As I start, I want to thank my fellow Battle Red Blog staffmates, the readers, the commenters, and, most importantly, the Houston Texans for a heck of a ride. The 2011 season was a good one and made better by all those aforementioned people. People should be proud of the resiliency shown by the team, happy at the beginning of a real identity being formed, and excited for the very bright future ahead of us. Next season isn't going to just be awesome but awe-quite-a-bit.

Next season...that's what any Houston Texans fan is saying about now as the offseason begins - albeit a few weeks later than what we're used to.

Next season will bring higher expectations for the defending AFC South champions after a few critical offseason moves are made. However, next season will not bring about any more Unsung Heroes, as that will evolve into a new feature.

If 2012 is about bigger and better, then one unsung hero won't cut it. In its place, and what you are getting a peek at now, is the G.O.A.T.s for the week. What does that stand for? Get Off A Texan and Get On A Texan. Every week there are players who deserve more criticism/praise than they are getting, and players who are getting criticism/praise that is unfounded.

Now jump for the first two G.O.A.T.s ever.

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I know everyone is excited right now. I mean, how could you not be excited about the postseason version of "Unsung Heroes?"

I would love to write a post remembering Andre Johnson's first playoff game and touchdown, trumpeting the awesomeness of J.J. Watt, or talking about the surprising appearance of Earl Mitchell. However, none of those amazing Texans are my Unsung Hero of the Wild Card Weekend.

Before I name that man, I will throw out an attaboy to wide receiver Jacoby Jones. We can mock Jones all we want about his inconsistent hands, but this season has seen his blocking improve exponentially. When it comes to securing the edge on pitches, Jacoby's been second to none. He aggressively pounces on his cornerback and his blocking was a big reason why Arian Foster scored that second touchdown (along with a fantastic effort on Foster's part and a fail on Chris Crocker's effort).

Applause for blocking now done, let's jump to find our Unsung Hero.

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No, yesterday was not a dream. It happened. You can take a deep breath and let yourself smile. The Houston Texans will be playing playoff football. The Houston Texans are the 2011 AFC South champions. The Houston Texans will host at least one playoff game at Reliant Stadium.

As great as it is, it is time to press on. The AFC South championship is nice, but there is still a first round bye, home field advantage, conference championship, and Lombardi Trophy to play for. It is time for the Texans to start gearing up to go 1-0 this week.

Likewise, I am also moving back into that "business as usual" mindset as we prepare to name the 10th(!) Unsung Hero of the season. Before we name that man, I will say that it is not quarterback T.J. Yates.

Yates played well, but he has had articles on him everywhere. Unsung means unsung, so I will stick to that by giving some praise to someone who has not heard any....but attaboy, T.J. That is how you get the job done (and how you make me look good since I mock-drafted you to Houston back in the day).

Now make a champion-like jump and find out who is this week's Unsung Heroes. YES! Heroes because I have two worthy of such an honor.

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Before I get to this week's unsung hero, I have to address a few things.

First, Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson gets an honorable mention as unsung hero for his holding penalty, which nullified teammate Mike Peterson's interception return for a touchdown. If Dunta does not commit the penalty, we are talking about a considerably different game. Dunta did his part to help the Texans out and make good on that franchise money he took in 2009.

Secondly, attaboy T.J. Yates. That kid did a good job in yesterday's game. He looked like a pro and didn't seemed phased by anything. Yates made some mistakes and took some big hits but shook it all off. I think we are in decent hands with him moving forward.

Now, let's move onto the unsung hero. Who could be such a man?

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I am going to cut to the chase on this season’s eighth Unsung Hero of the Week – it is Houston Texans head coach Gary Wayne Kubiak. 

/waits for the boos to subside

Yeah, I know this is probably the least popular of all the Unsung choices, but it is long overdue for the Aggie alumnus – plus Texas A&M needs some sort of victory to keep itself afloat as they drift into the Southeastern Conference.

/waits for the mix of laughs and boos to subside

Okay, Kubiak. Unsung Hero. Jump now to find out why he deserves it.

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Your Houston Texans are not being very considerate to me lately. All of these double-digit victories sure are making it hard to identify an unsung hero. How can anyone be unsung in a 37-9 victory? How can you find that unnoticed player on a 7-3 team that leads the entire AFC?

I was able to find one player whose play went somewhat unnoticed. We will get to him after the jump, but I will use this pre-jump space to soapbox a little bit.

While a great many of us are thinking that our very own may not play in the game, the Pro Bowl team is still something that players like to be voted onto. Your Houston Texans have players worthy of being voted there. So on behalf of Matt Schaub, Arian Foster, Ben Tate, Owen Daniels, Duane Brown, Chris Myers, Antonio Smith, J.J. Watt, Brian Cushing, Johnathan Joseph, and possibly Brett Hartmann and Brooks Reed, I urge you all to go out and vote here. Let's try and stuff the ballot with these great Texans who have been among the best at their individual positions in the AFC.

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When I set out to name an unsung hero at the end of every Houston Texans victory, I stick to my guns and look for unsung. The Unsung Hero internet honor is not a play of the game (that would be Homebrew Vega’s shtick) or a game ball (handed out thanks to the generosity of the fine people at Samsung), so I try to avoid infringing on those awards and handing the honor to someone who has received praise from the masses due to their contributions to Sunday’s victorious effort. 

This week, it was a bit harder to identify someone who went unnoticed. For starters, a dominant overall performance makes it hard to single out one guy. Also, fans are so excited about their 6-3 Texans that they are talking about every positive thing about this franchise - from Jacoby Jones' crushing block of Joe Haden to the offensive line's dominance to the newly minted number one defense in the league.

Still, I was able to find someone worthy of the unsung title this week. Frankly, given how many of us talked about him during the preseason, this is a nice turn of events. When I say jump, you say how high click the jump link.

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All-Pro running back Arian Foster? The chatter for handing him a new contract has increased after another 100-yard performance.

Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Schaub? He had another solid outing and got the chuckles going early with his touchdown run.

Former Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Cushing? The Brain Crusher is back into vintage form and making an impact.

Steady veteran wide receiver Kevin Walter? He's making certain people look awfully smart after he continued to step up in the absence of Andre Johnson.

Who, pray tell, is your unsung hero from yesterday's 24-14 Houston Texans victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars? Who is the fifth unsung hero in the team's fifth victory?

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