Ron Borges

Five years ago, Gary Kubiak was passed over for the Texans coaching job in favor of defensive specialist Dom Capers. Capers' reign was a disaster, ending with last season's dismal 2-14 backslide, and the call went out again to Kubiak to bring his innovative offensive ideas to Texas to turn things around, which seems a tall order.

Kubiak's first concern is improving an offensive line that helped get Carr sacked a league leading 68 times a year ago. Kubiak will bring the zone-blocking scheme his offense in Denver has run for so many years with him. Now he has to find complementary players to run it as well as teaching Carr how to help that line by avoiding some of those sacks, which he did not do well a year ago.

Kubiak feels he got one key upgrade in free-agent center Mike Flanagan and believes he drafted two others with late first-round pick Charles Spencer and tackle Eric Winston in the second round. Neither of the rookies could crack the starting lineup, but the Texans hope Flanagan can stay healthy enough to allow center Seth McKinney to move to one of the guard slots, thus improving the team at two positions. So far, so good.

Former tackle Chester Pitts is also being moved inside, where assistant coach Mike Sherman feels he's best suited. Only one of the starters along the offensive line is back in the same position he played last season. That's a lot of shuffling of bodies, but only one real change.

Will it be enough to keep Carr from looking through his ear hole as often as he does the front of his helmet?

Carr is central to the long-term health of the Texans, a point Kubiak made by refusing to draft Vince Young or Matt Leinart as his replacement. Carr long ago proved how tough he is. Now he has to prove he's a winning NFL quarterback. How quickly he picks up Kubiak's system and how well he gets the ball to a corps of wide receivers that were bolstered by the addition of former Pro Bowl deep threat Eric Moulds from the Bills will go a long way in deciding how quickly any turnaround begins in Houston.

If Carr struggles, will the fans begin to doubt him and blame his presence for the absence of Young, the hometown boy who became a University of Texas legend last season? If that happens, can Carr take the heat?

Pressure also increased on the organization for taking Mario Williams instead of running back Reggie Bush in the draft. It was an unpopular decision from the start but worse after running back Domanick Davis, who limped through training camp seldom able to move because of a bad knee, was lost for the season Sept. 2 when he was put on injured reserve for the year after another unfavorable doctor's report on his left knee. There was speculation that Davis might be released but instead his backup, Antowain Smith, was cut 24 hours before Davis ended up on IR. That leaves unheralded sixth-round draft choice Wali Lundy as the starter, with former Broncos running back Ron Dayne as the backup.

But can Lundy do what Davis has? Davis rushed for over 1,000 yards in two of his first three years in the league and would have hit it last season had he not been troubled with inflammation in the same knee that kept him sidelined for five games. He finished 24 yards short and his play convinced Kubiak the Texans didn't need Bush. The fans didn't feel the same way, and Davis' struggles have only fed those flames. Dayne is a former Heisman Trophy winner and is familiar with Kubiak's schemes, but he has battled knee troubles, too. Facing four playoff teams from 2005 in the first eight weeks complicates matters even more.

On defense, finding ways to stop the run is the imperative. Houston allowed 143.9 rushing yards a game last season. New coordinator Richard Smith knows you can't win many games that way, so he revamped the front by adding Williams and free agent Anthony Weaver at defensive end, but Weaver could move inside if Antwaan Peek or Jason Babin, who is switching from linebacker to defensive end, shows he can hold his own. Babin's play during training camp got him into the starting lineup, and that will help Houston rotate Seth Payne and young Travis Johnson in and out at defensive tackle, keepng both fresher and the defense stronger, which it will need to be.

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Rookie starters Mario Willliams and DeMeco Ryans, who will sit at middle linebacker, will be closely watched as well because they are the future for the Texans. The future needs to be now because the fans are already impatient.

Hot seat
Mario Williams. When your employer bypasses a Heisman Trophy winner who is considered by many to be one of the most dynamic running backs to come out of college football in years, your seat is very hot indeed. Williams is supposed to be a difference maker on defense. Fans in Houston wanted either Reggie Bush or Texas quarterback Vince Young. Everyone is waiting for Williams to fail but hoping he won't for the team's sake. That's a lot of pressure on a kid who's coming to a defense that was the worst in the league against the run and gave up the most points. He could play well and still not have enough of an impact to keep people off his back.

Overheard
New coach Gary Kubiak is designing an offense more conducive to battered young quarterback David Carr's health and happiness. Kubiak has designed an offense that will help prevent Carr from taking another beating after being the most sacked quarterback in the league three of the past four seasons. Some wonder if Carr may be shellshocked. Kubiak believes otherwise and thinks Carr will make that clear before this season is out.

Outlook
The Texans finished 2-14 and expect to be better. How much is up to Kubiak, who is designing and will run the team's offense, the play of Carr and how successful the switch is from departed Dom Capers' 3-4 to the 4-3 front Houston will use. If the Texans can improve their run defense and Carr can be left standing a bit more often, Kubiak may get the chance to prove the Texans made a mistake in 2001 when they hired Capers over him as head coach.

Prediction
Third.

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