Houstontexans1's Blog

Houston Texans kick returner Jerome Mathis will undergo surgery Friday to repair a broken left foot. Mathis, 22, missed workouts Wednesday and Thursday because of a fractured venicular bone, a tiny bone at the top of the foot. He will be operated on by Texans orthopedist Dr. Tom Clanton and likely miss 8-12 weeks. "It's something that could fall into the chronic category," Texans head trainer Kevin Bastin said. "But he might have done it at the Pro Bowl, too. "He was running straight ahead in all the off-season stuff and doing fine, but, when we started running and cutting and doing other stuff, it wasn't responding and that prompted us to do a further study of it." Mathis was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie last season, electrifying Texans fans by finishing second in the NFL with a 28.6 average on kickoff returns. Mathis returned 54 kickoffs for 1,542 yards and two touchdowns as well as 12 punts for 68 yards. He also caught five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. "Since Jerome has come back from the Pro Bowl, he has struggled with his ankle," Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said. "We took some time off, rehabbed it, did everything we could [and] it was making progress. "Jerome had an accident along the way, but he came out for practice. It continued to bother him and we took an extensive look at it last week and, unfortunately, we found out what it was a stress fracture." Mathis was drafted out of Hampton in the fourth round (114th overall) in 2005.

1 - Mario Williams, DE, N.C. State (6-7, 295); 2 - DeMeco Ryans, OLB, Alabama (6-1, 236); 3 - Charles Spencer, OL, Pittsburgh (6-5, 352); 3 - Eric Winston, T, Miami (FL) (6-7, 310); 4 - Owen Daniels, TE, Wisconsin (6-3, 253); 6 - Wali Lundy, RB, Virginia (5-11, 213); 7 - David Anderson, WR, Colorado State (5-10, 192)

Analysis: Mouths are still agape over the Texans' decision to draft Williams instead of Reggie Bush, and it will probably be at least three years until a fully-formed assessment of the choice can be offered. It is indisputable that the selection of Williams and Ryans upgrades a pass rush that has been one of the league's worst in recent years. New Houston head coach Gary Kubiak will need Spencer and Winston to compete for starting jobs right away, in order to help keep David Carr upright. Daniels will get a shot at tight end for a team that has never been able to find a playmaker at that position. Lundy might go down in history as the running back Houston selected instead of Reggie Bush, though his ability to even make the team is a major question mark.

Bottom Line: The decision to draft Williams instead of Bush will probably go down as a blunder, but overall, the Texans did improve themselves significantly over the weekend.

Houston Texans general manager Charley Casserly shook hands with owner Bob McNair after resigning Wednesday.

The two said there was no firing and no ugly divorce at the top of the 6-year-old franchise after a 2-14 season, a coaching change and a controversial No. 1 draft pick.

Casserly said he's leaving on his own terms to chase a job in the NFL's front office.

"I have an interest in doing other things right now," he said. "This was not an easy decision, but it was a decision I felt I had to make at this point in time."

Speculation had swirled for months that Casserly would follow coach Dom Capers and be fired in the aftermath of the 2005 season. His future seemed even more tenuous after the team used the No. 1 overall pick to draft defensive end Mario Williams - and pass up Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush and University of Texas star Vince Young.

Many fans were outraged, but McNair said Casserly was never going to be fired. Their friendly handshake at a news conference Wednesday seemed to indicate the two are parting on good terms.

Houston Texans general manager Charley Casserly announced at a press conference on Wednesday that the team is negotiating with just two players to possibly take with the number one selection in Saturday's NFL draft.

Running back Reggie Bush of the University of Southern California and North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams are the two players Houston has targeted.

"We arrived at this decision a short time back that these are the two players that we would pick from to make our first round pick," said Casserly.

The 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Bush rushed for 1,740 yards and 16 touchdowns while hauling in 37 passes for 478 yards and two scores in his junior season. He also accumulated 2,890 all-purpose yards (493 KOR, 179 PR) on the campaign.

Williams set a school record with 14.5 sacks and 24 tackles for a loss this season and compiled 25.5 sacks during his three-year career with NC State.

Casserly has also ruled out the possibility of selecting University of Texas quarterback Vince Young.

"After evaluating the quarterbacks in this draft and part of the evaluation process is the workouts in the spring and the interviews, we came to the conclusion to draft a quarterback whether it be Young, Matt Leinart or Jay Cutler - was not the best thing for this football team," said Casserly.

"The best thing for this football team was to use the first pick in this draft to add a premier player at another position," added Casserly. "Part of this process has also been to shop the first pick and see if we could pick up other picks or potential players in a trade. Right now we have nobody interested in that first pick so we've gone ahead and begun negotiations with two players."

The Houston Texans 2006 schedule is highlighted with the Texans facing opponents from the NFC East and AFC East. Houston begins the season with three of their first four games at Reliant Stadium. Houston will face cross-state rival Dallas in Week 6 at Texas Stadium for the Governor’s Cup. Houston’s schedule includes its first three-game road trip, which sees them going to Tennessee, the New York Giants and Jacksonville. Houston opens at home for the third time in five years when they face the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles are the second NFC East team to open the season in Houston. The Texans opened with the Cowboys on September 8, 2002 in the team’s inaugural game. Houston travels to Indianapolis in Week 2 marking the earliest the Texans have faced an AFC South opponent. Houston returns to Reliant Stadium to face the Washington Redskins in Week 3. This marks the first trip to Reliant Stadium for the Redskins. Houston completes the first quarter of the season with a home match-up against the Miami Dolphins. Houston begins the second quarter of the season with a trip to Dallas. This is the first time the two teams have met since 2002 and the Texans initial victory. Houston hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars before a three-game road trip takes them to Tennessee and New York to face the Giants before completing the swing in Jacksonville. Houston returns home to face the Buffalo Bills then hit the road to face the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders, marking the Texans first trip to McAfee Coliseum. This stretch of games will see Houston on the road for five of six games from Week 8-13. The final quarter of the season begins with Houston hosting division rival Tennessee before going to Foxboro to face the New England Patriots. The Texans close out the season with homes games against the Colts on Christmas Eve and the Cleveland Browns on New Year’s Eve. This season has a new wrinkle with the implementation of flexible scheduling for Week 10-15 and Week 17. The NFL has the option to inform teams 12 days in advance that their Sunday afternoon game will switch to Sunday night and will be aired on NBC at 7:00 p.m. The Texans Week 16 match-up at home against the Indianapolis Colts game will not change due to the NFL locking in the games over the Christmas Holiday weekend. For more information, call the Houston Texans Communications Department at (832) 667-2140. 2006 SCHEDULE NOTES The Texans will have played at every AFC venue when they play at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. and McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. Houston faces the NFC East for the second time in team history. The Texans are 2-2 all-time against the division. Houston plays home games in December against Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Tennessee. This marks the first time in team history the Texans have played three homes games in December. Houston travels to Tennessee, the New York Giants and Jacksonville from Week 8-10 for their first three-game road trip in team history. The Texans finish their schedule with two home games for the second time in their history. In 2003, Houston concluded the season with home games against Tennessee and Indianapolis. Houston’s 2006 schedule features five playoff teams (Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Washington, New England and the New York Giants). The Texans 2006 home opponents finished last season with a 66-62 combined record (.516) and their 2006 road opponents had a 68-60 combined record (.531) in 2005. The Texans have played Cleveland and Buffalo four times in five seasons – most outside their own division. New Texans head coach Gary Kubiak was the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator in 2005 when they finished with a perfect 8-0 home record, marking the fifth time in Broncos history. His offense totaled 393.9 at home, second highest total in the NFL. The Texans are 4-2 in games played on FOX…Wins- N.Y. Giants, 16-14 (11/24/02); Carolina Panthers, 14-10 (11/2/03); Atlanta Falcons, 17-13 (11/30/03) and Arizona Cardinals, 30-19 (12/18/05). Losses- Minnesota Vikings, 34-38 (10/10/04) and St. Louis Rams, 33-27 (11/27/05). Both losses came in overtime. Houston opens the 2006 season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. This marks the second time in team history Houston begins the season against an NFC East opponent. Houston beat the Dallas Cowboys, 19-10, on September 8, 2002. The Texans do not play an opponent from the NFC in December for the first time in team history. The Texans begin their season with three of their first four games at home. The Texans are 5-3 at home against the NFC with wins against Dallas, 19-10 (9/8/02); NY Giants, 16-14 (11/24/02); Carolina, 14-10 (11/2/03); Atlanta, 17-13 (11/30/03) and Arizona, 30-19 (12/18/05). They lost a pair of overtime games against Minnesota, 34-28 (10/10/04) and to St. Louis (11/27/05). They fell 16-13 to Green Bay (11/21/04). Houston plays two NFC opponents in the month of September for the second time in team history when the host Philadelphia and Washington. In 2002 Houston played Dallas and Philadelphia. The Texans travel to Indianapolis in Week 2 marking the earliest time in team history Houston has faced a division opponent. Houston plays a home game on Christmas Eve for the second year in a row. They welcome division rival Indianapolis to Reliant Stadium. Houston played against Jacksonville on Christmas Eve in 2005. For the third time in team history, the Texans open and close their 2006 season at home. In 2002, Houston opened the season against Dallas and closed against Tennessee. In 2004, Houston began with San Diego and closed with Cleveland. This marks the second time in team history the Texans’ season finale is at home against the Cleveland Browns. The 2004 season closed with Cleveland in Reliant Stadium. Houston’s bye week falls on October 8. This is the fourth time in five seasons the Texans bye week has fallen in October.

Despite the fact that USC Trojans running back and defending Heisman trophy-winner Reggie Bush has drawn some skepticism of late, there's no question that the Houston Texans should still select him. Bush is a bona fide star and is perhaps the top draft prospect to come along in years. Former greats such as Marcus Allen, Emmitt Smith and Terrell Davis have all acknowledged that Bush possesses the tools to become one of the greatest players in NFL history.

As of late, plenty of questions have come up regarding the possibility of Bush going to Houston. Many believe that after going 2-14 last season, the Texans ought to trade out of the top spot and acquire more picks to help build for their future. That's all well and good if we're talking about 2005's putrid draft class, but the class of '06 is a sight to behold in the early first round. Other than Bush, USC quarterback Matt Leinart, Virginia stud offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, NC State defensive end Mario Williams and Texas quarterback Vince Young headline the class.

In the '05 draft, the first round was riddled with uncertainties, which led to the San Francisco 49ers selecting former Utah quarterback Alex Smith. It could be argued that the 49ers should have attempted to trade out of that spot and built for the future because a legitimate star of Bush's caliber wasn't available. That is simply not the case in '06.

Not only is Bush an incredible running back, but he also ranked among the best receivers and return men in college football. He led the nation in '05 with 222.5 all-purpose yards per game. In the Trojans' national title game loss to the Texas Longhorns, Bush was pulled from the game for reasons unbeknownst to everyone who watched the game live or on television. Despite that, Bush still amassed 175 total yards.

One mechanism used by many to keep Bush out of Houston is that the Texans already have a solid running back on their roster. That back, Domanick Davis, could be released because of a $3.5 million cap hit. Even if that doesn't happen, then Bush and Davis can form a lethal one-two punch. Bush will likely only get 15 to 20 carries per game on the NFL level, and that can pave the way for Davis to pick up 10 to 15 touches of his own. When Davis is lined up in the backfield, Bush could line up at receiver and use his 4.3 speed to blow by cornerbacks. Houston having two running backs of Bush's and Davis' caliber on their roster will make every team in the league green with envy, while making their offense a ticking time-bomb.

Another key aspect that demonstrates why the Houston Texans ought to draft Bush is that their main need--the offensive line-- has plenty of prospects in the second and third rounds of the draft. University of Miami tackle Eric Winston, Pittsburgh guard Charles Spencer and Georgia guard Max Jean-Gilles highlight the second round of the draft with their spectacular potential. At least one of those three can and likely will be had by Houston in round two. That will quickly take care of a weak spot on the Texans' beleaguered offensive line.

In addition, the NFL's new collective bargaining agreement also points the Texans in Bush's direction. Owner Bob McNair has established often in the past that he is willing to spend the kind of money that it takes to win. Under the new CBA, McNair will be able to hand big-time money over to star free-agent offensive linemen such as the Seattle Seahawks' Steve Hutchinson, the New Orleans Saints' LeCharles Bentley, and/or the Philadelphia Eagles' Jon Runyan. Those are just three of the established linemen that could be looking for new homes; keep in mind that Hutchinson was transition-tagged by the Seahawks, which gives them the right to match any offer from another team.

The salary cap for next season will be exactly $102 million; thus, it's a $7.5 million increase from what the cap would have been had a new CBA not been reached. Thanks to the new, much-higher cap, the Texans will have approximately $20 million in free space. That's plenty to address offensive line, wide receiver, and defensive needs.

It'll be up to McNair to open up the purse strings and galvanize one of the league's finest GM's, Charlie Casserly, into making the right moves. Although the Texans' record since their inception doesn't show it, Casserly has put some solid pieces on the field that could make for a bright future in Houston. Quarterback David Carr, cornerback Dunta Robinson, defensive tackle Travis Johnson, wide receiver Andre Johnson and linebacker Jason Babin have all had their struggles thus far, but each has endless potential.

Although Vince Young is a fan favorite in Houston for obvious reasons, Texans fans need to hope that Commissioner Paul Tagliabue steps to the podium on April 29th and announces, "With the first pick in the 2006 NFL draft, the Houston Texans select, Reggie Bush, running back, USC."

That announcement could mean playoffs sooner rather than later for the NFL's youngest franchise.

Former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman has joined the Houston Texans coaching staff as an assistant head coach. Sherman was fired from the Packers after the team suffered countless injuries throughout the entire season.

Sherman had hoped to land another head coaching job with another team, but he was not hired by the Buffalo Bills or the New Orleans Saints.

Sherman was 57-39 as the Packers head coach, but could never get them to the Super Bowl despite having Brett Favre at quarterback. Sherman was often questioned by fans for his playcalling.

Sherman joins Texans new head coach Gary Kubiak.

The Houston Texans have agreed to a contract with unrestricted free agent FB Jameel Cook it was announced today.

Cook (5-10, 237) played in all 16 games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past season catching seven passes for 43 yards. His lone touchdown in 2005 was a historical feat. In Week 16, Cook caught a nine-yard score, the 900th touchdown in the Buccaneers’ 30 years of existence. Throughout his career Cook has utilized his hands as he had a career-high 20 catches for 120 yards in 2003.

Cook, a sixth round pick in the 2001 draft from Illinois, was a major contributor on the Bucs special teams, finishing second on the team with 23 tackles. He had a season-high five special teams stops against Detroit.

The Houston Texans waived defensive end Gary Walker and named Tracy Simien assistant defensive line coach, it was announced today.

Simien joins the Texans staff after coaching the defensive line for the Cologne Centurions of the NFL Europe league in 2005. He spent the 2004 season as a coaching intern in Tampa during NFL Europe training camp.

The Sweeny native played seven seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs, from 1991-97, and spent time with the San Diego Chargers in 1999. He finished his career with five sacks and five interceptions, along with 367 total tackles. He also played for the Montreal Machine of the World League in 1991, the league’s inaugural season, after a standout career at TCU.