A Super Bowl is certainly within reach for the Texans, according to Hall of Fame left tackle Anthony Muñoz. The former Cincinnati Bengal took a timeout last week during his NFL Play 60 Character Camp to talk football in Houston.
"I think they're moving in the right direction," Muñoz said Thursday. "I think they're on their way and they have an excellent chance. They're as good as anybody, with the talent they have, not only offensively but defensively."
Muñoz played in a pair of Super Bowls during his 13-year career with the Bengals, and he believes the Texans have the right man under center as well.
"I think Matt Schaub is an excellent quarterback," Muñoz said. "He is the guy that can take them to that next level."
With a résumé that includes nine first-team All-Pro selections and 11 Pro Bowl nods, Muñoz entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998 after retiring in 1993. Twice he and the Bengals appeared in a Super Bowl, falling to the 49ers in the XVI and XXIII contests. He has a high opinion of Houston, and especially the man protecting Schaub's blindside, in Duane Brown.
"Prior to meeting him, I had heard the name but I hadn't really watched him a lot," Muñoz, who met Brown last August, said. "Of course after I meet somebody, I'm going to watch them. And I'm impressed. He's pretty good."
Muñoz particularly likes how Brown excels as a blocker in both pass protection and the run game, and particularly is keen on the 2012 All Pro's "motor".
"He's going full speed every play," Muñoz said. "I love a guy with a motor that goes one speed all the time, and that's top speed."
Brown was flattered by Muñoz's words of praise.
"That's what it's all about," Brown said. "I play the game with passion. I play it with the intent on being the best that I can be. To have that kind of recognition means everything to me."
The Texans' left tackle has garnered quite a bit of attention for his play in 2012, and in addition to the All Pro selection, he was a Pro Bowler and named to the NFL's Top 100 list as the 48th-best player. But having Muñoz laud his play was special to Brown.
"To get it from the media, to get it from your peers now, it's nice," Brown said. "But to hear it from somebody who is one of the best to ever do it, that means a lot."
