Under The Radar, Or On The Front Page?

by Mike Kerns on Jun 25, 2009 11:56 AM CDT in News Comment 14 comments

For years I have listened to my fellow suffering Texans fans complain about the lack of respect our team gets from the national media. No Monday Night games. No magazine covers. Sometimes, even when we would win, our game highlights would show only great plays by the other team, even though they had lost.

Finally, in 2005, we were given a nationally televised game on ESPN. We capitalized on that by receiving a 42-10 drumming in front of the entire country. This was of course the ill-fated 2-14 season that tested everyone’s faith.

After that showing in front of a national audience, you shouldn’t expect to get another primetime game for a good long while. We had to wait over three years before we were finally given our first Monday Night game in franchise history. Thankfully, we showed up for that one.

But my point is that we all know that respect isn’t given, it has to be earned. With another Monday Night game this season and seemingly becoming the "sexy pick" to make a playoff run this season, it appears we are getting that much desired respect.

But the question I pose to you, the fans, is this: Would you rather fly under the radar, or be on the front page?

With the respect we are now getting from the national media, you must realize that there are now lofty expectations to meet. When you are off the radar, so to speak, anything above .500 is going to be a great achievement.

Myself, I loving seeing national pub on deserving guys like Mario (whom all the "experts" are now saying was the right pick over Reggie Bush in 2006…except for Mel Kiper), Andre Johnson and Steve Slaton. But I think one guy who has to not be liking all this attention is head coach Gary Kubiak.

He won’t admit it, but he has to be feeling some pressure. He has a good team with some serious potential to be the next 2008 Arizona Cardinals. It always comes down to health with this team. But if these expectations aren’t fulfilled, you have to wonder how secure Gary Kubiak is in his current job. If we stumble out of the gate to 1-3, is his seat going to be really hot? Tell you what, why don’t we try to avoid that.

To be on the front of all the magazines comes with a price. With great respect comes a great expectation. Myself, I am expecting something great.

Poll

Which do you prefer?

Under The Radar

146 votes

On The Front Page

107 votes

253 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Under the Radar......

I prefer having a team noone knows about, at least for now. A friend from high school who claims to be a cowgals fan, says the Texans are pathetic. I asked if he’d ever watched a Texan game, his answer, nope I’m a cowboy fan. I told him he was missing some good football. The dude even has a connection that would allow him to attend a few games a year in a suite and he refuses. He says schaub is sorry and has never completed a season.

Guys I work with, who are fans of various team, colts, cowgals, bucs, panthers,were dogging my when Rex Grossman was signed. I looked at the cowgal fan and said " he has more superbowl appearences and playoff wins than Romo", he shutup.

My point is, there are a lot of people locally who just don’t know, because all they watch is Espfukn. So for a lot of sheeple the Texans are going to burst onto the scene with explosion, if not this season, then very soon, and all of us that have ridden bandwagon when it had one squeaky wheel, will be like , WE’RE HEERE!!!

and i like that.

GO TEXANS!!!!

This is the year.......

by Texanmaniac on Jun 25, 2009 2:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I wonder if I could have possible left out more words.....what a dorf! I typed fast.

GO TEXANS!!!!

This is the year.......

by Texanmaniac on Jun 25, 2009 2:02 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Honestly, I couldn’t care less. I just want us to win. I kind of like the feeling of an under the radar, up-and-coming team – but if ’09 goes the way we think it will, those days will be over.

Chris - www.HoustonDiehards.com

by HoustonDiehards on Jun 25, 2009 3:26 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

Trudat!

GO TEXANS!!!!

This is the year.......

by Texanmaniac on Jun 25, 2009 4:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow i'm surprised

that more people have voted “Under the Radar”. Thats like starting a business and saying “Do we want to stay small or do we want to grow bigger EVEN if it means having to Gasp open up more stores”. Saying you want to be under the radar is just a convenience for the nervous/worried fan. No other team who has been to the playoffs (So everyone but us) is asking this question nor is it even an issue for them. even the awful teams are getting recognition and attention. Everyone here should want to be on the front page because that means we have “Made It” as a team. shit where we are at right NOW might merit a situation where over .500 is a huge success, but it’s a shit shame in the big picture to think that anything less than 9 – 10 wins is a success. especially in this hellhole of a division we’re in.

Looking forward to not having an 8-8 year!

by BattleRedHusker on Jun 25, 2009 4:59 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I think of it this way...

I’d rather have an opposing team talking about playing some big name team the week after us and not worrying about game-planning for us too hard. That way it makes it easier for us to blow them out of the water.

If everyone looks at their schedule and looks at us as the easy-beats. They’ll be less likely to be able to deal with us on the field.

I’m not sure that it’ll happen that way this year, but I know it isn’t next year. We’re going to the playoffs!!!

by distant_texans_fan on Jun 25, 2009 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's not looking at the whole picture

the brutal reality is that if they are not circling us on their calenders, then said team has failed. The goal is to make postseason runs. anyone who makes post season runs gets noticed by others. everyone else is “under the radar”.

also assuming the texans go 11-5 and win the division or something BECAUSE of the hypothetical “Wins due to being overlooked”, then we are noticed for making the playoffs and lose our so called advantage of being under the radar. so this advantage of being overlook-able is self defeating if it amounts to anything worthwhile, or completely irrelevant if it fails to get us anywhere.

Bottom line: I’d rather get in a tight slugfest with a good team or perhaps beat the ever living shit out of a team than win because they marked us off as a gimme and thus allows us to pull off an upset. (Example: Titans game last year. Really good win because the team needed it and it gave us confidence, but in the long run it didn’t matter much because we still finished 3rd in the division.. again.)

Looking forward to not having an 8-8 year!

by BattleRedHusker on Jun 26, 2009 6:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

True

Maybe I’ll be able to get a texans jersey a bit more easily then

If we’re on the frontpages we’re doin somethin good.

Love the Texans, Never been in Texas

by flanno7hi on Jun 26, 2009 11:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

lol

I just got a demeco ryans jersey (authentic) for 30 bucks! gotta love a player whos at the end of his contract on a team nobody really pays heed to!

Looking forward to not having an 8-8 year!

by BattleRedHusker on Jun 27, 2009 4:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not surprised

i would rather teams who come to play the texans, think they are going to have an easy day…why not? it’s always been that way…i don’t want to go back to the days like when glanville was coach of the oilers and every sunday, teams would come in with this huge vendetta and pound us like some college team…i’d rather have them come to town and by the time they realize the texans are for real, it’s too late…JMHO

by turnip73 on Jun 25, 2009 5:51 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Just win...

I want us to be on everybodies radar! I want our team to know that other teams are gunning for US! This “let’s sneek in” mentality is for teams without any expectations. It is a concession to mediocrity and excuses. When do you want people to take notice and cringe when they see us on the schedule? Inflating wins against those who said, “Oh my! We had an off day and let those pesky Texans steal one from us…it’s a fluke!!”?? Then make the playoffs and lay an egg? That doesn’t build character when it’s true!

I, for one, want us to be the favorite! I want the other teams to lay their ears back and charge! The so called “elite” teams don’t fear anyone on their way to the post season. They prove it on the field and it’s a dog fight (minus Michael Vick) and in the end, kiss a Lombardi Trophy.

To expect less, is to accept mediocrity….JMHO

by Xetuoh on Jun 26, 2009 9:27 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs

sums things up nicely

Looking forward to not having an 8-8 year!

by BattleRedHusker on Jun 26, 2009 11:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Are you all serious?!

I can’t believe that most of you would prefer that the Texans be under the radar this season. I agree that the national media does not respect the Texans, but the fact is, they do not respect any pro team in Houston. So what’s new? The only way for the Texans to get respect is to do it on the field. If they kick butt on the field, the respect will come because genuine respect is earned. I would prefer them to be on the front page because they earned it. They will always be disrespected until they prove otherwise.

GO TEXANS!

by SeriousHoustonFan! on Jun 26, 2009 3:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes

And really, I do get the point that you and many others are making regarding kicking ass and being on the front page.

My reason for voting under the radar has more to do with the current shittastic state of the modern media. The only things that keep an NFL team on the front pages these days for more than a few weeks, are all issues that I would rather not have. To me, if we are under the radar, then we don’t have TO, Plaxico, Vick, Favre, etc. drama going on with our team.

So you're saying that now I have to think of some witty Sig that will be applicable across all the SBN sites? Go Texan Horn Stro Kets!

by Shake on Jun 29, 2009 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs