Houston Texans: Pretenders or Contenders

Even a few days later the Houston Texans 27-0 drubbing at the hands of the New England Patriots remains simply embarrassing, embarrassing, embarrassing. The Texans were a team that appeared to be headed in the right direction and then they had to go and lay the proverbial egg.

If ever there was a moment for the Houston Texans to beat the New England Patriots, Thursday night on national television was it. The Patriots without Tom Brady, without Jimmy Garrapolo, and for the most part without Rob Gronkowski AND a third string rookie quarterback making his first National football League start on three days preparation, the New England Patriots were ripe for the picking yet once again the Houston Texans got plucked. The 2016 Houston Texans showed their true colors on Thursday night laying over for another prime-time loss.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was so confident in his third string quarterback that no other quarterback was carried on the roster save Julian Edelman former Kent State University quarterback turned wide receiver. Rookie signal caller Jacoby Brisette with a little help from his friends once again made the Houston Texans look like anything but a professional NFL team.

It may have been a different team from last season or the even from the one that swaggered into Foxboro in their letterman jackets only to leave with their pride in tatters. It’s disappointing though that many are left over from those two teams and yet the taste of bitter defeats was not enough to motivate them to make a game of it.

Once again the decision maker, Brock Osweiler in whom the Texans organization sold its fans was worth $37 million dollars up front, did not step up on the biggest stage of his career. The fact that it was his tenth overall NFL start doesn’t soften the feelings of ineptitude considering it was a rookie in his first ever start that took down the vaunted Texans defense.

Lamar Miller, the offseason acquisition to give us fresh legs and speed to burst through a hole like a runaway locomotive, is still at the train station.

Bill O’Brien, the Belichick protégé, has yet to prove that he can win not only against his master but any game on prime time.

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JJ Watt, all be it just months removed from back surgery has never performed like the best defensive player in the NFL when it comes to primetime. If he wants a legacy of greatness with the all-time greats, it’s time to show up like the greats when the games mean the most.

The organization would like us to believe the season is young and the New England game was just one blip on the radar, but if you can’t beat the Patriots with nothing on the line but pride and redemption how do you believe your team will win when it really counts for something?

Consecutive 9-7 seasons and an AFC South title may please some but to the majority of fans who pay the big bucks to keep this franchise alive for Bob McNair and company they want more. They are the ones who buy the tickets and fill the parking lots at NRG Stadium, they deserve better. Many have dreamed of Houston being the first team to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium. For them mediocrity this season is not good enough in 2016.

Be careful Houston ownership or you may see brown paper bags in the stands reminiscent of the ”Aints” back in the 1980.

It’s time for the Houston Texans to step up, to quit being pretender contenders and put respectability back on the gridiron every time out.

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