All the pieces are in place for the Houston Texans to take the AFC South as their own and become legit championship contenders.
Houston had a breakthrough season in 2011, winning the AFC South and then battering Cincinnati in the expansion franchise's first playoff game. The magical year ended in Baltimore, and the Texans walked off the field feeling like they were a handful of plays from advancing even farther.
Every key player is back, running back Arian Foster and left tackle Duane Brown signed long-term deals and the Texans think they filled most of the gaps through the draft and free agency.
Quarterback Matt Schaub proved last season that he should be recognized as one of the league's most accurate passers in the game. His breakout year was cut short after fracturing his right Lisfranc joint in Week 10.
But before then his chemistry with wide receiver Andre Johnson was one of the league's best.
Oh yeah, Johnson will be healthy once again after missing nine games last year with injuries to both his hamstrings.
Not to mention Wade Phillips returns to guide a defense that made one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in NFL history ranking second in 2011.
Even though they lost their sack leader in Mario Williams and linebacker DeMeco Ryans through free agency in the offseason, the Texans used their first-round draft pick on Whitney Mercilus and signed veteran Bradie James, who's very much capable of learning the system after playing for Dallas under Phillps.
The Texans don't really have much competition within their division so if they fail it should be one of the biggest collapses in NFL history.
