It is still early and there is a lot more football to be played but looking at the remainder of the schedule there is certainly cause for optimism. The defense won't be facing many more high powered offenses and even with their injuries, they have seemed to hold their own fairly well. On the offensive side, I don't think we've seen them at a 100% just yet, with injuries and rust and all. Still, it's hard to pick out 3 losses for the remaining of the season on the surface. Well, at least it's hard assuming the texans have turned the corner.
ima, I, too, am a native Houstonian who grew up with the Oilers. Win or lose I LOVED that team. It's taken me awhile to reach a level of passion for the Texans that is even in the same ballpark. The big picture is what concerns me with this team, not just this season. I remember quite a few comical/frustrating years with Bud and the boys. Perhaps the sweet and sour thing applies in both cases, but it's tough to be all in considering what has happened with this organization so far. I thought Kubiak should have been fired two years ago instead of being given the extension a year later. So I have watched, hoping against hope, all the while knowing they have been underachieving for quite awhile now. But I hear what you're saying ...."enjoy the ride". It's just tough for me as I still don't trust Bob/Ric/Gary to do what it takes at this point. Now here we are at 5-3 and while I root for our guys every Sunday, I'm just not sold yet.
Nice to see this thread. The complaint that has always bothered me the most is when people say that McNair doesn't care about winning or that he won't spend money. Bob McNair is a billionaire and he can spend his money on anything in this world. He chose to spend his money to bring NFL football back to Houston. There is no doubt in my mind that McNair desperately wants the Texans to win, and he has done everything in his power to make that happen. We may disagree with some of the decisions he makes sometimes, but I'm sure he is doing the best he can. No one makes the correct decisions all the time.
The Bills are a good team, so it shouldn't come as a huge surprise at this point that they have beaten both the Pats and the Eagles. Like I said earlier, the Steelers were decimated by injuries when they played us....getting stronger/healthier they are. And the Ravens have a Jekyll and Hyde thing going....stop the running game and put it on Flacco's shoulders and they are very beatable. Still, it IS true that any given Sunday......
You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Ziggy again. That being said, playoff wins will turn me into a believer.
I don't know. I think Bush was definitely below average at his job, but I'm sure if he was around this year and had Cushing playing back at his pro-bowl level, a DE in JJ Watt who gets after it every snap and produces, a shut down corner in J Jo and a quality safety in Manning then he might have changed some minds around here. I bet Bush could have made this defensive unit at least 20th in the league...or thereabouts. But Bush wouldn't have converted to the 3-4 so who knows how it would have played out.
outside green bay I dont see a consistent team what about Detroit that everyone jumped on the lions bandwagon they beat Tampa, Bucs had good and bad games they beat KC, Chiefs started bad Barely beat Minnesota with Mcnabb as QB Beat Dallas, because Romo choked Beat Chicago, only good win lost against SF lost against falcons - this should be a win win against denver, broncos in the top 5 of the worst teams. and one thing, texans have been very decimated with injuries we could have won against saints with foster (getting more TDs in the red zone) we would have won with AJ on the field vs the raiders (especially the last play) now we still dont have AJ, mario williams, manning, sharpton, so dont say steelers lost only because they were decimated by injuries.
I do think Gary Kubiak is capable of improvement... at a rate of about .3 wins per year. I hate to slap lipstick on a pig, but the way he calls plays it's clear he shies away from pressure and lacks the confidence to lead this team to points they've never been to before. As soon as he gets into uncharted waters, it's "assume the fetal position" time. He probably taught that move to Schaub, in fact. The difference, like everyone else has said, is Wade. That defense doesn't choke under pressure, and if anyone on that side of the ball gave any indication whatsoever that they might be cracking under the weight of heightened expectations, Wade would probably just slap them on the face and tell them to show up and do their job. We should make the playoffs this year, but the odds would be against us in a close game. Nevertheless, I'll be rooting for us all the way and hoping that the team bonds and, in figuring out a way to win, also figures out a way to bring Kubiak along for the ride too. Just like Denver did. It's definitely within the realm of possibility.
Every owner wants to win. Just how much they're willing to sacrifice for winning is not the same. McNair has personally spoken about not wanting to fire Dom after a 2-14 season. He wanted to keep David Carr as our starting QB. He gave Kubiak an extension after a 6-10 season. I'm pretty sure McNair would rather have fun with his guys going 8-8, than to win a super bowl while looking like a grouchy, cold-hearted Morey-esque bottome-line guy who treat his employees like assets.
Huh? While I love the Rockets and not the biggest McNair fan, what has Morey done to prove anything either?
In 8 weeks, the Texans have gone from the team Lombardi called "Soft" to now being called Dirty by other teams and their media.
Combined record of teams the Texans have beat: 12-17 (.414) Combined record of teams the Texans have lost to: 14-8 (.636) Number of teams the Texans have beat: 5 Number of teams the Texans have beat with a winning record: 2 Number of teams the Texans have beat that have a losing record: 3 Number of teams the Texans have beat that have yet to win a game: 2 1-2 against teams with a winning record, playing in a division in which every team has undergone a starting QB change from last year during a strike year, one (2?) teams that changed head coaches, and a 6th year no-playoff-appearances-yet headcoach. If they don't win the division or make the playoffs no matter what the current injury status is, I will remain a pessimistic Texan Fan.
when you consider that the Pats were were up 21 points on the Bills, it's a horrible loss. and if you're going to excuse the Steelers because of injuries, then give the Texans credit for winning with 4 starters out for the season. i just feel people are too critical of the team because they don't win by 30 points every Sunday.
I know almost doesnt count but we hung in there with the Saints without arguably our MVP in Foster, we were up 10 start of the 4th qtr in NO. This team can play, no doubt about it. We beat the 2 time defending AFC champion, who is now everyones favorite to get back to the Super Bowl in the AFC. The game was at home but thats a step in the right direction. That game was 2 penalties away, 1 of which was irrelevant, to being a blow out. Who scares you in the AFC, nobody in the South thats for sure. The top offensive team is coupled with the worst defensive team in the league. The steelers we have beaten. The Ravens are up and down, I think we would need that game at home, but I dont doubt the Texans against them. The Jets and Bills have as many if not more question marks than us. If this team can get healthy we will be scary. I hope that AJ can be AJ again this year and if he can, we will have the most balanced offensive team in all of football. Couple that balanced offense with a top 5 defense (we are number 5 now and based on our schedule I expect us to stay top 5) the sky is the limit. I have high expectations for this team, but then again I do every year. This year seems to be different though, I have never had such joy when our defense takes the field. What do I know though? I think the Rockets can compete for a title with a few tweaks, I mean the freakin Mavericks won it last year. Nobody expected that.
Anyone want to guess what the Superbowl champion Green Bay Packers record was after 8 games last season? I'll give you 3 guesses and the first 2 don't count. BTW, 2 of those losses were to the Redskins and Dolphins....
Not good, I work with a guy from Wisco and he would b**** and complain how bad they suck, then they got hot and he completely forgot how much he thought they sucked early in the season. Without looking it up Ill say 4-4, I remember they had to finish strong just to get a wild card.