The Houston Texans have never had a winning record, much less reached the .500 mark.

So what does the perennial winner expect from a team that plummeted to 2-14 last season?

``I just want to see us get better every time out,'' he said. ``I want to see us keep preparing the way we're preparing. I know there'll be some good times and there'll be some tough times, but I just want to see us playing hard and be playing toward a common goal, and that is becoming a winner.''

In his first head coaching job, Kubiak has his work cut out for him. The defence and offence were among the worst in the league last season and David Carr was sacked more than any quarterback. Franchise leading rusher Domanick Davis is out for the season and Jerome Mathis, the Pro Bowl kick returner who was the only bright spot in 2005, is sidelined for at least six weeks with a foot fracture.

And Davis' injury not only left a hole in Houston's backfield, it also increased the pressure for No. 1 pick Mario Williams to perform at defensive end after the Texans passed on Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush to get him.

But there is some good news in Houston. The team went 3-1 in the preseason. Of course, exhibition wins don't count for anything, but it's notable in Houston because the team had only three preseason victories in the previous four seasons combined.

And those wins have helped improve the mind-set of a team that found every possible way to lose last season.

Williams is big, strong and already seems to have made the entire defence better as teams focus on him.

``He's still going to get better,'' Kubiak said. ``Just watching him, when there is no indecision, he has been really, really good.''

Another rookie, second-round pick DeMeco Ryans, adds speed to Houston's new 4-3 defence that also features defensive end Anthony Weaver and last year's first-round pick, Travis Johnson.

Ryans led the team in tackles in preseason with 16, while Williams had four.

Said Williams: ``We're making strides every day. That's all we can do.''

Houston's secondary could be suspect, with Dunta Robinson as the only consistent performer returning. Second-year player C.C. Brown returns at free safety, but former first-round pick Phillip Buchanon has been relegated to backup duties in favour of Lewis Sanders after dealing with minor injuries in training camp.

Kubiak will plug in rookie sixth-round pick Wali Lundy at running back, but he'll split time with second-year pro Vernand Morency. Ron Dayne, signed by Houston after being released by Denver, could be used in short-yardage situations.

Kubiak isn't worried that the responsibility will be too much for Lundy.

``I think he's beyond his years with his composure, his preparation,'' Kubiak said. ``I don't think anything is too big for him. Our team needs to play well around him, but I think he will do well.''

Bigger than how Lundy will perform is if Carr, the No. 1 pick in 2002, can finally live up to expectations in his fifth season. He was sacked more than 200 times in his first four seasons and often had no options as the Texans had no credible receiving threat opposite one-time Pro Bowler Andre Johnson.

Houston added former Buffalo receiver Eric Moulds to fill that gap and the 11-year pro has already seen a positive change in his new quarterback.

``He's more confident than when I first got here,'' Moulds said. ``I think that coach Kubiak and his staff have instilled some confidence in him. I think that now he feels that he has weapons around him that he doesn't have to depend on just one guy.''

That confidence could also come from his good feelings about his overhauled line. Houston added former Green Bay center Mike Flanagan and rookie Charles Spencer at left tackle.

``The thing I like about this offence, we kind of dictate toward the defence what we're doing,'' Carr said. ``You watch film and we don't get pressured much, there's not a lot of hits on the quarterback, not a lot of bad plays because they're always on the attack, so defences are kind of playing a little catch-up.''

Moulds knows the team isn't expected to do much this season, but would love to prove people wrong.

``People should expect big things out of this team,'' he said. ``I think the coaching staff we have with Kubiak and (Mike) Sherman and lot of coaches that have won in this league gives the players a feeling that we are going to be in a position to make plays. We've just got to execute.''

Who will fill in for Mathis at kick returner is perhaps the biggest mystery on the team. Morency is listed first on the depth chart, but Kubiak said Roc Alexander, also picked up on waivers from Denver, could get the job.

Houston, which started out 0-6 last season, could be in for another tough start. After opening against Philadelphia (6-10 last season), Houston won't see another team that had a losing record last year until Oct. 29, when it meets AFC South foe Tennessee.