The Texans pleasantly surprised us yesterday. Here we were all ready for another defeat, and suddenly Sage "Best Backup QB In The League" Rosenfels makes us feel all better. The picture that accompanies the top link today captures the feelings of many Texans fans today, we'd imagine. But there's more than just football going on this time of year; read on and see! - The lovely and talented Stephanie Stradley at AOL Fanhouse has a......

Somewhere, in the sea of hype surrounding Reggie Bush and Vince Young, Mario Williams has emerged as the strongest impact-player in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Sure, Vince had a Pro Bowl appearance his first year, Reggie has the endorsements, and Joseph Addai and Laurence Moroney are key components of already-strong teams, but Super Mario has delivered on the promise that made Charley Casserly risk his job to pick him first overall.......

Not that this performance will get him the kind of endorsement dollars that Reggie Bush has gotten since they both came into the league last year, but Mario Williams just plain clowned Bush yesterday. Super Mario had six tackles including four of The Greatest Running Back Ever himself. Reggie's stat line for the game: 34 yards rushing on 15 carries, and 2 fumbles. Take that, draft pundits. Of course, the real big story from the......

When a bye week is one of the highlights of your team's football season simply because no one got hurt, you know that the rest of the season won't be much to write home about. Given that this is exactly the position that Texans fans find themselves in, it's at least comforting that they're coming out of the bye week to face a team almost as disappointing as the Texans. After an inspiring 2006......

With half of its Opening Day offense totting clipboards on the sidelines, and its defensive leader headed to the hospital with a busted hamstring, the Texans might have been justified in being pessimistic. Fortunately, for a team that's already been through more injuries than a Very Special Episode of ER, Sage Rosenfels and Ron Dayne wouldn't let them lose hope, allowing the Texans to escape Oakland with a 24-17 win. After starting hot in the......

Thursday night saw the Texans fall in their final preseason warm up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-24. The defense was harried, but the much-maligned Mario Williams turned in a good performance, with 3 unassisted tackles and a sack. (Which, for you stat-heads, was one more sack than either Vince Young or Reggie Bush recorded last week. So there.) The first-string only saw limited playing time as head coach Gary Kubiak made evaluations leading up......

Houston's pro sports teams have spawned a number of great blogs that offer coverage and commentary with a degree of freedom that the mainstream media only wishes it had. (Sorry, Richard Justice). Each week, we'll give you a run-down on what these blogs are talking about. -Craig Biggio's quest for 3,000 hits is complete, but the drive to be hit by a pitch for the 288th time continues. The fantastically detailed Plunk Biggio has been......

The Houston Texans needed to do something to improve their offensive production. It's no secret that David Carr's tenure as Texans quarterback was growing short. Yesterday, the Texans inked a deal with Matt Schaub and ended speculation about the quarterback situation. Signing Schaub, second fiddle to The Vick in Atlanta, completed the trade terms and effectively placed Carr on the trading block. Texans GM, Rick Smith, left little doubt as to their intentions during the......

OK, thunder gang: another weekend, another football battle. If last week, Houstonist reminded you that Philadelphia had a team of some note, this installment should come as a surprise to none. The Indianapolis Colts are on the short list for NFL’s best teams, and with good reason. They’ve got an absolutely lethal offense, a defense custom-built by Tony Dungy, and oh yeah, possibly the most technically proficient quarterback in pigskin history. Did we mention that they made a serious run at the 1972 Dolphins’ perfect record last year? So, fair readers, it’s mighty unlikely that this Sunday’s trip to Coltdome will yield a Texans’ victory. But that’s not to say it won’t be a game well worth watching, mostly because of the Six Things You Must Know About Indy’s Colts....

The NFL apparently came to the conclusion that some of us had nothing better to do then watch a glut of preseason games. Well, they were right, at least in our case. So for those of you out and about on Saturday night, perhaps at your favorite watering hole or at the Texans game with the Chiefs, here are completely random thoughts on last weekend’s games. Houston 24, Kansas City 14 At times the Texans......

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Houston team in dire need of some fireworks, strategically and PR-wise, has an eye-popping talent fall into its lap on draft day. The city raises its voice in victory, looking forward to the totally rehabilitated season ahead. Then, the unthinkable: the franchise opts for good sense and sound planning over a thousand hours worth of dynamism. Okay, so Rudy Gay isn't exactly Reggie Bush, the Rockets hardly......

Anyone wondering how recent NFL draft picks Mario Williams and Reggie Bush have been spending their free time? Well apparently they've been busy slipping into skintight TechFit PowerWeb Apparel as part of Adidas' new Thrill or Destroy campaign. The marketing gurus at Adidas, keeping busy after making the not-so-loved World Cup Ball, have decided that all football players fall into two categories: "Ultimate Thrill Player" or "Consummate Destroy Player" symbolized by Bush and Williams.......

Unless you’ve been living under a rock without cable TV, you’ve probably heard that the Houston Texans selected Defensive End Mario Williams first overall in the NFL Draft. The sports world is abuzz with talk about the Texans’ decision to pass up Reggie Bush and you’ll likely hear about it ad nauseam all this week. If you still can’t get enough, ESPN columnist Gene Wojciechowski discusses the decision and SI's Don Banks claims it came......

Texans General Manager Charley Casserly announced today the team will pass on former UT quarterback Vince Young in the draft Saturday, going instead for USC running back and Heisman winner Reggie Bush or NC State defensive end Mario Williams. Casserly said the team doesn't need a quarterback right now — we have one of those, don't we, with no one to help him out? — but he said the pressure from fans to take Young......

Although it’s not a surprise, the Texan’s announced today that they’ve extended David Carr’s contract and will give him an $8 million option bonus. Of course, this doesn’t answer the big question still in people’s head: Will Kubiak and the franchise draft Vince Young or Reggie Bush? Here’s a few comments from fans on the Chronicle’s sports forum: “The Texans will polarize two of the largest groups of Texas football fans against them if they......

This interview comes to us courtesy of Austinist Co-Editor Matthew Odam. As you are probably aware, Longhorn football great and friend of Austinist Major Applewhite recently moved back to Texas to take over as the Offensive Coordinator for the Rice University Owls. He has been busting his tail recruiting and helping to put in place a new offense that coaches hope will make Rice a very competitive team in the upcoming years. With national signing......

Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush announced today he will enter the NFL draft, setting up the possibility of his coming to the Texans Jeff Bagwell: The Astros are trying to make me retire An HFD employee had to take a promotion test 12 hours after she gave birth — and she passed The principal of Harper School has been reassigned based on a student's complaint that he was strip-searched during a drug investigation In a......

It’s funny how one game can change everything. We let our friends to our northwest revel in their Rose Bowl victory, but over the weekend, the news came out that UT’s quarterback Vince Young will enter the NFL draft this year. At the beginning of last week, Texans’ fans were chanting “Bush!,” but now all we here is “Young!” "He has the blessing of God, the pastor and his family," said Yolanda Lezine, Young's godmother......

Now that Dom Capers is out, the interviews for the new Texans coach starts today. Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Scott Linehan will be the first to be interviewed. The list of interviewees includes several others with offensive specialties, including the Broncos’ Gary Kubiak, the Chiefs’ Al Saunders, and the Chargers’ Cam Cameron (whom Houstonist likes for his name -- it’d be fun to call our coach “Cam Cam”). The only defensive coordinator that Bob McNair......

Dom Capers said goodbye this morning to his Texans players he’s coached for the past four seasons. Reports state that it was an emotional goodbye and that he will be missed. For many fans, it’s “good riddance,” but is that fair? Is he the reason the Texans played like a Junior High flag football team this season or is he a scapegoat? Word is that general manager Charley Casserly will keep his job, but could......

So the Texans are facing an unusual conundrum going into Sunday's game against the 49ers: If they win, they'll close out a dismal season with a modicum of dignity; if they lose, they might be able to pick up Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush in the NFL draft. So, should the team try to lose? The Chronicle asked that question today, and the answer was a resounding "Hmm." Though she didn't come out and endorse......

The Houston Chronicle and others are exploring the history of Houston teams tanking a losing season in order to get a better draft pick for the following year. Did it happen twenty years ago with the Rockets? Is it happening now with the Texans? While watching the Texans last Saturday, it seems very plausible that losing the game wasn’t an accident. Like most of the last half dozen games, we could have, and should have......