2009 Houston Texans season

2009 Houston Texans season
Head coach Gary Kubiak
General manager Rick Smith
Owner Bob McNair
Home field Reliant Stadium
Results
Record 9–7
Division place 2nd AFC South
Playoff finish did not qualify
Pro Bowlers
AP All-Pros

The 2009 Houston Texans season was the eighth season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). The Texans improved upon their 8–8 record in 2008, claimed their first winning season in franchise history, and 4 straight heartbreaking division losses came back to haunt them, as they narrowly missed making the playoffs, being the first team out in a series of tiebreakers, and due to the Cincinnati Bengals and rival Indianapolis Colts resting their starters against the New York Jets after clinching the AFC North and No. 1 AFC seed, respectively.

Offseason

Coaching changes

Head coach Gary Kubiak entered his fourth year as the Texans' head coach. Frank Bush, who had served as the Texans senior defensive assistant since 2007, was promoted to defensive coordinator on January 13, 2009 after the firing of Richard Smith. Smith was terminated shortly after the conclusion of the 2008 season. David Gibbs, son of NFL coach Alex Gibbs, was hired on January 19, 2009 as the new defensive backs coach after previously serving in the same role for the Kansas City Chiefs since 2006. Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Houston Oilers offensive lineman Bruce Matthews enters his first season as a coach in the NFL, filling one of the offensive assistant coach positions for the Texans.

Player additions/subtractions

Additions:

Subtractions:

NFL draft

Main article: 2009 NFL draft
2009 Houston Texans draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 15 Brian Cushing *  Linebacker USC
2 46 Connor Barwin  Defensive end Cincinnati
3 77 Antoine Caldwell  Center Alabama
4 112 Glover Quin  Cornerback New Mexico
4 122 Anthony Hill  Tight end North Carolina State
5 152 James Casey  Tight end Rice
6 188 Brice McCain  Cornerback Utah
7 223 Troy Nolan  Safety Arizona State
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

The Texans had eight selections for the 2009 NFL Draft. They received an additional fourth-round pick (selection 122 overall) in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for quarterback Sage Rosenfels.

The team signed undrafted Tennessee running back Arian Foster after the draft, and signed him to the practice squad, and he made his NFL debut mid-season. Foster would go on to win the NFL rushing title the following year.

Personnel

Staff

2009 Houston Texans staff
Front office
  • Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer – Bob McNair
  • Vice Chairman – Philip Burguières
  • Vice Chairman – D. Cal McNair
  • General Manager – Rick Smith
  • President – Jamey Rootes
  • Director of Pro Personnel – Brian Gardner
  • Associate Director of Pro Personnel – Bobby Grier
  • Director of College Scouting – Dale Strahm
  • Coordinator of College Scouting – Mike Maccagnan

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Ray Wright
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Matt Schiotz

[2]

Roster

2009 Houston Texans final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 Active, 13 Inactive, 8 Practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

Week Date Kickoff (CDT) Opponent Results Game Site TV NFL Recap
Final score Team record
1 August 15 7:00 pm at Kansas City Chiefs W 16–10 1–0 Arrowhead Stadium KTRK
2 August 22 7:00 pm New Orleans Saints L 14–38 1–1 Reliant Stadium KTRK
3 August 31 7:00 pm Minnesota Vikings L 10–17 1–2 Reliant Stadium ESPN
4 September 4 6:00 pm at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 27–20 2–2 Raymond James Stadium KTRK

Regular season

Week Date Kickoff (CT) Opponent Results Game Site TV NFL Recap
Final score Team record
1 September 13 12:00 pm New York Jets L 7–24 0–1 Reliant Stadium CBS Recap
2 September 20 12:00 pm at Tennessee Titans W 34–31 1–1 LP Field CBS Recap
3 September 27 12:00 pm Jacksonville Jaguars L 24–31 1–2 Reliant Stadium CBS Recap
4 October 4 12:00 pm Oakland Raiders W 29–6 2–2 Reliant Stadium CBS Recap
5 October 11 3:15 pm at Arizona Cardinals L 21–28 2–3 University of Phoenix Stadium CBS Recap
6 October 18 12:00 pm at Cincinnati Bengals W 28–17 3–3 Paul Brown Stadium CBS Recap
7 October 25 12:00 pm San Francisco 49ers W 24–21 4–3 Reliant Stadium Fox Recap
8 November 1 12:00 pm at Buffalo Bills W 31–10 5–3 Ralph Wilson Stadium CBS Recap
9 November 8 12:00 pm at Indianapolis Colts L 17–20 5–4 Lucas Oil Stadium CBS Recap
10 Bye
11 November 23 7:30 pm Tennessee Titans L 17–20 5–5 Reliant Stadium ESPN Recap
12 November 29 12:00 pm Indianapolis Colts L 27–35 5–6 Reliant Stadium CBS Recap
13 December 6 12:00 pm at Jacksonville Jaguars L 18–23 5–7 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium CBS Recap
14 December 13 12:00 pm Seattle Seahawks W 34–7 6–7 Reliant Stadium Fox Recap
15 December 20 12:00 pm at St. Louis Rams W 16–13 7–7 Edward Jones Dome CBS Recap
16 December 27 12:00 pm at Miami Dolphins W 27–20 8–7 Land Shark Stadium CBS Recap
17 January 3 12:00 pm New England Patriots W 34–27 9–7 Reliant Stadium CBS Recap

NOTE: Division games are in bold text.

Standings

AFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Indianapolis Colts 14 2 0 .875 6–0 10–2 416 307 L2
Houston Texans 9 7 0 .563 1–5 6–6 388 333 W4
Tennessee Titans 8 8 0 .500 2–4 4–8 354 402 W1
Jacksonville Jaguars 7 9 0 .438 3–3 6–6 290 380 L4

Regular season results

Week 1: vs. New York Jets

1 2 34Total
Jets 3 7 7724
Texans 0 0 077

at Reliant Stadium, Houston

Safety Dominique Barber scored Houston's lone touchdown during the fourth quarter.

The Texans began their season with a Week 1 showdown with the New York Jets. Houston would trail in the first quarter as Jets kicker Jay Feely nailed a 24-yard field goal. The Texans' deficit would increase in the second quarter as quarterback Mark Sanchez completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chansi Stuckey. Things only got worse for Houston in the third quarter when running back Thomas Jones scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. The Texans would get on the board as safety Dominique Barber returned a fumble 48 yards for a touchdown, but New York would seal the win with Jones' 38-yard touchdown run.

With the loss, Houston began its season at 0–1.

Week 2: at Tennessee Titans

1 2 34Total
Texans 7 17 7334
Titans 14 10 7031

at LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee

Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Jets, the Texans flew to LP Field for a Week 2 divisional battle with the Tennessee Titans. Houston would trail early in the first quarter as Titans running back Chris Johnson got a 57-yard touchdown run. The Texans would respond with quarterback Matt Schaub completing a 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Johnson, but Tennessee replied with quarterback Kerry Collins completing a 69-yard touchdown to Johnson. The Titans would add onto their lead in the second quarter as Collins completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nate Washington. Afterwards, Houston would take the lead as Schaub completed a 72-yard touchdown pass to Johnson and a 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jacoby Jones, along with kicker Kris Brown making a 38-yard field goal. Tennessee would tie the game to end the half as kicker Rob Bironas made a 40-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, the Titans got their lead again as Johnson got a 91-yard touchdown run. Afterwards, the Texans would tie the game as Schaub completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Owen Daniels. In the fourth quarter, Houston would take the lead as Brown nailed a 23-yard field goal. Afterwards, the defense prevented Tennessee from rallying.

With the win, the Texans improved to 1–1. It was the first road win against Tennessee since 2004.

Week 3: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

1 2 34Total
Jaguars 3 14 7731
Texans 7 14 3024

at Reliant Stadium, Houston

Coming off their hard-fought road win over the Titans, the Texans went home, donned their Battle Red uniforms, and prepared for a Week 3 AFC South showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even though the Jaguars got the first points of the game with kicker Josh Scobee's 52-yard field goal, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub got his team the lead with an 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jacoby Jones. Afterwards, a back-and-forth second quarter commenced. Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard would get a 2-yard touchdown, yet Houston wide receiver Kevin Walter came through with a 9-yard touchdown reception. The Jaguars would deliver a big strike with running back Maurice Jones-Drew's 61-yard touchdown, but the Texans once again got the lead as tight end Owen Daniels got a 2-yard touchdown reception.

Jacksonville would get the lead again in the third quarter as Jones-Drew got a 1-yard touchdown run, followed by Houston kicker Kris Brown tying the game with a 27-yard field goal. However, in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars delivered a huge strike as Jones-Drew got an 8-yard touchdown. The Texans tried to rally, but the Jaguars' defense stood firm and prevented any kind of a comeback.

With the loss, Houston fell to 1–2.

Week 4: vs. Oakland Raiders

1 2 34Total
Raiders 3 3 006
Texans 3 17 9029

at Reliant Stadium, Houston

Hoping to rebound from their divisional loss to the Jaguars, the Texans stayed at home for a Week 4 duel with the Oakland Raiders. Houston delivered the opening shot of the first quarter with kicker Kris Brown's 26-yard field goal, followed by the Raiders tying the game with a 46-yard field goal from kicker Sebastian Janikowski. The Texans would take full command in the second quarter as Brown nailed a 34-yard field goal, followed by running back Steve Slaton getting a 32-yard touchdown run and catching an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Schaub. Oakland would close out the half with Janikowski's 33-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Houston would continue its domination with rookie linebacker Brian Cushing tackling Raiders running back Justin Fargas in his own endzone for a safety, immediately followed by wide receiver Jacoby Jones returning a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

With the win, the Texans improved to 2–2.

Week 5: at Arizona Cardinals

1 2 34Total
Texans 0 0 71421
Cardinals 7 14 0728

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Coming off their home win over the Raiders, the Texans flew to the University of Phoenix Stadium for the first time ever for a Week 5 interconference duel with the Arizona Cardinals. Houston would trail in the first quarter as Cardinals running back Tim Hightower got a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, followed by quarterback Kurt Warner completing a 9-yard and a 26-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Afterwards, the Texans began to rally as running back Chris Brown got a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Then, quarterback Matt Schaub would hook up with wide receiver Andre Johnson on an 11-yard and a 17-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. However, Arizona would strike on two key plays. First, Cardinals cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie would intercept a pass from Schaub and return it 49 yards. Second, Arizona's defense held Houston's offense 1 yard out of the endzone three times.

With the loss, the Texans fell to 2–3.

Week 6: at Cincinnati Bengals

1 2 34Total
Texans 7 7 14028
Bengals 0 0 17017

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati

Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Cardinals, the Texas flew to Paul Brown Stadium for a Week 6 duel with the Cincinnati Bengals. Houston would get off to a fast first quarter start as quarterback Matt Schaub found tight end Owen Daniels on a 12-yard touchdown pass. The Bengals answered in the second quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run from running back Cedric Benson, yet the Texans would reply with Schaub completing a 38-yard touchdown pass to running back Steve Slaton. Cincinnati would close out the half with quarterback Carson Palmer's 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Laveranues Coles, followed by kicker Shayne Graham nailing a 50-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, Houston stormed right back with Schaub completing a 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jacoby Jones and a 7-yard touchdown pass to Daniels. Afterwards, the defense held to preserve the 11-point lead.

With the win, the Texans improved to 3–3.

Week 7: vs. San Francisco 49ers

1 2 34Total
49ers 0 0 71421
Texans 7 14 0324

at Reliant Stadium, Houston

Coming off their impressive road win over the Bengals, the Texans went home for a Week 7 interconference duel with the San Francisco 49ers. Houston would get off to a fast start in the first quarter as running back Steve Slaton got a 1-yard touchdown run. The Texans would add onto their lead in the second quarter as quarterback Matt Schaub completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Slaton and a 42-yard touchdown pass to tight end Owen Daniels.

However, the 49ers began to rally in the third quarter with quarterback Alex Smith hooking up with tight end Vernon Davis on a 29-yard touchdown pass. In the fourth quarter, San Francisco continued to catch up as Smith found Davis again on a 14-yard touchdown pass. Houston would respond with kicker Kris Brown booting a 50-yard field goal. The 49ers tried to come back as Smith connected again with Davis on a 23-yard touchdown pass, yet the defense halted San Francisco's rally.

With the win, the Texans improved to 4–3.

Week 8: at Buffalo Bills

1 2 34Total
Texans 0 6 32231
Bills 7 3 0010

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Coming off their home win over the 49ers, the Texans flew to Ralph Wilson Stadium for a Week 8 duel with the Buffalo Bills. Houston would trail in the first quarter as Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens got a 29-yard touchdown run. The Texans would get on the board in the second as kicker Kris Brown nailed a 42-yard and a 22-yard field goal. Buffalo would close out the half with a 21-yard field goal from kicker Rian Lindell.

The Texans would creep closer in the third quarter with Brown booting a 26-yard field goal. Afterwards, in the fourth quarter, Houston took the lead for good as running back Ryan Moats got an 11-yard (followed by quarterback Matt Schaub's 2-point conversion pass to wide receiver Andre Johnson), a 1-yard, and 3-yard touchdown run.

With the win, the Texans would improve to 5–3, their best start in franchise history.

Week 9: at Indianapolis Colts

1 2 34Total
Texans 0 3 7717
Colts 10 3 0720

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

Coming off their road win over the Bills, the Texans flew to Lucas Oil Stadium for a Week 9 AFC South duel with the Indianapolis Colts. Houston would trail early in the first quarter as Colts quarterback Peyton Manning found running back Joseph Addai on a 7-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 22-yard field goal from kicker Matt Stover. Indianapolis would increase their lead in the second quarter with Stover's 37-yard field goal, yet the Texans closed out the half with kicker Kris Brown nailing a 56-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, Houston began to gain ground as quarterback Matt Schaub completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to running back Ryan Moats. The Texans would take the lead in the fourth quarter as running back Steve Slaton got a 1-yard touchdown run, but the Colts retook the lead with running back Joseph Addai getting a 2-yard touchdown run. Houston had a chance to tie the game with one second left in regulation, but Brown's 42-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

In what was another close game resulting in a tough loss, the Texans went into their bye week at 5–4.

Week 11: vs. Tennessee Titans

1 2 34Total
Titans 0 14 3320
Texans 7 7 3017

at Reliant Stadium, Houston

Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Colts, the Texans went home for an AFC South rivalry match against the Tennessee Titans. In the first quarter Houston got on the board first as QB Matt Schaub got a 3-yard touchdown pass to RB Steve Slaton. In the second quarter the Titans replied with QB Vince Young completing a 13-yard touchdown pass to WR Kenny Britt. Then Houston tried to pull away as Schaub hooked up with WR Andre Johnson on a 13-yard touchdown pass, until the Titans replied again with RB LenDale White making a 1-yard touchdown run.

The Texans fell behind in the third quarter as kicker Rob Bironas made a 50-yard field goal, but came back to tie the game when kicker Kris Brown made a 26-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter the Titans scored for the win when Bironas got a 53-yard field goal.

With the loss, the Texans fell to 5–5.

Week 12: vs. Indianapolis Colts

1 2 34Total
Colts 0 7 72135
Texans 14 6 0727

at Reliant Stadium, Houston

Week 13: at Jacksonville Jaguars

1 2 34Total
Texans 0 7 5618
Jaguars 3 17 3023

at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

Week 14: vs. Seattle Seahawks

1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 7 007
Texans 17 7 10034

at Reliant Stadium, Houston

Week 15: at St. Louis Rams

1 2 34Total
Texans 3 3 7316
Rams 0 10 3013

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Week 16: at Miami Dolphins

1 2 34Total
Texans 10 17 0027
Dolphins 0 3 71020

at Land Shark Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Week 17: vs. New England Patriots

1 2 34Total
Patriots 7 6 7727
Texans 7 6 02134

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: Played with roof closed, retractable roof stadium
  • Game attendance: 71,029
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Solomon Wilcots (color commentator)

Houston earned its first ever winning season after 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Tom Brady left and re-entered the game after reports that he had been playing for the past several weeks with three broken ribs emerged. Wes Welker received an injured knee early in the first quarter.

References

  1. ↑ "2009 Houston Texans draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Executives, coaches and staff". 2009 Houston Texans Media Guide. pp. 5–55.

External links

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