The New Old Texans

Despite the events that were taking place in San Diego outside of Qualcomm Stadium, there was something inside that left Texans fans in disgust.

Everyone realized on Sunday, after a hard fought start to the 2007 season, that it was time to start thinking about next season. The Texans began the season strong with a 2-0 record, giving fans reason to believe that something special might happen. But after injuries plagued the team and they have trouble with execution, it's time to wonder where in the draft order we will fall.

Quarterback Matt Schaub has gone from tremendous to mediocre to check for a pulse, none of this being his fault. Schaub has left the game early two games in a row because of a dreadful performance from the offensive line. Don't get me wrong, Schaub will be the future of this football team, and had the line not taken a time machine back to the David Carr Era, we still might be battling. But now Schaub is bruised up and the Texans sit at 3-5 in last place of the AFC South.

On top of that, the Texans bring a junior varsity running game to the table, ranking next to last in the NFL. On Sunday, someone finally stepped up, when practice squad running back Adimchinobe Echemandu was brought in and rushed for 62 yards on 10 carries. Nothing to write home about, but so much better than what we have seen in the past few weeks.

Now I know it might be early to write them off, but going into week nine the future of this season doesn't look bright. The Texans head to Oakland to face a 2-5 Raiders team in which their record doesn't justify their talent. Then, after a bye week, the Texans come back home to take on the New Orleans Saints.

So it went from thinking, "10-6, playoffs baby!" to "9-7, we still have a shot," to "8-8, hey .500 isn't bad," to "I'm going to go stick my head in the microwave."

But to look at all of this positively, maybe we can get yet another top ten pick, finally draft a running back, and become a playoff team next season. That is until week one, when 14 players get injured.