season is done.

Watch out for this Texans team.

[papabear]

I see this team as better than the Panthers, Bucs, Ravens, Redskins, Cards, Saints and Vikings.



I think we are better than them too, but not by so great a margin that it would surprise me if we lost to any of them. I would be pissed that we wasted a good chance for a win, but not surprised.

By the end of the season we might be widely considered better than a lot of the teams in front of us. The point about the number of injuries is valid, and if we would have had our full compliment last season might have been very different. That really doesn't mean anything until we prove it on the field. We are at a tipping point. A couple breaks in either direction could be the difference between the playoffs or more disappointment.

[painekiller]

I think we are better than them too, but not by so great a margin that it would surprise me if we lost to any of them. I would be pissed that we wasted a good chance for a win, but not surprised.



At the Super Bowl, NE was the better team, they just lost that day. So it happens.

I look at the Panthers and say no QB and the OL sucks, and we beat them before they injury riddled.

Bucs, have a weak division and a one trick pony of an offense.

Ravens, who is the QB?

Redskins? Who is the coaching staff? And how will they recover from the roller coaster ride they had last year, BTW where is the proven QB?

Cards? No defense and immature QB, with no running game

Saints? No Duece = no running game, defense has many holes.

Vikings? QB questions, but everything else is looking to be in place.

I agree with Roy that 7-9 is not out of the question, but that does not mean we suck, we have one of the top five hardest schedules in the league, NE has one of the easiest, go figure.

And if you think about it, going 6-10 or 7-9 might not be worse thing that could happen, then we get a good draft pick and then hopefully the schedule god's start to smile just a little bit on us.

[kravix]

20 I can't think of anybody a lot worse than us. Sure, there are some teams like the Panthers, Bucs, Ravens, Redskins, Cardinals, Saints, Vikings, etc. that we could compete with and possibly win against on any given Sunday; but those teams could also beat us two out of three too. If we stay healthy, I could see a 10 win season, but 7-9 is not out of the realm of possibilty either.

The only team in that list I would argue about is the Vikings. I think their def is solid, with an amazing running game behind AP. Better Qb play should be all they need to win some more games. They arent head and shoulders above us, but I were debating on who goes first the Texans or Vikings it would be them. The rest I think we are better than hands down.

Gibbs and Rhodes may be some of the best coaches to ever coach, but that doesnt mean that they will automatically make the team better than before they got here. After I see the production then I will push the hype.

I agree 7-9 isnt out of the question and I am hoping we go at least 10-6.

[Roy P]

Wow, you don't think to highly of this team do you?

OK the Redskins and Bucs where in the playoffs last season, but are they really solid teams?

If the Texans had been placed any division but the one it's in and maybe the NFC East, they would have been a playoff contender.

Our OL is average. 20 sacks is not a bad number. And the lack of a true NFL RB hurt the run game numbers.

And ranking our defense is impossible with a league high 17 players on IR last season.
Watch out for this Texans team.

I think this is the best talent we have had on the roster. This is a team that can compete and look like it belongs in the NFL. That has not been my opinion up to this point.

Unfortunately, this team in not in the NFC Central, so that will have to be taken into consideration. We have to split with the Jags AND the Colts in order to be taken seriously.

The Redskins and Bucs were in the playoffs last season, we never have. Experience counts for something. They had injuries to Carnell Williams and Jason Campbell and were still able to make things happen with Earnest Graham and Todd Collins. After Sean Taylor was murdered, the Skins could have packed it in, but they didn't.

The 20 sacks was a huge improvement, but it came at the expense of stretching the field. Take a look at our average yards per completion and attempt. The short passing game still wasn't enough to keep Schaub healthy for the entire season. Now, we have a Rookie LT and a new coach to fix things. I just don't know how much we can realistically expect this year in terms of OL improvement.

While we have a plethora of RBs on the roster, I'm not convinced that we have a "true" RB that is going to demand the respect of defenses. The potential is there IF everyone stays healthy and we cut down on fumbles. Better run blocking should help, but again, there aren't any guarantees because we have not proven anything yet.

Injuries are a part of the game. Who really knows when Dunta will return and how well he'll be able to play when/if he comes back. If we can keep DeMarcus Faggins on the bench or possibly the Dime, then the secondary will be better. I'm just not sold on Reeves, yet.

The Texans are definitely a team to watch. On paper, we have made upgrades that will hopefully equate to more wins on the field. This team has the potential to be a top 10 team in the league (that would have us drafting #22), but until it actually wins more games than it loses, we can't squawk too loudly about being underestimated by the media.

[Froback]

The Texans are definitely a team to watch. On paper, we have made upgrades that will hopefully equate to more wins on the field. This team has the potential to be a top 10 team in the league (that would have us drafting #22), but until it actually wins more games than it loses, we can't squawk too loudly about being underestimated by the media.

This think this was really well put, especially the part I bolded.
I agree, 7-9 given the schedule is not out of the question. Even if they go 7-9, they probably will still be better (at least in theory) than about half the teams that go 8-8 or better. That is just part of being in the AFC and specifically in the AFC south. It is (right now) the toughest division in football.

I don't think there is anyone here who doesn't think this team still has needs. As far as I am concerned, as long as they are improving, but still not "there", I don't mind having a less the reality record. It provides a better draft position, which should mean a better shot at continuing to improve where they want to.

Does this mean I don't want them to go 10-6 or better, heck no. But I do have to prepare for the reality of what and where they are. I love the direction they are headed. They are doing everything I would be doing if I were, GM. So it is hard for me to complain. Sure I can nit-pick, but the overall results speak for themselves, IMO.