Unlike his NFL counterpart in Dallas, Texans owner Bob McNair spends more time thinking than talking.

That's good for the Texans.

McNair has a lot to think about.

Although the Texans have not been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, they were realistically eliminated at Arizona last Sunday.

But don't look at that as an ending.

Look at this Sunday's game at Reliant Stadium against Oakland as a beginning.

It's the beginning of the 2014 season for the Texans.

The Texans (2-7) should beat the Raiders (3-6) and win again at home Nov. 24 against Jacksonville (1-8).

Whether they do is almost irrelevant. The remaining seven games more than anything else should be considered as opportunities to say goodbye to players who won't be here next season - Antonio Smith, Ben Tate, maybe Matt Schaub, maybe Jonathan Joseph - and identify players (and coaches) who should be here.

That starts with coach Gary Kubiak.

McNair no doubt has begun evaluating whether Kubiak and his staff deserve more credit for winning two consecutive AFC South titles than they do blame for this season's catastrophe.

There is no question a coach or three shouldn't be back. The question is whether Kubiak is one of them. How McNair sees that probably depends on what he sees the rest of the season.

Equally important to the Texans' future is how Case Keenum finishes the season as the starting quarterback or if he finishes the season as the starting quarterback.

The Texans are losing by fewer points since he replaced Schaub as the starter three games ago but still continue to lose.

Kubiak hasn't received a vote of confidence. Neither did he give one to his young quarterback last week, saying the decision on whether Keenum or Schaub starts will be determined from game to game.

"I'm not going to give anybody anything, much less a quarterback," Kubiak said.

Offensive coordinator Rick Dennison elaborated, "Like any other position, we keep evaluating and doing what we think is best for the team. So we continue to talk about it. … We're fine with what Case is doing, knowing well that Matt is a very good football player."

Interpretation: If you see Schaub playing quarterback in any situation other than an injury to Keenum or garbage time, Texans general manager Rick Smith will spend the next few months focusing on quarterbacks.

At a QB crossroads

Which ones would be influenced by coach Question Mark and his offensive philosophy. It also could be determined by the Texans' record because they are most likely to draft a quarterback rather than acquire one through a trade or free agency.

If the draft were today, and all the young quarterbacks declared themselves for the NFL, the Texans might be in position to draft Oregon's Marcus Mariota, UCLA's Brett Hundley or Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel.

If the Texans draft somewhere in the middle, they might have a choice among Clemson's Tajh Boyd, LSU's Zach Mettenberger or - dare we say it? - Fresno State's Derek Carr, brother of he whose name shall not be spoken.

Keenum insisted he is not allowing such speculation to distract him.

"I'm taking it a week at a time, too," he said. "That's all my plate can handle right now. I'm getting better. Plate's getting bigger."

The best-case scenario would be for Keenum to clean his plate and become the quarterback of the future.

That would enable the GM to concentrate elsewhere in the draft, which appears deep at positions where the Texans most need help - linebacker and offensive tackle.

Smith thought he had solved those problems in the most recent draft, but two offensive linemen and an outside linebacker have been out all season with injuries.

Another outside linebacker, third-round pick Sam Montgomery, will be remembered as one of the Texans' worst draft choices, arriving for offseason workouts out of shape and ultimately having to leave the team because of an alleged rules violation.

Smith's job could be further complicated depending on how players such as inside linebacker Brian Cushing, running back Arian Foster, tight end Owen Daniels and safety Danieal Manning recuperate from serious injuries.

What's Watt worth?

The Texans won't sign Tate, an unrestricted free agent, because he's not a No. 1 running back in today's league. They hope Foster returns physically healthy after Thursday's back surgery and mentally ready to play.

No one in the draft can replace him.

The Texans also might have a find a kicker if Randy Bullock doesn't become more accurate from long range.

Another priority is extending J.J. Watt's contract. You wouldn't blame him if he's looking at wide receiver Andre Johnson's 11 years as a Texan without a Super Bowl appearance and wondering if he should play the field after two more seasons.

Pay him now, Bob.

Or at least think about it.