Of Houston Texans And Negative Articles

Author's Note: There won't be a Super Bowl preview/Pick 'Em Update this week. There were only two games last time and one this time. I'll be back with an End of Season wrap-up though after Sunday's game. Don't forget to get that last pick in, Pickers.

I have to say it's pretty hard to get motivated to write a post about your Houston Texans these days. The lack of motivation doesn't have anything to do with the off-season being so dry on the news side of things either.

By nature, I try to be optimistic. I try to look for the lessons learned in tough situations. I try to keep plugging away. Generally, I try to avoid a lot of negativity. I find it draining, off-putting, and something that isn't necessary. This is a huge part of the reason why I decided to not be a journalism major in college - I just couldn't stand writing about all the negative and bad, day in and day out.

Why do I bring this up? As of this point, all Houston Texans news is negative. Bob McNair? Getting ripped for pretty much every comment he makes. Gary Kubiak? Getting ripped for not being able to crack the glass ceiling with a bad defense. Rick Smith? Getting ripped for being a poor talent evaluator. Matt Schaub? Getting ripped because...uhhh...he doesn't JUST WINZ! It's so bad that I'm sure someone out there is thinking bad thoughts about the waterboy because he doesn't keep Andre Johnson well hydrated with H2O. That last part is an exaggeration, maybe, but the picture looks pretty bleak.

Yet, I can't help but think what a golden opportunity this is for McNair, Kubiak, and the Deep Steel Blue Gang for 2011 (or 2012 if there's no football). The groundwork for motivation has been handed to them on a sizzling-hot platter. They should be clipping every article, printing every web page, and recording every talking head segment on-air and on television to place all over Reliant Park. Kubiak, McNair, and everyone associated with the Texans should embrace this barrage of rage as opposed to hiding from the media's crosshairs.

What's a more uniting experience than to know that no one believes in you? What will light a fire under someone more to know that people are doubting and mocking you at every turn? Why not accept this and play up an "us against the world" theme for 2011?

Is this the style of Gary Kubiak? Not really. However, if I were them, I'd definitely ride this wave of cynicism for as long as I could. Perhaps it's just me and how I'm seeing things right now, but I'd hate to be standing on the other side of a football player with a chip on his shoulder - let alone a team with a chip on their collective shoulders.