Much, much more on the latest disappointment later today and in the days to come, but seeing as how we're now halfway through the 2010 season, I figure now's as good a time as any to weigh in with how we think the rest of the season's going to go.
Your Houston Texans have 4 wins. There are another 8 games to play. Come the end of the regular season, what will the Texans' record be? Vote in the poll below and explain yourself in the Comments. The predictions and brief explanations for same of various BRB contributors are after the jump.
TexansDC: The optimist still says 10-6, as I said in the summer. Aside from the New York game, the Texans have been in every game. No one on the schedule scares me from a match-up standpoint, especially when Cleveland, Buffalo, and Detroit are playing teams tough. I think these guys can get it together and go 6-2 down the stretch.
The pessimist? 6-10. Football Outsiders was right on their projection. Schedule is too tough. The bottom just falls out completely.
The realist? 8-8. The team's inconsistent. The defense has holes. The offense is prone to mistakes and mismanagement.
The NFL is far too unpredictable this season. I need many beers.
Mike Kerns: Two games into the preseason, I did my prediction for the team and couldn't come up with any scenario where Houston finished better than 8-8. A couple of other scenarios took me to 6-10, but (sadly) being optimistic kept me at 8-8. And while it seems right now that the team has no shot against teams like Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia, which will make it even a long shot to finish .500, I'm going to stick with my original pick of 8-8. Because once December rolls around and the games don't matter anymore, there isn't a better team or coach in football.
tehGrindCrusher: I still say 8-8, as I did at the beginning of the season, with about a 60% likelihood. I also give about a 20% likelihood of 9-7 and 7-9 each.
Tim: 7-9, only because I remain stupidly optimistic that we'll split our remaining division games. Aside from that, the only game I'd feel even remotely good about Houston winning is beating the Broncos in Denver. Try as I might, I can't come up with any objective reasons as to why this squad, in its current state, can beat the Jets in New Jersey, the Eagles in Philadelphia on a short week, and/or the Ravens at Reliant on Monday Night Football. The issues facing this team aren't going away without a serious intervention, and the organization doesn't seem capable of adjusting mid-season to what's staring them in the face. Stock up on bleach for the holiday season.
MDC: 6-10. I can't even pick two teams that we'll beat, but it seems reasonable to think that Arian Foster and Andre Johnson alone are worth two more wins over half a season. Sadly, we'll probably be "close" (parentheses to indicate irony) in 6 or 7 of them, only to see our historically bad secondary, our manatee coaching staff, or the execrable Zac Diles blow it. I hate Sundays now and just want the season to end. I'm almost rooting for a 2011 lockout to save me from another year of this.
bigfatdrunk: I'll go with what Matt said. I don't see one more win on the schedule.
In retrospect, I probably should have warned you to put sunglasses on before reading those predictions. All the sunshine and bright light emanating from these happy people could damage your eyes.