Fri Sep 26 15:24:18 2008

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Texans home opener to be played at Reliant Stadium

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Houston, TX (Sports Network) - The Houston Texans will play their home opener on October 5 against Indianapolis at Reliant Stadium, as scheduled.

There had been a question as to whether the building would be ready for next Sunday's game after it sustained damage from the effects of Hurricane Ike on September 13. The Texans were scheduled to play their home opener on September 14 against Baltimore, but the storm forced the contest to be postponed and the team's home schedule to be reconfigured.

Reliant Stadium suffered damage to five roof panels, and an independent inspection of the stadium conducted by insurance adjusters and architects determined that it is fully fit to host a crowd in excess of 70,000 for a Texans home game. It is expected that all eight of the Texans remaining home games will be played with the roof open.

"We are appreciative of the hard work and thoughtful analysis that has gone into the inspection and repair of the Reliant Stadium roof and we are pleased at this positive outcome for our fans, our organization and our community," said Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes. "We were determined to play this game and the balance of our 2008 home schedule at Reliant Stadium. Our fans give us a tremendous home field advantage and we look forward to welcoming them back for our home opener on October 5."

The October 5 home opener will be the latest for an NFL team since 2001, when Detroit, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay all opened on October 7 and 8 in the wake of the tragic events of September 11.

Houston will play a third straight road game to open the season this Sunday against Jacksonville. The Texans will then play four straight at Reliant Stadium, starting with next Sunday's contest against the Colts.

The rescheduled game from September 14 against the Ravens will take place November 9. Cincinnati was scheduled to play in Houston on that date, but will now visit Reliant Stadium on October 26 -- the day both the Bengals and Texans were originally scheduled to have their bye.