Patience Is the Key for Fans of Texans

The traffic jam stretched for miles, clogging this city worse than a dozen jackknifed trucks. Some people turned around and drove home. Others shelled out $100 for motel rooms--only so they could use the parking that went with them--then walked the rest of the way. Most Houston Texan fans inched along, many needing three hours to reach Reliant Stadium.

The prevailing opinion: It took six years to get the NFL back, what’s a few more hours? That type of patience will come in handy for Houstonians this season.

Because the Texans are going to stink.

If his team wins five games, Dom Capers should be coach of the year.

This is no secret to folks in the organization, even though they were giddy after grabbing several big-name players in the expansion draft. Capers and General Manager Charley Casserly know perfectly well this is a throwaway season.

And losing, after all, is in their best interest. Just think, next year’s draft is going to be loaded with good quarterback prospects, and the Texans--assuming they lose enough--will have 15 draft picks. They already have their quarterback, David Carr, so they could trade away a high selection to a quarterback-needy franchise for more picks in 2004.

Putting together a successful expansion franchise is, at best, a three-year process. Capers knows this, even though he was Carolina’s coach when the Panthers reached the 1996 NFC championship game in their second season.

Back then, Capers and then-general manager Bill Polian infused the roster with young players on offense and thirtysomethings on defense. That defense led the way, adding new chapters to the careers of seasoned veterans such as Sam Mills, Brett Maxie, Carlton Williams and Greg Kragen.

But that defense looked a lot older the third season, and the offense wasn’t good enough to make up the difference. Besides, the offense had its own problems, including an incident in which quarterback Kerry Collins allegedly used a racial epithet to describe a teammate, and the ensuing fight that ripped the team to pieces.

Since their glorious second season, the Panthers have not had a winning one. History will remember Carolina as a franchise that won right away by focusing on the now, to the detriment of the future.

The Texans are determined not to do that. In the meantime, though, there figures to be some serious growing pains. They are the youngest team in the league and could start as many as five rookies on offense. The cornerstones of their offensive line, tackles Tony Boselli and Ryan Young, are injured and will not be available until at least October. Steve McKinney was a good guard in Indianapolis, but here he’s the center, a position he’s never played. The receivers and running backs are nothing special. Aside from Carr--who has looked remarkably sharp--the most effective offensive threat has been kicker Kris Brown, a colossal bust in Pittsburgh last season.

The No. 1 priority for the Texans this fall should not be winning games, but keeping Carr whole and healthy. With that offensive line, he’ll get plenty of cardiovascular work. No more five-step drops. Heard of the Texas two-step?

So what are the good people of Houston to do?

Suffer with a smile.

They have done that before. After the 1978 and ’79 seasons, when the Oilers came within a victory of the Super Bowl, only to lose the conference title games at Pittsburgh, the Houston fans showed their loyalty. A crowd of 50,000 gathered for a rally at the Astrodome in the wee hours of the morning when the Oilers returned home from the first loss. The next year, the crowd swelled to 70,000, with thousands more milling around in front of the stadium, unable to get inside.

During the festivities the second year, Coach Bum Phillips stood on a giant flatbed truck at midfield, grabbed a microphone and supercharged the crowd with this now-famous promise: “Last year, we knocked on the door. This year, we banged on the door. Next year, we’re going to kick the SOB in.”

The Oilers reached the door the next season and found it padlocked, losing to the Raiders in the first round. Phillips was fired, and the “Love Ya Blue” era was history.

Phillips, who lives on a ranch 90 miles from San Antonio, says those two rallies were the highlight of his coaching career.

Oiler fans endured a lot of frustration and embarrassment, from the penny-ante wranglings of team owner Bud “Bottom Line” Adams; to the run-and-shoot days, when the Oilers reached the playoffs a league-best seven consecutive seasons but never got past the second round; to Jerry Glanville leaving tickets at will-call for Elvis.

The Texans have a grace period. This year, Reliant Stadium is the star. The place cost $446 million, features a grass field, and has the NFL’s only retractable roof. It’s a big reason Houston joined New York, San Francisco and Washington as a U.S. contender for the 2012 Olympic Games. (Houston and Washington were eliminated from contention last week.) The Astrodome sits right next to Reliant, and the old place looks sad, like a weather-beaten tool shed behind a glittering palace.

Texan officials are preaching patience and they have a receptive audience. Houston fans are football savvy; the clear-headed ones know the team won’t win right away. Then again, their patience isn’t bottomless. The Astros’ attendance skyrocketed when they moved into a new stadium, but has dropped the last two seasons. The Rockets sold out their home court for six consecutive seasons, but have been last or next to last in attendance the last two seasons.

For now, Houston fans will do just about anything for their new NFL team, including wading through traffic for three hours to see an exhibition game. And it may stay that way. As long as this franchise lays the groundwork to do what the Oilers couldn’t.

Somewhere out there, a door needs kicking.