The Texans closed out the season with a 23-17 win over the Jaguars, but ultimately fell short of the playoffs with the Ravens victory over the Browns.
J.J Watt ended his MVP caliber season on a high note with 3 sacks for a total of 20.5 in 2014, including one on a safety, becoming the 1st player to have multiple seasons with 20 or more sacks.
Case Keenum also continued his storybook return for the final 2 games by managing the offense to victory with 250 yards passing & 2 TD 
throws. The Texans finished the year with a 9-7 record under first year head coach Bill O’Brien, quite a turnaround from 2-14.
Instead of focusing on the 6 takeaways from the last game of the season that essentially turned out to be meaningless, this week’s Pick 6 will instead focus on 6 burning questions that will headline the Texans’ offseason.
What will the Texans do at quarterback in 2015?
The quarterback situation was a main topic around the water cooler during the ‘14 season, and it will not be much different in ‘15. To win in the NFL, a team needs to have above average play from the quarterback position. The Texans have many candidates to be the QB in 2015, but the quarterback of the future is still to be determined.
Ryan Mallett is a free agent, so while it is expected he will re-sign with the Texans & compete for the starting job in a familiar offense, he will have other options in a QB starved league.
The Texans still have Ryan Fitzpatrick under contract, & while the bearded one had some good moments in a Texans’ uniform in 2014, he was only meant to be a placeholder for the eventual franchise QB.
The Texans got some nice play out of Case Keenum the final two weeks of the season, but if he returns it will probably be in a backup capacity.
Additionally, Tom Savage, the 4th round rookie from this year, got a little bit of playing time before getting hurt, and cannot be discounted from the mix with his first full year behind him.
The Texans will probably look to the draft again for a QB, and while the top expected QBs in this draft, Marcus Mariota & Jameis Winston, will be gone by the time the Texans pick, there will be other QBs on the board for them to choose.
Will Texans’ legend Andre Johnson return to the Texans?
Texans WR Andre Johnson had 10 catches for 134 yards & a TD against the Jaguars to finish his season 
with 934 yards, the 1st time since ‘07 he has not eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark. As a 33-year-old wide receiver who will count $16 million against the cap next year, the Texans have a difficult decision ahead in order to keep one of their greatest players in a Texans’ uniform.
For Andre Johnson to stay, he will likely have to take a pay cut & renegotiate his contract. While his agent & uncle Andre Melton told the Houston Chronicle 
that “Andre doesn’t mind taking a pay cut”, it is still a business & all parties must be satisfied or there could be a parting of the ways.
Andre himself said, “It doesn’t feel like my last game here.” For Texans’ fans that have had the privilege of watching one of the greatest wide receivers in history, the hope is that what #80 said is true.
Can J.J. Watt win the NFL MVP?
Watching J.J. Watt perform every Sunday would be the equivalent of a sitting in the studio while Picasso was painting or Puccini was composing an opera. He had arguably the greatest season for a defensive player in history in ‘14, rivaling what Lawrence Taylor did at outside linebacker for the ’86 Giants.
Watt finished the season with 20.5 sacks (setting a record as the only NFL player to record more than 20 twice), 78 total tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 9 swatted passes, 4 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries (including one for a TD), an interception for a TD, and 3 TDs on the offensive end.
While Aaron Rodgers is likely to win the NFL MVP because of his superlative season as the QB for the division-winning Green Bay Packers, if there was ever a time to make the choice for a defensive player, it is after J.J. Watt’s record breaking year. As his teammate Andre Johnson said, “If he doesn’t win the MVP, the NFL is out of their mind.”
What will the Texans do in the draft & what will Rick Smith’s role be?
On the final Sunday of the Texans’ season, Jason La Canfora reported on CBSSportscom that the Texans’ GM Rick Smith “is likely to have an 
expanded role in the organization in 2015, beyond football operations, with someone else taking over the GM title, according to numerous league sources.
That was quickly refuted by Houston Chronicle beat writer John McClain, who reported, “I’ve spoken to the 4 in front office I trust the most & all shot it down.”
Whatever happens with Rick Smith, the one near certainty is that Texans’ head coach Bill O’Brien will have a big say in the NFL draft & personnel decisions.
After a ‘14 draft that produced mixed results at best with top pick Jadeveon Clowney out for most of the season & only 2 players, TE C.J. Fiedorowicz & running back Alfred Blue, really seeing significant playing time at their positions on a week-to-week basis, it is extremely important the Texans hit on a majority of their picks in the 2015 draft.
As noted before, the Texans still need to find their future QB, who could be selected in the first couple of rounds of the draft. They also need help on the offensive line, at the linebacker position, and may be drafting another wide receiver or cornerback if either Andre Johnson or Johnathan Joseph departs this offseason.
Will Jadeveon Clowney be 100 percent healthy for training camp?
After Jadeveon Clowney had microfracture knee surgery early in December, it was reported he would need nine months recovery time. By that timetable, Clowney should be ready for games at the start the season, but it is never a guarantee after such a delicate procedure, which pokes tiny holes in the bone around the knee in order to stimulate blood flow to repair torn cartilage. Some athletes like Greg Oden have never been the same after microfracture surgery, while others like Reggie Bush have made a full recovery & played well.
The expectations were high for Clowney coming into the NFL because of his superb athleticism, for which he was tabbed “The Freak.” The Texans are banking on him to be a pass rushing specialist, but if he is not able to regain his explosiveness after the surgery & be the player he was supposed to be, it will be a huge setback for the organization. That is why all eyes will be watching when Clowney reports to camp next July.
Can the Texans be a playoff team in ‘15?
As soon as the season ended, the Texans were already being tabbed as one of the teams to watch for in ‘15. Bill O’Brien did a great job taking a 2-14 team in ‘13 to the cusp of the playoffs in 2014 with a 9-7 record.
He had a lot of help from his coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, who had the defense playing at a high level at the end of the season. Now, the expectations will be greater to build upon that progress & field a team that can win an AFC South title & go deep into the playoffs.
Of course, there are several factors that come into play as to whether a team will make the playoffs, such as the QB selection, whether or not the Texans sustain any major injuries to key players, the strength-of-schedule (next year the Texans have the NFC South & the AFC East rotation), and what the team does to build the organizational depth at all positions through the draft & free agency.
The team seems headed in the right direction, but every year out of the playoffs is an opportunity missed for sensational players like J.J. Watt, Andre Johnson, and Arian Foster. The Texans can be a playoff team based on what they showed this past year with consistent QB play, but just who will be the primary signal caller for O’Brien’s team in ‘15 remains the million dollar question.
-R.G. Seal
