Article on espn, a nice quote from Foster...I 100% agree. Not saying the lack of bad guys is the reason we lose, but they def are needed A good team needs a well-rounded locker room, with a healthy mix of personalities. I’m a firm believer that a team should have a couple jerks, so long as the non-jerks are the stronger element and keep them in check. But an outspoken guy who calls a spade a spade and gets visibly upset when things go badly can be an important ingredient. Arian Foster has similar feelings, and recently shared his thoughts on SiriusXM radio. Per Joe Owens transcription, Foster hit on the big offseason theme of “finishing” and touched on the need for players to handle some things better internally: “I think we have to develop. We haven’t had a lot of time in the offseason to spend together as a team but I think the mentality of your team develops in the OTA’s and in your training camps. I think the leaders of our team have to step up and demand that the little things don’t go unnoticed, stay on top of each other, and we have to be self governed rather than having coaches yell at us all the time. I’m not saying we haven’t been doing that but as a leader you have to start demanding high expectations and high praise at a high level. I think you have to and sometimes you have to be the bad guy and I think we need more bad guys on the team. We need people to step up and just take us to the next level, whoever it may be…” “I’ll lead if I need to lead and I’ll follow when I need to follow but I think it’s a mentality that we have to finish. We were in a lot of games last year we didn’t finish and I think that mentality is developed in training camp.” He and I are on the same page about bad guys, and by bad guys neither of us mean Pacman Jones. We mean irritable guys who do things right, can’t stand watching people around them doing things wrong and are unafraid to let it be known when they see stuff they don’t like. Do the Texans have guys like that? I’m not so sure. Their top guys -- Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub, Foster, DeMeco Ryans, Mario Williams -- either qualify as nice or quiet or both. They can lead effectively, but they are somewhat alike and they play for a coach in Gary Kubiak with the same low-key personality. Brian Cushing might have the kind of qualities in question. But for as much as his overtrained-athlete-syndrome defense after his suspension for violating the league’s policy against performance enhancers hurt him with the public and media, it’s hard to imagine it didn’t dent his credibility among teammates too. So who do you see as the prime candidates to step up and be a “bad guy” who can help alter the team’s culture? http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/24714/foster-wants-more-self-governance
If the argument is that the Texans lose because they don't have anyone in the locker room who gets all "irritable" when other guys do things wrong, I don't care if Arian Foster, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Vince Lombardi say it I think it's hogwash. The problem isn't the lack of the "irritable" guy, it's the guys doing things wrong! I mean, really??? You're a grown man, making 6 figures (or more!!), and you need a peer to be "irritable" with you for you to give your best effort. Holy freaking crap.
Agree with the article. He says what I didn't do a very good job of saying earlier in the thread when I suggested bringing in a thug or two. I wasn't talking about going all Hedley Lamarr and bringing in rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, ****-kickers and Methodists. msn, it doesn't matter how much money you make, every locker room is going to have a different culture. I don't think having a couple of guys in there who keep others from becoming complacent and comfortable is a bad thing. I thought Pollard could possibly be that guy, but it turned out his bark was worse than his bite. For the record, I'm against bringing in Plax.
I don't mean to say it's a bad thing. (and I'm laughing at any suggestion--not that you made it--that Plax could be that guy) What I'm saying is, if your locker room has guys in it that wax complacent and can't motivate themselves without a peer getting in your face--that's your problem. Not "needing a bad guy". I'm sorry, but if you're a grown man and you need somebody to get in your face or else you wax complacent, you suck.
The Texans don't need a thug or a guy with a bad attitude, they need a vocal veteran presence that is willing to hold the young guys accountable. Hopefully Schaub, AJ, Demeco, or Mario will grow into that role. Right now, none of them seem to be that guy.
Thing is though some players do need it. Of course the Andre Johnson's of the world don't....but other players like Amobi, Jacoby, etc could use it. If you look at all the best teams they have plenty of guys that have a mean streak some not even close to being thugs. Peyton Manning is that kinda of guy, you see him get on guys all the time. Ray Lewis is also that type in fact you always hear players say something like "We started to make each other accountable." that's all Foster is saying. Athletes are just like normal people too. After a few bad plays they can get down on themselves and need to be picked back up.
I get what you are saying. They are paid professionals. If it was that easy there would never be a need for motivational halftime speeches or a pre game 7 pep talk...but sadly there is. It doesnt help that the owner of the team is okay with losing. I say this because his faith in a coach, that hasnt gone to the playoffs, only one winning season, horrific in game decisions and still gets a two year extension (which made history) is mind boggling. Until the team and players start holding themselves accountable, then we will continue to have a losing culture.
Yeah, I think Pollard (sort of) calling out Okoye last year proved that beyond a reasonable doubt. Also, wasn't there a fight on the field last year between Antonio Smith and someone else on the D? Was it Cushing? All that plus Foster's comments seem to hint at a big time internal problem that's just bubbling under the surface and waiting to explode.
It seems like people have never seen Demeco in the huddle. The guy is loud and amped up. I was schocked that it was the same Demeco media people labeled quiet when I heard/saw him Mic'd up. Schaub is also a vocal leader ;or have we forgotten how he calms down the guys in the huddle? (andre vs finnegan) We sucked because NFL STAR KJAX kept falling down, not because these guys are not vocal enough. We have leaders on the field. Unfortunately, they can't call plays for kubiak and they can't give our defensive backs gummi juice to make them faster and able to jump to prevent a pass from being completed.
It has been McNair's M.O. since the Texans came to be. Drafting choir boys like David Carr who say all the right things but don't know how to step on throats.
Do the Texans need a "hold them accountable" leader? Yes, on offense. Schaub and AJ are "nice guy" leaders. They suffered badly last year from the no-show first quarters/halves. Kubiak couldn't get them ready to play, and no one in the huddle could either. Plax wouldn't be that guy at all. That said, I'd still like him on the team (price depending). Johnson isn't a speed freak threat (not saying he's slow)....Plax vertical opposite AJ with OD and Walter in the middle would be impossible to cover. Wasn't a real fight at all. Cushing went off the deep end after the play, Smith essentially had to smack some sense into him to calm him down.
Yes, that is one of the many reasons we suck, but you can't say that this team comes out ready to play on a consistent basis. That's never been the case in the history of this organization and that's got to change.
So, if you have a few lazy guys on your team who can't motivate themselves and don't get ready to play, do you: - cut the bastards - acquire a player who, aside from doing his job, will also "be the bad guy", get "irritable", and "get in their face"? Given the choice between cutting the monkeys off your team or keeping them and trying to also find a zookeeper for your monkeys, I'd be inclined to cut them and look for men to do a man's job. Just sayin'.
But who is responsible for deciding to call in an aerial attack on the colts, when the ground attack destroyed them in the previous battlefight? Let me know if this scenario sounds familiarthink joe montana's football on genesis) opposing team opts to receive ball. Opposing team marches 90 yards for a touchdown. Texans down 7-0. Texans receive kickoff. Texans settle for a field goal.(in the nfl a fg on thefirst poss. is better than avg) Texans down 7-3. Opposing team receives kickoff. Opposing team marches 80 yards for another Touchdown. Texans down 14-3. Of course the offense is not going to play consistently with bad lapses by the D, along with those scripted plays, which most teams do anyways, by kubiak. All I'm saying is that the texans not having any leaders is pure myth. They have plenty. Now if you had said that the Texans need a vocal leader on the sidelines, who makes players on the defensive side accountable for giving up the length of the football field, with under a minute to go and no timeouts, I would agree. Also, if a guy can cover but can't wrap it up off the fields and at least is trying to pay child support for his 50 kids, then I have no problem with signing him nor should bobby. Hopefully Kubiak looked into that silver spoon and asked himself "who am I" during this long off season. Most of this inconsistency is due to the horrendous game planning and the worst defensive backfield since the forward pass was introduced in 1907. and very little to do with the lack of smack talk by our guys.
I've tried to rep you a few times lately to no avail. I couldn't agree with this post any more than I do. We have players who can't do their jobs and the proposed solution is go get some thugs and malcontents who as a side effect will offer motivation? Why not just cut the lazy scrubs.
