You may have gotten word that your Houston Texans are set to begin a campaign celebrating their tenth anniversary as an on-field NFL franchise. I say/make up "on-field" because the Texans were technically born on October 6, 1999 when Houston was awarded the NFL's 32nd franchise, and we all know how important semantics are around these parts.

As we trudge through the interminable offseason, that ten year anniversary ballyhoo provides us with an excellent excuse to take a look back at the various players who have passed through the home locker room at Reliant Stadium since 2002. And, let's face it: Things are slow in the NFL world at the moment, so we've got to talk Texans wherever we can find it. Thus, we give you the first edition of this exercise after the jump.

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I haven't given much thought to the notion of your Houston Texans applying the franchise tag to Arian Foster, probably because I've long believed the team will come to terms on a long-term deal with Foster. Arian is a restricted free agent, which means another team could sign him to an offer sheet if the Texans and Foster haven't agreed to a new contract by the time free agency opens. In such a scenario, the Texans would have the right to match the offer. If they matched, Arian would stay in Houston. If they didn't match, the team that signed Foster would send a first-round pick to the Texans as compensation for procuring the services of the best running back in the NFL.

A first-round pick is nice and all, but it's no guarantee that the player selected with that pick will ever approach the value of Arian Foster to the Texans in 2012. Even the biggest Ben Tate fan among us would not suggest that Tate has shown he's as productive and multi-dimensional as Arian Foster is. Foster is a huge reason--not the only reason by any stretch of the imagination, but a very big reason--that the Texans' offense works as well as it does. They cannot let him walk, even if it meant an extra first-round pick.

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As I start to write this, it is 71 days and 5 hours until the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft begins. With your Houston Texans not picking until 26th --- thanks to a little thing I like to call MAKING THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE FIRST TIME --- they probably won't be on the clock until some time after 10pm CST. (Related: Starting the draft on a Thursday night remains a stupid idea that I hate very much.)

While we (read: Tim) have linked to various mock drafts, I figured midway through February, a mere eight days prior to the start of the NFL Combine, was as good a time as any to compile all of the mocks into one post. Then, we can do the same thing again post-Combine and maybe once or twice more as late April nears. It's like a time-capsule for people with ADD!

Also, If you know of any decent mocks that I have missed, please add them in the comments with a link and the name of the player currently predicted to go to Houston. Now, onward! Let us review mock drafts in a non-mocking (for the most part) way!

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I don't think we can be surprised at this point.

Chronicle stenographer John McClain has written an opinion piece today concerning the fact that Mario Williams will likely need to take a hometown discount to stay a Texan. Yes, there are players that could be released to free up cap space. Yes, there is the fabled MDC contract, structured like DeMarcus Ware's, that keeps Mario in town and reduces his cap number from last year.

Say what you will about McClain, and I have, but as a stenographer it's hard to get your message out without revealing some element of the truth. I don't like the idea he puts out that the Texans were swell without Mario -- both because he would have made them better and because I'm a little lower on the individual play of Brooks Reed than some -- but I can see the economic appeal to reason here, and it's a very simple one:

Mario Williams can't stay healthy.

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Back in 2008, the last time we elected a President here in the United States, there were only a few no-do-gooders, ne'er do wells, ragamuffins, all-around punks, and handsome, studly men hanging around your beloved Battle Red Blog. Even back then, there was a no politics rule around these here parts (and one severely enforced at DGDB&D, whatever that allegedly was). There's a reason for this: here on BRB, we are football fans, mostly Texans' fans!, and this is the tie that binds. After the jump, a few thoughts about politics from yours truly.

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When Rivers first texted me about this last night, I debated whether I should even draft a post in response to Bob Allen's report. Then I read the flurry of commentary the news item inspired in this post, so I decided we should at least have a forum for the discussion, even though I happen to believe the story is a complete non-story. Let's examine what was reported and react accordingly after the jump.

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