T is for Texans

Photo courtesy of the Houston Texans

Playing at NRG Stadium in front of a crowd of 71,795, the Texans were founded in 2002 and are in the AFC South, with their biggest rival still being the Indianapolis Colts. Led by Coach Bill O’Brien, the team’s third coach in franchise history, the Texans have sold out every preseason, regular and post-season game since their inception. The offensive line, led by Chris Myers and Duane Brown, dedicated the 2014 season to David Quessenberry (#DQStrong) who was diagnosed with lymphoma in June. JJ Watt is on a path to becoming yet again the Defensive Player of the Year and perhaps even the league’s MVP – having already recorded 50+ sacks in his first four seasons – making him only the fifth player to do so (since 1982). Watt is also the first defensive lineman since 1944 to score at least five touchdowns in a season. The 2014 regular season was riddled with injuries including both quar- terbacks, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Ryan Mallet. The Texans also suffered a setback after their number one draft pick Jadaveon Clowney had a rookie season that looked like this: 4 games, 7 tackles, 0 sacks, 3 surgeries (hernia and knee twice). Next season proves to be an interesting one – the quarterback and beyond.

This article ran as part of the Houston A-Z series in LOCAL Houston Magazine (formerly 002 Houston) in the January 2015 print issue.