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Presser Quotes: Frank Bush Promises To Bring The Pain

Now that we've had some time to digest the news that Frank Bush is the new defensive coordinator of your Houston Texans, let's take a look at what Kubes and Bush have to say about the matter. The most interesting snippets:

Kubes:
(on why defensive coordinator Frank Bush is the right guy) "Well, doing my homework, studying the guys that are out there, trying to go through things with (owner) Bob (McNair) and with (general manager) Rick (Smith), all my homework kept coming right back to Frank. I just think we’ve got something started here. We don’t want to venture away from our 4-3 scheme and what we’re doing. I love Frank’s ideas and identity and what he sees us being as a football team, a defensive football team. I know he’s a great teacher and a great motivator and a fit right away with the coaches here. So, I think we’re heading in the right direction and Frank keeps us heading in that direction."
(on how long of a process it was) "It’s kind of been going on for the last couple of weeks, since we got finished. I talked to various coaches and studied the people that are out there available and what’s going out around the league. But at the same time, you have to look out for your staff and what’s happening right here in your building. So, just kind of putting all of those things together kept leading right back to (defensive coordinator) Frank (Bush) and really a credit to (owner) Bob (McNair) for us to put it together here today."
(on if defensive coordinator Frank Bush will have a big input on who is hired for the defensive line coach) "Oh, yeah. No doubt. He has a big input on it, all the coaches have. It’s been that way since we got going here. So, I want what’s best for (defensive coordinator) Frank (Bush) and he’s got to be the most comfortable guy with those decisions we make."
(on if he is concerned about defensive coordinator Frank Bush not having experience calling defenses) "About not having called defenses? I really don’t. I think this league is about opportunity. All you have to do is just look around this league at some of the so-called hot coordinators that are getting head coaching opportunities right now. Those guys got started somewhere, and this is Frank’s start. So he’s been around enough good football; he’s surrounded by very good people. I don’t have any doubt in my mind that he’ll call things extremely well and be very successful doing it."
(on how important to this decision was the fact that defensive coordinator Frank Bush is a great communicator and communicates well with the players) "Well, that was part of the process, watching Frank communicate with our players, getting feedback from our players over the course of the last two weeks and what they think of him and what he could bring to our football team in that room added a lot to it. So, I know the players are very excited about the direction we’re heading and that’s the way it should be. We’ve got our responsibility to them first. We’ve got some good young players and we’ve just got to keep moving forward, and I know Frank will get them going in that direction."

Frank "Don't You Dare Ask Me If I'm Kin To Reggie" Bush:

(on how the style of defense is going to be different from what they’ve been playing) "Well, you know what’s going to happen, we’re going to just start to make sure we’ve got all of these kids running around and doing things on the same page. We’re going to be aggressive. We’ll be attacking, but more than anything, we’re going to be a team that communicates. All of our guys are going to be on the same page; everybody is doing the exact same job at the exact same time, and you’ll see more passion in our play. You’ll see guys that fly around and try to get turnovers."

Aggression? What's that?

(on LB DeMeco Ryans saying that he can motivate people with his passion and he grabs attention of the players and what that means to him) "It means a lot. First of all, thanks to DeMeco. I appreciate the compliment, but it means a lot to me because one thing that I like to think I can do with these kids is I can motivate them, I can move them. You try to appeal to them. You want to appeal to something inside or something deeper, their desire to be big, to be great, and that’s what I always try to do. All of these kids have a burning desire to be good. Every one of these kids, they want to see themselves playing in the postseason. They want to see themselves on the big stage. And so you try to appeal to that desire within every kid and try to get them motivated to move in that direction."

You know what? I would have been much more enthusiastic about the hiring if the Texans had led with "DeMeco approves of this decision."

(on what the identity will be with him as the defensive coordinator) "When you speak about identity, that’s developed; that’s developed over time. It’s going to take us a little while to get going, to get our feet on the grass outside and get going, but what you will see early, early and often, is a group that’s attacking, a group that’s aggressive, they’re passionate. You’ll see guys flying around and you’ll see guys having a good time playing the game of football."

If the Texans truly become known as an attacking, aggressive, passionate (zuh?) defense, this hire may just work out. Because what we've seen for the last three (3) seasons is the absolute antithesis of that.

(on playing and coaching under a lot of coordinators and where he got his style of play from) "Several guys. I’ve got a huge, huge quote-unquote circle of influence. There are a lot of guys that kind of influenced the way I kind of see what I’ll be doing. (Former Oilers head coach) Buddy Ryan is a guy, I don’t know if everybody in this room is old enough to remember Buddy Ryan, but some of the things he did back in the day when I was a part of his staff, those guys were aggressive. They got after people. They knocked people down. They were a little bit nasty, and all of the above. I like the way he did things. I’ve got to give credit to (former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator) Greg Robinson in Denver because we put together two Super Bowl teams there, and the things that we did as a defensive staff there, a lot of those things are very, very prominent in my mind. But there are several other guys that have really helped me along the way, helped me kind of create my own particular style as to what I want to get done here."

Could Bush be the new Buddy Ryan? Right down to taking a swing at Kyle Shanahan? We'd lead ESPN for a week with that kind of drama!

(on how the defensive line will be used differently) "You know, we’re going to kind of assess that as we go. But I can tell you this, they will be more attacking, more get up the field and attack off the line of scrimmage. We won’t go sideways. That’s a coaching term, but we won’t go sideways. What we will do is attack and get off the ball and give our kids an opportunity to be aggressive at the start of the play."

My favorite line of the entire press conference is "We won't go sideways." Hear that, Richard Smith?

(on if he feels like he has the right players on defense right now) "You know, we have a lot of good guys in place. (General manager) Rick Smith and those guys have done an excellent job of putting players in the building to give us an opportunity to be successful. But there’s always room for improvement. During that stretch (5-1 to end of the season), what we had is a bunch of guys that were kind of connected. These guys were moving forward together. They were playing with a little bit of passion. They had a sense of urgency, and so we want to kind of grab that moment and move forward from this point and try to create that for the rest of the season."

Very politically correct answer, Mr. Bush. I would have said something to the effect of, "Nope. I'm not naming names, but anyone not named Mario, DeMeco, and/or Dunta should not plan on buying a home in the next few months. I'd rent if I were you. Oh, and Travis Johnson? You should just leave. Now."

(on what he will do to force more turnovers) "Well, I think the first thing you do is you simplify so you get faster. That’s one of the things we’re going to focus on. We’re going to simplify so our guys can play faster. The faster we play, the more times we get big hits. The more big hits we get, the more times that ball will come out, and that’s what we’re going to try to do. We want guys to attack, and I keep using that word, but that’s what we want. We want guys to attack and be violent and create turnovers in that way."

Don't stop using "attack," Frank. We haven't heard that word in so long that we'll never get sick of it.

(on his experience calling defenses) "You know, I haven’t called a defense per se. But you know, I spent three years on the sideline as a special teams coach and called every situation. I was the assistant head coach in Arizona and helped call that defense back then. This is going to be new. This is going to be me with the onus squarely on me. But at the same time, I feel like over the years, I’ve prepared myself for this opportunity."

That first line summarizes why the Texans fan base is so scared of this move. "You know, I haven't called a defense per se." Yikes. Well, what's done is done, and everyone had to start somewhere. Frank Bush has his shot. Let's hope he makes the most of it. The good news is that he really can't do any worse than his predecessor.

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im on board

i was really hoping for a name guy but to be honest there is nowhere else for our defense to go but up.

by kcc28 on Jan 14, 2009 9:55 AM CST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

For some reason...

He made me think of this quote: “Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I am attacking.”

by DisplacedTexan on Jan 14, 2009 10:00 AM CST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

The players

One of the rarely mentioned considerations (until now) in the DC search was the players. If Kubiak interviewed Dunta, Mario, and Demeco, and they all said, “We talk to this guy (Frank) every day. He knows his s—t and has a plan. A plan that we believe in. We have all the confidence in him taking us to the next level.”, wouldn’t you have to lean heavily on that, rather than throw a new guy with a hotshot resume and hotshot attitude into the mix? I have no idea what happens behind the scenes, but I would be sorely disappointed if Kubiak didn’t consider what his players want. Maybe this is in large part due to them (and other players).

Dunta is usually pretty straight-forward. I’d like to hear his reaction, although I wonder if he’s staying out of it since he’s a free-agent.

by bv on Jan 14, 2009 10:44 AM CST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Big Defensive Draft Coming Up

I would think that the Texans need to draft at least two impact defensive players, in order to have a really good, attacking style of defense.

by kozanack on Jan 14, 2009 11:03 AM CST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Not impressed

I was hoping to see the phrase “exotic blitzes” somewhere.

by BigTexBD on Jan 14, 2009 12:03 PM CST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Frank Bush had an impressive, albeit brief run as an Oilers LB

He has steadily worked his way up through the ranks for 20+ years. I have no reason to doubt his competency. What concerns me is that Kubiak wanted him 3 years ago, and locked in on him too early this time. By interviewing no other candidates for the position, Kubes is putting his job on the line. That tells me that Kubiak must have absolute confidence in Frank Bush. Being the diehard fan that I am, I will support Bushiak fully, but am also aware that they will sink or swim as one. Need to start off right by making an excellent hire for a DL coach. Ray Rhodes is still on board for the DB’s, so if we have to sign Gibbs Jr to get Gibbs Sr for another year then lets do it.

by oiler-texan diehard on Jan 14, 2009 12:30 PM CST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Question

If Kubiak wanted him 3 years ago, why would you be concerned that he "locked in on him too early this time. " He’s still the same guy.

Kubiak said he studied the other candidates, and decided that Bush was his guy. Data/history trumps interviews any day. So if the data shows he’s a superior candidate, and you know that he meshes well with the other personnel, why not hire him.

My personal opinion is that interviews are nearly worthless, anyway. I’ve seen too many people scam their way into jobs.

by kozanack on Jan 14, 2009 2:30 PM CST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I think even if you think you already have the best guy on board.....

that you are cheating yourself by not bringing in guys for interviews. For argument sake, let’s assume that midway last season Kubiak decided that he would make Bush the DC for 2009. Firing Richard Smith & 2 of his position coaches creates a huge void in the coaching staff. This has to be perceived by everyone outside the organization that the Texans are looking to clean house and go in a different direction. This presents a prime opportunity to bring guys in, pick their brains with nothing to lose other than paying for some transportation costs. You may find a good idea or two, maybe not. It’s a virtually free way to get a survey of what’s going on outside your house vis-a-vis defensive scheming/game planning. I think that we would all agree that we may have some decent players on board, but that the schemes left much to be desired, and we just passed on an opportunity to get some “free” advice.

Kubiak said he studied the other candidates, and maybe I am overrating the value of a face-to-face, but I don’t think you can really get a feel for a guy without it. Plus if it is just for the puposes of doing some cheap intel work, then that point is moot.

I have no idea what Bob McNair is thinking about Kubes hiring process here, but if I were him I would be holding Kubes feet to the fire over Bush’s performance. Please don’t interpret any of this as a desire to see Bushiak or the Texans fail, because that is simply not it. I hope we go to the playoffs next year and everyone can say I was full of BS.

by oiler-texan diehard on Jan 14, 2009 3:32 PM CST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Kubiak wanted him before

and the guy hasn’t changed. I think it was loyalty on Kubiak’s part, and maybe not sure how motivated Bush would be if Kubiak hired some other dude. Up or out maybe.

Please draft some defensive stars for the next DC.

by texanphil on Jan 14, 2009 5:30 PM CST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Fully agree that Kubiak is confident in Bush, and loyalty is an admirable quality

but I still think he should have done some “interviews”, and sans success hiring friends will get you fired. To reiterate, nothing would make me happier than seeing us in the postseason next year, just don’t think Kubiak played this hand of poker as well as he could have.

by oiler-texan diehard on Jan 14, 2009 10:07 PM CST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

sure, but Kubiak is the man for 2009

and its his decision. If he went and interviewed the top 15 for the job, and made the sexy external pick, paid millions, and we go 7-9 next year with a bad defense, that wouldn’t save his job either.

Also, Kubiak doesn’t answer to us. If he puts a winner out there, we’ll show up in droves. He feels this is his best shot at putting a winner out there.

His experiment with BabyShan worked in 2008. He did have tremendous input throughout the year, and the jury is still out on Kyle calling plays for a whole season. But you can bet if the offense was terrible this year Kyle woulda gotten a LOT of blame as the inexperienced OC, so I feel we should give him the same credit for the good offense.

Thats why I feel we need a “senior defensive assistant” to serve in the role Kubiak served for BabyShan this year. Probably a more important hire than Bush.

Please draft some defensive stars for the next DC.

by texanphil on Jan 14, 2009 10:57 PM CST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Kubes is the man for 2009, but expectations are rising

I don’t get the sense that he is fighting for his job, or that he NEEDS to make the playoffs to come back for 2010, but no NFL coaching job is completely secure. If the unthinkable happens, and we take a big step backwards, who knows what will happen.

We already buy tickets (and sometimes show up) in droves. Houston is a football first city, 7 years of no TV blackouts says it all.

I like that Kubiak tends to shield his coaches from blame. That is very admirable, so I tend to not agree that he would have laid blame on Lil Shanny if the offense did not do well. It does speak volumes about his comfortablilty with Kyle’s play calling to turn him loose for the Bears game (even if he did not tell anyone until afterwards). Again I think that is a positive because if we had not done well in that game, I don’t think Kubes would have laid any blame on Shanny. The fact that we did well, in fact very well in the red zone, was an unexpected bonus. I think Kubes has a hard time turning loose of responsibility, and to be a better gameday manger, he has to have complete confidence in the OC and the DC to call plays, so he can focus on the bigger picture, i.e. replay challenges, clock management, etc. His longtime association with Bush suggests that he already has confidence that Bush can handle all of the play calling.

by oiler-texan diehard on Jan 14, 2009 11:17 PM CST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

blame

sorry for the confusion, I didn’t mean Kubiak would blame BabyShan. No doubt he’s a stand up guy and wouldn’t throw anyone under the bus, even when they deserved it (Richard Smith).

I meant us. The fans would say Kubiak made a mistake with his inexperienced choice last year. But the silence re:BabyShan after game 3 of this year speaks volumes of his choice. Now he had help, a LOT of help, from Kubiak. Thats why I said that about Bush needing a quality assistant.

I agree that Kubiak is not in danger of losing his job… right now. I think if we have a season like Jax had this year, I think there will be some pretty strong rumblings.

I think we agree that 2009 has everything pointing in the right direction, and it may be our year. I think Kubiak, Rick Smith, and Schaub are the right people in the right place to get us where we want to go. The point of my post was to say Kubiak wasn’t really playing any cards, and didn’t need to answer to us, he needed to pick his man, and he did, without any interviews.

Please draft some defensive stars for the next DC.

by texanphil on Jan 15, 2009 3:59 PM CST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I respect your opinion texanphil

and I am fine with his selection of Bush. I just question the selection process, and if he knew Bush was his guy after Smith flamed last year, I question the timing also.

by oiler-texan diehard on Jan 15, 2009 8:07 PM CST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

The Day After

… and I’m good with it. Bush says the right things, and I do look at it as a huge positive that he knows all the players already, has a rapport with them – and most importantly already knows the players’ limits and the ceiling on what he can get out of them.

If we take John McClain at his word – his style is what we want, and also – he’s kind of the opposite of Richard Smith. Bush has a more calm demeanor, a quiet intensity, and I think NFL players respond better to that than a screamer. I think Bush fits the mold of a guy who’s not a screamer – but is still a motivating ass-kicker.

www.HoustonDiehards.com

by HoustonDiehards on Jan 14, 2009 1:23 PM CST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Lots in the presser to settle the nerves

I like this idea of attacking and then attacking some more. I like the idea that he is respected in the locker room. And I like his desire to push each player to achieve greatness.

He may be an unknown, but he’s a fairly known one.

When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.

by tehGrindCrusher on Jan 14, 2009 1:31 PM CST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

So now does he get a "Senior Defensive Assistant" too?

Like the last DC had. What was his name again?

Earl Campbell should top the list. He knows what works for defenses, and what doesn’t.

Please draft some defensive stars for the next DC.

by texanphil on Jan 14, 2009 5:32 PM CST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I Think

Bush already had that title

by kozanack on Jan 14, 2009 7:15 PM CST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

so does he not need a mentor

or does he get one?… that is the question I have.

Please draft some defensive stars for the next DC.

by texanphil on Jan 15, 2009 4:04 PM CST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I'm optimistic.......

This fits right in with Kubiak’s way stay steady, while still making “major” changes. One thing I’ve learned so far, is that Frank Bush talks a good talk. I’m thinking that if Bush can get his average talent to be as aggressive and “attacking” as he speaks of and he can get his probowl talent to buy into it, we are in for a good time.

But Bush and Kubiak have got to know that if this team doesn’t take the next step then both could be gone after next season……Don’t they?

GO TEXANS!!!!!!!!!

by Texanmaniac on Jan 15, 2009 6:13 AM CST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I think thats the key

He’ll have a lot of average talent next year, almost assuredly. The draft and free agency will help, but there will still be some holes.

So did RS waste average players, and can Bush exploit their strengths into a cohesive brick wall of a defense that plugs all the holes we saw through the first 2/3 of last season.

Big unknown, but I’m optimistic also.

Please draft some defensive stars for the next DC.

by texanphil on Jan 15, 2009 4:02 PM CST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

In the NFL

You don’t defend, YOU ATTACK. Relentlessly.

May the “House of Pain” return to Houston in 2009.

Nebraska Football: Five National Championships, 3 Heismans, 46 conference championships, the nation's leader in Academic All-Americans. Quite simply, a winning tradition.

by HuskersTexansRocketsStros on Jan 18, 2009 11:30 PM CST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

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