Kyle Shanahan enters his fourth season with the Houston Texans, sixth in the NFL and second as the Texans' offensive coordinator. Shanahan coached the quarterbacks in 2007 and the wide receivers in 2006 before being named offensive coordinator on Jan. 11, 2008. At age 29, Shanahan is the youngest coordinator in the NFL.
Shanahan’s first year as coordinator was an overwhelming success, as the offense ranked third in the NFL, gaining a franchise-record 6,113 yards and passing for a franchise-record 4,267 yards. The offense was equally adept on the ground, running for 1,846 yards at a team-record 4.3-yard clip. Shanahan helped a pair of players earn Pro Bowl nods, with wide receiver Andre Johnson making his third career trip and tight end Owen Daniels making his first.
Johnson garnered first-team AP All-Pro honors after he led the NFL in receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,575). Running back Steve Slaton won the rookie rushing title with a franchise-record 1,282 yards. Quarterback Matt Schaub turned in his first 3,000-yard season, passing for 3,043 yards and 15 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 92.7. The offensive line featured the same starting lineup for all 16 games and gave up just 32 sacks in 555 pass attempts.
As the quarterbacks coach in 2007, Shanahan saw his group combine to have an outstanding season. The Texans' signal callers were sacked just 22 times all year. Quarterback Matt Schaub threw for 2,241 yards and nine touchdowns with nine interceptions in his first year as a starter. Backup Sage Rosenfels threw for 1,684 yards and 15 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. Their 24 combined touchdown passes were a team record.
With Shanahan as his position coach in 2006, WR Andre Johnson turned in the best season of his young career and earned a starting nod in the 2007 Pro Bowl. Johnson led the NFL with 103 receptions and had his second 1,000-yard season with 1,147 yards. Johnson’s 103 catches accounted for 31.3 percent of the Texans’ total completions, more than any receiver in the league. Opposite Johnson, veteran Eric Moulds contributed 57 catches for 557 yards and a score. Kevin Walter, signed as a restricted free agent in the offseason, proved to be a solid addition with 17 catches for 160 yards on the year.
Shanahan joined the Texans from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he served as offensive quality control coach during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. In his first season with the Bucs, he helped rookie Michael Clayton establish franchise rookie records for receptions and receiving touchdowns. He also helped receiver Joey Galloway finish seventh in the NFL in receiving yardage in 2005.
