By Nick Brinkerhoff
Houston, we have a problem.
Sorry, I had no choice, an easy layup. Yes, it was brutal and completely unnecessary, but it was in the contract. Now with that obligation out of the way, the Houston Texans are not expected to be a good team in 2022. Scratch that. We know the Texans will not be a good team in 2022.
I can already envision the “nobody believes in us,” narrative forming this fall and for good reason. Nobody does believe. This is a team that hired a head coach in 2020, David Culley, and then promptly fired him after his first season with the team.
The rumors indicated that the team was insistent about hiring former NFL quarterback Josh McCown to replace Culley and, as with any big business making decisions in our current world, it was met with plenty of social media backlash forcing them to change course.
Enter Lovie Smith. He seems to be the Texans head coach for a year until they spin the wheel in selecting another one next season.
You might be wondering at this point, what is wrong with this guy? He knows the story is about a backup quarterback right?
Well, good question reader, but everyone loves a great tangent every now and then. Believe it or not though, this all links together, so here we go.
The Texans organization just screams disaster. The quarterback situation is about as stable as Humpty Dumpty on a wall. The coach feels like a one year rental at best. And the only thing longer than Davis Mills’ neck is the Texans odds to win the Super Bowl.
That is what we expect from this talent barren roster. Bottom line, this team is so bad that it seems like most of the media has forgotten about them, hoping no one notices. Try and remember the last story about the Texans that didn’t include Deshaun Watson’s name in there somewhere.
At the end of the day, it might be a money laundering scheme. Who knows? But what we do know is the Texans are bad and the expectations couldn’t be lower. Does it matter who the backup quarterback to Davis Mills is? Probably not, but we’ll give it to you anyway.
Who is the Texans’ backup quarterback?
Kyle Allen. The journeyman quarterback formerly of the Carolina Panthers and then-Washington Football team.
Inspiring right?
With a career 7-10 record as a starter, Allen possesses a 24-17 touchdown to interception ratio. The 26-year-old may have a good chance to start at some point this season, depending on what happens with the former second round pick Mills.
At least there is familiarity there with Allen, who spent the final two years of his college career at the University of Houston.
It’s not that he is necessarily a bad option either, since it’s not like a backup quarterback is expected to be a star to begin with. This opportunity moves Allen closer to a potential chance to show off his skills though, something he would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.
The problem is just exactly what was written above. The Texans are bad. They are not likely to be a factor in fantasy and the only time you’ll probably consider the betting markets is when you bet against them.
Maybe the Texans can be a frisky team, but for now it looks grim.
After all, you know you’re in trouble when there is virtually no difference between the starting and backup quarterback.