Merry preseason, everyone. It’s been a long offseason, but football is finally gearing up again and to celebrate I’m rolling out a new series on TSR entitled “2010 NFL Question Marks,” where I discuss one or two of the biggest concerns that teams have heading into the new season. Granted, some teams have more issues than others, but I’ll primarily be focusing on the biggest problem areas. Today I’ll be discussing whether or not inexperience could derail the Texans’ playoff hopes.

As we head into a new season, you get the sense that the Houston Texans are on the verge of making their first playoff appearance in franchise history. They have a great core on offense featuring Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub and Owen Daniels (when healthy), as well as several young defensive playmakers in Amobi Okoye, Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans.

But unfortunately, the Texans still have plenty of question marks at the cornerback position, enough to make you wonder if this team will once again come up short in their bid to make the postseason.

Their top corner left via free agency this offseason when Dunta Robinson signed with the Falcons. Some pundits will point out that Robinson struggled last year – and he did, recording zero interceptions despite playing the full 16-game slate.

But I asked both Daniels and wide receiver David Anderson this offseason about what Robinson brought to their team and they both essentially said the same thing: Toughness. Despite being 5’10” and 182 pounds, Robinson often played like a middle linebacker in that he never shied away from contract and loved coming up to make a big hit.

With Robinson now in Hotlanta, the projected starters in Houston are Glover Quin and first rounder Kareem Jackson.

Quin started as a rookie last year so he does have some experience. He has the size and athletic ability to hold down one side of the field for Houston, but he needs to trust his instincts more in order to make plays. That will come with more experience, but for now he struggles when in zone coverage and he needs to read a route, break on the ball and make a play.

After Robinson left, the Texans knew they had to address the cornerback position, which is why they took Jackson in the first round of April’s draft. He’s arguably the most athletic cornerback on the roster and is blessed with outstanding speed and agility. At some point very soon in his career, he could make people forget about Robinson.

So then what’s the problem?

The problem is that Jackson doesn’t have any game experience yet. It doesn’t matter if the kid can run a 4.3 and stay stride for stride with any receiver in the league because experienced route running and body control will win out every time. And considering the Texans usually have problems with the Colts twice a year (the same Colts team that can beat you with Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez, Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie), that’s a problem.

The other issue is that the depth behind the starters is thin. Brice McCain is technically still battling Jackson for the starting right cornerback position, so at least the team views him as a potential starter. But quarterbacks aren’t going to lose sleep at night if they have to compete against Jacques Reeves, Fred Bennett or Antwaun Molden.

There’s no doubt that the tandem of Quin and Jackson could be good in time – very good, in fact. But as of right now, neither of them have enough experience for anyone to say that cornerback won’t be an issue for Houston at some point this season.

Check out our other 2009 college football previews.

Preseason Ranking: No. 5 in AP Top 25; No. 5 in USA Today Poll.

Key Returning Players: Greg McElroy (QB); Mark Ingram (RB); Julio Jones (WR); Rolando McClain (LB); Don’t’a Hightower (LB); Cory Reamer (LB); Brandon Deaderick (DE); Terrence Cody (DT); Brandon Fanney (DT); Justin Woodall (S); Javier Arenas (CB); Kareem Jackson (CB); Leigh Tiffin (K).

Key Losses: Glen Coffee (RB); John Parker Wilson (QB); Rashad Johnson (S); Andre Smith (OT); Antoine Caldwell (C); Marlon Davis (G); Bobby Greenwood (DE); Travis McCall (TE); Nick Walker (TE).

Player to Watch: Terrence Cody, DT.
At 365 pounds, Cody is without a doubt the key cog in Bama’s defensive line. “Mount Cody” tallied 24 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss last season, which made him a consensus First-Team All-American. He was also named a First-Team All-SEC selection by the conference coaches, as well as the AP. As long as he can stay healthy (he missed some time last season with a sprained MCL), Cody will once again be a force in the interior of Bama’s defensive line.

Team Strength: Defense, defense, defense. Nick Saban has nine returning starters on the defensive side of the ball, including the dynamic Cody. The Crimson Tide have one of the most talented and deepest linebacker corps in the nation, led by Rolando McClain and Don’ta’ Hightower, as well as quality starters in Brandon Fanney and Cory Reamer. Even freshman Nico Johnson has the potential to become an explosive defender in the middle of Bama’s defense. The secondary suffered a big loss with the departure of Rashad Johnson, who led the team in interceptions and pass break-ups last season, and also ranked second in tackles. But with the return of Kareem Jackson, Javier Arenas, Marquis Johnson and Justin Woodall, the defensive backfield offers a ton of experience and solid playmaking ability.

Potential Weakness: Nobody confused quarterback John Parker Wilson for Tim Tebow last year, but the former Bama signal caller was steady and always limited mistakes. While the Bama offense wasn’t explosive by any means last year, it was efficient and rarely put the defense in a bad position. But with the departures of Parker Wilson and running back Glen Coffee, Saban is forced to retool and therefore, the unit might take a step back this season. Losing massive offensive tackle Andre Smith doesn’t help either, neither does a compliance officer meeting with the NCAA regarding a fishing trip that was taken by running back Mark Ingram and wide receiver Julio Jones. The pair doesn’t appear to be at risk of facing any disciplinary actions, but that could change.

Outlook: Alabama doesn’t have the overall talent on the offensive side of the ball to beat out Florida in the SEC. But the Crimson Tide defense is good enough to win games on its own and if Ingram, Jones and quarterback Greg McElory can exceed expectations this year, it isn’t a stretch to think that Saban will have Bama competing for a national title berth again this season. Perhaps the key will be how the Tide look in their season opener against Virginia Tech on September 5. A win could certainly propel Bama the rest of the year and their conference schedule isn’t that tough outside of a trip to Mississippi in October and a home game against LSU in November. Even a loss to the Hokies wouldn’t be devastating, because it would come at the beginning of the season and therefore give the Tide a chance to redeem themselves the rest of the year. But the offense has to step up and come together after the losses of Parker Wilson, Coffee and Smith. Does Saban have more magic up his sleeve? Or will Bama’s great defense be wasted because of an ineffective offense?