Houston Texans upbeat to come up to 2012 season’s expectations – NFL News
The Houston Texans sounded to be confident on the first day of their training camp Friday and ready to embrace the new expectations out of the 2012 National Football League (NFL) season as Super Bowl contenders.
Luckily, the team won the American Football Conference (AFC) South division and made it to the playoffs in the 2011 season. Both feats came for the first time in their franchise history, setting higher standards for the 2012 season.
At training camp, all players shrugged off the impression of feeling any pressure out of the higher expectations in the 2012 season.
Antonio Smith – the defensive end – said:
"I think everybody would agree with me on the team that expectations for us can be no lower than getting to the Super Bowl. Everybody should have that goal. If you don't have that goal, then it's like a defeatist type of mindset."
His teammate quarterback Matt Schaub thinks of the situation:
"We have the right frame of mind and the right leadership on this team to attack those type of environments. To get to where we want to go, you have to go through those things. You have to go on the road in tough environments, and win
those types of games."
Schaub appeared with the teammates for the first time since November 2011 when he had a Lisfranc surgery. He had remained in recovery and rehab since then. Now his return has come as a right and timely development for the team.
His presence on the offensive line will give boost to the team’s attack line, which also has another player of equally rich talent – the second-year QB T.J. Yates.
In Schaub’s absence, Yates led the team to the playoffs and their divisional win last season. He as a backup for Schaub will certainly make the team’s offence even more formidable. He might also be given starting role.
One worry for the team is that their receivers’ position is not as strong as the QB’s. It will be a disastrous development for them if the star receiver Andre Johnson is out of the squad due to lingering injury issues. He missed a majority
of games last season with a hamstring problem and had an arthroscopic surgery on his knee this offseason.
Tags: