Why isn't it "going 2-2 against the steelers, titans, jags, and colts"?? Because this team is still not very good and still finding ways to lose. We're 0 and 4. "At least it's not against KC and Detroit! Lalalalalalalala...." Look, I'm still watching, too. And there *are* some positives. But these are excuses. Period.
come on, msn - those 4 teams are 13-6 right now and three of those losses were to each other. beyond those, they're 13-3 with the 3 losses coming against buffalo (4-1), philadelphia (4-1) and chicago (3-2). no, the texans aren't very good; but those 4 teams are REALLY, REALLY good. there aren't a lot of teams in this league that would break even in that 4-game stretch. and that's BEFORE you throw a massive hurricane into the middle of it.
Oh, it's a valid excuse, indeed. It's OK to be disappointed that, after seven years, the Texans still have every valid reason to be 0-4 against 4 elite teams. It's OK to wish that at some point the franchise would move from excuses and mediocrity to excellence. Or at least a semblance of it. And, I'm speaking of this franchise, not Kubiak. We've had to watch this crap for seven years. Not three. Seven.
i understand; on the old website, years ago, i talked about this not being 2 or 3 years of frustration but 9-10 years of frustration; that we were STILL dealing with three straight playoff losses, five years of no football.... i think this year has underscored two universal truths about the nfl: for all its parity, a gap still exists between the haves and the have nots, and its harder than it used to be to overcome those gaps - higher picks cost more money, the schedule is no longer modified (entirely) based on your previous record, everyone is operating with a cap and have myriad ways to circumvent it.... also, if you're not an elite team, you better be a lucky team. the texans this year were teetering on the legitimate/not legitmate line and they got dealt a schedule that almost ensured another year of illegitmacy. and keep in mind, they actually had the baltimore game moved - that would been five straight games, 3 on the road, against definitive playoff contenders. is this a different year if they open with three more plausibly winnable games? do the steelers roll them over like that in week 8? with a few more wins under their belt and less desperation, does rosenfels make the same mistakes?.... as i've preached; i disavow years 1-4. they were a terrible football team. when they hired kubiak, i wrote it was like taking over a college program on ncaa probabtion. they had a barren roster, a sticky cap situation, four years of futility... again, it was very nearly a literal reboot. imagine that - 4 years into a new franchise; that's just unfathomable. i think kubiak has done wonders; this team has come a long way in a short time period. but there's still more work to do. i'm not going to let 4 really tough games (two of which you played well enough to win) derail my enthusiasm.
It is scary game today. D Lions almost made a comeback like the Colts game. For some odd reason the Texans and Rockets can often play 3 good quarters, then claps on the 4th. But a win is a win
Prior to this last game, they had really cut-down on a lot of the stupid penalties (false starts, delay of game, personal fouls)... as well as some of the ones based on being a bad team (holding, pass interference, illegal contact).
I still get really frustrated by how bad the Texans can **** the bed on individual plays. I mean, the Lions are terrible, but they still didn't give up any glaringly bad plays to the Texans like we did the 96 yd TD to Calvin Johnson and that 26 yd TD run by Kevin Smith where NO ONE even sort of touched him. I see plays like that and am baffled. I don't expect this defense to dominate, but they should be able to get through at least one game against a bad team without having a play that makes Texan fans collectively bury their face in their hands. Oh well, at least they won.
Just replying to the thread topic: -Our receiving corps is rock solid. -Slaton was a fantastic draft pick -The offensive line is holding its own -The defensive line is great against runs up the middle -Ryans is still a stud -Special teams have been very good, be it returns or this week pinning down punts inside the 5 On the topic of the Texans: I also had the first 4 games as expected losses, but to blow two of them when we had wins is indefensible, especially the way we did so. The difference between making the playoffs and staying in mediocrity oftentimes is winning a couple games you have no business winning. It can't be alright to say we get a pass for losses against winning teams - that line of thought pigeonholes you into 0.500 expectations. What, are we going to have to wait for a schedule in which we only play 3 teams with winning records? You can't lose games you're supposed to win, and you make yourself a playoff team by beating some playoff teams. Also, winning records *should* be thrown out the door when it comes to divisional games. Regardless of rankings, those games should be split, year in and year out. Kubiak has us playing nice ball in general, but is keeping around a linebackers coach masquerading as a D-coord, and our secondary is abysmal because of it. We can't zone blitz with any consistency or regularity, because he has no idea how to implement a zone effectively. We have a team that has not shown it can play end-to-end in a game yet, which falls on Kubiack. We have a team that has the worst turnover ratio in the league. Haves and have nots were mentioned.....well, we're supposed to be one of the haves. We are one of the top teams in the league in terms of revenue - we aren't Buffalo (who are doing a nice job punching a whole in the theory, exception or no). Our problem has been the cap mistakes of Casserly and an inability to draw any impact free agents our direction DESPITE having means to do so. We've got many good things going for us, but I have to wonder if we're going to get to the next level without a Cowher or similar coach at the helm. McNair doesn't demand excellence - he's a nice guy that holds too long of a leash (Carr, Casserly, Capers, etc). We need someone that can and will hold feet to the fire. I'm not convinced Kubiak does that. Evan
