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    <title>SB Nation User Blog:  metalman5050</title>
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    <description>Posts made by metalman5050 on SB Nation</description>
    <item>
      <title>HEY GARY, WHATCHA BEEN UPTO? </title>
      <link>http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/6/29/929412/hey-gary-whatcha-been-upto</link>
      <author>metalman5050</author>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:27:39 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;WHO ARE THE TEXANS?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Hey guys and gals. When the idea was put forth, that one of us should take one of the OTHER 31 teams in competition with us, I thought that there was no way that I would have time for this.&amp;nbsp; And then I thought about "the guy," that I have been MISSING for the last four years.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Gary, where R U?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; I remember Mr. Kubiac, on the sidelines,&amp;nbsp; (he was almost always there) and he was always warring a clipboard!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; I also remember the few times that he came in as relief for BIG JOHN, and I do NOT know of a time where he was anything but STELLAR, in his performance!&amp;nbsp; That being said, I had the notion that, after spending that many years on the sidelines, standing next to (no argument) the best offensive mind of the time, (hi Mike, how's the vacation going? I wish I could retire on your salary!) and watching the greatest comeback specialist of all time work his magic, well, what indeed, could Gary Kubiac have learned through all of that?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; His mind, body and family, were stolen from us, by the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/HOU" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Houston Texans&lt;/a&gt;, a team who had only been in the league for four years! GO FIGGUR!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; HERE'S THE LOW DOWN.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Just look&amp;nbsp; at&amp;nbsp; the facts.&amp;nbsp; (This is from the "Home Page" at NFL.com) I might mention here, that the "home page" for the Texans, leaves a lot to be desired. In other words, it is slow on its negotiations.&amp;nbsp; Perhaps they need someone like "the Guru", to get it all together for them, anyway, here we go...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Sept. 6, 2000: The NFL's 32nd franchise is officially christened the Houston Texans before thousands at a downtown rally on Texas Avenue. NFL Commissioner Tagliabue introduces McNair, who then unveils his team's name, colors and logo to the crowd. The ceremony, televised live on ESPN2, includes simultaneous unveilings in Austin and San Antonio.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Jan. 21, 2001: The Texans introduce Dom Capers as the club's first head coach. Capers comes to Houston from Jacksonville, where he served the previous two seasons as the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/JAC" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Jaguars&lt;/a&gt;' defensive coordinator. From 1995-98, Capers was the head coach of the expansion &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/CAR" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Carolina Panthers&lt;/a&gt;, leading the team to the NFC West title and a berth in the NFC Championship Game in 1996.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; You would think that, with those credentials, this guy would "bring it all together for this franchise, but, here is what happened.&amp;nbsp; 2002 - 4 wins.&amp;nbsp; 2003 - 5,&amp;nbsp; 04 - 7 wins,&amp;nbsp; 2005 - TWO WINS?&amp;nbsp; OOOPPS! Your FIRED!!!&amp;nbsp; That is when they "ripped us off," for our Offensive Coordinator!&amp;nbsp; Mr. Kubiac sure could call the plays!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;


  
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Jan. 2, 06: The Texans dismiss Dom Capers as head coach one day after Houston completes the 2005 season with a 2-14 record. Capers leaves after four seasons with a record of 18-46.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Jan. 26, 06: The Texans hire former &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/DEN" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Denver Broncos&lt;/a&gt; offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak as the second head coach in team history. Kubiak, a Houston native, had led the Broncos offensive attack for the past 11 seasons. His offenses totaled 66,501 yards from scrimmage, most in the NFL over those 11 years. His offenses scored 465 touchdowns over the same time span to lead the NFL.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Gary's wins with Houston over the years?&amp;nbsp; 06 - 6 wins,&amp;nbsp; 07 - 8 wins,&amp;nbsp; 08 - 8 wins, and here he is,&amp;nbsp; begining his fourth year as HC.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The Texans finished 2008 by tying a franchise-best 8-8 record and going 5-1 over the final six weeks of the season.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The 08 - 09,&amp;nbsp; coaching staff "shake up!" &lt;br /&gt;Out with the old.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Dec. 30, 08: The Texans dismiss defensive coordinator Richard Smith, defensive backs coach Jon Hoke, defensive line coach Jethro Franklin and offensive assistant Mike McDaniel.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Jan. 6, 09: The Texans announce that head athletic trainer Kevin Bastin and strength and conditioning coach Dan Riley would not have their contracts renewed.&lt;br /&gt;In with the new.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Jan. 13: The Texans promote senior defensive assistant Frank Bush to defensive coordinator, hire David Gibbs as defensive backs coach, and hire Bill Kollar as defensive line coach.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Jan. 28: The Texans promote assistant defensive backs coach Ray Rhodes to senior defensive assistant and re-signs assistant head coach/offense Alex Gibbs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Everyone is talking around the league, about the Patriot connection in Denver! I think that we could start to call Houston, Denver South! Does anyone remember Alex Gibbs?&amp;nbsp; In 1984, he accepted a position with the Denver Broncos. The team appeared in two straight Super Bowls in 1986 and 1987. Gibbs became famous with the Denver Broncos &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Broncos"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Broncos&lt;/a&gt; and Terrell Davis &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrell_Davis"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrell_Davis&lt;/a&gt; in the late 90's. He is best known for his zone blocking&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_blocking"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_blocking&lt;/a&gt; that he installed in Denver and later with the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/ATL" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Atlanta Falcons&lt;/a&gt; in 2004.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Feb. 27: The Texans hire Pro Football Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews as an offensive assistant.&amp;nbsp; Bruce Rankin Matthews played&amp;nbsp; as an offensive lineman in the NFL&amp;nbsp; for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/&lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/TEN" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Tennessee Titans&lt;/a&gt; franchise from 1983 through 2000. He is considered one of the best offensive lineman in NFL history, and was also voted into the Pro Bowl 14 times.&amp;nbsp; He aught to be able to help the offensive line in Houston!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;IT ALL BEGINS WITH COACHING.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; So at the top we have:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Gary Kubiak: Head Coach&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193610/10262.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193610/10262_medium.jpg" height="340" alt="10262_medium" width="447" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://www.houstontexans.com/uploads/photo/thumbs/10262.jpg"&gt;www.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;by Spenser Harrison the bleacher report.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Gary Kubiak had been a top choice for many NFL teams following the Broncos second Super Bowl victory but decided to stay in Denver and hone his skills. In fact, he was interviewed for the Texans head coaching position in 2002, and was reportedly a top candidate before being passed over for Dom Capers. &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; On Jan. 26, 2006 Gary Kubiak was named the Texans second coach in franchise history.&amp;nbsp; He immediately shocked us all by having the brass to draft &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2768/Mario_Williams" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Mario Williams&lt;/a&gt; over &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2903/Vince_Young" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Vince Young&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2001/Reggie_Bush" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Reggie Bush&lt;/a&gt;; a bold move that has already paid off and left doubters eating crow.&amp;nbsp; Since then Kubiak has led the Texans through two 8-8 seasons.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Offensively the difference between Kubiak*s offense and that of the Capers/Palmer ERA is night and day. What was once a dink and dunk conservative offense has been transformed into a budding powerhouse populated with young stars. Since 2005 the Texans have improved from the 30th ranked offense, to 28th in 2006, 14th in 2007, and 3rd in 2008. (That sounds like somthing that is going on in Denver right now, out with the&amp;nbsp;old &amp;amp; in with the new.)&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; THOSE STATS can be deceiving! Listen to what JOHN McCLAIN Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle had to say.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; "We pretty much know what will be expected from an offense that ranked third in yards and 17th in points * reduced turnovers and improvement in the red zone."&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Sound familiar Denver fans? We were ranked 2nd in offence and BAD in the RED ZONE!&amp;nbsp; Houston was 8 - 8, and so were we.&amp;nbsp; We both missed the playoffs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193619/10263.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193619/10263_medium.jpg" alt="10263_medium" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://www.houstontexans.com/uploads/photo/thumbs/10263.jpg"&gt;www.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Gibbs, Alex Assistant Head Coach/Offense&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193622/27.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193622/27_medium.jpg" alt="27_medium" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://assets.houstontexans.com/uploads/coaches/headshots/thumbs/27.jpg"&gt;assets.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;by Spenser Harrison the bleacher report.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Alex Gibbs is the tycoon of the trench, the connoisseur of the cut block, and the baron of the zone-blocking scheme.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Alex Gibbs is most recognized for his tenure in Denver from 1995-2003 in which he worked with Gary Kubiak in helping build the Broncos into a perennial winner. It was his zone-blocking scheme that served as the catalyst behind Denver*s five playoff appearances and back-to-back SuperBowl victories in 1997 and 1998. &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Under Gibbs tutelage the Broncos built an envied running game that seemed to work regardless of who was in the backfield.&amp;nbsp; In fact, they were able to churn out four separate andconsecutive thousand-yard rushers in Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1380/Mike_Anderson" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Mike Anderson&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1555/Clinton_Portis" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Clinton Portis&lt;/a&gt;. In the nine years Kubiak and Gibbs were together in Denver, the Broncos rushing attack led the NFL with 20,150 yards.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Following his success in Denver, Alex Gibbs was hired as the Atlanta Falcons offensive line coach from 2004-06. It didn*t take long for him to duplicate the success he had in Denver as the Falcons rushing attack led the NFL in 2004.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Given his track record andformer stint with Gary Kubiak, it was no surprise that Kubiak and the Texans offered him a job, in hopes of an immediate help. &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; In his first year, the Texans rushing attack improved in every statistical category from the year before. Their yards-per-carry went from 3.8 to 4.3, their total yards per game improved from 99.1 to 115.4 and they added four more touchdowns than the previous year. Perhaps most importantly however, the Texans overall offense went from 14th to 3rd.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; With Gibbs working his magic, there*s no reason to believe this team*s offense will take any steps backward in 2009.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Kollar, Bill Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; " Hey Bill, Make your point!"&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193634/31.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193634/31_medium.jpg" alt="31_medium" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://assets.houstontexans.com/uploads/coaches/headshots/thumbs/31.jpg"&gt;assets.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;by Spenser Harrison at the bleacher report&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Hired on Jan. 20, 2009, as assistant head coach/defensive line coach, Bill Kollar is the newest addition to the Texans coaching staff.&amp;nbsp; During his stay in St. Louis, Kollar groomed Leonard Little into a premier sack artist, amassing 57 sacks in five seasons and helping the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/STL" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Rams&lt;/a&gt; earn a trip to the Super Bowl in 2001.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193676/10261.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193676/10261_medium.jpg" alt="10261_medium" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://www.houstontexans.com/uploads/photo/thumbs/10261.jpg"&gt;www.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; He*s also coached the Falcons* defensive line in 1998, which led the NFL by allowing only six rushing touchdowns the entire season along with a remarkable 75.2 rushing yards per game. &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The Falcons defense under Kollar was a big reason for the franchises first NFC Championship victory and Kollar's defensive lines are known for their ability to shoot the gaps, high energy level, and a willingness to do everything in their power to disrupt the opposing offense.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; This is why the Texans are hoping Kollar*s intensity and fiery motor can translate into a more aggressive and effective pass rush, something the Texans need dearly, if they hope to make the playoffs a reality in 2009. (COME ON!&amp;nbsp; ISN'T THAT THE EXACT SAME THING THAT WE NEED?)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Bush, Frank Defensive Coordinator&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Congrats on the promotion Frank!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193637/21.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193637/21_medium.jpg" alt="21_medium" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://assets.houstontexans.com/uploads/coaches/headshots/thumbs/21.jpg"&gt;assets.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; It looks to me like Gary Kubiak saw something in Frank Bush, that he did not see, in Rick Smith!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;by Spenser Harrison at the bleacher report&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Prior to joining the Texans in 2007, Bush spent time with the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/ARI" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Cardinals&lt;/a&gt;, Oilers, and you guessed it, the Denver Broncos. (Just one more former member of my team.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Although Frank Bush ushers in a change defensively, expect it to be more philosophical than formational.&amp;nbsp; Under Bush, look for the Texans defense to be more aggressive rather than sitting back, in fear of giving up big plays. (Sounds like Denver last year!)&amp;nbsp; To do so, they*ll likely rely on more substitution packages, player movement, and blitzing to keep opposing offense on their heels. (sounds like what Denver should do this year!)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; Expect Bush and the Texans to step up their pass rush by bringing extra heat from their young, athletic, linebackers.&amp;nbsp; Good greif man! IF THAT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE WHAT MY TEAM NEEDS, THEN... Moreover, don*t be surprised to see Antonio Smith move inside with Connor Barwin&amp;nbsp;lining up at defensive end in passing situations. &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Frank Bush intends to light a fire, and ignite an aggression not seen in Texans defense of the past. Hopefully, his presence will be the missing piece needed to transform this young and ever improving defense, into a force to be reckoned with. &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Kyle Shanahan: Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193643/15.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193643/15_medium.jpg" alt="15_medium" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://assets.houstontexans.com/uploads/coaches/headshots/thumbs/15.jpg"&gt;assets.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Now there's a baby face for you!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;by Spenser Harrison/the bleacher report&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; With such a last name it*s not hard to figure out why Kyle is considered one of the rising young stars in the NFL coaching ranks. &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Although Shanahan is young, he comes from a winning pedigree and has an undeniable thirst for football knowledge. This thirst for gridiron knowledge was clearly displayed by a response regarding his coaching philosophy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;*I studied every potential Xs and Os play and issue possible,* Shanahan said. *I spent my whole life working on that. My goal was that any question a player could have about anything on the field, I'd be able to answer it.*&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Following his playing days at the University of Texas, Shanahan served as an assistant coach in Tampa Bay under Jon Gruden, before being hired in 2006 as the Texans wide receivers coach. ( Gary watched this kid grow up!)&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; At the ripe age of 26, Kyle Shanahan was the youngest position coach in the NFL. However, he quickly proved wise beyond his years by developing &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2715/Owen_Daniels" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Owen Daniels&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2763/Kevin_Walter" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Kevin Walter&lt;/a&gt; into immediate contributors.&amp;nbsp; By 2008, Shanahan was promoted to offensive coordinator, becoming the youngest coordinator in the NFL. It didn*t take long for Kyle to exceed expectations, and Gary Kubiak handed him the play-calling duties by mid season. Once again, the young prot*g* didn*t disappoint, as he helped guide the Texans offense to third best in the league. (RED ZONE PROBLEMS should dissipate)&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The Texans and their fans should expect the offense to build and improve on last year just as Kyle Shanahan surely will. At this point there should only be one question left regarding Shanahan's tenure with the Texans. "How long can we keep this kid, before he's a&amp;nbsp; head coach somewhere else?"&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Joe Marciano: Special Teams Coordinator&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193649/22.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193649/22_medium.jpg" alt="22_medium" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://assets.houstontexans.com/uploads/coaches/headshots/thumbs/22.jpg"&gt;assets.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;by Spenser Harrison at the bleacher report&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Marciano*s NFL career as a special teams coach has spanned twenty-three seasons, during which he*s established himself as one of the top coaches in his field. &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Marciano has been the Texans special teams coordinator since the start in 2002, and is the only remaining coach from the Dom Capers area.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; While Joe "Fuzzy" Marciano is now living in the deep south, his roots hail back to Bunker Hill in Dunmore, Pennsylvania. Some of his friends from back home in NEPA include Frank "Buzzy" Padula and Joe "Mazz" Mazzarella.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;By Michael A. Lutz , HoustonTexans.com&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; He leads a double life, and his players know both men. He*s the Texans' tough-talking special teams coach on the field and the gentle, single father who leaves practice to attend to his autistic son.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Players see him on the job as a lightning rod of energy, charging around the practice field, demanding the best from his players. He splices boxing fights and race car crashes into training videos to inspire the controlled violence and effort he expects.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Then, they see him walk off the field into the world of autism, an affliction where a child*s fantasy is more plausible than reality; where beautiful children can*t vocalize to their parents how much they love them or to even look into their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Autism causes moments of tantrums because mommy and daddy don*t understand that the yellow gummy bear is not in it*s proper place or that his or her little people toys must be located at all cost.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Marciano makes the transition from barking coach to caring dad appear seamless. But, even this bare-knuckles Pennsylvanian acknowledges reality.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; "It*s hard," he said. "But once you realize it*s hard,&amp;nbsp; and difficult, and you accept it, it becomes a little bit easier."&amp;nbsp; I sacrifice during the season. I spend all day here on Tuesday, all night on Tuesday and try to get all my work done for the whole week so I can go home a little early on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Basically*I can spend five or six hours with my son. I*m a little tired the next day, but it*s all worth it."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Remember this Hall Of Famer?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193682/10256.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193682/10256_medium.jpg" alt="10256_medium" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://www.houstontexans.com/uploads/photo/thumbs/10256.jpg"&gt;www.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Bruce Mathews,&amp;nbsp; the new&amp;nbsp;Asst. O line coach.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Feb. 27: The Texans hire Pro Football Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews as an offensive assistant.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;WHATS NEXT?&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; THE DRAFT!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193658/386.jpg"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193661/3655.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193661/3655_medium.jpg" alt="3655_medium" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://assets.houstontexans.com/assets/stories/3655.jpg"&gt;assets.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; The #1 pick&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193658/386.jpg"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; Rd 1, Pick 15 (15) Cushing, Brian OLB&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Rd 2, Pick 14 (46) Barwin, Connor DE&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Rd 3, Pick 13 (77) Caldwell, Antoine OG&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Rd 4, Pick 12 (112) Quin, Glover CB&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Rd 4, Pick 22 (122) Hill, Anthony TE&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Rd 5, Pick 16 (152) Casey, James TE&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Rd 6, Pick 15 (188) McCain, Brice CB&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Rd 7, Pick 14 (223) Nolan, Troy S&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The draft for Houston gave the nod to the defense, on the last pick, with 4 picks for the D and 3 for the O, but the thing that I found to be interesting is that they picked not one, but two corners and two tight ends.&amp;nbsp; But why?&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Here is Gary's take on all that.&amp;nbsp; (on TE James Casey) "He's just versatile.&amp;nbsp; We know he can play tight end...I also think that he can play some full back...he's a very smart young man...When you have tight ends on your team who can play special teams, (it) gives you a lot of options on game day."&amp;nbsp; The Texans only show 4 TE's on the roster.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; (on the CB's) "We were looking specifically for someone who could play the nickel position...andgot &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71517/Glover_Quin" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Glover Quin&lt;/a&gt;. Then...we were able to pick up &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71515/Brice_McCain" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Brice McCain&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; To come out of the draft with two guys who look like they also have some flexibility makes it even better. You never have enough corners in this league.&amp;nbsp; The Texans now have 6 CB's on the roster.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; THE OFFENSE&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Quarterback&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193670/10254.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193670/10254_medium.jpg" alt="10254_medium" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://www.houstontexans.com/uploads/photo/thumbs/10254.jpg"&gt;www.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; Matt Schuab&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;10 Brink, Alex 6'2" 208 6/2/1985 1year&amp;nbsp; Washington State&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Grossman, Rex&amp;nbsp; 6'1" 217 8/23/1980 7years Florida&lt;br /&gt;7 Orlovsky, Dan&amp;nbsp; 6'5" 230 8/18/1983 5years Connecticut&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 8 Schaub, Matt&amp;nbsp; 6'5" 234 6/25/1981 6years Virginia&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The Texans certainly aren't lacking in competition at this position, although I rather doubt that Matt will lose the starting spot, but competition is a good thing. It tends to push everyone to get better but someone is going to have to go.&amp;nbsp; No team can afford to keep that many QB's.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;by Chad Washington&amp;nbsp; at the bleacher report.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; ...where's the drama going to be in Houston for the summer time?&amp;nbsp; It's at the Texans camp!&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; ...with signing two quarterbacks that started games last season in the NFC North, training camp could be interesting this year. &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1490/Dan_Orlovsky" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Dan Orlovsky&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/3088/Rex_Grossman" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Rex Grossman&lt;/a&gt;, castoffs from the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/DET" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Lions&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/CHI" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Bears&lt;/a&gt;, respectively, will battle for the right to be &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/3058/Matt_Schaub" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Matt Schaub&lt;/a&gt;'s backup. The question is which is the lesser of two evils?&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; You can give Orlovsky a mulligan for playing on a really bad Detroit team, but how much? He did have a great receiver in &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/19053/Calvin_Johnson" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Calvin Johnson&lt;/a&gt; to throw to, but that was when he was very young and still learning the ropes in the NFL. And the Texans did throw a lot of money at him, which must mean that they believe he's a pretty good player.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; But then why sign Grossman? He did lead Chicago to the Super Bowl, but that was more of the players around him. His confidence has to be shot after being decimated day after day on Chicago talk radio and on Bears' fan pages. But could a new start get him to be the quarterback that he was supposed to be back in 2002? The quarterback duel will be just one of the things to look at when Texans training camp opens...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Running Back&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193667/10259.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193667/10259_medium.jpg" alt="10259_medium" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://www.houstontexans.com/uploads/photo/thumbs/10259.jpg"&gt;www.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34815/Steve_Slaton" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Steve Slaton&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Texans have 5 RB's and 1 FB on the roster.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Steve Slaton,&amp;nbsp; Chris Brown,&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1350/Ryan_Moats" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Ryan Moats&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/19016/Clifton_Dawson" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Clifton Dawson&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71642/Arian_Foster" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Arian Foster&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; and&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71645/Jeremiah_Johnson" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Jeremiah Johnson&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Steve Slaton&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 268 carries for 1282 yards.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 4.8 average/att.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;by Dave Mundy the bleacher report.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Havethe Houston Texans found the tough-yardage back they*ve wanted for so long?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Not yet, says head coach Gary Kubiak*but when training camp starts July 31, he*s not exactly going to be moaning over the lack of talent.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; *It*s hard to tell, but they all have the ability to run the ball and have the foot quickness,* Kubiaksaid in the team*s daily media circular. *But you find out a lot about backs when you put pads on and start picking up blisters (interesting point) andtaking that pounding every day. So come July 31st, we*ll find out more.*&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The Texans will enter pre-season with last year*s pleasant surprise, Steve Slaton, firmly entrenched as the starter. From there, however, it*s up for grabs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Wide Receiver&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The Texans currently have 8 WR's on the roster.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Rk&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Player&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Team&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Pos&amp;nbsp; Rec&amp;nbsp; Yds&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Avg&amp;nbsp; Yds/G&amp;nbsp; Lng TD 20+ 40+ 1st 1st% FUM &lt;br /&gt;1&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2728/Andre_Johnson" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Andre Johnson&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; HOU&amp;nbsp; WR&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;115&amp;nbsp; 1,575&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; 13.7&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 98.4&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 65&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 8&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 20&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 4&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;79&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 68.7&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 1&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193664/10248.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193664/10248_medium.jpg" alt="10248_medium" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://www.houstontexans.com/uploads/photo/thumbs/10248.jpg"&gt;www.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Andre led all NFL Wide Receivers in three categories above.&amp;nbsp; And, so far at least, he seems to be a humble, (imagine that) hard working, stand up sort of a guy!&amp;nbsp; TE Owen Daniels and WR Kevin Walter combined for another 130 catches and 1761 yards to help Houston's Offence rank third in yards/game, but like #2 ranked Denver, couldn't seem to punch it in when they needed to.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tight End&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Owen Daniels 70 rec.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 862 yds&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 12.3 average/catch&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 2 TD's&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Tight end Owen Daniels took his game to a new level in 2008, finishing the season with 70 receptions for 862 yards and averaging 12.3 yards per catch. The third-year pro ranked third among NFL tight ends in receiving yards and fifth in receptions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; At 6' 3" and 247lbs., this guy&amp;nbsp; is a load to take down,&amp;nbsp; and keep in mind that last year was only his third year in the league.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Offensive Line&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; All five starting offensive linemen will return to the lineup in 2009, and Kubiak thinks they could be strongest part of the team. Making the calls at center was &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2949/Chris_Myers" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Chris Myers&lt;/a&gt;, who joined the team via a trade withthe Broncos.&amp;nbsp; Rookie left tackle &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34806/Duane_Brown" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Duane Brown&lt;/a&gt;, became a valuable member of an offensiveline that was the foundation of the NFL*s third-ranked offense.&amp;nbsp; Left guard &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2746/Chester_Pitts" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Chester Pitts&lt;/a&gt;, a second-round pick in 2002, served as the anchor of this young line andcontinued his streak of being the only player to start every game in team history.&amp;nbsp; Right tackle &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2769/Eric_Winston" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Eric Winston&lt;/a&gt;, a third-round pick in the 2006 draft, also took his running-blocking skills to the next level.&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2705/Mike_Brisiel" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Mike Brisiel&lt;/a&gt;, who was signed off of the practice squad in late 2007, started every game at right guard and was key to the success of the run game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;DEFENCE&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Line&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; A year after his team-record 14-sack season, defensive end Mario Williams anchored the Texans* defensive line with 12 sacks and was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2008.&amp;nbsp; Williams, a second-team All-Pro and the NFL Alumni Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2007, finished 2008 with more sacks than any other AFC defensive end.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Outside of Williams, who accounted for 48 percent of the team*s sacks, the Texans struggled to finda consistent pass rush from their front four. But defensive end Tim Bulmanemerged to finish secondon the team with 4.0 sacks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Defensive tackle &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/19041/Amobi_Okoye" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Amobi Okoye&lt;/a&gt; was slowed by an ankle injury and didn*t make the jump in his second season that head coach Gary Kubiak had hoped for. The 2007 first-round draft pick found some consistency at season*s end, showing flashes of pass rushing ability that made him a first-team all rookie in 2007. Tackle Travis Johnson, the&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Texans* 2005 first-round pick, continued his solid play in run support.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; End Anthony Weaver started all 16 games in his third season in Houston.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The Texans finished 27th in the NFL with 25 sacks. They were 23rd against the run, allowing 122.6 yards per game. Defensive line coach Jethro Franklin was dismissed after the season after two years with the team.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Line Backers&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Anchored by middle linebacker &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2753/DeMeco_Ryans" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;DeMeco Ryans&lt;/a&gt;, the Texans* linebackingcorps got more formidable in 2008 with a boost from two young players and a versatile veteran newcomer. Ryansplayed through an ankle injury all season but, instead of complaining, woundup leading the Texans with112 tackles. He had five double-digit tackle games andnow leads the NFL with 19 double-digit games and 310 solo tackles since 2006. Ryans has led the Texans in tackles in 24 of 48 career games.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Rookie Xavier Adibi, a fourth-round draft choice from Virginia Tech, and second-year pro Zac Diles, a seventh-round pick from Kansas State in 2007, showed the potential to be playmakers for years to come. &lt;br /&gt;Seventh-year player &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2288/Kevin_Bentley" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Kevin Bentley&lt;/a&gt; became a valuable contributor when Dileswent down with a midseason injury, and &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2723/Morlon_Greenwood" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Morlon Greenwood&lt;/a&gt; added another veteran presence to the mix.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Ryans was named a first alternate for the 2009 Pro Bowl after serving as a Texans defensive captain for the second consecutive season.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Corner Back&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/3433/Jacques_Reeves" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Jacques Reeves&lt;/a&gt;, signed from the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/DAL" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Dallas Cowboys&lt;/a&gt; before the season, was the only member of the Texans* secondary to start all 16 games. He led the team with four interceptions, returning one for a 44-yard touchdown on Nov. 2 at Minnesota. Reeves also had 50 tackles and a team-high 19 passes defensed, a testament to his ability to keep pace with most any receiver in the league.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2751/Dunta_Robinson" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Dunta Robinson&lt;/a&gt;, who suffered career-threatening leg injuries in the midst of a Pro Bowl-caliber 2007 season, came off of the PUP list in Week 7 andreturned to the starting lineup fiveweeks later at Cleveland. The hard-hitting, emotional leader of the secondary recorded two interceptions and38 tackles in only 11 games. The Texans went 5-1 in games with Robinson in the starting lineup.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Cornerbacks Fred Bennett and Demarcus Faggins both played in every game andsplit starting duties before Robinson returned. Bennett, who as a rookie in 2007 led the Texans with three interceptions, came to life at the endof 2008 with two picks in the final six games.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Rookie cornerback &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34811/Antwaun_Molden" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Antwaun Molden&lt;/a&gt;, a third-round pick out of Eastern Kentucky, saw limited action on defense but was a special teams demon, finishing second on the team with 19 special teams stops along with a fumble recovery.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Safties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Free safety &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2213/Will_Demps" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Will Demps&lt;/a&gt; andstrong safety &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2708/C_C_Brown" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;C.C. Brown&lt;/a&gt; were the opening-day starters, but neither retained that role past the fifthgame of the season. Brown had 15 tackles through three games but was placed on injured reserveon Sept. 30 with a broken arm. Demps, a Pro Bowl alternate in 2007, made 30 tackles in the first five games before being relegated to backup and special teams duty for the remainder of the season.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Veteran free safety &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1715/Eugene_Wilson" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Eugene Wilson&lt;/a&gt;, who spent the previous fiveseasons withthe &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/NEP" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;New England Patriots&lt;/a&gt;, supplanted Demps in the rotation. Wilson started 10 games andled the Texans* secondary with63 tackles while showing good ball skills with two interceptions and seven passes defensed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Strong safety &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2926/Nick_Ferguson" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Nick Ferguson&lt;/a&gt;, a ninth-year veteran and former Denver Broncos standout, played in 14 games with nine starts in his first season in Houston. Ferguson provided a physical presence in run support and finished the year with 52 tackles and a forced fumble.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Second-year pro &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/19037/Brandon_Harrison" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Brandon Harrison&lt;/a&gt;, who spent his rookie season on injured reserve, played in all but one game and started six times at strong safety. He wound up with 30 tackles. Rookie safety &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34803/Dominique_Barber" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Dominique Barber&lt;/a&gt; from Minnesota played mostly on special teams but stepped up on defense in the final two games, recording three tackles, a pass defensed and his first-career sack.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193700/htc9.jpg"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/193700/htc9_medium.jpg" height="208" alt="Htc9_medium" width="414" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href="http://assets.houstontexans.com/UserFiles/Image/Cheerleaders/htc9.jpg"&gt;assets.houstontexans.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Looks like Houston has some great "assets."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Well, there you have it boys and girls.&amp;nbsp; Class dismissed!&amp;nbsp; OOOOPS! Not quite.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Projections?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; This year is pretty much the same as last year, with the Crows (MSM writers) cackling about how they think that "this is Houstons year" to take over their division, but, look who is in that division.&amp;nbsp; The former Houston Oilers (Tennessee Titans), Indi and Jacksonville will each have thier input two times a year and none of them are exactly push overs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; For Gary Kubiacks sake, I hope that they have a very good year and make the play offs for the first time in their teams short history. &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; "BEST OF LUCK TO YOU, KUBE"&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; BRONCOS&lt;/p&gt;
  


 	&lt;fieldset class="poll-box"&gt;
  &lt;legend&gt;Poll&lt;/legend&gt; 
  &lt;h5 class="poll-title"&gt;How many Wins do you think that Houston will have this year?&lt;/h5&gt;
  
    
&lt;div id="poll_container_44547_1033384549" class="poll_container"&gt;
  
    &lt;div class="poll_option clearfix"&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none"&gt;0%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_result"&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;The Super Bowl&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_bar"&gt;&lt;span class="vote_count"&gt;0&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class="poll_option clearfix"&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none"&gt;1%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_result"&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;14 -16&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_bar"&gt;&lt;span class="vote_count"&gt;1&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class="poll_option clearfix"&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none"&gt;31%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_result"&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;11 - 13&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_bar"&gt;&lt;span class="vote_count"&gt;27&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class="poll_option clearfix"&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none"&gt;65%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_result"&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;8 -10&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_bar"&gt;&lt;span class="vote_count"&gt;57&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class="poll_option clearfix"&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none"&gt;2%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_result"&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;Loosing season and Gary gets fired!&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class="poll_option_bar"&gt;&lt;span class="vote_count"&gt;2&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
  &lt;p class="poll-total-votes"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;87&lt;/strong&gt; votes
      
    | &lt;span class="poll-has-closed"&gt;Poll has closed&lt;/span&gt;
  
  &lt;/p&gt;  
&lt;/div&gt;

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&lt;/fieldset&gt;

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    <item>
      <title>TAKE A DEEP BREATH, AND CHECK THIS!</title>
      <link>http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/3/18/802138/take-a-deep-breath-and-che</link>
      <author>metalman5050</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:17:57 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Patrick Dennis Bowlen&lt;/strong&gt; (born February 18, 1944 (1944-02-18) (age&amp;nbsp;65)) in &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Prairie_du_Chien,_Wisconsin" title="Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin"&gt;Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin&lt;/a&gt;) is the Owner, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Denver_Broncos" title="Denver Broncos"&gt;Denver Broncos&lt;/a&gt;. He purchased the team from &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Edgar_Kaiser" title="Edgar Kaiser"&gt;Edgar Kaiser&lt;/a&gt; in 1984 and saved the team from possible bankruptcy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Pat's father, Paul D. Bowlen, became a millionaire in the Canadian oil business, founding &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/w/index.php?title=Regent_Oil&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" title="Regent Oil (page does not exist)" class="new"&gt;Regent Oil&lt;/a&gt; as a wildcatter. Bowlen attended the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/University_of_Oklahoma" title="University of Oklahoma"&gt;University of Oklahoma&lt;/a&gt; and earned degrees in business (1965) and law (1968). The younger Bowlen became wealthy in his own right by becoming a successful lawyer in &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Edmonton,_Alberta" title="Edmonton, Alberta" class="mw-redirect"&gt;Edmonton, Alberta&lt;/a&gt;. He also worked as an executive for his father's company and as a real estate developer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Bowlen is an initiated member of the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Pi_Kappa_Alpha" title="Pi Kappa Alpha"&gt;Pi Kappa Alpha&lt;/a&gt; International Fraternity. He was initiated by the University of Oklahoma, Beta Omicron chapter in 1963. He is a member of the bar association and law society of &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Alberta,_Canada" title="Alberta, Canada" class="mw-redirect"&gt;Alberta, Canada&lt;/a&gt;. Bowlen is also one of the largest donors to the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/University_of_Denver" title="University of Denver"&gt;University of Denver&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Now, think about this: "Who is at the helm?"&amp;nbsp; I don't think that Pat, is "out of control". do you?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Josh Mc Daniels,&amp;nbsp; (born April 22, 1976 in &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Barberton,_Ohio" title="Barberton, Ohio"&gt;Barberton&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Ohio" title="Ohio"&gt;Ohio&lt;/a&gt;) is the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/American_football" title="American football"&gt;American football&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Head_coach" title="Head coach"&gt;head coach&lt;/a&gt; of the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Denver_Broncos" title="Denver Broncos"&gt;Denver Broncos&lt;/a&gt; of the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/National_Football_League" title="National Football League"&gt;National Football League&lt;/a&gt;. He previously served as the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Offensive_coordinator" title="Offensive coordinator"&gt;offensive coordinator&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Quarterback" title="Quarterback"&gt;quarterbacks&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Coach_(sport)" title="Coach (sport)"&gt;coach&lt;/a&gt; for the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/New_England_Patriots" title="New England Patriots"&gt;New England Patriots&lt;/a&gt;. At the time of his hiring, McDaniels was the youngest head coach in any of the four major &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/North_American" title="North American" class="mw-redirect"&gt;North American&lt;/a&gt; professional sports and the fifth-youngest NFL head coach ever, although less than a week later the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers" title="Tampa Bay Buccaneers"&gt;Tampa Bay Buccaneers&lt;/a&gt; named the even-younger &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Raheem_Morris" title="Raheem Morris"&gt;Raheem Morris&lt;/a&gt; as their head coach.&lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/admin/entries/#cite_note-0"&gt;[1]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;McDaniels is the son of Thom McDaniels (often described as a "legend" of Ohio high school football).&lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/admin/entries/#cite_note-NYT-1"&gt;[2]&lt;/a&gt; Attending his father's practices during his youth has been credited with inspiring McDaniels to enter coaching.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;McDaniels began his coaching career as a senior graduate assistant at &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Michigan_State_University" title="Michigan State University"&gt;Michigan State University&lt;/a&gt; from 1999 to 2000 under &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Nick_Saban" title="Nick Saban"&gt;Nick Saban&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Who is ready to just blow this guy off?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In the 2008 NFL season, McDaniels led the offense to an 11-5 record with quarterback &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wiki/Matt_Cassel" title="Matt Cassel"&gt;Matt Cassel&lt;/a&gt;, the only known NFL quarterback ever to start an NFL game without ever starting at quarterback in college. McDaniels' role in developing Cassel has been cited as one of his qualifications for head coaching jobs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Denver Broncos President Pat Bowlen on Thursday announced the appointment of Brian Xanders as General Manager for the National Football League team, effective immediately.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Bowlen said, "In evaluating the work of our football operations department over the past several weeks, it has become clear to me that Brian Xanders is the right person to step into our general manager's job. I am confident he will work in tandem with Head Coach Josh McDaniels to re-establish our football team at the level we desire."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Well, enough said!&amp;nbsp; It is time that we as fans sit back and enjoy what is to come because as one fan says, and that fan is ME, You go Pat!&amp;nbsp; You go Josh, and you better work hard Brian, cause you all got the flesh eating fish at your door.&amp;nbsp; It is either time to feed the fish, or it is time to kill it and feed the carcass to the rest of the feeding fish!!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Yours truely,&amp;nbsp; the metalman.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

  
  


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    <item>
      <title>Whiners, Diners and Those who just eat them up.</title>
      <link>http://www.milehighreport.com/2008/11/10/658255/whiners-diners-and-those-w</link>
      <author>metalman5050</author>
      <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:03:43 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;I have been wondering about this all season, no actually, even before the season started.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Stat: 60% of the time, When our beloved Broncos win,&amp;nbsp;80% of the comments, following the game are possitive, 30% of the time!&amp;nbsp; Now, that may not make a lot of sense until you realize this...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Stat: 60% of the time, When our beloved Broncos loose, 80% of the comments,&amp;nbsp;following the game are negative, 30% of the time!&amp;nbsp; Now, does that make more sense based upon the previous statement?&amp;nbsp; Probubly not!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Let me try to explain.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I have been a Member of MHR for the past year and whatever, but much to my liking is the fact that there is soooo muuch possitive input!&amp;nbsp; It does not matter, win or loose, We As A Group, must be recommended, as the greatest fan support group in the NFL, HANDS DOWN!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So, let me explain the 60 -80- 30 formula.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The 30%, is always the "controling factor."&amp;nbsp; Wheather we win or loose, wheather we are on a High or Low, the 30% is the Stablizing factor that keeps us all focused on the goal, and that is to win the next game!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;WHEN WE WIN:&amp;nbsp; I personnally am very HIGH at this point! I actually NEED someone to bring me back to some semblance of reality to make me "get back to thinking about," next weeks game.&amp;nbsp; That is where you all come in and begin to explain that it isn't just about this game, but that there are still games to be played. It is then that I am thankful for the 30%&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;WHEN WE LOOSE: Ditto the above,except for one thing. Here, is where I need all of you to pull me up from the abyss, save me from the drug induced suicide measures, keep me from loosing the faith!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Just kidding. I have heard the possitives and the negatives throughout the season, and although there have been many, on both sides, I am happy to be able to show you the MID year stats.&amp;nbsp; POSSITVE STATS, 80% NEGATIVE STATS 20% -&amp;nbsp;30%&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;NOW YOU UNDERSTAND HOW THE PERSENTAGES WORK, HERE AT&amp;nbsp;MHR!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Do you agree, or dissagree?&lt;/p&gt;

  
  


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