H O U S T O N   T E X A N S
Go-To Guy | Weakest Link | Burning Question | Offseason Movement

Glance Head coach: Dom Capers 2002: Draft picks Training camp: July 20 at Texans' practice facility in Houston.  2002 Schedule Date  Vs.  Time  Sept. 8  DAL.  8:30 p.m.  Sept. 15  at S.D.  4:15 p.m.  Sept. 22  IND.  1 p.m.  Sept. 29  at Phi.  1 p.m.  Oct. 6  Open     Oct. 13  BUF.  1 p.m.  Oct. 20  at Cle.  4:05 p.m.  Oct. 27  at Jac.  4:15 p.m.  Nov. 3  CIN.  1 p.m.  Nov. 10  at Ten.  1 p.m.  Nov. 17  JAC.  4:15 p.m.  Nov. 24  NYG  4:15 p.m.  Dec. 1  at Ind.  4:05 p.m.  Dec. 8  at Pit.  1 p.m.  Dec. 15  BAL.  1 p.m.  Dec. 22  at Was.  1 p.m.  Dec. 29  TEN.  1 p.m.

By B. Duane Cross, CNNSI.com

Sept. 8 cannot come quick enough for NFL-starved Houston. That night, the expansion Texans -- the NFL's 32nd team -- will kickoff their inaugural season against the Dallas Cowboys in front of a national television audience.

Dom Capers, who knows a little something about forging into the rough-and-tumble world of professional football with a first-year team, returns to the NFL after "pushing papers around the desk" for the past 17 months, waiting to take the field as head coach of the Texans. Returning with him is his vaunted 3-4 defensive scheme.

More than half of the defense is set: defensive linemen Gary Walker and Seth Payne, linebackers Jamie Sharper and Kailee Wong and cornerbacks Aaron Glenn and Marcus Coleman.

On offense, there is less certainty. Tony Boselli will start at left tackle, if healthy after offseason shoulder surgery. Center Steve McKinney and right tackle Ryan Young will be in the trenches, while wide receiver Corey Bradford and running back James Allen will be go-to play-makers.

Among those looking for playing time, rookies David Carr and Jabar Gaffney will be given every opportunity to win starting jobs at quarterback and receiver, respectively. Two other rookies, Chester Pitts and Fred Weary, will battle veterans DeMingo Graham and Jeremy McKinney for the starting guard spots.

As June dawned, Capers was realistic. "We've had 12 coaching sessions and five practices," he said. "We know an awful lot more about guys than we did when we first started, but we need to know a lot more. As we go along, and probably coming out of the June minicamps, we'll be able to formulate the most accurate depth chart.

"But we've yet to put pads on, and this is a physical, contact game. My background is that every time you go in, you look at guys one way when you put the pads on and then a week later, you might look at them totally differently."

Fact While at Fresno State in 1998, David Carr was a backup to Titans QB Billy Volek. The Titans, you might remember, jetted Houston as the Oilers after the 1996 season.

David Carr, QB -- Sorry, Kent Graham, you won't be the starter here for long, either.

After drafting Carr No. 1 overall (not to mention a contract that pays him $10.9 million up front and as much as $60M during the next seven years), is there any doubt that he will be the chosen one?

After taking Carr with the first pick in April, the Texans cast aside questions about his release point, promising to let him rely on game instinct. "I don't know how much you are going to change a throwing motion," Capers said.

"We spent a whole year scouting David," he said. "One of the most prolific quarterbacks in the NFL has been Brett Favre, and if you evaluate his throwing motion, you see that he releases the ball from a lot of different areas. What kept jumping out at us about David was his arm strength and the quick release."

And about that QB "competition" for the starter's job? Don't believe the hype.

"We won't put him [Carr] on the field unless he gives us the best opportunity to win," Capers said. "But we are going to give him every opportunity to win the starting position for the Houston Texans."

Starting this season, no doubt.

Fact James Allen anchored Wynnewood (Okla.) High School's state championship teams in 1991 and '92, when he was named USA TODAY and Parade first-team All-American.

James Allen, RB -- It's not that Allen isn't a frontline running back. It's that his backups make him an inviting target: Delvon Flowers, Michael Jenkins, Frank Moreau, Travis Prentice and Jonathan Wells.

Entering the draft, GM Charley Casserly noted: "We like James Allen. We think he's a good back to get us started here in our first year. But we won't pass any player at any position other than quarterback in this draft regardless of who we've sign so far. If there's a running back we have rated as the best player on our board, the first pick in the second round, we would take him."

To that end, the Texans drafted Wells -- with their first pick of the fourth round. Expect a franchise-type back to be the team's focus in 2003.

Allen, who signed as a free agent, had offers from as many as four other teams and could have gotten more money elsewhere. He decided the Texans offered the best chance to rejuvenate his career. A four-year veteran, Allen rushed for 1,120 yards in 2000 but slipped to 469 yards last season as the Chicago Bears made rookie Anthony Thomas their featured back.

After Allen signed with Houston in March, his agent, Steve Mandell said, "This is a chance for James to go down there and show he's one of the top backs in the league. There were three or four other teams that were really intense in their pursuit of James, but we felt his best opportunity was to go down to Houston, get a chance to play and maximize his strengths."

Here's hoping one of his strengths is eluding defenders bent on crushing tackles.

Can Tony Boselli return to his All-Pro form?

Fact Tony Boselli and his wife, Angi, a former Miss California, formed the Boselli Foundation to provide opportunities for children with limited financial resources.

Boselli's resume is impressive: has started 90 of 91 career games, five-time Pro Bowler (1996-00), first draft choice of Jacksonville in franchise history, has allowed 14 1/2 sacks in seven years, was named to 1990's NFL All-Decade second team.

So, where's the rub?

Boselli played in only three games last season because of injuries, and he had a minor surgery (scar tissue removed) on his left shoulder in April that the team hopes will speed his recovery from previous offseason operations. To boot, he probably won't play during the exhibition season.

"Tony will continue to do what we've been having him do," Capers said. "He'll rehab in the weight room, and he won't take part in anything on the field. We just don't want to take a chance of setting his rehab back. His biggest goal right now is to regain strength in both of those shoulders."

Boselli's health was a factor the Texans contemplated before taking on his $7.5 million cap figure in the expansion draft. Still, it's nothing the team wasn't prepared for.

"It would be foolish on our part to ask him to go out there and set him back," Capers said of the Texans' cautious approach. "The most important thing for him is to gain strength so that he can get back to 100 percent. You're always going to err on the side of caution when you have a player like Tony Boselli. We know what he's capable of doing, and the important thing is that when it comes time to play, he's ready to do it 100 percent."