[Chron] Players: Kubiak is Underrated

Fans in every city always second guess the play calling of the head coach. I don't really think the Texans offense is all that predictable. This year the Texans have had some comfortable leads in many of their games, so they tend to run the ball at that point just to burn time off the clock. If the Texans were really predictable then I don't think they would be 7-1. If the other team knows what you are about to run, then they would be very successful in stopping you. The Texans have done pretty well this year on offense.

 

Ah, valid points sir. It was just how I personally feel about the Kubes!

 

He is definitely having way, WAY fewer WTF game-management moments (challenges, TO usage, situational playcalling) than a couple of years ago. That was always my main gripe with him.

 

If being conservative means winning games and leading the league in TOP.....then I'll take that every day.

Defense remains fresh. Wade is able to do what ever he wants with a rested defense.

Kubiak has been doing a great job.

 

Yeah, I wonder if having another head coach on the field helps him with clock management and challenges.

 

Footballoutsiders ranking of the Texans offense, which isolates factors such as starting field position, no. of possessions, etc. had them at #9. Basically right in the middle of the high powered offenses like GB and NE and average. So depending on where you truly perceive the Texans offense should be, this might seem okay or not okay.

They also had the Texans defense ranked #2 overall, below the utterly ridiculous Bears D but above everyone else. So Wade is the man, as everyone knows.

The Texans TRUE culprit to their seemingly inability to score more lies with their special teams, which gives them horrible starting field position drive after drive. Footballoutsider ranking of the Texans offense + Special Teams gives them a negative number. Meaning an average offense and an average ST would score more than the Texans, given the same defense.

Basically Kubiak's problem is that (A) he's not a well-rounded coach who can cover all aspect of the game, and (B) he has absolutely zero talent in picking coaches not involved with the offense.

So

 

That's the first time in his life he has made a call like that...When we have a lead, his offense works because it's all about milking the hell out of the clock...when we start falling behind, his methods suck.

How many times has he called a draw play with 3rd and long? If you give me some time, I may have the energy to look it up, but its almost like clockwork...and really, such a lame call. He's a pu$$y.

How many times have we had the ball before half with a minute left and we fail to drive down the field to try to score? Pretty much 90% of the time when we have the last possession. He's too scared of the "turnover"...so he'd rather try to hold on to a lead than add to a lead. And thats fine...sometimes.

It works against mediocre to below average teams...but what happens if we are playing an elite team and all of a sudden, we need to try to score before the half...or we need to get a first on 3rd and long? All these opportunities he has in these games should be "practice" for when he really needs to pull out all the stops.

He fails hard in this category.

 

Going back to my point about 3rd and long draw plays...

Miami: 3 times.
Jacksonville: 1 time.
Denver: 0 times (coincidence?)
Tennessee: 2 times
NYJ: 2 times (both coming in the 4th quarter when the game was tight...both of them on 3rd and 11)
GB: 2 times
Baltimore: 1 time
Buffalo: 1 time (although, we pulled it off on multiple 3rd and 5+ yards)

A total of 12 times.

Want to compare to Green Bay?

SF: 0 times
Chicago: 0 times, even though they had the win locked up in the 4th, they still attempted passes on 3rd and 10+.
Seattle: 1 time
New Orleans: 0 times
Indianapolis: 0 times
Houston: 0 times
St. Louis: 0 times
Jacksonville: 0 times
Arizona: 0 times

A total of 1 time, all year, they have run the ball on 3rd and long.

The fact of the matter is that when you have 3rd and long...and you run the ball, you are essentially giving up on the possession and giving the other team the ball (even though you only really took two shots at getting a first down). When you have a QB that is as careful as Schaub, then why not attempt to go for a first down and extend the drive? This kind of attitude can be very dangerous, specially when games come down to a final possession. The Texans have been fortunate enough to have avoided playing powerhouses so far....but I suspect that against Chicago...New England...Green Bay...every possession counts and giving up on a possession after two plays is a completely waste and can prevent the team from really being known as a powerhouse. The 7-1 record is beautiful...and Kubiak has done a fairly nice job, but he is a conservative coach, and that can be a bad thing against the upper echelon of teams.

 

I hear ya. Still, if it can happen to Earl, it can happen to Arian.

 

A lot more goes into a 3rd and long play draw vs pass. Score of the game, I.e texans have had healthy leads often, who your RB is (top 3 in the league vs just a guy, and several other factors.

Of course Kubes is typically on the more conservative side, that's nothing ground breaking. But there is nothing inherently wrong with that in proper situations.

 

McNair is showing how to be a good owner.

You can't meddle and fire the coach every 2 years.

Another example: Lovie Smith in Chicago.

I wonder if owners will take note and be more patient.

 

No. But if you're going to be a conservative offense that tries to play field position, wouldn't it be important to also have a great special teams? Yet this is the one area we've always sucked at. And this year, the one year in which everything has come together for a SB run, our ST could not be any worse.

 

Yes, if we have a big lead and the game is out of hand, I'd run the ball 100% of the time in those situations. However, the Texans pull this stunt in the first half of games. I have an issue with that because we are surrendering possession after two attempts.

Conservative is one thing, but Kubiak can really take it to another level. My fear is that it will eventually bite us in the ass. The guy turns his back when we kick FGs because he cant bear to watch...his fear of mistakes is beyond reason.

If we had Vick or Sanchez at QB...yeah, I'd be worried about making a stupid play on 3rd and long. Matt is one of the smartest QBs in the game...if there is something to be had on 3rd and long, he will make the play...if not, he will throw it away like he does a few times every game. At least you take a shot at it and hope to extend your drive rather than just give up.

Again, many times, it can be a good strategy...but at some point, this team will need to make that big play on 3rd and long...and wasting away drives like that is not what I would consider "smart" coaching.

The Packers have had the lead plenty of times in the 4th quarter of games and still would pass on 3rd and long. There is a reason why they are so feared. Also, Im sure they wouldnt do it if Rodgers wasnt capable of handling the duty. Im also confident that Schaub is capable of making smart decisions in those situations.

Just my opinion...but I do feel like that can really hinder our team...and I think that going for a pass in those situations wont hurt our team.

 

Out of curiosity, I checked out the NY Giants.

They have passed the ball every single time this season on 3rd and 8+. This includes 4th quarters where they have had a 36-7 lead against Carolina and a 26-3 lead against the 49ers.

The playoff successful teams in this league dont waste possessions...they go for the dagger.

If you look up the Patriots, Steelers, Saints, etc...teams that have been successful, you will see the same trend. It worries me that we dont have that same mentality.

The last 5 super bowl games...the winner has passed the ball on every 3rd and 8+ situation...that's an amazing statistic...and a very telling one. We've had 12 of them in half a season, lol.

 

you could say the exact thing about the bears.
vs green bay the defense was exposed, and the offense couldnt do much.
last week vs titans the defense did all the work
vs cowboys, until the defense got the first INT, then the offense started to get going.
the first game against the colts, the defense had to get an INT to put them in the game.
against the panthers, cam was mistake free, throwing a lot of yards to the bears defense, and the offense really sucked, then affter the 1st int, the bears offense was in the red zone, and scored.

 

Again, conservative in the proper situations.

They don't have to be great, but certainly at least solid in ST. Donnie Jones has actually been kicking pretty well, the coverage just needs to improve. For as bad as they've been on yards per return average on punts, they have been good on net yardage.

Kick-off and long FGs are obviously iffy since Graham doesn't have a strong leg.

 

underrated because he is conservative and the offense is methodical.. It's easy to give high praise to wide open, throw the ball all over the field type of gameplan because let's face it, it's more exciting to fans. It's much more subtle when a team is calculated, patient and built around the run first.

These are your texans and they are 7-1...even with performing the dreaded draw play on a 3rd and long whilst putting trust in your top 3 defense to hold the opposition.

 

How often have we been behind this year? We were behind in Denver 5-0. What happened after that? 60-yard bomb to AJ - touchdown. Besides the GB game, that's the only time I can remember being behind this entire season.

It's almost like you're saying "sure, our offensive philosophy has worked perfectly this season......but what if it doesn't??????"

I will admit this one bugs me. It bugged me when we were 6-10. Not so much when we're 7-1.

Not this again. It's already worked against Denver and Baltimore, the 2 teams everyone thought were so great until we beat them. We're 7-0 against the AFC.

An elite team like Baltimore? (or are they no longer elite since we beat them?) Like when we got the ball with 1:06 remaining in the half and already up by 23 points? When we ran 12 straight pass plays and kicked a FG with 3 seconds left?

With all due respect to everyone in this thread....I'll take the players opinions over a bunch of internet dorks (of which I am one) any day of the week. Kubiak is one of the most underrated coaches in the league.