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December 30, 2008

Johnson, Texans upbeat after coming from 0-4 to finish 8-8

KRISTIE RIEKEN

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans insist they’re better than they were a year ago, but their record says they’re just the same.

The Texans overcame an 0-4 start to finish 8-8 for the second straight year, failing to make their first playoff trip in their seventh season. Houston won five of its last six games, including Sunday’s victory over Chicago.

“We know what we have to do,” Andre Johnson said. “It’s not going to be easy to get to the playoffs, but the thing we can’t do — what we did to ourselves this year — we just can’t start the season in a hole. We dug a hole for ourselves and we dug a hole too deep for us to climb out of it.”

The Texans had a tough first month, playing their first three games on the road and getting their bye in Week 2 after Hurricane Ike rearranged their schedule. Several players’ homes were damaged or destroyed and players and coaches alike were without electricity for as long as a week.

Still, the Texans didn’t dwell on that as a reason for their early season misfortune.

“I don’t use that as an excuse because even then there were games we could have won that we lost,” Mario Williams said. “So I don’t look at it that way.”

Johnson again proved he is one of the top receivers in the league, finishing with an NFL-best 115 receptions for 1,575 yards.

“This is the most fun I’ve had,” Johnson said. “I think we grew a lot this year.”

The Texans had the third-most potent offense in the NFL and Johnson’s career-high production was certainly helped by the improvement of the running game with the addition of rookie Steve Slaton.

Slaton was supposed to be the third-down back, but injuries soon pushed him into a starting role. He responded by becoming Houston’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2004 and his 1,282-yards rushing led a deep rookie class.

“Steve has great balance and when he’s given opportunities, he can go out and make plays,” Johnson said. “He can hurt you running the ball, catching the ball out of the backfield, so he’s a great addition to this team. I’m real excited to see what happens as he keeps getting older and gaining the experience.”

The strides Houston made on offense gives the team high expectations for finally making the playoffs next year.

“I think we’re very close,” Johnson said. “We’re very able to be a good football team. This year we were right there in the mix.”

Coach Gary Kubiak added a new wrinkle in Sunday’s finale against Chicago, letting offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan call the plays for the first time this season. The Texans gained 455 total yards and won 31-24.

Kubiak worked as offensive coordinator for Kyle’s father, Mike, in Denver before taking over the Texans.

“It’s a process. I know I went through it with his dad,” Kubiak said. “I just got more and more comfortable (with Kyle Shanahan) throughout the season. I was very comfortable with him doing those kinds of things. I felt pretty good about the job he did and the way he went about his business.”

Kubiak had individual meetings with players on Monday and planned to sit down with team owner Bob McNair in the evening. Kubiak said he would begin evaluating his coaching staff on Tuesday.

He said he wanted to retain assistant head coach Alex Gibbs, but was noncommittal about the future of defensive coordinator Richard Smith.

The Texans ranked 22nd after allowing more than 336 yards a game. Only five teams allowed more points a game than the 24.6 the Texans gave up this season. Houston’s defense improved late in the season, but never lived up to expectations for a unit with three first-round picks on the line, including Williams, the top overall pick in 2006.

“I’m in an evaluation period right now, we’ll see,” Kubiak said, when asked directly about Smith’s future.

Williams continued to improve, finishing with 12 sacks and making his first Pro Bowl. The Texans still haven’t found a pass rusher to play opposite him and finally getting that will certainly be a priority this offseason.

“It’s critical,” Williams said of improving the pass rush. “All four guys have to get better to get to the quarterback and help the team out.”

The Texans were encouraged by the improvement the defense made late in the season, but know they’ll have to do more to reach their goals next season.

“We just have to be accountable,” Williams said. “We have to be more consistent.”

The Texans will have the 15th pick in the this spring’s NFL draft.

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