Houston Texans

If you thought the Texans’ offensive line made strides last season, wait until you get a load of what’s on tap for 2008. Granted, Houston had a long—more accurately, a looooooooong—way to go with their front line, but they saw marked improvement last year and then spent the offseason upgrading. And it’s entirely possible the most important move wasn’t the trade for Broncos center Chris Myers or using their first-round pick on left tackle Duane Brown. No, the key to the fate of Houston’s front rests primarily with a 65-year-old who wasn’t even in the NFL last year. Alex Gibbs, best known for his zone-blocking work with the Broncos (when they were plugging backs off the street into the lineup and turning them into 1,000-yard rushers) and later the Falcons (when they were leading the NFL in rushing), joins the Texans staff as offensive line coach and mentor to young offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Gibbs served in the same capacity when current Houston coach Gary Kubiak was in a similar situation in Denver under Kyle’s father, Mike, so he’ll play multiple roles with the Texans.

And unlike in past seasons, the Texans aren’t starting from Ground Zero when it comes to their line. Last year’s unit allowed just 22 sacks, half of their 2006 total and less than a third of what they surrendered in 2005, and while their running back rushing yards dwindled they still averaged 4.0 yards per carry. Gibbs’ zone-blocking system will obviously help the ground game, and even though there’s not as far to go in pass protection Gibbs will certainly demand improvement. Brown is the poster child for this system, quick feet and a nasty streak a mile wide, and though the Texans haven’t officially handed him Ephraim Salaam’s left tackle job yet he has been working primarily with the first unit. He’ll benefit from having veteran Chester Pitts next to him as he faces the rigors of AFC South pass rushers—Dwight Freeney, Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Reggie Hayward six times a year—and he has the feet and the experience in a zone system to create plenty of seams for Texan backs to slip through. Myers started for the injured Tom Nalen in Denver a year ago, and fellow former Bronco Greg Eslinger offers depth as well as experience in Gibbs’ cut-blocking system. The right side returns intact, with developing tackle Eric Winston and veteran guard Fred Weary, though Mike Brisiel could push Weary for the job and if former left tackle Charles Spencer can return from the devastating knee injury he suffered early in his rookie season he could factor into the mix as well. The unit’s depth hinges on the development of Kasey Studdard and Brandon Frye, a pair of second-day draft picks from a year ago. However, Gibbs’ system oftentimes turns up a heretofore unknown player who buys into the system and excels at it, so it’s quite possible that scenario plays out in Houston as well.

You already know what Gibbs’ ground game is capable of: the past 12 seasons he’s presided over offensive lines in Denver and Atlanta he’s produced 11 running games ranked in the league’s top 10, 10 ranked in the top five, and six units ranked first or second in the NFL. Only once has his team failed to average at least 4.0 yards per carry, and 10 times they’ve averaged 4.5 ypc or better. Thus, it doesn’t take a tremendous leap of faith to assume that the Texans’ collection of backs—Ahman Green, Chris Brown, Steve Slaton, and Chris Taylor—will see a similar uptick in production; in fact, anything shy of the 147 rushing yards per game his charges have averaged over the past dozen seasons would be a mite bit disappointing. The Texans could backslide slightly in pass protection as they adapt to a new scheme; Gibbs’ Denver lines allowed roughly two sacks a game, and the Atlanta numbers are worse but skewed somewhat by Michael Vick’s running. Still, a sack total in the 30s would be vastly superior to the 40s and 60s and 70s the Texans have regularly posted in the past and go a long way towards keeping Matt Schaub healthy—and Andre Johnson happy. With apparent upgrades at the only two positions experiencing change and a bona fide guru at the helm, this may finally be the point at which the Texans’ O-line sheds the label of liability and becomes a true asset to the team’s success.

RUN BLOCKING: B
PASS BLOCKING: B
OVERALL GRADE: B, with “A” potential as this unit grasps Gibbs’ scheme

You must be a Huddle Member to continue reading this article or feature.

Already a Member?  Log In Below: Username: Password: Remember me? Forgot your password?

Become a Huddle Member today. Join Now! Want to know more? Member Benefits (In other words, why join?)