We dont know this, because the OL was so bad last year. We do know BOB changed his offense to suit DW4 and the results were great. Despite putrid OL play. What BOB/DW4 did was truly amazing last year.
Well, we do know this though. You can see someone banging on a round peg trying to get it into a square hole even if the hammer is not great. You say BOB changed his offense to suit Watson....but in reality Watson most of the time was making something out of nothing. BOB was still giving him nothing, just like he gives every other QB, Watson was just able to make something of it. Again, that's the players being good enough to make up for BOB being awful at his job. Unfortunately last season Watson wasn't always able to make up for BOB's terrible coaching decisions and that's why their record was just .500 with Watson playing like the best QB in the league.
Actually, if you want to go back and watch a game that BOB managed to lose despite Watson being amazing, they are playing the Texans-Seachickens game on NFL Network right now.
If they win 11 games next yr despite not fixing the OL it wont be good enough for you. Despite it being the second most successful regular season in franchise history. Duly noted
So since we have the easiest schedule this year and should have 12 wins IYO, does that mean last year, when we had the hardest S.O.S. in the league going into it was okay to have 12 losses? Fair is fair. I'm not a B.O.B. apologist, but I do think he's done a pretty decent job of trying to make chicken salad out of............you know. I think the problem has been much more of a talent-based one than a coaching one the last 3-4 years.
That would be a disappointment given the cakewalk schedule Last year has to be taken bit by bit. At the beginning when there was health and Watson, they should have done better than they did, at the end when everyone was hurt, it was completely understandable. All things considered, I'd be more upset with the Texans not winning at least 12 games this season assuming health than I was about the Texans losing 12 games last year with a skeleton crew. for more than half the season. When it comes to "the problem" I don't think there's only one problem. I think they've had bad luck with injuries, a lack of talent at some spots, and absolutely awful coaching when it comes to the offense. Basically if we had a legitimately talented coach on offense, like Gary Kubiak was everywhere in his career except for the one season the team quit on him, the Texans would have had considerably better seasons the past several years. Having some holes in talent alongside incompetent coaching on offense equals the poor results we've seen.
How many coaches could have the ball first and 10 with 2 minutes left in a game up by 4 and still lose the game? Watching this Texans-Seahawks replay is so brutal. Watson almost single handedly wins this game and BOB manages to screw it up in the final 2 minutes. I honestly hope I've seen the last of that happening.
I would argue that people are already making excuses for BOB before the season even starts suggesting that we should have no expectations at all for the team with the easiest schedule in football that will have all of their players back.....potentially a top 5 defense and whatever the Texans can manage despite BOB on offense.
10-11 wins is not making excuses. I know what the SOS says but this schedule isn't as easy as you think it is. The division has gotten alot tougher. Tell me how many teams won 12 games last year regardless of SOS?
Oh, it's not what "I think it is", it's what the league thinks. I mean, it's pretty much consensus at this point. When you have what is believed by everyone but you to be the easiest in the league and all injured players coming back which should mean a top 3 or so defense and whatever Watson can pull off despite BOB, suggesting that it's asking a lot to win 12 games is basically just setting low standards to protect BOB who you know will find a way to screw it up. Also, I didn't say "no matter what", I said "if healthy" and you still think that's too much to expect from BOB.
Last time I will ask and we can move on to a different topic, how many teams won atleast 12 games? You want me to answer that for you? Unrealistic expectations for a team that didn't play heavily in the FA market, even though they had the money, or have a 1st or 2nd round pick. DW4 had a record setting 6 games, but he obviously doesn't walk on water or he wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place.
How many teams would have a top 3 defense and a QB as good as Watson with the easiest record in the league? Is it that you are expecting major regression from Watson? I mean, you realize the Texans managed 12 wins with a harder schedule, a 9th ranked defense, and Matt Schaub right? It really does seem like you are trying to keep the expectations low to protect BOB.
What got me worse than anything was that it was a repeat of what happened in the New England game earlier that year. Both had ONE key 3rd down play at the end where a 1st down ends it. And BOB runs on both and gets stuffed instead of letting Deshaun try to make a play himself. I think any coach has some hesitation of putting everything on a rookies shoulders and BOB also had been in the mode of trying to limit the offense's mistakes in general for most of his time/qb situation here. But it angered me because I just "knew" our defense wouldn't hold them a second time (both games it was right after a key interception by our d). Bob has said he learned his lesson iirc. If he makes this a habit going forward I would agree that he needs to go. I agree. When I saw the schedule on paper I thought it looked fairly tough. Regardless I think the one place our schedule WON'T end up being is the "easiest" as it looks right now. A teams SOS never ends up like it was going by the previous year. Too many changing variables. 11-5 would (most likely) make me ecstatic. I must say though I have wondered from time to time what kind of offense "Kubes" would have put around DW. It'd almost be like his dream quarterback.
What made me mad is that Watson just picked up a first down and BOB opts to run the ball up the middle with Lamar Miller 3 times in a row to pick up 6 total yards when anyone who has watched the Texans or Lamar Miller for ANY time at all knows that he's a speed back, not a power back and as such he's pretty terrible running up the middle most of the time. It was a conscious decision to take the ball out of Watson's hands and instead put it in the hands of the Seahawks after running only 11 seconds off the ball in the 3 plays after having first and 10 at the 2 minute warning. It's just unforgivable.
We have plenty of talent on this team now. With better coaching we should easily win 10-11 games this season. A backup QB is what we need. Crennel will have this defense back in the top 5. Its solely on Bill Obrien and health on the offense. Oh and better offensive line play.
We have different definitions of plenty of talent. Look at the OL Look at the depth on the DL/edge defenders. I like what Gaine did this offseason, although I would've signed Norwell instead of 3 backup OL. The defense is going to be the teams calling card next season. Gaine saw WR's running crossing routes all day, every game and has tried to fix that with Colvin/Mathieu/Reid. He can only accomplish so much in one offseason, especially without first or second round picks. I do like the Coutee/Akins picks. Shore up the defense this year get avg OL in FA to help you get by next year. Then heavily invest in next years OL class when you have all of your draft picks and Seattle's 2nd. I just hope DW4 doesn't get killed next year. If injuries hit this team again (Even if Watson stays healthy) this team is done and 10-11 wins is a pipe dream.
