(Idea mercilessly yanked from Rahat Huq at Red 94)
As much as Texans fans complain about the defensive scheme and coaching staff, and believe me, it's holding us back to some extent, you can't really argue with 8-3 at this point. Credit really has to go out to Rick Smith on the diagnosis and Bob McNair for pulling out the bankroll to solve all the problems the team had this offseason asides from getting rid of Frank Bush.
Glover Quin is spending a lot more time outside, but hasn't looked much worse for wear next to big free agent acquisition Leigh Bodden. And has there been a more underrated signing this offseason than the Texans nabbing Ryan Clark from the Steelers? He's been repeatedly tested in the slot as Kareem Jackson has sort of disappointed this year, but the Texans made sure not to go into the offseason with him as a backup plan. They deserve kudos for that.
Wade Smith has been a solid signing on the offensive line, and can you believe Kubiak was able to snatch Rick Dennison to play offensive line coach while Baby Shanahan was given a big contract extension? The vertical offense is amazing, and while Jacoby Jones hasn't looked particularly good in the slot, he has a few big touchdowns for the team this year. I think we might have head coaching material here should Kubiak suddenly flop on the weight of poor decision making again. And uh, oh yeah, Arian Foster is great.
Unfortunately the Texans are still a little over-reliant on Shaun Cody and Amobi Okoye up front. But hey, you can't solve every problem in an offseason. Particularly one that had so few unrestricted free agents. While the Texans might not be able to stop a power run game when it counts, they also have an offense that is just as unstoppable and a revamped pass defense that is hard to throw on. They might not be the AFC favorites, but they've definitely earned their playoff spot this year.
Hosting whichever of Pittsburgh or Baltimore fail to clinch the AFC North should make for a great introduction to playoff football in Houston.