No surprises have come out of Houston as the first weekend of NFL free agency passed.

As expected, Dunta Robinson was not re-signed as the Texans were fine not having to pay an underachieving cornerback $10 million-plus.

The only other moves made by Houston thus far are reaching contract agreements with wide receiver Kevin Walter and punter Matt Turk.

The Texans have begun bringing in free agents who they intend on making an offer. According to the Houston Chronicle, former Kansas City Chiefs guard Wade Smith is schedule to meet with team officials on Monday and cornerback Leigh Bodden is expected to visit Houston later this week.

Bodden had five interceptions last season for the Patriots and is considered the top cornerback remaining in free agency after Robinson was signed by the Falcons to a six-year contract.

The Texans, who are in the market for a running back, are unlikely to pursue the likes of a LaDainian Tomlinson or Brian Westbrook.

Maybe they have learned from their free agent signing of 30-year old Ahman Green a couple years back.

-- DAN HURWITZ
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If it wasn’t for his imposing 6-2, 315-pound frame, some would find it hard to believe that Arkansas guard Mitch Petrus battled his way through the SEC trenches. Petrus epitomizes the “Southern gentleman” persona.

The 22-year old Carlisle, Ark., native insists on calling me “ma’am,” even though I’m just a few years his senior, and is shocked to hear that there are places in the world where men do not hold doors for women.

“Mitch, you don’t have to call me ‘ma’am,’" I laughed. He responded in a rather serious tone, “Okay, I think I’m going to disagree with you on that.”

I’m not at all surprised he put his foot down on that one. After all, Petrus didn’t let many defensive ends in the SEC have their way to the quarterback, or to two-time Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden and All-American Felix Jones.

The athletic left guard routinely cut down defenders, allowing both running backs to rush for more than 1,000 yards in the same season -– a first at Arkansas. Says Petrus, on blocking for McFadden and Jones, “I was really fortunate. It was a great experience. I’m not going to lie.”

McFadden and Jones have both found homes in the NFL, and if Petrus delivers the same type of performance he did as a second-team All-SEC guard at Arkansas, he could soon be joining them.

The former fullback is explosive and can get to the second level very quickly, although his consistency has some scouts concerned. He’ll dominate a lineman on one play before losing leverage on the very next play.

Still his athleticism has garnered quite a bit of attention, along with his ability to learn from and bounce back from mistakes.

“You have to make sure that whatever drill you’re doing or whatever play that is called, you’re committed to that play,” he said. “You just have to focus on the task at hand. And if you make a mistake, then forget about it, correct it. You can’t let it hold you back.”

He isn’t just talking football. In 2008, Petrus was declared academically ineligible after switching majors and was forced to sit out the season.

“To be totally honest, having to sit out and watch guys [from the sideline] really gives you perspective on life and the game of football and how quickly it can be taken away,” he said.

“I realized that, ‘man I’ve really got to pick it up.’ I never thought that [this would happen] and now that it has, I’ve got to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”

The former walk-on employed the same diligence he used on the football field and transferred it to the classroom.

“I really did pick my grades up after that. Actually I made the honor roll,” he said proudly, adding that school didn’t come easily for him, and that his family never thought he’d graduate.

When it was time to return to the field, Petrus had a new outlook: “I wasn’t going to waste anything or slack off. I wanted to make sure that I gave it full effort. You never know when it’s going to be your last play.”

He’ll take the field at Indy with that same outlook, something that served him well in his final season with the Razorbacks, and in his Combine prep at the IMG Performance Institute in Florida.

“I’m not going to get flustered," Petrus said. "If you make a mistake, you have to move on, and I’ve been able to adopt that throughout my career.”

Teams That Could Use Petrus
Indianapolis Colts – It’s no secret that the Colts are a pass-happy team, and rightfully so. But the team’s need to establish the run means it could be in the market for a physical guy up front to open up holes for Joseph Addai, Donald Brown and Mike Hart.

Houston Texans – The Texans need more depth on their offensive line. Creating traffic lanes for Steve Slaton should be a priority to balance their passing attack.

Cleveland Browns – With 11 draft picks and a whole lot of rebuilding on an offense that ranked 32nd in the league, they’re bound to pick up an offensive lineman somewhere in there.

Kansas City Chiefs – Another rebuilding team with the greatest need at the O-line.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Arron Sears was MIA last season for undisclosed personal reasons with Jeremy Zuttah starting in his place. But with only one game where a running back rushed for more than 100 yards, the Bucs could use some competition at this position.

Seattle Seahawks – Did you see the hits Matt Hasselbeck took last season? Expect the Seahawks to employ more zone-blocking schemes, something Petrus is best-suited for.

Washington Redskins – Another team employing the zone blocking that Petrus would excel in.

-- JENNA LAINE
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There were a number of great as well as not-so-great individual performances in the Houston Texans' 9-7 season. Here are the Texans' 2009 Blog Blitz Awards:

Co-offensive MVP: Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson
As an alternate for the Pro Bowl, there is a good chance that Schaub makes it with Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers or Tom Brady playing in the Super Bowl. Schaub led the NFL in passing yards and remained healthy, making him one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. And he couldn't have done it without Andre Johnson, who this year solidified his spot as the best receiver in the NFL. The duo of Johnson and Schaub is among the best in the NFL and was the reason the Texans had their first winning season.


Defensive MVP: Brian Cushing
As a rookie, Cushing led the NFL in tackles and was the difference-maker on the defense. Cushing was in on nearly every play, whether it was a run or pass. With four interceptions and four sacks, Cushing was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was named to the Pro Bowl. The Texans appear to be set at linebacker for the next decade.

Rookie of the year: Brian Cushing
See above. The Texans also had great contributions from Antoine Caldwell, Glover Quin Jr., Jon Busing, Bryce McCain, and Arian Foster.

Needs improvement: Mario Williams
Williams should not be in the Pro Bowl, but he has a Pro Bowl reputation. Mario had nine sacks and two forced fumbles on the year, but those are not enough. He was shut down in multiple games this season and did not improve from his stellar performance in the previous two seasons. He is capable of being the best defensive end in the NFL, but must make some more plays.

Goat of the Year: Kris Brown
The kicker, who had only missed eight field goals in the past two years, missed 11 this season including many in the waning seconds of games. The Texans should not have been in these situations to have their kicker determine games, but Brown has no excuse especially missing many of those field goals in domes where there is no wind or slippery field.

Surprise of the Year: Bernard Pollard
Was signed after Week 2 and came right in and changed a defense that began as one of the worst into a very good one at the end of the season. For the first time in franchise history, the Texans have a safety who can make plays and lay some big hits on the opposition.

Play of the Year: Andre Johnson's catch in Week 2 against the Titans.

--- DAN HURWITZ.

Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans was recently named The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, the seventh consecutive time a linebacker has won the award.

Cushing, the Texans' first-round pick from USC, finished with 134 tackles and recorded four interceptions, five sacks and two forced fumbles. The Park Ridge, N.J., native was chosen 15th overall in the NFL draft and he rewarded the Texans with an incredible rookie season and was a big reason why the Texans were in playoff contention up until the last week.

He received 39 votes from a panel of 50 NFL sportswriters and broadcasters. Cushing's linebacker teammate, DeMeco Ryans, won the award in 2006. Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd was second with six votes. Linebackers Clay Matthews (Green Bay) and Brian Orakpo (Washington) also received votes.

Cushing and Matthews were teammates at USC, along with Cincinnati's Rey Maualuga. All three made an immediate impact for their respective teams and it just shows how dominant USC was on defense two seasons ago.

With Cushing, Mario Williams and Ryans, the Texans are now well stocked on defense and have three playmakers to lead the unit for years to come. --- JOEL HUERTO.

Safety Bernard Pollard dives across the goal line for a touchdown after he recovered a fumble.

It's halftime in the Jets-Bengals game and barring a miracle, the Houston Texans will fail to make the playoffs for the eight consecutive playoffs. Houston fans can spend the entire offseason saying "what if" and talking about all of the negatives of this season, but I am going to talk about the positives.

With the Texans win against the Patriots Sunday, they clinched their first winning season in franchise history.

Matt Schaub showed what he can do when healthy for an entire season: 4,770 yards (sixth most all-time in a season). More than 1,500 of those came from the best wide receiver in the NFL in Andre Johnson. The 9-7 record was done with three starting offensive linemen and a Pro Bowl tight end out for the majority of the season.

The Texans have four Pro Bowl players - the most that the team has sent to the Pro Bowl in its franchise history.

Houston's run defense was among one of the best in the NFL after Week 4 and appears to have another franchise linebacker in Brian Cushing, who should win Defensive Rookie of the Year. For the first time in eight years, the Texans have a big-play safety in Bernard Pollard who they were lucky enough to pick up from free agency.

In the final three games, Gary Kubiak finally found his running back in rookie Arian Foster, who will likely earn himself a contract extension during the offseason.

Kasey Studdard and Antoine Caldwell both came in for injured offensive linemen and play exceptionally well as a part of an offensively line which only allowed 25 sacks on the season.

The Texans learned how to win on the road, going 5-3 and owning a winning road record for the first time. The Texans also gained a great blogger - me, of course.

But here is what I see happening or at least hoping to happen over the offseason:

-- Gary Kubiak will return as head coach. He did all he can and, for the most part, made the right calls. He is the type of coach that acts professional and not like a cheerleader (see Wade Phillips). His players appreciate him and would like nothing more than to have him back.

-- Kris Brown and Chris Brown will not be back next season. Bob McNair has been loyal to Kris and Chris all season, but both appear to be headed out of Houston. Kris is the only Texan to play in every game in franchise history and is known for his great community service that he does in the Houston area, but it is time to let him go. Kris should have been off the team five weeks ago, but Kubiak, McNair and Co. had faith in their kicker, who had been reliable for the most part in his first seven seasons in Houston. But his performance this season was inexcusable.

-- The big move that I would like to see the Texans get is wide receiver Brandon Marshall. I know he has had trouble behaving in Denver, but just think about how dangerous an offense with Johnson and Marshall.

-- Re-sign Owen Daniels. Do not resign Dunta Robinson. Draft a cornerback in the first round and second round and maybe even the third round. The secondary has been a problem every year. It is time to change that.

For now I am off to Pasadena, Calif., for the BCS National Championship. Hook 'em Horns!
--- DAN HURWITZ.