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Texans' McNair says Brock Osweiler can be Houston's hero

AAron Ontiveroz / Denver Post / Getty

The last time a major sports team won a championship for Houston was in 1994, and the hope is that the Texans could be the squad to break the 22-year drought.

With the AFC South essentially up for grabs, the Texans signed their quarterback of the future, inking Brock Osweiler to a four-year, $72-million contract March 9.

Texans owner Bob McNair raved about Osweiler, saying he's been presented with a chance to become a Houston hero.

"I guess the thing that really helped us is that he does like our offense, and Coach (Bill) O'Brien gives the quarterback a little more leeway at the line of scrimmage and all quarterbacks like that," McNair said to ESPN's Tania Ganguli. "I think that helped. And then of course he had played behind Peyton (Manning) and with (executive vice president of football operations/general manager) John Elway there. Their shadows were quite large. He was still going to be under that and compared to them. He has a chance to be a real hero in Houston. And we've got a good ball club so I think all those things entered into it."

Osweiler captured a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos last season, but was relegated to the bench when Peyton Manning returned from a lingering foot injury. The 26-year-old compiled a 5-2 start record as a starter, and felt he was deserving of an opportunity elsewhere.

Some believe Osweiler's small sample size could be a deterrent in his road toward imminent stardom, but McNair is confident in the signing.

"If we didn't think he had the ability and the attitude to be a winner for us we wouldn't have signed him to that kind of contract. I have every confidence he will succeed. How good will he be remains to be seen. Will he be average or will he be a superstar? But I think he'll be more than adequate in any case."

With a bevy of top-end talent, the Texans could make major strides heading into the 2016 season. Houston is starved for a major championship, and if Osweiler can bring the team closer to their goal, he likely will be lionized.

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