HOUSTON (AP) -The Houston Texans envisioned being in a better position for their Monday night debut.
After last year’s franchise-best 8-8 finish they hoped to be competing for a playoff spot when December rolled around. Instead the Texans head into the game against AFC South foe Jacksonville with a dismal 4-7 record.
The bright spot? Jacksonville has an identical record.
The Texans are determined not to let their disappointing season bleed into Monday’s performance. This team, which has had few opportunities to perform before a national audience, is looking to improve its perception across the country.
It is the first Monday night game in Houston since the Giants beat the Oilers on Nov. 21, 1994.
“A lot of people really don’t know who we are, don’t know the type of players that we have here,” said linebacker DeMeco Ryans, Houston’s leading tackler. “So for us, it’s just a showcase for us to go out and show people what the Houston Texans are all about.”
Andre Johnson, second in the NFL with 1,071 yards receiving, is excited to finally be in what is often the week’s most-watched game.
“Everybody is watching, all your friends, all your peers,” he said. “I think that’s one game that everybody watches every week, `Monday Night Football.’ I watch it every week.”
Kubiak doesn’t share the excitement of many of his players competing in the game for the first time. But this week has given the veteran of many Monday night games as both a player and coach a chance to reflect on some of those games.
It also brought up memories of one Monday nighter Kubiak didn’t see live, but vividly remembers watching on television. Kubiak had been a ball boy for the Houston Oilers during training camp in 1978 and followed the team closely throughout the season. One of the highlights of that year came when the Oilers beat Miami 35-30 on their second Monday night appearance of the year.
The team handed out blue and white pom-poms to each fan before the game and the crowd of more than 60,000 waved them wildly as Earl Campbell ran for 199 yards and four touchdowns. The game was played at the Astrodome, the once storied structure that lost its luster long before Houston’s current home, Reliant Stadium, was built next door.
“I remember Earl going down the sideline,” Kubiak said. “I remember that. And those pom-poms. Golly, that was a great time.”
Despite the buzz surrounding the game, Kubiak doesn’t expect the atmosphere to give his team any sort of upper hand on Monday.
“I don’t know about any type of advantage,” Kubiak said. “I just think they’re excited to have an opportunity to do that. This is something they haven’t had around here and (the Jaguars) have done a lot of those Monday night games. Players get up for things like that, but the biggest thing is figuring out a way to play better football than we’ve been playing.”
Jacksonville’s Fred Taylor knows Houston doesn’t need a Monday night game to get motivated to play his team. The Texans are 7-6 against the Jaguars, the only division opponent they hold a winning record against.
The Jaguars won 30-27 in overtime earlier this season.
“It’s their first in team history, so they’re going to be fired up,” Taylor said. “We don’t want to lose. They don’t want to lose the divisional game. It’s a team where we’ve sort of created this little rivalry or whatever.”
Houston is trying to build on last week’s 16-6 win over Cleveland that broke a three-game skid. The Texans’ defense had its best performance of the season in forcing a franchise-record-tying five turnovers and allowing a season-low 240 yards.
Mario Williams, the top overall pick in 2006, impressed Kubiak against the Browns despite not getting a sack.
“He hasn’t had sacks the last three games but he’s been very disruptive, and I think last week he played as well as he’s played all year,” Kubiak said. “Sometimes those sacks are very much overrated. It doesn’t have a lot to do with how you’re playing the total ballgame. It has to do with a play here or a play there, but he’s been very consistent as a player.”
Williams, who had 3 1/2 sacks in last year’s Thursday night win over Denver, is looking for another big game in prime time.
“It’s a big stage, you don’t want to go out there and stink it up,” he said. “So you’ve got to go out there and play as hard as you can and make something happen.”
Jacksonville is trying to rebound from an embarrassing 30-12 loss to Minnesota where it had five turnovers, allowed four sacks and missed a pair of field goals. Quarterback David Garrard isn’t sure what the problem is, but he knows they’ll have to improve this week to win at Houston.
The Jaguars have lost four of their last five games.
a little bit better.”
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