Don't mess with Texans

Houston becomes second expansion team to start 1-0

Corey Bradford scored the go-ahead touchdown and finished with a game-high 99 receiving yards. AP

HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Texans won more than their opener. They won their Super Bowl.

Rookie quarterback David Carr came out heaving, throwing a touchdown for his first completion. He also hit Corey Bradford for a 65-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to beat the state rival Dallas Cowboys 19-10 on Sunday in the first game in franchise history.

"I wouldn't say we ambushed them," Houston noseguard Seth Payne said, "but I don't think they expected what they got."

The Texans became only the second expansion team to start 1-0, reaching a goal head coach Dom Capers mentioned off this week. They joined the Minnesota Vikings, who did it in 1961 against the Chicago Bears in a battle of division rivals.

This one, though, was for bragging rights in a state where football is king.

"Now they can go back to Dallas and have a hard-knock life," said Texans defensive end Gary Walker, the only former Oiler on the squad. "We ruined their season."

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue called it "the Texas Super Bowl," and it felt that way to the 69,604 fans who'd been waiting since the Oilers left for Tennessee after the 1996 season. They started arriving 4 1/2 hours early, many with their faces painted and carrying anti-Dallas signs.

Texans believe HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Texans were almost three years in the making and not even their frenzied fans could have anticipated what they would do in their first regular-season game. David Carr threw two touchdown passes, one to Billy Miller and a 65-yarder to Corey Bradford for a 19-10 victory Sunday night. "We are for real," rookie running back Jonathan Wells shouted in the Texans' locker room. "There were a lot of people outside this locker room that didn't give us a chance. "We're going to celebrate tonight and then we have to realize this is just one game. We have a whole season to play." The Texans had plenty of heroes to congratulate. Miller, who caught the first touchdown pass in Texans history in preseason, also hooked up with Carr for the first touchdown in the regular season in the first quarter. "It was kind of unbelievable," Miller said. "We had history against us. I think just us and the coaches and probably our wives were the only ones who thought was could win." Carr was sacked six times but never lost his composure and with the score tied at 10 in the fourth quarter, he found Bradford coming across from the right side for a 65-yard touchdown play with 12:18 left in the game. "When he threw it, I think the safety thought he was going to intercept it," Bradford said. "But he misjudged it and I judged it right. Once I caught it I knew I was gone. If I get a step or two on someone they're not going to catch me." The Texans held Dallas running back Emmitt Smith under 100 yards and brunted the Cowboys' offense. "I won't say that was ambushed them but I don't think they expected what they got," Texans nose tackle Seth Payne said. "We busted our tails for five month and now we get to enjoy this." The Texans became the first expansion team since the Minnesota Vikings in 1961 to win their first regular-season game. "We talked about that all week," Payne said. "We really wanted to get this one." Texans fans were rowdy from the start. "We're Baaaack" read one sign, signifying the city had returned to the NFL after a six-year absence when the Oilers left for Tennessee and became the Titans. Owner Bob McNair received the NFL's 32nd franchise Oct. 6, 1999, and a Reliant Stadium record crowd of 69,604 showed up to welcome the new team. "You start on a project and prepare by getting people together to accept the task," McNair said. "When you fulfill that task, there is nothing sweeter." The Texans had plenty of first-half excitement for their frenzied fans, bolting to a 10-3 lead that easily could have been 17-3 if Jermaine Lewis hadn't dropped a sure touchdown pass at the 5 with seconds left in the half. There still was plenty for the opening night crowd to cheer, starting with Carr's 19-yard touchdown pass Miller with a mere 2:14 gone in the game. "They didn't give us a chance," Wells said. "The coaches showed us some clips about what they were talking about. They didn't respect us at all. Some guys said that losing to the Texans would be like Oklahoma losing to Baylor. "We took that personally and came out and got that done."

Carr spoke for all of them on draft day when he said he wanted "to beat up on the Cowboys more than anyone else." Owner Bob McNair, who got the expansion rights for $700 million in October 1999, made it clear he wanted to open against his northern neighbors.

There wasn't much of a rivalry in the Oilers-Cowboys days -- they met only eight times in 37 years -- but enmity built during the NFL's five-year hiatus in Houston. The sentiment wasn't shared in Dallas, but might be when the teams meet again at Texas Stadium in 2006.

"For this team to get this game is wonderful for the city and the state," Texans general manager Charley Casserly said.

For the Cowboys, it was downright embarrassing. Emmitt Smith even said so.

"We did nothing good," said Smith, who ran for 67 yards, cutting his margin to catch Walter Payton for the career rushing record to 473 yards. "We have a long way to go and a short time to get there."

Said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: "I'm disappointed for Cowboys fans everywhere."

Playing with the roof of their $449 million stadium closed because of threatening clouds, Houston got the decibel level going when Carr took the first snap in franchise history and threw deep for Bradford. Pass interference moved Houston 43 yards to the Cowboys 21.

"That was just letting them know we were here," Carr said.

Three plays later, Carr hit tight end Billy Miller over the middle at the 6 and he dived in for the first touchdown just 1:14 in. They went up 10-0 on a 42-yard field goal by Kris Brown early in the second quarter.

Dallas tied it on a 33-yard field goal late in the first half and a 46-yard touchdown run by Michael Wiley in the third quarter.

But for most of the game it was the Cowboys who played like an expansion team.

Their first seven possessions ended in six punts and an interception. Second-year quarterback Quincy Carter didn't complete a pass until the second quarter. And they were penalized nine times for 117.

Considering the pedigree of both teams, Dallas should've been able to put the game away in the final quarter. Houston could've played it safe and gone home happy to have kept it close.

But the Texans went for the win.

On the first drive of the fourth quarter, Carr threw deep to Bradford, who reached behind his body in the air and hauled it in, then weaved into the end zone. After stopping to stare at the fans with his hands on his hips, the former Green Bay Packer then jumped into the stands, Lambeau Leap-style.

The Texans recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but Carr wasted the chance to ice the game by having a pass intercepted on a deflection. Payne ended up with the game-sealing points, sacking Carter in the end zone for a safety with 2:37 left.

As the Texans celebrated on their side of the field, across the way Jones picked up a towel and used it to wipe his hands in disgust.

Texans make a splash Click the image to launch the clip Houston quarterback David Carr and head coach Dom Capers see their work pay off. Start Video Plus Visit Video Plus for all the latest video and audio.

Carr was 10-for-22 for 145 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also was sacked six times while playing behind a line that was missing three starters to injury.

His best pass didn't even make the stats. Jermaine Lewis dropped a ball that reached him in stride around the 5-yard line with the defender several steps behind just before halftime that would've made it 17-3.

Carter was 13-for-30 for 131 yards and an interception.

One sign-making fan was right. After just one game, the Texans certainly "are men, not 'boys."

Notes: Dallas is 4-1 against teams playing in their first season. ... The attendance was the largest for a football game in Houston since the 1974 Super Bowl, played before 71,882 at Rice Stadium. ... Defensive tackle La'Roi Glover had a big debut for the Cowboys, recording 1 1/2 sacks, intercepting a pass and deflecting another. ... There were no major injuries on either side. Each team had a player treated for cramps; both returned.

 

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