2012 NFL season: Houston Texans beyond their winning leader – NFL Feature
The Houston Texans are back with their former offence leader Matt Schaub, losing second year QB T.J. Yates to the backup position, a year after he during his rookie appearance led them to the American Football Conference (AFC) South division
title win, for the first time in their franchise history.
Yates is among the only few rookies who won their sides a title during their first-ever appearance in the pro league. His feat probably stands more significant than others because Texans were marred with absence of their key players due
to respective injury problems last season.
It was for head coach Gary Kubiak to pose confidence into Yates and the player responded well to it. Maybe it was down to the fact that the coach did not have any alternative after losing two key QBs, Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart, to injuries.
Still, the rookie managed well to adapt to the pro conditions quickly. This was not as easier as it had looked when the season was almost halfway through. His ability to gain in confidence with passage of every game was particularly remarkable.
Unfortunately, he had to suffer at the receivers end, as Andre Johnson missed almost three quarters of the season with lingering hamstring problem. So the rookie’s difficulties were aggravated in his absence.
Yates nevertheless came out victorious. The entire Texans community, coaches, officials and not to forget local fans hailed him as their hero, giving him a warm welcome on his arrival in the town.
The QB’s performance also led to speculations then that he might be retained into the leading role next season. This debate was more among the fans than among the game analysts. Everyone deep down knew that Texans would prefer Schaub as
to be their starter on his return from the Lisfranc surgery he had in November last year.
Amazingly, Schaub had shown a great amount of maturity while watching from the sidelines the rookie perform wonders. He did not panic or felt threatened or worried about losing his role as an offence leader. When he returned this season,
formally at training camp, all seemed well intact, and in the position it was at the time he left the side with the injury scare.
He is given the starting role straightaway, and all sides seem well settled with the coach’s choice. Even more remarkable is the behaviour of Yates. He has handled the situation like a veteran, and has accepted Schaub as the offence frontrunner
without showing any sign of disappointment or regret. He in fact made the situation a laughable point.
It could be down to the reason that he has not got anything at stake by losing the starter’s role. The stakes are rather higher for Texans. They are coming out on the field as Super Bowl contenders this season. The target has set new standards
in front of them. This has also raised their expectations from their players, especially the leaders.
Schaub on the other hand has got a lot to prove. It is not just because of escalation of standards in front of the team but also because of the performance benchmark, which Yates as a rookie had set last year. It is a challenge for Schaub
to prove he is a better leader in all aspects.
Texans must also be keen to see Schaub performing far better than the previous display of his skills, because the team is likely to be conscious to see how they progress with the last year’s leader on the backup position.
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