Nothing concerns me more than complacency, especially when the suckiness is apparent to all but the man in charge. So join me after the jump as I continue to put our defense into some sort of context. It'll be a blast!
Stats are contextual. I could tell you the Texans are giving up 400 passing yards per game, and it's not the most in NFL history on a per game basis. But it's still a ton. Over the years, the game has evolved and changed as well. Keeping it all relative is extremely important.
Using FootballOutsiders, I took a look back through their entire sabremetric'ed history to see, since 1993, who has the worst defense and passing defense in the NFL. The results shouldn't surprise. The Top 10 by worst defenses, sorted by DVOA (e.g., negative numbers are better), are:
Team | Year | DVOA |
Buffalo | 2010 | 29.2% |
Detroit | 2008 | 29.2% |
Houston | 2010 | 25.4% |
Denver | 2008 | 24.7% |
Denver | 2010 | 24.4% |
Minnesota | 2000 | 24.4% |
St. Louis | 2008 | 23.4% |
Minnesota | 2004 | 23.0% |
San Francisco | 2004 | 21.4% |
Detroit | 2009 | 21.2% |
Thine eyes do not deceive. Since 1993, your 2010 Houston Texans currently have the third-worst defense according to DVOA, behind only a rebuilding Buffalo team on pace to go 0-16 and the only 0-16 team in football history. That's some elite company right there. But, hey, it even gets better. When it comes to stopping the pass, we're even worse!
Team | Year | Pass DVOA |
Buffalo | 2010 | 47.1% |
Houston | 2010 | 46.7% |
Detroit | 2009 | 40.1% |
Jacksonville | 2009 | 39.8% |
Denver | 2010 | 38.9% |
Baltimore | 1996 | 38.8% |
Detroit | 2008 | 37.4% |
San Francisco | 1999 | 37.0% |
Denver | 2008 | 36.7% |
Atlanta | 1996 | 35.1% |
That's right, sports fans: We're in the running for the worst pass defense in the last 17 years and, if my educated guess is correct, it'd probably be the worst pass defense in NFL history. Also, to compare the talent we have versus that of Buffalo or the 2009 Detroit squad makes this even more execrable.
So, Frank, stop me if you've heard this before. Better yet, don't stop me. Your defense is embarrassing to the City of Houston, and you have absolutely no business being employed at the high school level, much less in the NFL.