Gary Kubiak said the Texans would prepare for the Broncos like it's a regular season game. As intense as training camp was, things have been ratcheted up to defcon three this week. Gone are the families and friends who witnessed some of the training camp sessions. Now, things have tightened up and even media members should not show up unannounced.
Expect a few more pages of the playbook to be revealed Sunday while the starters play deep into the third quarter. If the Texans do well in Denver, expectations for 2006 will continue to climb.
Everywhere I go, people are revising their Texans' record prediction to anywhere from 7-9 wins. Anything is possible in the NFL. I said "at least six wins" in a show that aired Monday night on KHOU. Believe me, I want more wins, but with this schedule and a new system put into place, it could take time for this team to gel. But in the NFL, anything can and often does happen. Let's enjoy the ride.
More on the QB 'controversy': There is no controversy. David Carr is the starter. Kubiak has been tough on him because he sees potential that hasn't been reached. He has to change Carr's habits. He's breaking eggs to make an omelette. If Carr turns into bad quiche, then Rosenfels will be the man.
The old saying goes "everybody loves the backup quarterback." Rosenfels is gaining fans all over the city after two sharp games including his lone TD pass in the win over the Rams. But Rosenfels didn't see the same ferocious rush that Carr did against St. Louis. In a way, you would love to see what Rosenfels could do with the first team, but there's no way that is going to happen. Carr needs the reps with the starting unit to get his timing down. This is a big week for him.
On the morning show on SportsRadio 610, some of the callers jokingly refer to me as VanderCarr because I supported the decision to keep the QB around for three more years. I didn't feel the Texans needed to draft a new signal-caller (Vince Young). Last year was highly forgettable for Carr, but 2004 saw him throw for more than 3,500 yards at a 61 percent clip. Put THAT quarterback in this system with this talent and you should see results.
Thanks for reading. I'll check in again before the Broncos tilt with a deeper look at how and why Denver has been so solid and how the Texans will benefit from that.
