2006 Houston Texans season: Difference between revisions

5th season in franchise history; first under coach Gary Kubiak

The 2006 Houston Texans season was the franchise’s 5th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 1st under head coach Gary Kubiak. The team improved on their 2–14 record in 2005 and finished 6-10, a four-game improvement over their previous season.

Offseason[edit]

On January 2, 2006, the day after the last game of the 2005 season, head coach Dom Capers and most of the coaching staff was fired by owner Bob McNair. General Manager Charley Casserly was spared, but would eventually resign in May. On January 22, 2006, Bob McNair announced that Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak would become the Texans’ second head coach. Kubiak, a Houston native, was a candidate for the job in 2001 before the team chose Dom Capers. On June 5, 2006, the Texans hired Denver Broncos assistant general manager Rick Smith as Casserly’s successor.

Player additions and subtractions[edit]

Additions:

Subtractions:

Draft[edit]

With their 2–14 record in 2005, the Texans earned the right to the first selection in the 2006 NFL Draft. Leading up to the draft most believed the team would select RB Reggie Bush out of University of Southern California, who was being compared to Gale Sayers and touted as the greatest prospect to ever enter the draft. Many local fans in Houston wanted the team to draft hometown hero Vince Young who had led the University of Texas to a Nation Championship in January. However, the Texans would choose neither and announced the day before the draft that they would pick defensive end Mario Williams out of NC State instead.^[1] Williams was signed to a six-year, $54 million contract.

The pick both shocked and angered fans and the team was ripped by the national media for making what many believed was one of the worst mistakes in NFL Draft history. With the first selection in the second round they selected Alabama linebacker DeMeco Ryans. Ryans would prove to be a steal as he would eventually be named the Defensive Rookie of the Year for 2006. The rest of their picks included Pittsburgh offensive tackle Charles Spencer, Miami (FL) offensive tackle Eric Winston, Wisconsin tight end Owen Daniels, Virginia running back Wali Lundy, and Colorado St. wide receiver David Anderson.

Despite the fact that many believed drafting Mario Williams was a mistake, the Texans would go on to have the best draft classes of any team in 2006 according to most experts. Young and Bush did not live up to pre-draft expectations, while Williams would be selected to multiple Pro Bowls.

^[2]

Uniform combinations[edit]

In 2006, the Texans wore five different uniform combinations. They wore their blue jerseys and blue pants for the first time during a week 16 win over the Indianapolis Colts, along with wearing their white jerseys and white pants together for the first time in franchise history in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Preseason[edit]

• Coin toss against Kansas City, August 12, 2006

• Damien Rhodes about to score, August 12, 2006

Schedule[edit]

Regular season[edit]

Schedule[edit]

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings[edit]

Game summaries[edit]

Week 1: vs. Philadelphia Eagles[edit]

The…