Houston Texans Tickets - Foster Makes The Texans A Contender

We've heard for a while now that the Texans were coming

. Some even predicted last season that they would finally usurp the Colts, a team that's has been putting down roots in the AFC North for the last decade or so. With an underappreciated quarterback in Matt Schaub and a top-tier offense, the Texans seemed to be just a running game away from potentially turning the playoff talk into a reality. Well, second year back Arian Foster answered the call in an impressive opening weekend win against the Colts, rushing for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns.

Even though the Texans actually struggled to throw the football, Foster's dominance won the game and sent a clear message to other teams that might try to drop back and take away the passing game.

The Texans also haven't exactly come out of nowhere. With a record of .500 or better each of the last three seasons, the Texans clearly have enough talent to compete in the very solid AFC South. Last year, Matt Schaub's first healthy season as the Texans' signal caller, Houston finally had the first winning season in the franchise's history and narrowly missed out on a playoff berth. Even with one of the worst rushing offenses in the league, the Texans had one of the most proficient offenses.

Much of this, clearly, has to do with the development of Schaub as a legitimate gunslinger. With Schaub's ability to throw the ball down the seams of defenses, it became very tempting to continue to chuck the ball with a running game that was aspiring to mediocrity. This style of offense certainly helps sell loads of Houston Texans tickets, but it also left the Texans vulnerable to becoming one dimensional, which was exploited by teams at times during the 2009 regular season.

With Foster stepping into a more prominent role in the offense, the Texans also should have a better chance at keeping Schaub healthy as it will be more difficult for the other teams to blitz. Even though a few fantasy fanatics will lament that the Texans will probably look to run the ball a bit more than last year, the overall effectiveness should actually improve, as will the offense as a whole.

Against Indy, the Texans also showed what can happen when a defense takes away a leg of the offense. Though Peyton Manning is used to throwing the ball quite a bit, 57 passing attempts in a game is simply way too many for anyone. With the Texans outrushing the Colts by more than 200 yards, Houston was able to control the pace of the game, and ultimately the score.

Of course, this was only one game and the Texans still have a lot of work to do if they want to win the division. For one, the Colts aren't exactly going to give up because they lost a game and the Texans will still have to get to at least 10 or 11 wins to have a legitimate shot at winning the division. As for the other teams in the AFC South, the Titans and Jaguars both look like they could be stronger than originally anticipated and are far from walkover opponents.

Though some saw Foster's role in the offense growing after an impressive preseason, teams will obviously also make a few adjustments and fantasy owners shouldn't be expecting Foster to rip off 200-yard games often during the 2010 season. But with a true gunslinger waiting for his turn to dice up the opposition, the best overall receiver in the league in Andre Johnson and a running back poised for a breakout season, the Texans could potentially be a team that has a real shot at making some noise in the playoffs, not just a team happy to get there.

by: Pat Smith

POST COMMENT

Houston Orthodontist - Dr. Schimek The Houston Rockets Tickets : The Rockets Did Not Win Their First Championship Until 1994 Steve Houston BreakFree2Liberty - Burn The Cubicle Where to Stay in Houston? Houston personal trainer The Truth About Erotic Massage Parlors in Houston Places at Houston Houston Dynamo Playoff Tickets - Wizards 1, Dynamo 1 Luis Scola Should Be The Core Of Houston Rockets