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2006 Texans Betting Preview

NFL News- August 4th, 2006 12:00pm
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Vip.com - Texans Preview - August 04, 2006

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Sports Edge's profile of all 32 NFL teams continues today with the AFC South's Houston Texans.

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VIP Odds

Houston is 100:1 to win the Super Bowl, 60:1 to win the AFC Championship, and 18:1 to win the AFC South. Their Over / Under win total is 5.5.

Schedule

Houston’s 2006 opponents had a record of 134-122 in 2005. That is tied for the 5th hardest schedule in the AFC. The Texans get their bye-week after Week 4.

The good news for Houston is that they have three out of their first four games at home. The bad news is that it is against three solid teams in Philadelphia, Washington and Miami. The Texans are 3.5 point underdogs in the Philly opener, and almost every win they will have this year will be an upset.

Sports Edge Analysis

Quarterback, David Carr is on the hot seat this year. Carr must finally prove that he is worthy of being the number one pick in the 2002 draft. New coach, Gary Kubiak is used to developing quarterbacks, and Carr presents a great test case.

The key acquisition on offense was Bills’ receiver, Eric Moulds. Moulds played 10 years in Buffalo, and he was one of the best wide-outs in the NFL. Now at 33 years-old, he may have lost a step, but he is the perfect compliment to Andre Johnson. Johnson had a terrible 2005 season, but should rebound this year with Moulds taking away some of the defense’s attention.

Tight end, Jeb Putzier comes over from Denver where he is re-united with his former offensive coordinator in Kubiak. He provides another intriguing passing option for Carr.

The running game is going to get a lot of scrutiny this year as Houston passed up USC’s Reggie Bush in the draft. Domanick Davis is capable of 1,200 yards rushing if healthy, but he first has to get over a sore knee that has caused him to miss some of training camp.

While the passing and running game bear some optimism, it can not come together without a lot of improvement from their offensive line. Carr got sacked 68 times last season, the next highest was Drew Bledsoe at 49. Center Mike Flanagan was signed from Green Bay, but the line must adjust to an entirely new offensive system.

Houston’s defense was last in the AFC in yards allowed last year and last in points allowed. What else do you need to know?

That is one reason why the team drafted defensive end Mario Williams with the first pick over Bush. Williams should be a beast in the team’s new 4-3 defense, and Jason Babin should fill the other side nicely. There is also a lot of talent at the defensive tackle position with Robaire Smith, Anthony Weaver and last year’s first round pick, Travis Johnson.

Looking at the linebackers, rookie DeMeco Ryans should start immediately, either in the middle or the weak-side. Shantee Orr looks to have locked up the strong-side, and the final position is still up in the air.

The secondary already suffered a blow when starting cornerback Demarcus Faggins was lost for 6-10 weeks with a broken foot. The disappointing Phillip Buchanon now starts opposite Dunta Robinson. Safeties C.C. Brown and Glenn Earl are young but upcoming.

Predictions - The Texans went 2-14 last year, but could have won a couple of more games if they weren’t trying so hard to get the number one pick. The talent level on this team has improved on both sides of the ball, but the challenge is large as they are installing new offensive and defensive systems. That is going to take a year to get accustomed to, so the fans are going to have to be patient with Coach Kubiak.

A 4-12 record is the most likely scenario.

Click any of the following teams for their NFL 2006 Betting Previews

Posted by miker at August 2, 2006 08:37 AM

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