Texans Down 'N Dirty: Hide Sharp Objects Edition
by Jake on Aug 25, 2009 10:17 AM CDT
in News
46 comments
The days since Saturday Night have been brutal for Texans fans. I myself, having not even seen the game yet, have been down because of reading the post game coverage and reading reactions around the site. After the progress made in the last couple of seasons, there is no way to explain the Saints game as aptly as Gary Kubiak's description of "A step back."
How do the Texans recover from this? Someone has to be accountable right? DeMeco Ryans says he will accept responsibility for the poor defensive play despite being the one player on that side of the ball that was singled out by Kubiak for his exceptional play."Our performance reflects my leadership," he said, "and obviously, it wasn't good enough." Leadership is an intangible that can't be taught, and DeMeco is showing that he gets it.
Amobi Okoye didn't play well on Saturday night, which led to the Saints gaining an average of over 8 yards on every running play. Some think that Okoye should now be labeled a bust, but others believe he still has time to turn into a good to great player. Most importantly, Okoye realizes what he did wrong the other night and seems like he is learning from it. This will be a long process for Amobi, which is frustrating to the fans, the Texans and most of all himself, but it's not an instantaneous process.
Injuries have hampered the team throughout the preseason. The first thing I wanted to hear following the Saints game was the injury report to make sure that no one else suffered serious injuries. There is good news on that front though. Chester Pitts was back at practice yesterday, and Antwaun Molden will return to full duty this week and might play in the MNF Game against the Vikings. Chris Myers is improving every day and might play next game as well, which would be great to have the entire O-Line be able to play against the vaunted Vikings' run defense together. Brian Cushing is doing drills away from the team, and the earliest he will be on the field is the last preseason game against the Buccaneers.
The other important thing to do in this situation is not panic. There aren't that many bandwagon Texans fans out there, so almost everyone frequenting this site and other Texans-related ones has seen their fair share of downs. We all want this team to live up to it's potential so much that we cringe every time we see evidence that points to the past woes.
I still have faith that this team is heading in the right direction. Did we take a large step back the other night? Absolutely, but that's going to happen time to time. As much as I wish there won't be, there is likely going to be at least one game this season where the Texans will get beat so bad that there will be little to no positive aspects of our performance, just like the other night. In my estimation though, the end result is what is most important, and you don't get there by taking all steps forward; you get there by taking more steps forward than you take backward.
I'm with Tim that the run defense or lack thereof is scary, and that it makes sense to discuss it. I just don't think that all is lost at this point. I recognize that no one is necessarily saying that, but that's prevailing feeling around the blogosphere. I think the quote of the week in the comments belongs to Tyler, a.k.a. bullpen116:
I'm not pushing the panic button... But, not taking my finger of it either.
0 recs |
46 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
trouble in paradise.....
found this article…
Locker room whispers still point to Tarvaris
Posted by Mike Florio on August 24, 2009 9:37 PM ET
We reported in early July that members of the Vikings hoped that the team would abandon the pursuit of quarterback Brett Favre and give the ball to Tarvaris Jackson.
Moments ago, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said during halftime of the Jets-Ravens game that this sentiment still exists in some corners of the Minnesota locker room.
It’s likely gotten stronger in light of the fact that Jackson pitched a perfect game on Friday night, generating a highest-possible 158.3 passer rating on 15 attempts.
And if the Vikings struggle out of the gates, the internal calls for Jackson will only intensify.
For that reason alone, it might make sense to move Jackson to a new team.
damn it feels good to be a texan! lol!!!!!!!!!
Thoughts on the Scoreboard Punting Problem
by Key19 on Aug 22, 2009 9:56 PM PDT
26 comments
Anyone tune into ESPN today? If so, you didn’t watch for long before something along these lines came up:
Anchor: “The Cowboys opened their new $1.2 billion stadium last night, and while the team made big news on the field, it was the scoreboard that made quite a story by itself when Titans punter insert name here hit it with one of his punts during the game. Let’s go to insert talking head name here to get his thoughts on the scoreboard dilemma.”
Talking Head: “Well, as nice as the new stadium is, you have to wonder what Jerry Jones was thinking by putting the scoreboard too low. That’s going to have to be changed before the season gets underway.”
cue clip of Jones essentially saying “stuff it, it’s staying the way it is. He was trying to hit it.”
This is just another item in a long line of “drama” topics that somehow always surround the team. As a Cowboys fan, I am embarrassed by the fact that Jerry not only tested with our punter to see how high the display should be, but then went against the test results and just did whatever he wanted. It should never be able to be hit, regardless of whether or not “it’s being aimed at with straight up kicks.” It was really disappointing and sad that on such a monumental night for the team and us fans, the main storyline is “wow, what a nice place, but what idiots made the scoreboard too low? Let’s all laugh at the Cowboys’ inability to operate like a legitimate franchise.” And I’m not saying that to complain about media bias or anything like that; the fact of the matter is that it’s a legitimate problem and it’s causing deserved bad PR which should’ve never happened had Jerry taken the proper steps in designing the stadium intricacies. The team played great, the facility looked great, the atmosphere was fantastic, and yet all anyone can talk about is “what’s the deal with the scoreboard?” It would be ok if Jerry wasn’t being so stubborn about it with his “it’s within league regulations so it’s not budging” attitude. Just come out and say “you know what guys, we screwed up. We thought it was high enough, but it’s not. We’ll be sure to have it ready for the regular season opener.” That would be the end of the story and life would go on. As it is, the story will endure and the organization will catch more grief until it is fixed.
All of that said, I would like to see a doinker in a regular season game before I put Jerry too far under the bus. Our punter had no problems with it, and I have more than a suspicion that the Titans punter was really trying to hit it on that kick. I don’t think that he punts the ball that way in a real game and if he doesn’t, we don’t have this discussion at all. So in summation, the preseason doinker was a “d’oh” moment for the organization and dampened the excitement of the debut, but until a doinker happens in a real game, I won’t be outraged about it.
My prediction is that if it gets hit once a game up until the U2 concert comes to town in October (when the scoreboard will be raised to accommodate their stage), Jerry will move it up. If not, he’ll leave it. What do you guys think about the scoreboard dilemma and what will happen?
This was supposed to be a quote from a Cowboys blogger, right?
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Aug 26, 2009 12:19 AM CDT up reply actions
The finger always points outward, right Kubiak???
“Somehow, when things aren’t going good, you’ve got to stop the bleeding,” coach Gary Kubiak said. "Whether that’s offense, defense or special teams, someone has to make a play to stop things. We just never got a stop and continued to make some of the same mistakes we made early in the game.
“I think Frank was talking to the group this morning. (Outside linebacker Xavier) Adibi makes a big play, and that was the 25th play of the game. You can’t wait 25 plays deep into a game to make an impact play in this league, so you got to get that changed.”
Reported by Pancakes – http://blogs.chron.com/nfl/2009/08/unlike_many_fans_kubiak_not_re.html
The 25th play!?!?! I recall Mario Williams sacking Drew Brees and, temporarily, forcing a fumble. That happened on the Saints’ first drive. I also recall Kubiak challenging the ruling on the field that is was not a fumble, but still a sack. The sack was a big play and a stop, exactly what Kubiak’s asking for here. Drew Brees was shaken up and thinking about how hard he just got hit and thanking his lucky stars he didn’t get hurt. The Saints weren’t going to challenge; they were just happy to get the ball back. So what does Kubiak do? Instead of allowing the defense to go in for the kill, he challenges, the Saints get a chance to compose themselves, and the refs take away the sack. Who’s fault is that??? The defense’s?!?! Maybe Kubiak should coach the game better. Apparently, he understands nothing about momentum. Maybe Kubiak’s “got to get that changed.”
The true test in the life of a Texans fan is how gracefully you endure it.
koob always preferences his statements with “and it starts with me and the coaching staff” so…. that finger starts inward….then outward.
by chrisd21 on Aug 25, 2009 6:02 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
You'll also notice
that the whole quote he says, We, We, We not, they or the D or the O or the line or what ever he always says we.
by Texans-Brocos on Aug 25, 2009 6:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Where's the "we"???
He uses we in one sentence. “You can’t wait 25 plays deep into a game to make an impact play in this league, so you got to get that changed.” I don’t see any “we” there. I hear “the defense” in place of “you”. The offense made impact plays during their first drive. He couldn’t possibly have been talking about the offense. He was talking about Frank Bush and the defense. Why didn’t Kubiak take accountability for his error explicitly if he’s going to use the explicit example of Adibi?
Kubiak always starts with his political mantra of “it starts with me and the coaching staff” before he starts his game and player critiques. It’s a reflex. He’ll say it after every game. It’s nothing other than a technique that allows him something to fall back on if he should happen to slip up in an interview. It doesn’t change if games go well. It doesn’t change if games go poorly. It’s a political, bullshit statement. It’s nothing to take seriously. He’s just covering his bases to soften any backlash criticism like my post above, hoping people will read things in Kubiak’s favor. It goes more under the heading of the break up let-them-down-softly approach: “I don’t think we’re good for each other and we should stop seeing each other. It’s not you. It’s really me. It’s really me. I’m not ready yet.”
Bottom line: How can he say something like that and look himself in the mirror? He wasted a time out and burned a much needed impact play by the defense. Then, he’s going to turn around and criticize Frank Bush and the defense without mentioning his own role in the situation. If I was Frank Bush or the defense, I wouldn’t be pissed, but it definitely delivers a blow to Kubiak’s character.
The true test in the life of a Texans fan is how gracefully you endure it.
I think we're forgetting that...
it was one play. and it’s the preseason.
The coach saw the ball pop out, picked up by one of his players that ran for 2-3 yards until the ball was called dead. Even then it still took him a while to challenge the call. He gave it as much thought as he possibly could in a game setting. There’s so many things going on that he might have overlooked the whole momentum thing. If I was in the same position I probably wouldve done the same thing and forget about the defense snatching the momentum away from the saint’s offense with that monstrous sack. I wouldve seen it as the risk of losing a time out(in a preseason game) in return of the chance to get to gain possesion wouldve been worth it.
Kubiak IS the head coach and he has the right to point his finger at the defense. Kubiak should be held accountable but the Defensive Coordinator should be also.
I didn't forget about the one play or that it was preseason...
However, based on the quote, it’s possible to argue that Kubiak forgot about the one play. Whether or not you agree with his choice to challenge or not, the quote demonstrates a clear oversight on his part when he rightfully criticizes the Defensive Coordinator without dutifully criticizing his own decision-making.
The true test in the life of a Texans fan is how gracefully you endure it.
I thought
He did say something later about putting Orlovsky in a bad situation with his coaching. At this point I think he’s just showing his dissapointment, he comes off as uncaring but he knows his job is partially on the line.
You know... for kids.
sounds like....
a personal vendetta against koob! dude… did he like steal your lunch money or something?
No, it's not a personal vendetta
I think Kubiak can afford his own lunch, actually, so he doesn’t need to steal from me. In fact, last I looked, he makes like 100 times what I make (or more). It’s not like I’m going around calling him the “boob koob” or something.
I do expect more from Kubiak this year than I’ve seen in the past. I don’t think the press or Kubiak made enough out of that coaching error. I think it’s important for Kubiak to acknowledge his errors, too, because if he doesn’t fix them it’ll continue to cost his team.
The true test in the life of a Texans fan is how gracefully you endure it.
" I think it’s important for Kubiak to acknowledge his errors, too, because if he doesn’t fix them it’ll continue to cost his team."
I agree with that statement.
And about the coaching error that he made, it shouldn’t be made into a big deal.
It’s preseason. He made a bad call. Shouldn’t be a big deal unless it costs us a
win. Kubiak has made plenty of coaching errors(and that’s to be expected, it’s his first coaching gig) and they’ve all caught the media’s attention. Especially his failure to win challenges.
D-Line
I was thinking of something that could help the team next year if our D Tackles don’t come through for us this year. Let Dunta walk along with TJ. Use that money to sign either Vince Wilfork or Casey Hampton to get us a true pro bowl caliber NT. Then after Kevin Walter signs elsewhere have James Casey get his weight down to 235 to be our new # 2 reciever, and re-sign Owen Daniels. Use the first 2 rounds of the draft to select a playmaking Cornerback and Strong Safety (If Barber flops). Then use the rest of your money to give Demeco and Slaton extensions. I would love to see an offseason like that. Our defensive and offensive rotations would look like this:
Offense:
QB – Schaub,Orlowsky
RB – Slaton,Brown
WR – Johnson,Casey,Davis,Anderson
TE – Daniels,Hill
FB – Leach
LT – Brown,Butler
LG – Studdard,Brisel
C – Myers,White
RG – Caldwell,Brisel
RT – Winston,Butler
Defense:
RE – Williams,Bulman
RT – Okoye,Cody
LT – Wilfork (or Hampton),Okam
LE – Smith,Barwin
SLB – Cushing,Diles
MLB – Ryans,Bentley
WLB – Adibi,Diles
SS – Draft Pick,Barber
FS – Wilson,Barber
CB – Bennett,McCain
CB – Draft Pick,Moulden
Nickel Corner – Quin,Reeves
I would love a team like that, and think it would help us move forward if certain things don’t work out this season. Any thoughts?
Rumplestiltskin
wow u got the offense totally screwed up
kevin walter had 90+ catches last year. give him some credit. besides casey is a TE not a WR. just had to point that out.
"We don't need refs, but i guess white guys need something to do."- Charles Barkley
by Rockets 4 Life on Aug 25, 2009 4:42 PM CDT up reply actions
I do believe
That is exactly what he is saying. I would hope that we can. I don’t think Casey would be a great #2 WR, but would be very good in the slot.
by distant_texans_fan on Aug 25, 2009 10:53 PM CDT up reply actions
we better sign walter, that guy is a hell of a route runner
i do agree that casey would be good in the slot. it would also be nice if eric berry were in the 10-16 picks (we could be there….again) and trevor lindley from UK. that guy is a hell of a CB. if we could get either of those two in the first round, that would be solid. then again if eric berry decides not to come out of college and stay for senior year then i say we could maybe trade our first and third or fourth round pick and possibly another role player to a spot that could land us taylor mayes. but this is all in theory though, hopefully we make the playoffs this year and get a 20-25 pick, we could get lindley there possibly.
"We don't need refs, but i guess white guys need something to do."- Charles Barkley
by Rockets 4 Life on Aug 25, 2009 11:03 PM CDT up reply actions
actually i kind of screwed up and got mixed up
never mind about berry, there is no chance in hell we r getting him if he comes out, hes a top 5 pick and we wont sacrifice anything for that. mayes on the other hand is projected mid first round so we could possibly get him(problem is he could convert to LB and we dont need another LB). believe me he is 6’3 230 so he is big enough. another option is morgan burnett out of gergia tech. i left out a corner we could get in first round who has excellent playmaker ability. myron lewis from vandy. he has great speed and is a big guy at 6’2. we could grab lindley in second round if needed. then work on the gaps in the O-line from there.
"We don't need refs, but i guess white guys need something to do."- Charles Barkley
by Rockets 4 Life on Aug 25, 2009 11:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Walter was a has-been
Until Kubiak found him. Now he’s one of the most underrated WR2’s in the league. I have no doubt that Kubes can find another Walter on the scrap heap and do the same. In fact, we might have Walter’s replacement already in the form of David Anderson.
In other words, don’t be surprised at all if Walter leaves for a big payday, and if it doesn’t affect our offense at all.
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Aug 26, 2009 12:21 AM CDT up reply actions
Walter's production......
depends on th attention that AJ gets. I know that whe AJ went down Walter was very productive but that doesn’t mean he’s irreplaceable(sp?). It was our system that turned Walter into a productive wideout. Insert another 6’3 215lb wide receiver in his place and give him enough time to learn the offense and e’re set to go. Though I see the potential in David Anderson as a WR2, im afraid that his lack of height can be a disadvantage to us. He’s better at the slot where he can find a soft spot in the zone or take advantage of a nickel corner that doesn’t expect for him to do much.
Jerry's Folly
I believe the true answer to everyone’s question of IF the scoreboard in the new Cowboy’s stadium will be raised, is NO. In fact, the correct question is CAN the scoreboard be raised? I will bet everything in my pocket against everything in Jerry’s pocket, that because of the structural limits of the stadium structure, the scoeboard is staying right where it is! That’s right. The structure will not withstand the additional shear and torque forces required to raise it. You heard it here first and I guarantee, this was all known and considered long ago during the engineering process before it was ever built and the additional cost required in addition to the already incredible cost of $1.2 million (spoken like Dr. Evil) was considered too much by Jerry so he cost-engineered it out of the construction project. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!!!
Now, switching topics…Okoye, leaves my totally unimpressed and he is going down the path of the likes of Travis Johnson. Hate me if you want, but I have no confidence in him. We heard it from the Saints’ fans themselves; the ones that attended the practices. They said that Okoyes got knocked around left, right and into the ground by the Saints O-Line. Then two games in a row, ditto! Sure, he gets lucky once in awhile, but the Saints ground attack ran right through him!
That’s all…
It will happen
by Rip Jersey on Aug 25, 2009 3:51 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Typo, that' s (in my best Dr. Evil) BILLION!!!
It will happen
by Rip Jersey on Aug 25, 2009 3:53 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
lol........
but just the simple fact that the cowgurls “big night” was overshadowed by the whole scoreboard… gotta admit… pretty fukkin funny.
Understand...but respectfully disagree
If the scoreboard is cable-suspended (forgive me for not caring about Jerry enough to actually search for a picture), then raising it a few meters should be well within the calculated moment of inertia for each of the structural support points.
It is ridiculously unlikely that the structure was engineered with absolutely zero tolerance for additional mass or a change in height. After all, the scoreboards are typically replaced a few times during the life of a stadium structure. So any engineering firm worth a shit would design the structure and supports for potential future changes/upgrades.
Here is the basis for my opinion on the structure
See the cables that are spreading out at angles from the scoreboard to the structure? If you raise the scoreboard, the angles of those cables change resulting in more lateral force being applied to the structure, IMO. For a more practical example, attach an object to the middle of a string. Holding the two ends of the string, let the object hang. Now, if you want to raise the object, you pull on the strings. Notice the added force required to raise the object? That is the principle behind my theory, which admittedly is a theory. Granted, the angled cables are not the only cable supporting the scoreboard and it is possible the angled cables only keep the scoreboard from swinging. That would make my theory incorrect. Since I posted that, I have heard news stories that a rock concert is planned and $2 million will be spent to raise the scoreboard for the concert, so it sounds like it is possible, for the right price. And, I am pretty sure that $2 million is not enough to structurally alter the stadium for what I was thinking, so my theory probably crumbles under the weight of that revelation. Part of my theory, truthfully, was built on Jerry Jones’ stubborn ego being so big that he thought he could get away with being a numbskull about the whole thing.
It will happen
Based on the picture...
I see twelve cables:
1. 4 vertical cables that extend directly up to the roof.
2. 4 angular cables extending from each corner of the scoreboard to the corners of the stadium (to prevent twisting).
3. 4 angular cables extending from the middle of the sides of the scoreboard to the sides of the stadium (to prevent swaying from side-to-side).
The forces on the angular cables can be broken down into horizontal and vertical forces.
Physically, the lower the scoreboard, the more the angular cables can contribute vertical force to hold up the scoreboard. If you raise the scoreboard, assuming the proper amount of tautness in the angular cables, the angular cables’ impact will be reduced to concentrate primarily on horizontal forces (twisting and swaying). To make up for the loss of the angular cables’ vertical force contribution, either more vertical cables or more angular cables must be added to maintain the same degree of safety. Adding these may be tricky, depending on the structural integrity of the roof. If the beams across the hole in the roof can safely bear the extra weight, simply add an extra vertical cable to each side and raise the scoreboard. If the beams can’t safely bear the weight, then one has to attach multiple angular cables to various different spots at greater cost.
Moving the thing is going to be expensive. Why they didn’t get it right the first time is a mystery…oh, wait it’s the Cowflatulence. Nevermind.
The true test in the life of a Texans fan is how gracefully you endure it.
I stand by my analysis
There appear to be 8 total load-bearing cables, which all hang vertically. In this case, it wouldn’t matter if the load (scoreboard) was hanging 1 inch or 100 meters below the rafters…..the cables and structure that are actually holding the mass of the scoreboard still have the exact same forces applied.
Of course, at 100 meters of cable length you would have to account for any lateral movement/swinging/etc. But all the non-vertical “support” cables attached to this load are taking care of that. The only time those angled cables have any force on them is if the load is trying to move laterally (or some derived angle thereof). But raising the load would actually take some potential forces off the angled cables, since shorter vertical cables would mean less “swing-potential”.
So the cost for raising it would be made up of:
-crane(s) to support and lift the scoreboard during the change
-removing and replacing/reattaching all load-bearing and lateral support cables
-manpower (labor)
My guess is that Jerry is only pissed because if the NFL has him raise the scoreboard, then he can’t pass off the $2MM cost to Bono.
I read on MMQB that the NFL might foot the bill
Because apparently the scoreboard conforms with NFL specs for height above the field.
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Aug 27, 2009 8:40 AM CDT up reply actions
to me...
he’s not quite in that territory yet. I remember watching TJ’s progress(or lack thereof) during the first two years and it wasn’t that he was lacking the talent, we just didn’t have good coaching and his skill set didn’t fit well with the 3-4. Im not giving up on Okoye yet, manchild’s only 21 so there’s plenty of time to hone his craft and become a better DT.
im worried about the run D too but a good positive is
that cushing is an excellent run stopper and he should improve us when he returns.
"We don't need refs, but i guess white guys need something to do."- Charles Barkley
I need to ask a stupid question
Whether this is a good place to ask it, not sure…
Is it possible there will be someone’s throw-away DT available when the teams all get to their 53-man rosters? I mean someone that we can get off the pile and salvage for a sleeper DT that could someday, maybe this season, amount to something.
The reason I’m asking, is this: It is generally known and accepted throughout the league, at least from what I have read and been led to believe, that there are no DT’s on the Texans that could start for another team. Am I way off in making that statement? So, who’s to say that someone else’s throw-away might not be able to play and start for the Texans? Just sayin….
It will happen
Its not like good DTs grow on trees or anything
I would think that the days of our needing street free agents are over. I would hope so, at least.
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Aug 26, 2009 7:30 AM CDT up reply actions
Isn't that where they found Maddox?
Or some other guy that ended up starting back in 06?
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Aug 26, 2009 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions
Shante Orr!
That’s my boy right there! lol
But really.
If im not allowed to mention Jonathan Wells and Matt Stevens, you should
refrain from ever bringing up those names again.
Yep...Maddox
Not sure if it was really GF, but I know his last job was as a furniture mover before joining the NFL.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Battle Red Blog
Related FanShots on Battle Red Blog
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
