"We gon' rock it till the wheels fall off," the poet Nate Dogg once said. If he was referring to the Houston Texans' 2007 season (and we have no reason to believe that he wasn't), then the rocking will soon cease, as the wheels are at very least wobbling their way out of place as a prelude to actually falling off. The annual optimism has given way to the annual draft speculation, as the never-ending stream of injuries has prevented the Texans from gaining any significant traction. The battered boys in blue host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, and unless something surprising happens, the downward trend will likely continue.
Sage Rosenfels will make his second start of the season after the Texans lost starting QB Matt Schaub last week against the Titans. While Sage doesn't really represent an upgrade or signifcant step back compared to Schaub, he'll face Tampa's vaunted Cover 2 defense, which has been the backbone of the Bucs success this season. Rookie wideout Jacoby Jones doesn't see much difference between the two signal callers either, so hopefully Sage will be able to utilize the Texans' offensive weapons as effectively as Schaub did (at times) this season. The team will be missing running back Ahman Green, who was place on the Injured Reserve this week, putting the ball carrying responsibilities squarely on the massive shoulders of Ron Dayne. That was salary well spent, huh guys?
The Bucs offense has been hit hard by injuries to not one, but both starting running backs, and to papier-mâché' quarterback Chris Simms; still, they've rallied behind possible octogenarian Jeff Garcia, relying on their strong defense to keep them in games. They're not high scorers usually, and the weak running game should allow the Texans' D to key on the passing game. Without shutdown corner Dunta Robinson, and with stud rookie Abomi Okoye admittedly hitting the fatigue wall at this point in the season, the defense is not as dynamic as they would've been in week 3 or so. Garcia is questionable for the Bucs, with Opie-esque Luke McCown as the probable starter. If the Texans' secondary can take advantage of McCown, they can keep the team in the game.
The good ship S.S. Texans is not sunk yet. Even though it's listing heavily, and the front may have fallen off, there's no reason to give up hope. It's mathematically possible for the team to finish above .500, and with the NFL operating with the most parity of any of the major professional sports right now, anything is possible. So find your seats at Reliant, or your regular Sunday afternoon pub, and cheer for the improbable Texans to knock off the Buccaneers!
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Texans vs. Buccaneers
Reliant Stadium
12 noon; game is on Fox and Sports Radio 610 locally.
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