Thank You to the Texans

So I've at times been pretty harsh on the Texans, but tonight I have to take a few moments to say, "Thank you."

It's been ten years of a mixture of emotion that included both happiness and frustration. But nothing compares to the awesome feeling tonight when the Texans whipped the pants off of the Bengals in their first ever playoff game. I've been following and trying to stay objective for years, but tonight...I want to be a fan.

Thank you, guys.

Thank you to every single one of the members of the Houston Texans. Yes...thank you Arian, Owen, JJ, TJ and Brian......but beyond that...thank you Chris, Duane, Mister, Matt, Gary, Wade and every single member of the Houston Texans administration. Thank you to everyone who is part of the organization.

All of you make the fans...like me....so damn happy to be fans!

Wade Phillips Surgery Update

As of 4 PM on Thursday December 15th, Wade Phillips is out of surgery on his kidney and gallbladder and is in stable condition. This is good news, but we will update as new information becomes available.

Wade Phillips To Have Surgery

Houston Texans defensive coordinator will take a medical leave of absence later this week to have a surgical procedure done. While he will miss at least the game this weekend against the Carolina Panthers, reports do state that he will return during the regular season.

As if having players injured weren't enough, now the Texans are losing the coaching staff. Linebackers coach Reggie Herring will be calling the shots on defense during Phillips' absence.

My opinion is that the defense will be just fine with Herring calling the shots. He's worked under Phillips for several years and has a great understanding of how the scheme works. I do not expect them to miss a beat, but we wish Phillips the best in a speedy recovery.

Astros Moving to the American League - Not a Bad Thing

So if all goes through today, the Astros will have officially been sold to Jim Crane and the MLB will have made him agree to move the team to the American League. I've heard a lot of mixed signals about it being a good or a bad thing, but personally I must admit that I think it's pretty darn exciting to have the Astros competing in the American League. Here's why:

1. Designated Hitters - It's really deflating as a fan to be watching the Astros on a roll in an inning with guys in scoring position only to have a pitcher come up to bat who doesn't hit better than .137. Moving to the American League means that the Astros can finally have a designated hitter. There is a certain ex-Astro who played for the Cardinals this past year who would make an excellent DH if he came back and retired as an Astro like he has hinted at in interviews. So - come on Berkman!

2. No More Cardinals - I was getting pretty sick of watching the same old boring teams in series's against the Astros. From the Cardinals and the Cubs to the Mets and Diamondbacks and down the line most of them are just boring. Now we'll get to see multiple series's with teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles and Tigers - not too mention we will have an awesome in division rivalry with our neighbors up I-45, which brings me to my third point...

3. Official Astros vs Rangers Rivalry - Finally there can be a Houston/Dallas sports team rivalry. It never really worked with the Mavs and Rockets because the Rockets were more combative with the Spurs. Being in the same division and without another close market team to draw the competitiveness from their match up, the Astros and Rangers will develop an incredible rivalry. Sure, now they'll never have the chance of playing each other in the World Series now, but the chances of that happening are so remote that it's worth it to me to sacrifice that idea for years and years of fun rivalry games and close pennant races.

Settle down, folks. Don't be too hasty and get all disappointed in this move. In my opinion, all signs point to it being fun. Anyone else have thoughts?

Matt Leinart to Start for Texans

Rumors have it that Matt Schaub is out for the season. Kubiak won't confirm nor deny. So it's time for Matt Leinart to get out of the hot tub and get to work with Wade and Gary on rocking out the rest of the season.

All is not lost folks. Trust me.

A top defense, the most powerful running game in football, solid pass catching tight ends and Andre Johnson are a recipe for being able to make it through the rest of the season and still come out of it a playoff winner. Keep in mind that the Texans were able to beat the Buccs 37-9 by completing only 11 passes (most of which were to TE's and Running Backs). When the Texans do pass, the play action rollout has been the bread-and-butter.

Leinart now has a chance to show what he has learned in his time under Matt Schaub and working with Kubiak who, let's remember, was right about Schaub when no one was biting on the back-up from Atlanta. Leinart is faster than Schaub and is also a lefty which will come in handy rolling out to the left and exposing the weak side. Okay - so I don't know that the last part is true, but it sounds good.

In any sense...I think it's going to come out alright, so don't fret!