HOUSTON -- Brock Osweiler was supposed to be the solution to years of quarterback woes for the Houston Texans.Through eight games, its unclear if thats the case.At times, such as during a fourth-quarter comeback against the Colts, Osweiler has looked worthy of the $72 million contract Houston used to lure him away from Denver.But there have been other times, such as his performance in Houstons three road games , where Osweiler didnt look any better than the string of quarterbacks the Texans ran through last season.The good news for the Texans is that they enter their bye 5-3 and leading the AFC South despite his inconsistent play and the loss of star defensive end J.J. Watt.Theres been some good spots and I think theres obviously been some bad spots, Osweiler said. But I think the thing thats encouraging is I feel like Im getting better every single week and I feel like this football team is getting better every single week.So, theres plenty of room for improvement (and) fortunately we still have eight more games.Though hes seemed rattled at times when hes struggled on the road, Osweiler never shows any cracks in public in his picture-perfect veneer off the field. He always says the right things, takes the blame when the offense sputters and vows to get better.But those close to him know that he hears the criticism mounting with each bad road outing and that his struggles weigh on him.In this league everyones striving for perfection, so when it doesnt go the way that we prepared or practiced or wanted the result to be we all die a little, so to say, offensive coordinator George Godsey said. But hes been able to overcome that, a little bit of adversity so its a good sign going into the next half of the season.Coach Bill OBrien believes Osweiler has improved each week and the quarterback insists that he feels comfortable in the offense and is convinced he has the skills to lead this team.I have great confidence in myself, I have great belief in myself, Osweiler said. Im my own biggest critic. When a game doesnt go how maybe I wanted it to or how this team wanted it to, I examine that film very hard. Im very hard on myself to improve, to learn, to get better.Osweiler has thrown nine touchdowns with nine interceptions this season to lead a passing game that is among the worst in the league, ranking 30th in the NFL by averaging just 199.2 yards a game.Hes been much better at home than on the road, with eight of his touchdown passes and all of the teams wins coming in Houston. Hell have to figure out a way to get things together on the road when the Texans start the second half of the season at Jacksonville before a game against Oakland in Mexico City followed by two of the next three away from Houston.Hes focused on getting Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins more involved in the second half after hes been limited to 434 yards receiving through eight games after finishing with a career-high 1,521 yards receiving last season. Hopkins knows hell have to do more in the second half to help Osweiler and the offense improve.There were a lot of plays I left out on the field I couldve made (in) the first eight games, he said. Just got to go out and make it right.While Osweiler hasnt played up to expectations, Houstons offense has been kept afloat by the steady play of the teams other big offseason acquisition Lamar Miller .The Texans signed the former Dolphins running back to take over for Arian Foster, the teams all-time leading rusher whom they released in March. Miller enters Week 9 ranked fourth in the NFL with 637 yards rushing.On defense, Houston lost Watt to a back injury after three games. But the defense has remained the strength of the team without last years Defensive Player of the Year, thanks to a pass defense that is among the best in the league and a breakout season by Jadeveon Clowney .Clowney moved from outside linebacker to defensive end to fill in for Watt and is having the best season of his young career.The top overall pick in the 2014 draft is healthy and has started each game and has 30 tackles, three sacks and a career-high nine tackles for losses.Defensive line coach Anthony Weaver loves the way Clowney is playing now that hes on the field consistently.Every time he goes out there and has success, his confidence gets higher, Weaver said. If Im the rest of the league that scares me. 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Central Coast Mariners boss Peter Storrie insists there is still plenty of time for a new coach to salvage something from the forthcoming A-League campaign after the sacking of Tony Walmsley.Just eight weeks out from their A-League opener against Perth, the Mariners have parted ways with Walmsley, who guided them to only five wins in 30 games in charge as well as the wooden spoon last season.It is not the decision itself that comes as a shock so much as the timing.Walmsley appeared to have the firm backing of the Mariners management and board throughout what Storrie described as a restructuring process, as the club slashed their wage bill and looked to the future by blooding masses of young players.Last weeks disastrous FFA Cup loss to Green Gully appears to have forced their hand, but Storrie said it was only part of the reason for Walmsleys axing.I dont think the timing of these decisions is always correct, throughout the whole of history of managers that leave clubs, executive vice-chairman Storrie told reporters on Monday.Having looked at it over the course of the last month, I felt that a change was needed.We could have left the situation, lost the first half a dozen games and wed have been in a similar position.We made the judgment call that its best do so now.The Mariners will now lean heavily on football consultant Harry Redknapp, who will meet with Storrie and owner Mike Charlesworth next week in the UK, as the search begins for a permanent replacement.ddddddddddddFormer Brisbane Roar coach Mike Mulvey and Green Gullys Arthur Papas, the man who brought Walmsley down, are the early contenders.Assistant coaches John Hutchinson, Matthew Nash, Brice Johnson and Ben Cahn will oversee pre-season preparations in the interim, but Storrie said Hutchinson had already ruled himself out of the full-time job.Whoever the new coach is, theyll have little room to manoeuvre, with all five import slots already filled and the squad almost at capacity.However, Storrie argued theyll still have the same amount of time as any coach in England would at the start of pre-season.Theres plenty of time for someone to get a hold of it, he said.Take the UK - most teams will come back training on July 1 and theyll be playing league games of the first weekend of August, which is only four or five weeks.Also out of the reckoning is Redknapp, who infamously called them the South Coast Mariners in a British radio interview earlier this year.I think his wife might have something to say about that, Storrie said of Redknapp coaching the side. 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