At the end of several games this season, it’s seemed obvious the Houston Texans coaching staff “pulled the goalie” in order to ensure a loss. While doing so is highly unethical by NFL standards (not to say that the NFL’s even remotely close to an ethical organization), anyone who believes no team ever loses on purpose is fooling themselves.

Yesterday, it seemed as if the Texans pulled the goalie before the game started.

At the end of the first half, the Texans had gained six... yes, SIX, yards total.

During the post game presser, Lovie Smith was drawn into an unhappy exchange with the press.

During said exchange, Smith was defensive and seemed to make a Freudian slip indicating the desired outcome was a loss.

Lovie Smith Didn’t Think Houston Texans Should Put a Better Product on the Field

Brian T. Smith

How does this get better?

Lovie Smith

By putting a better product on the football field.

Brian T. Smith

Why didn’t that happen today?

Lovie Smith

Because I didn’t think I should do it today.

Wait? Lovie Smith didn’t think he should put a better product on the field yesterday?

As that sinks in, the Texans apologists will spin/defend coach’s words. The Texans haters will pounce on them as evidence to back their vitriol.

But, at the heart of it, Smith admitted the Texans didn’t make every effort to put a better product on the field against the Washington Commanders - the team that just knocked off the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.

There is no way to spin this that Lovie Smith is stupid, because he isn’t. There is no way to spin this that somehow coach thought the team was good enough to stand pat on a 1-8-1 record. There is no way to spin this that he somehow was rubbing his lucky rabbit’s foot believing the team was a few favorable breaks from being 10-0.

Houston Texans Are Actively Tanking the 2022 Season

The Tank is in, as it should be...

There is the reality that this shores up the belief the Texans are NOT actively seeking to put a good product on the football field.

And, this is a hard pill for some to swallow, but why should they?

It’s well documented that Bill O’Brien and Jack Easterby destroyed this franchise. It’s also well documented that rebuilding the franchise from the smoking crater EasterBrien left it in was going to take significant time.

It’s also well documented that the Texans need more draft capital and more cap space to build a better roster.

Had coach Smith and company worked hard to put a better product on the field, the Texans might sit with a top ten draft pick for next year, or further down the order.

Had Nick Caserio and crew worked hard to put a better product on the field immediately, the team might still have piles of bad contracts on the books, instead of dead money that will clear in 2023.

If the current leadership of this team had done everything it could to win now, the future wouldn’t look as bright as it does.

And, while this sort of tank effort is almost always a wink-wink-nod-nod act like it isn’t happening affair, in moments of duress the truth often comes out.

In the meantime, expect this to get worse before it gets better. Even if it seems like it just can’t get any worse.

Spending your hard earned cash on Houston Texans tickets and merchandise

With the United States economy trawling through rough waters, the uncertainty of interests rates and all the things that affect household cashflow, it makes sense to withdraw financial support for this team right now. Most real fans don't want to plunk down the $500+ it takes for a family to go to a Texans home game only to see them actively failing to put a better product on the field.

Most real fans don’t want to buy jerseys, tee shirts, hats and other memorabilia that supports a losing effort. Cal McNair is rich enough, he doesn’t need any further fiscal reward for his to-date stewardship of this team.

If you don’t want to support them with game tickets and merchandise, rest assured, you’re not alone.

And, that’s ok. It doesn’t make you any less of a fan right now. It just means you’re willing to withdraw your financial support of the team until they’re actively trying to put a better product on the field.

And this, isn’t it:

But, 2023 is a new year, with (hopefully) new beginnings for all...