(My Sportsbook) - For the record, the date of the City of Houston's last NFL playoff game was Jan. 16, 1994.

In that matchup, played at the Astrodome, the Oilers took a 10-0 lead into halftime against the Kansas City Chiefs, before falling victim to a patented Joe Montana comeback that sent the team to a 28-20 loss.

Less than three years later, the Houston franchise was in Tennessee.

Five years after that, the expansion Houston Texans first took the field. In the seven years since, there have been no playoff berths or winning seasons for the NFL's newest franchise.

In other words, it's been a long time coming.

And though there are no guarantees of anything in the stacked AFC South, the postseason drought has as good a chance of ending this season as it ever has.

The Texans sure looked like one of the AFC's strongest teams over the final six weeks of last season, when they went 5-1, including a win against a Tennessee Titans team that lost just three games, and another in Week 17 that ended the Chicago Bears' playoff hopes.

Gary Kubiak's offensive vision finally took hold during those final six weeks, and a Houston team that finished the year ranked third in NFL total offense brings last year's group back virtually intact.

It's clear the Texans will move the ball, but the trick will come on the other side of the ball, where new defensive coordinator Frank Bush will have to get results from a unit that allowed the sixth-most points in the league a year ago.

The personnel on that side of the ball is markedly different, and Houston newcomers like tackle Shaun Cody (ex-Lions), ends Antonio Smith (ex-Cardinals) and Connor Barwin (2nd Round, Cincinnati), and linebacker Brian Cushing (1st Round, USC) will have to be difference-makers if the Texans are to contend.

The success of that unit looks like a 50-50 proposition at best, but expectations are as high in the success-starved city as they have been in a long time.

There's no Astrodome anymore, and no Oilers, but there may be playoffs this year for Houston. At long last.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2009 edition of the Houston Texans, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2008 RECORD: 8-8 (3rd, AFC South)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: None

COACH (RECORD): Gary Kubiak (22-26 in three years with Texans, 22-26 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Kyle Shanahan

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Frank Bush

OFFENSIVE STAR: Andre Johnson, WR (115 receptions, 1575 yards, 8 TD)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Mario Williams, DE (53 tackles, 12 sacks)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 13th rushing, 4th passing, 17th scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 23rd rushing, 17th passing, 27th scoring

KEY ADDITIONS: QB Dan Orlovsky (from Lions), C Antoine Caldwell (3rd Round, Alabama), DT Shaun Cody (from Lions), DE Antonio Smith (from Cardinals), DE/OLB Connor Barwin (2nd Round, Cincinnati), OLB Brian Cushing (1st Round, USC), LB Buster Davis (from Colts), LB Cato June (from Buccaneers)

KEY DEPARTURES: QB Sage Rosenfels (to Vikings), RB Ahman Green (released), FB Cecil Sapp (not tendered), TE Courtney Anderson (released), TE Mark Bruener (not tendered), T Ephraim Salaam (released), G Scott Jackson (not tendered), DE Anthony Weaver (released), LB Morlon Greenwood (released), CB Demarcus Faggins (to Titans), CB Jimmy Williams (not tendered), S C.C. Brown (to Giants), S Will Demps (released), LS Bryan Pittman (not tendered)

QB: Matt Schaub (3043 passing yards, 15 TD, 10 INT) has shown every capability of running the Texans offense during his two years in Houston, completing 66.2 percent of his passes and compiling a solid 90.3 passer rating. The one thing the big-armed signal-caller has not done, however, is stay healthy, missing a total of 10 games in 2007 and 2008. In order for the Texans to take the next step this year, Schaub must prove that he can make it through a season relatively unscathed. The stakes are particularly high in that regard this year, because reliable backup Sage Rosenfels was traded to Minnesota and will no longer provide a fail-safe option. Ex-Lion Dan Orlovsky (1616 passing yards, 8 TD, 8 INT with Detroit) and former Bear Rex Grossman (257 passing yards, 2 TD, 2 INT with Chicago) were to compete for No. 2 duties, but Grossman was injured during the preseason and Orlovsky (0-7 as an NFL starter) forced into an undisputed backup role. Grossman's injury gave 2008 draft pick Alex Brink another shot of making the squad.

RB: The Texans stopped their revolving door at running back last season, as rookie Steve Slaton (1282 rushing yards, 50 receptions, 10 TD) posted four 100-yard games in his final seven outings and proved he could be a 20-25-carry per game rusher in the process. Slaton is a little light at 195 pounds to be considered an ideal every-down NFL rusher, but he's an aggressive rusher who is also capable of catching the ball out of the backfield. Houston is a bit thin behind Slaton, with brittle ex-Titan Chris Brown and marginal scat-back Ryan Moats (94 rushing yards, 1 TD) the team's top options. Vonta Leach (12 receptions, 1 TD) will again serve as the fullback.

WR/TE: If there's one player on the Texans roster who scares opposing defensive coordinators to death, it is Andre Johnson. Though Johnson toils in relative obscurity for a franchise that has never had a winning record, he's clearly one of the elite receivers in the game. On the other side of the field, Kevin Walter (60 receptions, 8 TD) has matured into a capable NFL starter, and his progress certainly has not been dampened by the presence of Johnson on the other side of the field. The rest of the receiving corps is solid, as Andre' Davis (13 receptions), Jacoby Jones (3 receptions), and David Anderson (19 receptions, 2 TD) have all had their moments in a Houston uniform. At tight end, Owen Daniels (70 receptions, 2 TD) has warred with the team over his contract, but will again be a vital presence for Schaub over the middle. Joel Dreessen (11 receptions) figures to make the team as a backup tight end for a third straight year, but will face a challenge from draft picks Anthony Hill (4th Round, North Carolina State) and James Casey (5th Round, Rice).

OL: An area that has long been an impediment to the Texans' development as a team now, finally, appears to be a relative strength. All five starters are back from a group that played increasingly well as the season wore on, and began to take to o-line guru Alex Gibbs' zone-blocking scheme. From left to right, tackle Duane Brown, guard Chester Pitts, center Chris Myers, guard Mike Brisiel, and right tackle Eric Winston should be able to effectively protect Schaub and block for Slaton. Backups among that group should include swing tackle Rashad Butler, and third-round guard Antoine Caldwell (Alabama).

DL: The new coordinator Bush has many concerns from a personnel standpoint, but should have his fewest up front. End Mario Williams and tackle Amobi Okoye (24 tackles, 1 sack) are the lynch pins of the unit, and Travis Johnson (28 tackles, 1 sack) will take his place next to Okoye when he recovers from offseason hernia surgery. If Johnson is slow to recover, second-year players Frank Okam (4 tackles) and DelJuan Robinson (28 tackles) will likely fill in. Shaun Cody (36 tackles with the Lions) was a disappointment in Detroit but is in line to back Okoye. The newcomer up front is ex-Cardinals end Antonio Smith (41 tackles, 3.5 sacks), a high-energy overachiever who should provide a credible complement to Williams. Tim Bulman (18 tackles, 4 sacks) and rookie Connor Barwin will provide depth off the edge.

LB: The Texans are far from a name group at linebacker apart from middle man DeMeco Ryans (112 tackles, 1 sack), though outside starter candidates Xavier Adibi (35 tackles) and Zac Diles (66 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) both showed promise as the unit improved over the second half of last season. Diles will probably end up backing Adibi on the weak side, thanks to the presence of first-round pick Brian Cushing, the No. 15 overall pick in the draft. Cushing suffered a knee injury early in camp.but should have little trouble recovering in time for the regular season. Holdovers Kevin Bentley (57 tackles, 1 sack) and Chaun Thompson (13 tackles, 1 sack) will battle newcomers Cato June (67 tackles, 1 INT with Tampa Bay) and Buster Davis (24 tackles with Indianapolis) for roster spots, and the players with the best abilities on special teams are most likely to stick.

DB: If Bush is experiencing sleepless nights, his secondary is the reason why. The Texans arguably have just one NFL-quality starter, cornerback Dunta Robinson (38 tackles, 2 INT), who is unhappy about receiving the franchise tag and is unlikely to report to the team until late in the preseason. Candidates for the other starting job are holdover Jacques Reeves (52 tackles, 4 INT), Fred Bennett (43 tackles, 2 INT), and Antwaun Molden (20 tackles), but none are considered to be much better than average. Perhaps rookies Glover Quin (4th Round, New Mexico) or Brice McCain (6th Round, Utah) can surprise and play a role. At safety, veterans Eugene Wilson (63 tackles, 2 INT) and Nick Ferguson (59 tackles) look like the best solution, and backups Dominique Barber (15 tackles) and John Busing (7 tackles with Cincinnati) will probably get most of their work on special teams.

SPECIAL TEAMS: There are no worries here, as the Texans have a reliable kicking game with Kris Brown (29-33 FG) and punter Matt Turk (42.3 avg.), and a scary return game with Jacoby Jones (12.1 punt return avg., 2 TD) on punts and Andre' Davis (23.1 kickoff return avg.) on kickoffs. Former Rutgers tight end Clark Harris was signed when regular long-snapper Bryan Pittman was suspended for use of a banned substance late last season, and performed well enough to get the job heading into 2009.

PROGNOSIS: It's hard to predict success for a franchise that has experienced so little of it in its history, and there's no question that the Texans have their weaknesses, but anyone who watched this team in November and December of last year knows that the tide is beginning to turn. If his offensive principles stay healthy, Kubiak's offense should be among the most powerful in the league, and the special-teams is a top-tier unit as well. Defense? Well, that could be a problem, but as the past handful of Super Bowl winners have shown, a great pass rush can cover up a lot of other ills. With Mario Williams, Antonio Smith, and Brian Cushing coming off the edge, the pass rush should be there, which should help protect a fairly wretched secondary. Want a bold prediction? The Houston Texans have the talent to win the AFC South, and will do so in their eighth year of existence.