Thought we should have one to discuss his coaching over the course of the season. Anything you guys liked from game 1? For me: His clock management last game was excellent. He didn't burn any timeouts needlessly like some coaches are prone to. Play calling seemed pretty solid throughout the game. Yes he went conservative in the 2nd half. Why would you want to play any other way when you have a quarterback who is known for throwing late-game costly interceptions. I thought the players seemed very disciplined in the first game. Outside of Chris Myers (rust), the team didn't commit many stupid penalties. Also, what were thoughts on the half-time adjustments last game? I thought the offense albeit slow tempo, was flowing pretty well. If it weren't for that Foster fumble, we could've probably scored another offensive touchdown.
we used to do that in 2o1o and 2o11 and then it just disappeared, foster in the passing game. i'm happy that the screens are back in full effect.
I liked the QB sneak when it was 3rd and inches. That may have been Fitzpatrick making the adjustment. He was originally in shotgun and I was screaming at the TV to do a QB sneak since there was no d-lineman over the right guard. Sure enough he heard me and went under center and got a first down with the sneak. Kubiak didn't do many QB sneaks once Schaub hurt his foot. Glad the QB sneak is back in the playbook.
The one to Andre that ended with the horse collar tackle worked great. Actually, had it been 2-3 years ago Andre probably takes that one to the house.
Anybody else like the fact that he also "looks" like a coach. I know it is petty, but the "Heights Pompadore" always bothered me. He seems decisive and organized. The team has a different feel about it.
Liked the fact how players in their post game interviews kept stressing not dwelling on last year. Surely B'OB drilled that into their heads. For us to be winners, Texans need an entire culture change and they're getting it with the new regime.
Unlike the other Belichick cronies from his coaching tree, O'Brien actually has demonstrated leadership and captained a winning team before. His track record at Penn St is what separates him from Mangini, Crennel, Weis, and McDaniels. All the others were thrust into their NFL HC roles and proved unprepared to lead. Weis failed at an even lower level. I don't think it had anything to do with preparation as much as it did personality. Take a guy like Kubiak: he's perfectly suited for the back-up role, and clearly has insight to bring to the table when it comes to X's and O's. You do NOT want him leading your men into battle, however. When wits clash, when intellects come to a head, the winner is not the smarter, wittier, or faster one. It's that dumb, stubborn, gritty, won't-let-go-for-nothin attitude that wins the fight. A head coach does not just manage X's and O's; he also has to be out there as the emotional yet composed leader, the guy who can draw out the most aggression from his guys while keeping it the most composed. That's the feeling you get with O'Brien. He knows his limitations--he might not be able to win the chess match, but he'll look for the next guy over who could do it. He might not be able to scout the level of talent to clearly have a positional advantage all over the field--but he'll work with what he has, adapt to his players' strengths and cover for their weaknesses, and use all the smoke and mirrors necessary to make his players seem significantly better than the other team's. And finally, when the game nears the end, where one last scoring drive, or one last prevented first down, will be the nail in the coffin, you can rest assured that Bill O'Brien will be that kind of leader that has all his standing on top, slowly lowering their knives into the collective throats of their opponents. For a death is neither clean nor is it honorable, and O'Brien realizes that. He is prepared for that event. Long ago, even before O'Brien began working with O'Leary or Belichick, he had components of his personality well suited to lead a football team in the NFL. Now is his time of judgement, however. Now we will see the results of a regime with him at the helm. Lead us to bloody perseverance and the spoils of the victor! Man I love sports (and ambien, always seems to make my prose more melodramatic). It's one of the few touchpoints in my life where I call upon my animal nature, regard offhand the domesticated estrogen-induced calling towards love and companionship and family, and discard it all away in favor of that testosterone-embued sentiment, the fury which demands directions, which left to its devices would call for the blanket domination men in all their forms, opposition, villainy, bystander, finally even collaborator and compatriot. Brother. (Ambien @100% effect): Let us approach our brothers win open arms this Sunday. Let us play with our brothers and let us DOMINATE our brothers in a manner to reverberate each and every time we play with them as far as man has the capacity to remember such domination. Watch out Oakland. Ambien's comin for ya
I stand by everything I said there. In hindsight, well foresight of me shouting at my TV before the turnover, running the clock out would or could have changed the entire game, and possibly, season.
He's coaching in his first year in the NFL, so yes you expect some mistakes. But so far BoB's coaching has been pretty standard. Though, you can't really judge him and his offense without a quarterback. I don't think anybody around here was expecting a superbowl run, they just wants to see some of the players compete and they have shown some battle fight in them.
I don't buy the Penn State situation that people bring up as the reasoning of O'Brien being a good head coach. The scandal that went on at Penn State really had nothing to do with the players. And it's not like those players were running a muck where O'Brien had to go in and clean up like Strong is having to do at Texas. Those players could have transferred if they wanted to with no penalty but mostly all of them stayed. They would have probably played hard for any coach they brought in out of respect for Joe Pa... And he took over a 9 win team. I worry about him coming from New England as well because it seems Belichick is so hands on. Despite all of that... He's still a rookie head coach so have to give him time. But as of now the off-season hype on him appears to have been overblown.
Well that's why I said GM. Or perhaps I should say, the structure we have in place to acquire players and manage the cap.