NFL 30 to Watch: Matt Schaub, Houston Texans Quarterback
By Ryan Wilson on 30ToWatch
Filed under: Texans, AFC South
A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.
For three seasons, Matt Schaub spent his Sundays watching other people play football. This spring, the Atlanta Falcons traded Schaub to the Houston Texans, and he was immediately named the starter. He's David Carr 2.0: Not quite as dreamy, but a tad taller, and hopefully -- and more importantly -- a much better quarterback.
I don't think the Texans' offensive ineptness is solely a Carr-related issue, but after five sack-filled seasons, it was obvious to just about anybody with a passing interest in professional football that the former first-overall pick wasn't working out in Houston. Now Schaub -- and his two career starts -- is the guy; the only question is will he be any better than his predecessor? The usually laconic Andre Johnson thinks so, and obviously so too does Houston, since they gave Schaub to a shiny new six-year, $48 million contract.
Still, the four-year vet has no track record, and no real game experience. And since most of Houston's offensive troubles start with the offensive line, isn't the team basically in the same situation it's been in, well, forever? Frankly, I have no idea -- I'd like to think not; the defense is improved, and the offensive line, long Carr's Achilles heel, should be a little better in '07 if for no other reason than they can't be worse.
The good news, I guess, is that the bar is set pretty low: the Texans have averaged fewer than five wins a season, and managed only two victories in 2005 (hello, Vince Young Mario Williams!) before going six deep last year. Who knows if Schaub will be a marked upgrade over Carr, but if he has a big year, maybe we'll quit hearing all the "they shoulda taken Vince Young" talk. Nah ... but it'll be a start. |
