The fact that the Houston Texans have issues should come as no surprise to any NFL fan with a pulse. After back-to-back AFC South titles and a couple of Wild Card Playoff victories, the boys in deep steel blue imploded last season to the tune of a league-worst 2-14 record. Arian Foster and Brian Cushing were hurt, Matt Schaub forgot that he wasn’t supposed to throw the ball to the guys on the other team, and their -19 turnover differential was one for the record books. And while hope abounds as the Texans gear up for the 2014 season, a number of off-the-field distractions suggest that the team still lacks the kind of leadership necessary to catapult it back into contention.
The Texans finally showed Gary Kubiak the door late last season after it became clear to management that he was no longer the man for the job. They wasted no time this offseason in snatching up Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien, whose time in Happy Valley proved that he could excel under trying circumstances. And while the Texans aren’t the public relations nightmare that the Nittany Lions were, news out of Houston hasn’t exactly been positive these last few months.
It all started back in May, when All-Pro wide receiver Andre Johnson wondered aloud if Houston was still the place for him to play. Fans were in a tizzy, trade rumors and retirement speculation abounded, and Johnson even went so far as to forfeit a $1 million bonus by skipping OTAs. O’Brien handled the daily media blitz admirably, but for a rookie head coach trying to get the league’s worst team focused on football, the holdout was no doubt an unwelcome headache.
Johnson’s frustration with the Texans’ lack of success is warranted, but he didn’t exactly do himself or his team any favors with his disappearing act. Noted for his quiet demeanor, he is still quite capable of sending a message when he wants to. Just ask Cortland Finnegan. The message Johnson sent by not showing up until the start of training camp, while continually dodging the question of whether or not he would even return at all, was loud and clear: I don’t want to be here because we’re going to be terrible. Again. Not exactly the attitude you’d hope for from your star player.
The antithesis of Johnson, Arian Foster is never at a loss for words. Whether expressing his distaste for the NCAA, tweeting photos of his latest MRI, or philosophizing about cats’ love (or lack of it) for their owners, nothing is out of bounds for Mr. Foster. Except for, apparently, answering a simple round of questions from the local media after a training camp practice.
Whether Foster’s shenanigans were meant as a joke or a thinly-veiled attempt at expressing his displeasure with having to speak with the media (he declined local media interviews for the entire offseason), he has succeeded, as Johnson did, in diverting attention away from the business of getting ready for the upcoming season. You can bet that Foster (as well as his coaches and teammates) will be asked ad nauseam about his comments and the motivation behind them. It’s yet another example of a player that should be leading the way instead choosing to walk the Texans right off a cliff.
A 2-14 team can’t afford to (and shouldn’t have to) focus on anything but preparation if it hopes to improve quickly. But the simple fact of the matter is that the Houston Texans lack leadership: from a rookie head coach trying to find his way, to an unhappy franchise player, to a running back that can’t take the focus off of himself. If someone doesn’t step up and take the reins soon, hope in Houston will quickly give way to an all too familiar feeling: disappointment.
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