Has he put enough talent on the field this year to save his job? Since he's not coaching ... Should his job be results dependent? Rocket River
According to people around the league , the Texans have had enough talent to have winning seasons. They just have not put it together on the field where it matters.
I have to agree with this. Not necessarily saying Rick Smith should retain his job, but coaching is (and has been) the bigger problem than talent.
I think he has to share blame for not stepping up when Kubiak wanted to bring in Bush. A strong (possibly independent) GM stands up to that, IMO.
QB, RB#1-3, WR 2-4, DEs, OLBs, CB#1 have all been upgraded since he got here. CB2-4, NT, QB#2 are the positions that the Texans have had a significant drop in talent.
I was wondering how it worked cause with competent input from Wade he seemed to have done better Is the GM the talent evaluater or does he just goes with what the coaches want. Rocket River
I think our defensive draft picks this year were definitely Wade's picks, and it shows. I think it depends on the team. Some guys have GM's that make all the personnel decisions, like when Parcells was in Miami. Others have head coaches who make the decisions, like Belichick in New England. I think Smith has input, but Kubiak and Wade have final say. Smith is also probably responsible for running all the #s and making sure we have cap flexibility. (just speculating on that last bit)
I guess. I mean, Phillips was certainly a good hire - but it felt all the world like it had McNair's fingerprints all over it. And... I would add that that mistake cost us two prime years.
Smith has failed. Our player acquisitions, in particular through the draft, since 2007 have been below average. I hold him just as accountable as Kubiak for the two failed D coordinators, too. And I give him *zero* credit for Phillips, who was clearly a McNair hire.
I don't know, man - last year, I would have had a different opinion. But Phillips has made such a dramatic impact - Look again: Antonio Smith, Brian Cushing, Connor Barwin, Glover Quinn - even Shaun Cody; plus dealt for Schaub, drafted our starting LT (and signed our starting C and LG), our back-up RB, our starting FB; signed Foster; upgraded our K and P... If we're evaluating personnel, with no idea who does what - he has to be graded... pretty decently. And that's not including Watt, Reed, Joseph or Manning. But he still signed off on the hiring of Bush.
Anything less than 10 wins and you can both Kubiak and Smith. Convince Cowher or Fisher to come in and take control of this franchise. Keep Wade as DC.
If Kubiak is coach than whomever they hire is going to want a say in who has that role and I'd wouldn't let Rick Smith stop me from hiring an elite coach. (maybe Smith stays if Wade Phillips is promoted )
I can't judge fingerprints. Too much bias in it. Everyone makes mistakes and two years isn't too bad for correcting a mistake. This team is a good team...just not at the level of the Ravens and Saints. The team looks to be in position to get stronger on defense. It is a little old at WR and QB, but those positions tend to age well. Whoever is making personnel picks is doing a slightly better than average job. I feel for ever is GM this offseason. Mario and Foster contracts up.
I cannot help but think this team would be better with better coaching. I think Kubiak's hardheadedness about playing HIS GUYS [Looking at YOUR KAREEM JACKSON!!!] makes the talent look even worse. Rocket River
CB to me is by far the weakest position on the team and that includes the WR position. The Texans need another CB. This is a scary thought, but Kareem may be the second best corner on this team. It may be Allen, but if he is better..it is not by much.
The defensive play this year just reinforces what a HORRIBLE hire Frank Bush was. I mean, we're 10th in the league in defense with basically 1 NFL caliber cornerback on the roster. Could anyone have predicted that after last year? Whether he brought Bush in or rubber stamped it for Kubiak, that move set the franchise back YEARS. We're still paying for it now. If we would have had this year's defense on last year's team, we probably would have won 11 games.
Joseph and Manning make a world of difference bro... They enable that front 7 to pin there ears back and vice versa
