Football time has finally (sort of) arrived

In less than three days, Texans’ training camp practice begins. If this were just the first look at a total regime change, or the beginning of fan deliberations on the Mario Williams pick, this would be huge news. But with the Astros seemingly counting on their tradition of second-half surges and the Rockets still looking to be a black hole of age and injury, these Texans are the biggest hope in town. And since this is Texas, the possibility of a half-decent NFL team in town is enough to make a grown man faint and a sane woman growl.

Of course, camp isn’t really about meaningful assessment. Even if you can see over the hordes of fellow fans, it will take at least August 12th’s pre-season visit with KC to start judging Gary Kubiak’s path for the future (sage former high school coaches, feel free to consider yourselves the exception to this). Camp, though, isn’t about rational football watching. It’s about basking in your team when there are no losses or fumbles to its discredit, dreaming that the fourth receiver’s speed might translate into a break-out season, thinking that Carr might remain this upright all year. Since the Texans might not end up champs of Super Bowl XLI, think of training camp’s barrage of anticipation, potential, and autograph-seeking as the poor man’s championship celebration. After all, at this point the Texans are unbeaten, untouched, and have no peers in the National Football League. Here’s hoping a little of that carries over into the season.

To actually attend, you’ll need to know a lot more than “camp practice starts Friday.” For this, consults Alan J. Burge’s semi-official guide in his “Voice of the Fan” column.

Photo: Flickr user joan bcn