I'm tired of the Schobel thing too. If I remember right, the Texans couldn't sign him right when he was released because he didn't want to go through training camp. So he spent the month of August (and probably the entire summer) getting so fat and out of shape that he probably couldn't even pass the team physical.
I don't know whose fault it is....but that they failed to address these needs is SQUARELY their fault. That they have personnel that makes up the worst defense in the league (and an historically bad pass defense) is solely on them...not Aaron Schobel, Dunta Robinson or Captain Kangaroo.
Chargers have the number ranked offense and number one ranked defense in the NFL yet they are 2-4. There special teams is terrible. It's all about wins and losses.
It's the Texans fault that they didn't do anything to address the defense. It's NOT the Texans fault that Aaron Schobel was too fat and out of shape to make an NFL roster.
It's all about giving your team and your paying fans the best chance to win. Pretending they don't have a problem in the secondary is fine if you're fan...it's unacceptable if you're management/ownership.
And what I'm trying to say is, the out of shape issue wasn't an issue in the summer when the Texans were ho-hum about things. He wasn't interested in working out religiously just in case they would change their minds, so when they called 6 weeks later....there you go. Even if you want to argue he wasn't in prime condition when the Bills released him, he would have been ready to go by week 2 or 3 at the very latest. Had the Texans even called him week 1 when Barwin went down (seemingly obvious), he would have been far more ready than he ended up being after the Cowboys game. They sat on their hands, and he got further out of shape each week. I'm not crucifying them for not signing after the eventual workout, though I'll still say he'd have ended up as a better signing than Ogunleye, Denney, and all the other minimum wage riff raff they're going with.
well yeah. that said, it's not like anyone expected their defense to be this terrible. people were pretty high on the defense going into this season based on how they finished last season.
Was the defenses that much better last year. Yes, there were a few personnel differences (Drob versus KJ, Cushing had blended in, Pollard). But were the offenses that played well against as strong as those they played earlier in the season (and the ones we have played this year)? Seems we may be putting a bit too much stock in last year's defense's improvement in the tail end of the season. Regardless of how last year ened, this year's version needs to figure out how to put some pressure on the QB. I'd also like the DBs to play more man and at this point the entire defense needs to gamble more (more blitzes, more movement on the DL, more contact on the line of scrimmage by the DBs and LBs (on the TE). Playing "safe" (zone coverage, playing off the WRs, four man rushes) sure hasn't worked...
Redskins, Chiefs, and Raiders are not elite or even good offenses. You could argue they all have poor passing games, yet they all went nuts on this secondary. And to Cowpokes offense has not beaten anyone else. There is a HUGE difference in the defense from last year to this year
Oh, I am not disagreeing that this year's defense is a whole world of suck versus last year (or any year, for that matter). Heck, I am even longing for Matt Stevens back there. Well, ok, maybe not that. But... I also don't know if I agree that last year's defense was all that great either. i keep seeing folks say it was a "top ten defense" and as a result folks expected it to be good this year. And even though its easy to point to the drop (plummet) from Robinson to Jackson, I don't really think we are all that good last year either. Instead, it seemed we played an easier schedule, and even the team we played that was good (New England) seemed to mail it in that game.
Good news about the Texans defense... well at least good news concerning the Texans defense: Looks like Austin Collie AND Dallas Clark will be out with injuries for our Monday night game. Collie will miss "a few" weeks and Dallas Clark is out indefinitely, they are thinking long term. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5711117 Two of Peyton Manning's top three targets will be sidelined in the short term and in the case of tight end Dallas Clark, possibly long-term. Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian said Thursday that Clark -- the team's third leading receiver -- will be out indefinitely with a wrist injury. And Austin Collie, the Colts' second-leading receiver, underwent hand surgery this week that is expected to sideline him "a few weeks", a team source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Polian, speaking at an event in Fort Wayne, told the audience that Clark has "an injury to his wrist, which is a relatively rare injury," the Indianapolis Star reported. Polian said Clark was consulting with a doctor in Cleveland on Thursday and was expected to return later in the day to discuss his options. Clark is seeing world-renowned hand specialist Thomas Graham. "I don't know what the prognosis is. This is not the kind of injury that is very common where our doctors can say 'Hey, look, this is a four-week injury or this is a six-week injury,' " Polian said, according to the report. "So we'll know more later tonight." Clark has 37 receptions for 347 yards and three touchdowns this season. Collie is second on the Colts with 503 yards and his six touchdowns lead the team. His 44 receptions rank one behind team leader Reggie Wayne. Wednesday, the Colts re-signed tight end Gijon Robinson, who was waived earlier this year.
Heck, our defense is so bad, I bet FF owners are already signing Gijon Robinson who will likely grab 8 catches for 80 yards. Heck, Bill Polian probaly could suit up and grab a few catches against us...
