The Houston Texans are a team that could represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. In recent seasons, Houston had the talent to match up with other powers in the conference like New England and Kansas City. The problem is that they can't get past the wild-card round, as they have done in the last few years. This season should be a turning point for the franchise. It seemed as if the Texans had everything that could make the team a dark-horse pick for the Super Bowl. Yours truly drank this Kool-Aid also. Looking now, this is just a distant memory.

Let's start around the new year of 2018. Deshaun Watson was having an incredible rookie campaign after coach Bill O'Brien inserted him in the lineup early in the season. Then, Watson's season prematurely ended when he suffered a torn ACL. I was visibly upset over this considering hearing Watson's story and how he helped Clemson become a college football powerhouse again. Also, J.J. Watt, the all-world everything defensive end had a lost season due to major injuries. Houston limped to a 4-12 season and didn't have a high first round draft pick, because of the trade to draft Watson. Then the Texans announced that Rick Smith, who served as the franchise's GM since 2006 and Executive Vice President of Football Operations since 2012, was taking an extended leave of absence to tend to his ailing wife. So you are thinking if he is only taking a leave of absence, then he should be still employed by the Texans. The thing is that both parties have no intention of continuing their working relationship. Could this have to do with reports that O'Brien told Texans owner Bob McNair to choose between him or Smith. McNair, himself, had a moment to forget when speaking about the protests by NFL players, He allegedly responded, "We can't have the inmates running the prison". He would apologize as many of his players were furious with him. He would take back the apology a few months later stating that he didn't do anything wrong. Duane Brown, the team's best offensive lineman and an outspoken figure for the players, had a holdout and wasn't very happy with McNair's comments and the two didn't see eye to eye on certain situations. Brown would be traded to the Seahawks in Oct. 2017.

As 2018 rolled in, the Texans hired Brian Gaine as GM and many experts thought Houston would bounce back in a big way. They started 0-3 and Bill O'Brien took his annual place on the hot seat as many pundits called for his firing. Then suddenly, the Texans reeled off 9 straight victories and vaulting themselves to the top of the AFC. 

Alas, the joy of faded quickly. The man who brought NFL football back to Houston after Bud Adams took the Oilers to Tennessee in 1996 and was a great asset in the city with his charitable contributions and work with the community was gone. Bob McNair passed away in November at the age of 81. The franchise is now lead by his wife, Janice and son Cal. Houston finished 11-5 and went to the postseason where they, you guessed it, lost in the wild card round to the Colts. Yet the Texans had high hopes going into 2019.

This is where everything gets sideways. In June 2019, the Texans fired Gaine after only a year on the job. There were claims of racial discrimination during Gaine's short tenure as GM, though the team denied that wasn't the motive for his dismissial. Many experts pointed the finger at O'Brien as the reason since alleged reports of him wanting McNair to get rid of Smith. It seems like O'Brien wants to have total control of football operations. Kind of what Bill Belichick does. By the way, guess what coaching tree Bill O'Brien is from? The team announced that they will do a GM by committee during this season. Ummmm..ok. The team tried to go after Nick Caserio, a hot prospect in the executive ranks only to be turned away due to being accused of tampering by the Patriots. Then running back Lamar Miller tore his ACL and was lost for the season. On Saturday, the Texans made a flurry of trades that has some people thinking......really? Earlier in the day, they traded for Carlos Hyde, which added help for the running game. Their next task is to trade Jadeveon Clowney after contract talks died. The Seahawks agreed to obtain Clowney, but the return Houston got back has been mocked by many people (2 fringe linebackers and a third round pick). Even making this trade on Madden 20 has been declined. The Texans then made another blockbuster trade receiving OL Laremy Tunsil and WR Kenny Stills and two late round picks while Miami gets two players and....are you ready?....2 first round picks and a second rounder. Yep, the Texans jettisoned their near future to the Dolphins for basically Tunsil. O'Brien then insisted that acquiring Tunsil had nothing to do with Andrew Luck's retirement. Yep, I'm sure that wasn't a factor.

So, as you can see. The Texans have been though a soap opera for a couple years. Now they have a pair of owners who are way over their heads, basically no GM (even though we all know O'Brien is running the show) and no first round picks for the next two drafts.....yet through all that, they still can make the postseason with their talent alone.

The only sane pro franchise in that city has to be the Astros. Now that's good! Go Stros!

(Sadly, Rick Smith's wife, Tiffany, succumbed to breast cancer in January 2019. She was 49.)

(Sources: Houston Chronicle, ESPN, Deadspin, Wikipedia, Sports Illustrated, NFL.com, The Undefeated, SB Nation)

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