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Photo: AP Image 1 of / 65 Caption Close Image 2 of 65 The ranking is not only about who’s best, but who’s the most valuable, including the importance of his position within the team’s offensive and defensive schemes. For instance, if the defense still played a 4-3, DeMeco Ryans would play middle linebacker and rank in the top 10. But they play a 3-4, and his position doesn’t spend much time on the field because he’s usually replaced on passing downs by a cornerback. less The ranking is not only about who’s best, but who’s the most valuable, including the importance of his position within the team’s offensive and defensive schemes. For instance, if the defense still ... more Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Image 3 of 65 50. Brett Hartmann, punter 50. Brett Hartmann, punter Photo: Brant Ward / The Chronicle Image 4 of 65 49. Derek Newton, offensive tackle 49. Derek Newton, offensive tackle Photo: Paul Ladd / Houston Texans Image 5 of 65 Image 6 of 65 48. Brandon Harris, cornerback 48. Brandon Harris, cornerback Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 7 of 65 47. Matt Leinart, quarterback 47. Matt Leinart, quarterback Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Image 8 of 65 46. Shiloh Keo, strong safety 46. Shiloh Keo, strong safety Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Image 9 of 65 45. Tim Dobbins, inside linebacker 45. Tim Dobbins, inside linebacker Photo: Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle Image 10 of 65 Image 11 of 65 44. Bryan Braman, outside linebacker 44. Bryan Braman, outside linebacker Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 12 of 65 43. Garrett Graham, tight end 43. Garrett Graham, tight end Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 13 of 65 42. Jesse Nading, outside linebacker 42. Jesse Nading, outside linebacker Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 14 of 65 41. Sherrick McManis, cornerback 41. Sherrick McManis, cornerback Photo: Brett Coomer / Chronicle Image 15 of 65 Image 16 of 65 40. Tim Bulman, defensive end 40. Tim Bulman, defensive end Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 17 of 65 39. Tim Jamison, defensive tackle 39. Tim Jamison, defensive tackle Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 18 of 65 38. Derrick Ward, running back 38. Derrick Ward, running back Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 19 of 65 37. T.J. Yates, quarterback 37. T.J. Yates, quarterback Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Image 20 of 65 Image 21 of 65 36. Neil Rackers, kicker 36. Neil Rackers, kicker Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 22 of 65 35. Quintin Demps, safety 35. Quintin Demps, safety Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 23 of 65 34. Antoine Caldwell, guard 34. Antoine Caldwell, guard Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 24 of 65 33. Rashad Butler, offensive tackle 33. Rashad Butler, offensive tackle Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 25 of 65 Image 26 of 65 32. Troy Nolan, free safety 32. Troy Nolan, free safety Photo: Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle Image 27 of 65 31. Darryl Sharpton, inside linebacker 31. Darryl Sharpton, inside linebacker Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 28 of 65 30. Earl Mitchell, nose tackle 30. Earl Mitchell, nose tackle Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 29 of 65 29. James Casey, fullback/tight end 29. James Casey, fullback/tight end Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 30 of 65 Image 31 of 65 28. Jacoby Jones, receiver/punt returner 28. Jacoby Jones, receiver/punt returner Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Image 32 of 65 27. Lawrence Vickers, fullback 27. Lawrence Vickers, fullback Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 33 of 65 26. Brice McCain, cornerback 26. Brice McCain, cornerback Photo: Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle Image 34 of 65 25. Joel Dreessen, tight end 25. Joel Dreessen, tight end Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 35 of 65 Image 36 of 65 24. Shaun Cody, nose tackle 24. Shaun Cody, nose tackle Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 37 of 65 23. Jason Allen, cornerback 23. Jason Allen, cornerback Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle Image 38 of 65 22. Kareem Jackson, cornerback 22. Kareem Jackson, cornerback Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Image 39 of 65 21. Mike Brisiel, guard 21. Mike Brisiel, guard Photo: Karen Warren / Chronicle Image 40 of 65 Image 41 of 65 20. DeMeco Ryans, inside linebacker 20. DeMeco Ryans, inside linebacker Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 42 of 65 19. Kevin Walter, receiver 19. Kevin Walter, receiver Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Image 43 of 65 18. Wade Smith, guard 18. Wade Smith, guard Photo: Brett Coomer / Chronicle Image 44 of 65 17. Glover Quin, strong safety 17. Glover Quin, strong safety Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle Image 45 of 65 Image 46 of 65 16. Ben Tate, running back 16. Ben Tate, running back Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 47 of 65 15. Danieal Manning, free safety 15. Danieal Manning, free safety Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Image 48 of 65 14. Eric Winston, offensive tackle 14. Eric Winston, offensive tackle Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle Image 49 of 65 13. Owen Daniels, tight end 13. Owen Daniels, tight end Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Image 50 of 65 Image 51 of 65 12. Antonio Smith, defensive end 12. Antonio Smith, defensive end Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Image 52 of 65 11. Brooks Reed, outside linebacker 11. Brooks Reed, outside linebacker Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 53 of 65 10. Chris Myers, center 10. Chris Myers, center Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle Image 54 of 65 9. Mario Williams, outside linebacker 9. Mario Williams, outside linebacker Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 55 of 65 Image 56 of 65 8. Connor Barwin, outside linebacker 8. Connor Barwin, outside linebacker Photo: Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle Image 57 of 65 7. J.J. Watt, defensive tackle 7. J.J. Watt, defensive tackle Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle Image 58 of 65 6. Duane Brown, offensive tackle 6. Duane Brown, offensive tackle Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 59 of 65 5. Johnathan Joseph, cornerback 5. Johnathan Joseph, cornerback Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Image 60 of 65 Image 61 of 65 4. Andre Johnson, receiver 4. Andre Johnson, receiver Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 62 of 65 3. Brian Cushing, inside linebacker 3. Brian Cushing, inside linebacker Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 63 of 65 2. Arian Foster, running back 2. Arian Foster, running back Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 64 of 65 1. Matt Schaub, quarterback 1. Matt Schaub, quarterback Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Image 65 of 65 Simple math says Texans atop Peyton Manning’s list 1 / 65 Back to Gallery

Sometimes you people can’t put 1 and 1 together and get the right answer. Y’all keep coming up with 2.

Oh, ye of little imagination. Who aim so low?

Every now and then, you need to put 1 and 1 together and get 11. That’s what winners do.

I have tried to help with this already, but it was too complicated an idea for many Texans fans to grasp, so I will do it again, but this time I will hold your hands and walk you through it v-e-r-y … s-l-o-w-l-y.

I’ve long assumed that Peyton Manning wanted to play so badly that he would attempt to play even he managed to only get back to 80 percent. The guy is a gamer. Now that doctors have cleared him and he is already throwing (as this footage shot from the grassy knoll shows) some six months before the season begins, I’d be shocked if he isn’t winging it as normal by Week 1 of the NFL season.

I talked to one former longtime NFL head coach, who said emphatically, “If the Texans don’t consider bringing in Manning, they are plain nuts.” Then he started calling people around the league some dumb sons of you-know-whats and stuff like that. He’s kind of old school.

That the Texans ought to be interested in Manning is a no-brainer. We’ll talk about that another day. But both sides of an equation must match.

Let me take the other side and show you why Manning will likely have Houston at the top of his list.

While not Bernoullian, this is math, but don’t be afraid, I’ll walk you through it.

First he’ll eliminate the teams that have a quarterback they think is as good as Manning (or one they pay as if they think he is as good as Manning).

The so-called “stud QB” factor erases nine teams from Manning’s list: Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, New England, New Orleans, New York (Giants), Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and San Diego.

Next, Manning is going to erase the teams that have a lot invested in a guy who could still be the man, but has room to grow.

The “he sometimes sucks, but he is ours” clause gets rid of three more cities: Atlanta, Baltimore and St. Louis.

Now, Manning gets to drop the teams that have young future franchise QBs they recently drafted, who would be shaking in their boots at the mere mention that Manning might be coming to town.

The “young, dumb and full of future interceptions” category clears five more teams: Carolina, Cincinnati, Minnesota, St. Louis and Tampa Bay.

Now let’s get to the mean part. It’s ugly, but it has to be done. Manning will drop the teams in cities he has little desire to play in, whether it be for location, weather, terrible sports history, bad NFL luck, high taxes, paparazzi, or whatever. Manning played in and enjoyed Indianapolis, so he won’t really be a snob here, but let’s be honest. Some places just aren’t happening.

The “take this town and shove it” section of the NFL eliminates seven more teams: Buffalo, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Oakland, New York (Jets) and Tennessee.

Peyton, for the most part is a decent guy. I don’t know his religious affiliation, but it doesn’t matter. He should want to avoid the two biggest religious circuses in the NFL. He should have an “oh, God no; the devil couldn’t make me do it” list, which would remove Denver and Dallas from the equation. No explanation needed, but think Tim Tebow and Jerry Jones and you should get the picture.

By my math, that leaves five teams that Manning will have to do more than a cursory look at what they bring to the table.

Houston, Miami, San Francisco, Washington and Seattle.

Oh, wait, sorry. Redskins’ owner Dan Snyder should have been eliminated in “the devil couldn’t make me do it” section. Remember, kids, always double-check your math.

Seattle is a beautiful city. The Seahawks aren’t a beautiful NFL team. Plus, there Manning would have to work with quirky college-styled Pete Carroll, and still unproven offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who was crazy enough to think Tarvaris Jackson (two-year contract) was worth going after last offseason, and offensive line coach Tom Cable, who is just plain crazy. Seattle? Out.

That leaves Miami, San Francisco and Houston.

Hmm, Miami. Great weather. Nice place to live. Manning already owns a residence in Miami Beach, so clearly he thinks it is a decent place to hang. But after Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, is he ready to have Brandon Marshall as his go-to guy? I mean Harrison is a little nuts, as we learned after his career ended, but Marshall is subject to blow up at any moment. I like Reggie Bush, and Manning will like him too, but as the lead back?

Then there is the Dan Marino legacy. Miami hasn’t won a Super Bowl in 40 years, and didn’t win one under Marino, so there is no pressure in that sense, but does Manning really want to hear all those questions about Marino that silly media will always ask? Did I mention that the Dolphins have a first-year head coach who will be learning on the job? Joe Philbin is highly thought of, but rookies are rookies. Manning doesn’t have time to teach. Miami? Out.

And now, we’re down to two.

There is not much negative to say about San Francisco. Great defense. Big-time running back. A coach who knows what it takes to be a quarterback in the NFL. Wait, those are the same things I was going to say about Houston. Jim Harbaugh admires everything about Manning and how he does what he does. When I talked to Harbaugh about Andrew Luck, he went on and one about Manning. He has said the 49ers won’t Alex Smith, but let’s not be silly here. That’s even sillier than the Texans wanting to go forward with Matt Schaub with Manning on the market.

There are a couple of things separating Houston and San Francisco. Not that it is important to anyone but fans and media, but as with Marino, how soon would Manning tire of questions about Joe Montana and Steve Young? Does he really want to go to a place where no matter what he does he would never be beloved like those before him?

Does he even want to go to the West Coast? There is a two-hour time difference out there, you know? And the cost of living? Apply the Pythagorean theorem and the CNN-Money cost-of-living calculator to it and you see that for every $10 million a person earns in Houston he or she would need to earn $18.1 million to match that in San Francisco.

Manning isn’t playing for the money, and he will play for an incentive-laden contract that won’t crush a team’s salary cap, but no need in throwing money away.

Houston has no quarterback legacy. I know you get pumped the Dan Pastorini story on the regular, and I love him too, but come on. After Warren Moon and George Blanda, who had only three winning seasons here (and those were in the AFL), Schaub is the best quarterback the city of Houston has known. This is not a city of NFL QB legends.

The idea of leading the Texans to a Super Bowl is intriguing to Manning. He’d be doing it in a city that has never even gone to a Super Bowl. In a city that lacks a championship pedigree. For a team that has one lousy playoff win in its history. And for a little icing on the cake, he’d get to go to Indianapolis, into the building that he built, and lead a team to a win that has never won there before.

I know Sage Rosenfels has a lock on No. 18 in this town, but if you do the math, put 1 and 1 together, you should get why Houston is atop No. 18’s wish list.

It’s pretty simple, isn’t it?