Countdown To Kickoff: Texans vs. Colts

This football season has been beautiful in a very important way. The Texans finally fired Bill O’Brien. For that reason, the 2020 Texans’ season has been grand and wonderful, solely because that putrescent red and hollering sore finally was popped.

Some thought this sore was very smart and knew what he was doing despite this being the same man who (1) had never guided a good NFL offense without Tom Brady, (2) could not find a quarterback who could run his super genius offense, (3) won games because of the talent leftover from the previous leadership group, (4) got the bare minimum out of the talent on the roster, (5) ran out top talent and received lackluster return for them, (6) pushed out everyone else in the building until he was the second-to-last one remaining, (7) thrust Jack Easterby upon the world, and (8) failed to complete a simple task—build a great team around a franchise quarterback on his rookie contract.

Some saw this and knew Houston should have moved on. The Texans were stuck with O’Brien as head coach.

For years, the Texans’ fan base was divided over Bill O’Brien. Once he was fired, we all banded around the banishment of him from Houston football. Kissing in the street. Hugging strangers. Call the babysitter. It was joyous for him to be gone and for all of us to live in a straight line again.

Yet since O’Brien’s firing, the Texans’ season has been a lost one. At 0-4 when the change was made, the NFL Playoffs were a virtual impossibility. Everything from then was just a testament to fandom. We watched the football team because it’s our football team. We watched because of the bright, golden light that is Deshaun Watson.

From a win-loss standpoint, the last ten weeks haven’t mattered. What happened happened. Regardless of the team’s record, 2020 was a vital decapitation the franchise needed to take the next step forward.

From that perspective, 2020 has been a tremendous success in a bizarre way. There isn’t a way this could get better...almost.

There’s only one way it could get better. It’s if the Texans beat the Colts today and cannonball into that above-ground swimming pool filled with mayonnaise, stampede over those hollering neckbearded denizens cheering on their neckbearded representatives, and throw a leafy green into Indianapolis’ postseason plans. A win in Indy. That’s the last thing this Texans season needs for it to be truly complete.

As we wait for the first quarter thread to post at 11:45 a.m. CST, this is where you can share your pre-game thoughts, hopes, and fears as the Texans make their final preparations to face the Colts. Enjoy your Sunday morning.