The crowd jumped in sync. They shouted and screamed at the top of their lungs. We all remember the day: the day the red, white and blue jerseys represented the city well.
Houston Texans fans will never forget the moment their team clinched its first playoff game. The Texans obtained the title of AFC South Champions for the first time in their 10-year run.
It was 2011, the year the Texans fans walked with pride.
In 2011 the fans felt they would never be defeated; I know I did. All the years of being laughed at for cheering for a losing team finally paid off for fans.
Fast forward to 2014. What will the Texans do? They’re coming back from the worst season in Houston Texans history. They had the first pick in the draft, and they brought in a new head coach. Every fan has an opinion as to what the Texans should do, but Bill O’Brien, the Texans’ newly appointed head coach, will have the final say.
The NFL has a history of watching teams come back and be great after falling downhill. A common question is whether or not the Texans will take that position.
Sept. 14 fans saw JJ Watt, defensive end, score a touchdown. Fans wondered if that was an indication that the Texans could be a winning team and if Watt’s new contract would include the tight end position. It didn’t matter what O’Brien’s reasoning for throwing Watt in there was, fans were going to accept it, and they were going to brag about it. By the end of that day, the Texans were 2-0 and determined to make this season the season to watch.
Then they lost the third game of the season. Fans began to feel the same agonizing pain they did just a year ago when the team lost the last 14 games in the season.
I’m not going to say the Texans shouldn’t aim for the playoffs, and I definitely do not want to admit they are not a Super Bowl team. I wear my battle red jersey proudly every Sunday. I root for them to win every single week. However, will making it to the playoffs as a wild card be beneficial in the long run?
By no means do I doubt this team; they definitely could pass up the Colts and stand in the position they have in the past. At the end of the season, the Texans could rank as the AFC South Champions. They have the talent and expertise to make it to the top, but I’m not going to speak too soon on admitting that.
If the Texans were to bail out of the season and end with a pretty high draft selection, could they get the high-end quarterback they have been anticipating? With high-ranked defensive end JJ Watt, future hall-of-famer Andre Johnson, recent draft picks Jadeveon Clowney and DeAndre Hopkins, and a new highly affirmed quarterback in the 2015 draft, it is possible the Texans can be in the Super Bowl.
Ryan Mallett may have proven himself to be the quarterback the team has been looking for over the years. The Texans could get to playoffs this year to gain experience, work another season and then be ready to play in a Super Bowl in their own stadium in 2017.
If Mallett shows he isn’t who the Texans need, they could get an early draft pick this year, collect an NFL-ready quarterback, have a year of practice and be playoff ready when 2017 comes around.
Maybe I’m just a girl, or maybe I’ll see you at the Super Bowl in 2017 wearing my number 99 bright red jersey.
