Matt Schaub will start his first game as a Texan on Saturday against the defending NFC champion Bears. With his much anticipated career in Houston off and running, here's the important question: Will Schaub turn out to be the next Rob Johnson?
Not that I'm wishing him any ill will or predicting failure. It's just that folks seem to be assuming he'll be the answer at quarterback in Houston, despite having precious little track record to go on.
The last time I remember so much faith and hope being invested in a quarterback who had played so little and proved even less, Buffalo was signing Johnson to a five-year, $25 million contract in early 1998, after trading a first and fourth-round pick to Jacksonville. At the time, Johnson had started exactly one game and thrown 35 passes in his first three NFL seasons, leading the Jags to a comeback 28-27 win over a mediocre Baltimore team on opening day 1997.
Subbing for the injured Mark Brunell, Johnson went 20-for-24 for 294 yards and two touchdown passes, and ran for a score despite playing on a sprained ankle that twice forced him from the game. The Bills and the rest of the NFL were smitten with Johnson's potential from that point on, and Buffalo awarded him an $8 million contract as part of its trade for him.
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SI.com - Writers - Don Banks: Is Texans' Schaub the next free-agent bust? - Tuesday August 7, 2007 12:05PM