The Houston Texans: Best Players of the 2000's

The Houston Texans came into the league in 2002. They have yet to make the playoffs, but they have made great strides and are now very competitive. They remind me of the Arizona Cardinals where for a couple seasons, we all call them the sleeper team of the NFL. They make us look brilliant for half a season, and then reveal they are just a tease. Last year, the Cardinals finally had a breakout season, just as people were about to give up on them, and I think Houston might follow that same path. The Texans may have got a later start in the 2000's than other teams, but they have still had a few pretty good players in that time. These are the players I consider to be the best five Houston Texans of the 2000's. (Only accomplishments and stats while playing for the Houston Texans from 2000-2009 were considered.)

1. Andre Johnson - In just seven seasons, Andre Johnson has done more than a lot of wide receivers have done in their whole careers. He is arguably one of the top three receivers in the game right now. He has 576 receptions for 7,812 yards and 41 touchdowns while with Houston.

2. Mario Williams - Do you remember when most people were calling the Texans idiots for drafting Williams #1 overall when they could've got Reggie Bush? Maybe the Texans knew something that most of us didn't. While Bush has nowhere near lived up to even half of his hype, Williams is starting to blossom into one the leagues best defensive ends. In four seasons, he has 200 tackles, 38.5 sacks and 9 forced fumbles.

3. DeMeco Ryans - DeMeco Ryans has registered at least 100 tackles in every season he has been in the NFL. In his four seasons with the Texans, he has 500 tackles and 7.5 sacks. He won 2006 NFL Defensive Rookie of Year by recording 156 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

4. Dunta Robinson - Robinson has been the bright spot in the Houston Texans secondary for the past six seasons. Since 2004, he has made 385 tackles and has 13 interceptions.

5. Matt Schaub - I hesitated to put Schaub on this list since he has only been with the Texans for three seasons, but then I realized who else could I possibly put here? During his three seasons with Houston, Schaub passed for 9,465 yards and 55 touchdowns.