2011: The Kubiak Question

I think most of us who haven't already given up on this season and coaching staff feel like this is a must-win. If we lose it, we're all going to switch sides and join the fans who have already given up and the whole city will pretty much turn against the Texans. It won't be pretty.

5-7 has always been the tipping point for me. We lose this game, we may as well be 5-7 again.

But again, let's wait until it actually happens before we start fighting over lifeboats.

 

The stakes are higher; but this feels a lot like the NO-Pittsburgh combo platter, where the Steeler win soothed the sting of blowing the Saints' game.

I didn't really learn anything about this team in Baltimore - but I think this Sunday is going to tell us a lot. They have one NOTD victory under the belts so far; get another Sunday and I think we can officially proclaim this a different (and better) Texan team.

 

Eh, I learned that we will probably never win a game that we're absolutely supposed to lose. Not even by accident.

 

So, will Kubiak have a losing record after this season? He is 41-46 as a head coach. The team had to be completely rebuilt with him as coach. I am thinking he will break even or be down by two. Based on the lack of talent for most of his time with Texans, average production would not be indicative of a bad head coach.

 

Well, technically we were supposed to lose this game.

 

There's no question Kubiak did a great job of taking a 2-14 team and making it respectable. But can he take the next step and make the Texans a contender?

 

The Texans may not be the top contender, but they are a contender this year. :grin:

 

I guess, because the division is so bad. They're still just 4-3 though.

 

I think Baltimore is the team to beat in the AFC.
Houston hung with them. Just need to get a little better.

 

We can obviously tell the problem last year was the DEFENSE and the DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR. We fixed that, and the team already looks worlds better. I don't think it was a matter of Kubiak being a poor head coach. I am a big Kubiak fan. He's doing a great job. He's just a mellow dude doing his job and scoring lots of points.

 

Way too many deep bombs today against a solid defensive team without anyone who could go get the ball. Way too many interior rushes against a team with a stout front 4. It cost them against Oakland, but they got away with it today. The TD run to Foster was how the team should have been attacking all game.

 

I still want his ass gone

 

The Texans win in spite of Kubiak not because of him.

 

Saints lost to Rams. Ravens lost to Jags. NE lost to Pittsburgh. Tough to win every game in the NFL.

 

Kubiak has some glaring deficiencies, but that statement is ridiculous.

This team is firmly Kubiak's. He or someone he has picked has been behind basically every decision this organization makes, especially on the offensive side. He has control of the locker room. Whatever the team does or doesn't do is indicative of his decisions.

The result so far is a pretty good but inconsistent football team that has yet to make the playoffs. That's how good a coach he is.

 

There was also a crazy 5 week gauntlet where 2 teams come off their byes.

I'm convinced Kubiak does these stupid challenges either to go for some challenge losing record or to show his boys that he has faith in them.

 

This is really the only thing I'm afraid of. That is, McNair and fans would overrate Kubiak for this reason. But There's a reason why so many NFL teams would go 12-4 one year and 8-8 the next. Strength of schedule matters so much when you only play against 13 teams in a 32-team league.

That said, this is not a big deal as long as the Texans understand this fact. That they'd still upgrade the team, shore up weaknesses in anticipation of a harder schedule next year. Otherwise, easy schedule rocks. We could potentially get a bye with a 12-4 record(assuming we actually win against inferior talents) and therefore only 1 home win from the conference championships. If Kubiak can do that, I'd almost, almost be willing to forgive his mediocrity til now.