Were Andre Johnson, new Texans regime doomed?

Despite all the positive language when Andre Johnson returned from his holdout with the Houston Texans last year, he made one thing clear Wednesday during a conference call with reporters from Indianapolis.

Things weren't right, even after his return.

"I knew it a while ago," said Johnson, who joined the Indianapolis Colts on Wednesday, when asked when he knew he probably wouldn't be back with the Texans after last season. "I knew it before the season even started."

It's an interesting statement given the public comments that followed his return last season. It makes you wonder if Johnson ever trusted the Texans last season and gave the new regime a chance. It makes you wonder if he and the new Texans staff were ever on the same page. If they weren't, how could they have succeeded together?

When Johnson reported for training camp in July, he was asked if he saw himself finishing his career in Houston and said, "That's my plan."

He spoke of an "upbeat" atmosphere within the Texans organization, one that was more upbeat "probably than it has ever been."

He said all of his conversations with Texans coach Bill O'Brien were positive.

The public show of frustration with the organization began in 2013. After arguing with then-quarterback Matt Schaub and walking off the field before a game was over, Johnson was asked if he still wanted to be here. He replied, "I'm under contract, so I can't do anything about that."

During the spring, at an event in which he donated to the Houston Area Women's Center, Johnson revealed why he hadn't been at offseason workouts and didn't plan to attend the Texans' mandatory minicamp. He said he wasn't sure he wanted to remain with the Texans but that he didn't ask for a trade.

After some time apart during the summer of 2014, he returned to the facility and had a conversation with owner Bob McNair that seemed to smooth things over. Actually, it might not have really done that.

For most of the 2014 season, Johnson didn't seem disgruntled, but this interaction just before the bye week showed frustration with the team's direction.

"I'm trying to help the team win," Johnson said at the time. "But I only can do what I can do. I can't control everything. I only can control what I can. That's it. I can't block. I can't cover guys. I can't throw the ball. All I can do is run routes and try to get open and catch the ball."

He said he wasn't sure there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and when asked if he was getting open, he noted that we watch the games. Asked if he would speak to O'Brien about his role, he said he didn't think there was much to talk about. That followed a game in which Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cary Williams told Sports Radio 610 he wasn't the same player.

Then there was this from Wednesday's conference call. Johnson was asked if that feeling he might be gone lingered during the 2014 season.

"It bothered me a little bit because you have people tell you that they want you to be a Texan for life, they want you to retire as a Texan, and then at the end the year they let you go," Johnson said. "Like I said, I knew. I just had a feeling it was going to happen."

You have to wonder how much that colored his 2014 season.


(espn.com)