Post-Game Breakdown: The Texans Are What We Were Afraid They Were
Which is to say, your Houston Texans feature an offense that can consistently score on average to below-average opposition and a defense that cannot consistently stop anyone. Truthfully, the outcome of yesterday's game was reasonably predictable if you weren't wearing battle red glasses and sniffing glue. The Ravens boast a very stout defense, so expecting the man who managed to lose a football game in a fashion none of us would ever again witness if each of us were to live another dozen lifetimes was the height of stupidity. I was and am an idiot. Moreover, expecting a defense that features (1) the worst secondary I've ever seen in the NFL and (2) a defensive coordinator whose head has been called for by even the most patient fan for months to stop anyone, even a team featuring a rookie QB, should be proof positive that I am completely incapable of rational thought.
I'm sick of feeling like this. I'm sick of going to bed irritated on Sunday night. I'm tired of complaining. Most of all, I'm tired of writing about a team that has won thirty-five (35) times in one hundred five (105) games. Rooting for the Texans has become far more of a chore than it should be. The brief flashes of joy drown in the seemingly endless swamp of defeat. Each week brings with it a sense of dread that turns into full-blown depression 67% of the time.
The most galling part, I think, is that there doesn't seem to be any real accountability. If you or I performed at our respective jobs like nearly every Texan player and/or coach does, we'd be fired. Probably not after the first mistake. Probably not even after the second mistake, and perhaps not even the third. But if you successfully completed a task seventeen (17) times out of forty-one (41) opportunities, wouldn't your employer be totally justified in finding someone else to do the job? Wouldn't you question your employer's sanity and/or business savvy if another employee got the job done less than half the time yet was permitted to continue working there without repercussion?
That's not to say that I think Kubes should be canned. I haven't reached that point, though I'm astounded at how the same problems (clock management, challenge calls, odd playcalling, etc.) seem to crop up week after week. At the very least, I'd think even the most devoted Texan fan would have to have some doubt as to whether Kubes is the guy to take this organization to the Super Bowl. The clock hasn't struck midnight for Kubes, but it is ticking.
Richard Smith, on the other hand? I invite anyone to argue why he shouldn't be relieved of his duties. Really...I want to read a defense of his administration and/or strategy. I would like nothing more than to believe that this team doesn't need any coaching changes. Changing coaches at any time is a disruption to some degree, and I'd love to avoid that distraction if possible. Unfortunately, I think we're far past that point and have been past it for several months.
Wow...this PGB really veered off course, didn't it? And it's getting late, so let's hurry through ten (10) quick takes:
1. The best way to sum up Sage's four (4) INT afternoon is this: Sage Rosenfels performed poorly enough to elicit the very real question of whether a dude signed off the street less than a week ago would be an upgrade at QB. Neato.
2. Fifteen (15) designed running plays. Offensive balance is overrated!
3. I'm not a professional football coach, so the notion of why a team would allow its turnover-prone second-string QB to throw on first down at the opponent's one yard line when trailing 7-0 at home in the first quarter is beyond my comprehension.
4. Someone needs to explain when to signal a fair catch and when to let the ball bounce into the end zone for a touchback to Jacoby Jones.
5. It's pretty sad that Duane Brown can give up a safety on a holding penalty in the end zone and I'm still amazed that he didn't get abused more frequently and/or worse than he did.
6. Morlon Greenwood's pass interference penalty in the end zone made me remember Petey Faggins' unbelievable double-penalty on the same play against Atlanta last year. It was that terrible.
7. Every week, it seems like Earl Cochran makes a new and persuasive case for why he should be starting. Yet every week, Anthony Weaver starts at DE. Please tell me why, Lord.
8. Another thing you'll probably never see: A penalty from the punter on a safety kick. Thanks for making us a part of history, Matt Turk.
9. Need a play to summarize the plight of the Houston secondary? Look no further than Eugene Wilson's no-show on Baltimore's first TD. Simply an excellent microcosm for your Houston Texans secondary's play this year.
10. Off to Indianapolis on Sunday. Sneak peek at the next edition of "Three And Out": I'm picking the Colts.
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30 comments
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Comments
I FEEL YOUR PAIN
if dick smith is here next year, i’m not! tebow in 09!!!!
when will the losing end? THIS WEEK!!!!!!!
by m1 on Nov 10, 2008 10:31 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Melvin Bullitt
Anybody find out if the Colts signed him to some piddly 1 year contract?? I say we drop a fat one and get some young PROVEN talent in the backfield. Aren’t we supposed to have some wiggle room under the cap? Fred Bennett (2007 form) + Dunta + Melvin = Solid.
On another note…who’s available for a Def. Coordinator gig? I really hope Kubes doesn’t take a risk on some 2nd cousin once removed of Shannahan’s next door neighbor or something. I want someone with a track record of getting the job done in the pros
That is all
JMP out.
Some teams play games on Sunday...ours goes to War. Go Texans!!!
by JMPeffer on Nov 10, 2008 11:20 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
DC
I’m hoping that Marvin Lewis or Wade Phillips is available at season’s end.
Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...
by Tim on Nov 11, 2008 9:06 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Gah
It’s not like Marvin’s defense in Cincy has been good.
And aside from Wade Phillips being a 3-4 guy, I don’t want another pussy-soft pushover anywhere near this team. I want an ass-kicker. Not a Parcells-level screamer, mind you – but Wade is like an old sweet uncle who comes over to babysit once in a while. No thanks.
by HoustonDiehards on Nov 11, 2008 11:42 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
re: no soft pushover
Ditto that Chris.
Who is the NFL’s version of Will Muschamp?
by Shake on Nov 11, 2008 7:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I was thinking
Why not hire the real deal? Get Muschamp himself?
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Nov 11, 2008 10:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Mike Nolan?
What say you? Could we get Spagnoulo (sp?) from the Giants? Frank Bush? Ray Rhodes?
by Leein3D on Nov 11, 2008 12:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Spags
Would be an unbelievable hire, but you have to figure he’s not interested in making a lateral (as in DC to DC, not NYG to HOU) move. His next gig should be a head coaching job.
Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...
by Tim on Nov 11, 2008 12:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Like I said two games ago
I’ll fly the 747 if we can load it up with cash. The Giants defense is nothing short of filthy.
by DisplacedTexan on Nov 11, 2008 4:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
No, yes, no.
Spagnoulo as what – the DC? No chance. He’s getting paid a ton to be their DC, and he’s on a perennial Super Bowl contender. Less than zero chance.
Bush is the guy many assume will be the next DC. Apparently he was Kubiak’s first choice, but wasn’t available at the time.
Rhodes would be a DC if he wanted to be, but his health won’t allow it. He’s one of the best DC’s in the history of the NFL – he just can’t do it anymore. Too dangerous to his life.
by HoustonDiehards on Nov 11, 2008 12:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
So...
If Bush is Kubes’s first choice, and our defense currently isn’t playing up to snuff, why on this green planet we call earth hasn’t Kubes yanked Richard Smith already?
It can’t be any more obvious what our single largest problem is, can it? Sure, we have other problems, but if our defense is even average this team has a shot at the playoffs.
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Nov 11, 2008 12:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I have absolutely no idea
…and that is the million-dollar question.
I’m starting to develop a theory that the Texans are dead-set on bringing in someone from the outside to be the DC – otherwise there’s NO REASON to not pull the trigger NOW, since this season is lost.
by HoustonDiehards on Nov 11, 2008 12:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
i was telling my fellow texans fan at work today
that being a texans fan is like going out with a girl that cant stop cheating on you and breaking your heart. there is something about this team that keeps me hanging on. going into this year i thought we made the right move in hiring ray rhodes to sure up the secondary, but again i got my hopes up and the secondary is the equivalent to a JV highschool squad.
by kcc28 on Nov 10, 2008 11:42 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Me too
I was really bullish on the acquisition of Rhodes. Didn’t have nearly the impact I was hoping for.
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by SOLIS on Nov 10, 2008 11:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
They're WORSE even. Who would have predicted that?
by HoustonDiehards on Nov 11, 2008 12:15 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
It was the elephant in the room
We knew the secondary was set up to fail – I think we all just did our best to remain optimistic…
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by SOLIS on Nov 11, 2008 11:54 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm willing to give Sage a pass
…on the first pick. That was a hell of a play by Ngata.
But the rest… not so much.
Is there any way that it can’t be completely, painfully obvious that Richard Smith is out of his depth at this point?
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Nov 11, 2008 11:10 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
A Pass?
I’m willing to run the ball 96% of the time with Sage starting. With the two passes or so coming from a wildcat formation with OD slingin’ it.
Seriously though, I don’t give him any passes. He threw the ball too low. But really I suppose it falls in the hands of Kubiak (well, and Haloti Ngata, as it were) for that playcall.
by Leein3D on Nov 11, 2008 12:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, the Ngata thing baffles me
They keep saying “we would have done nothing better, you don’t expect a guy like that to make that play.”
Did I miss something? Was Haloti Ngata not already a pro-bowl caliber DT? Yes, he was. Has he had lots of batted balls at the line? Yes he has. Has he made interceptions because of the balls he has tipped? Yes he has.
It’s like they weren’t aware of this guy’s playmaking ability.
by HoustonDiehards on Nov 11, 2008 12:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
As much as I like Schaub better than Sage
He isn’t that bad. At least he didn’t used to be that bad. I think Ngata made a great play on that ball. I wasn’t expecting him to pirouette and catch it. 9 times out of 10 that’s an incompletion. If he throws the ball too much higher, it’s going into the stands. Sometimes a guy just makes plays. In Sage’s case, most of those plays were to the other team.
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Nov 11, 2008 12:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, like Kubiak...
I think Sage still has a lot of good will built up. He’s had 5 consecutive quarters of SHIT, preceded by some decent-to-good backup duty.
Oh, I forgot about the Vikes game – yeah, he played okay, but kind of melted down. I still think he’s a capable backup whose been on a horrible, horrible stretch… but he needs to not be starting 4 games in a row. Sigh.
by HoustonDiehards on Nov 11, 2008 12:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Vikes
The thing about that Vikes game is that he very well may have won it, had he not realized his name is Sage FuckTexansFans RosenFAILS. 3rd and 1 and he heaves the ball into triple goddamn coverage IN THE ENDZONE! He dumps that ball off or scrambles for a yard and we might have won that game. Or at least given Sage another chance to piss me off.
by Leein3D on Nov 11, 2008 2:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
please don't suggest
that Sage scramble for a yard.
I couldn’t handle watching that… again.
Healthy and Turnover free 2008-09, and we win 11!
by texanphil on Nov 12, 2008 9:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Re: Pass on the pick #1
With that play, I finally realized just how ineffectual Travis Johnson has been. Both Ngata and Johnson were taken at the basically the same point in their respective drafts (middle of the first round). Ngata has proven himself to be a pro bowl caliber NT, while Travis Johnson’s only claim to fame was shouting at a unconscious Trent Green.
As for the pass, Sage still made the mistake of trying to zip it over the head of Ngata. OD did look wide open, but that doesn’t mean you ignore the passing lane.
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by SOLIS on Nov 11, 2008 3:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
And yet
Travis Johnson still starts.
Why, Durga, why?
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Nov 11, 2008 4:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
So what else is new?
You know that the offensive line is too small, and most teams do run the ball on 1st and 1 at the goaline, but that the texans aren’t that kinda team but they still expected the ravens to pretend to expect a run but they studied film of the texans tendencies and saw a tendency to pass when the other team least expects it and of course sage didn’t expect a 350 lb defensive tackle to be able to jump and tip an INT to himself except that this is the NFL and you can’t play there for long (except maybe for the texans) without having some agility. I think at some point kubiak expected sage to overcome all the brain farts but obviously sage is stuck on an elevator that’s just taking the whole team down to hell, no farts escape. They say the cream always rises to the top and so does warm air, except in texas where it’s hotter than hell in november.
you also know the defense needs 2 tackles and a defensive end, and 2 linebackers, a backup for ryans, and 2 corner backs and 2 safeties. other than that there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to stop everyone including manning, not that those types of players would help the defensive coaches because they don’t find ways to use the talent they have at what they’re good at, which is not being able to tackle and being out of position. They only needed 1 linebacker and ryans backup until dyles got hurt. i’m gonna go out on a limb and guess adibi can cover better than greenwood, but reeves can cover better than greenwood and so could richard smith.
it’s impossible to defend richard smith and his scheme because no one seems to know what kind of defense he is really running, or which personel would help improve that, though he did call 2 consequitive blitzes which helped the texans beat the lions.
I’m sure firing all the coaches won’t accomplish anything. the cure might be worse than the disease. but this is the second coaching and management regime that’s brought all the buddies on board and low and behold the results are the same as the last bunch except for visiting professors, er coaches. I’m sure the defense gets tired of the offense turning the ball over, and the offense gets tired of the defense giving up a lead on the next posession. yes when a microphone is in their face except for robinson they all always say the right things, just like the oilers used to (well, who knew what we hadda do, and we jus din’t gettit done) but when it’s time to play together on game day.
THEY ARE A BAD TEAM!
4 more years away from being competative against good teams.
Sigs, the play ground of mindless philosophers.
by Tomriffic on Nov 12, 2008 7:42 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Dunta pretty much said fire Smith
not in so many words, but he defended Kubiak and no one else.
Then asked about Smith directly, he said, “it is what it is”
It is a bad defense.
Healthy and Turnover free 2008-09, and we win 11!
by texanphil on Nov 12, 2008 9:34 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Re: #5 on your list
The bigger mind-fuck is "why in the world are we attempting a pass from our own one yard line?’ I think Rosey screwed us again on this one. Surely Kubes wouldn’t call the old 5-step drop from his own one, would he? And surely he’d tell Sage to fire the ball out as soon as that 5th step foot hit the ground, right?
And I’m sorry for calling you Shirley.
Bacon tastes good... Pork chops taste good.
by beefy on Nov 14, 2008 4:23 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
oh the Turk boys are infamous for untimely screw ups…the combo cost the skins a playoff game with a botched hold and kick many moon ago…go Turks!
by raven on Nov 15, 2008 5:13 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

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