kudos to you. but in truth, you wrote that article in june of 2005. it's january of 2007. we'll know a lot more about how this team will perform in 6 months...after free agency and the draft come into play. and let me say, i tend to agree with you. i do think they will most likely be a better product next season than they were this season. but i'm not real confident in that opinion.
i think kubiak and smith both worked minor miracles in their first year. they found some above-board talent; but they also restocked some sorely needed depth. it may take two more offseasons to undo everything casserly/capers did and didn't do. the babin and buchannon trades are, imo, the two greatest blunders in franchise history. i don't care if young and bush both play in the next 50 SBs while carr fails to make it in the AFL - trading 5 picks for two players was stupid. trading five picks for two awful players should be grounds for a lawsuit. but this year, they corrected far more than i thought they couldin one offseason; if this year is as productive, i think 07 will be a lot of fun. or more fun, with a playoff target of 08.
Here are some items that can't be too far behind: --dismantling what was a solid defense after 2004 season while doing *nothing* to address a horrible O-Line (save a failed attempt at Pace) --and tied to the one above, disposing of Jamie Sharper and Aaron Glenn prematurely as you mention in the other article
Tennessee's defense ranked LAST in the league this year (by a wide margin) in YDs/G. They gave up 25 points per game, second worst in the league. So, how does this relate to VY at all? I think their record is even more impressive given their terrible defense. Sure, the Titans might revert to "Texans status" next year (the NFL is crazy, after all), but right now, Titans fans have more optimism in their team than Texans fans do. And that sucks. Take a look at the top 5 teams in the draft last year: 1) Texans: 2-14 to 6-10 (4-win improvement) ... 2) Saints: 3-13 to 10-6 (7-win improvement + playoffs) 3) Titans: 4-12 to 8-8 (4-win improvement) 4) Jets: 4-12 to 10-6 (6-win improvement + playoffs) 5) Packers: 4-12 to 8-8 (4-win improvement) 2 of the other 4 teams got playoff berths this year (and the Titans were in the hunt until the last week). One team won its division. None of the teams listed had less than a .500 record. Other teams turned it around in one season and are clearly heading in the right direction. Their fans are all full of smiles, hopes, and dreams for next season. Not us, though, and I freaking hate it. Another offseason full of the same questions we asked last offseason. Fan-freaking-tastic. Suffering as a Texans fan has pretty much been elevated to being an art form at this point. It's gotten so bad that I think the World Bank, one of the most reviled and f***ed up organizations in the world, could step in and do a better job than Texans management.
yes, and their offense ranked 27th overall, their passing offense 30th and vince was the 30th-rated passer in football.... see what i mean? they're no 8-8 team. let them bask in the fallacy of 8-8; it'll be fun watching them scramble off the bandwagon next year when they win 6-7 games; like a bunch of cockroaches when you turn on the garage light. i've gone over this before, but... NO was 3-13 because of katrina. period. in the five years prior, they had an aggregate winning record. that was not a 3-win team; their "progress" is completely overblown. as previously explained, tennessee played above the level of expectation based on the numbers. new york had an easy schedule - they played just 3 playoff teams [going 1-2] and 7 of the 10 worst teams in football [based on draft order; they went 6-1]. GB, too, benefited from their schedule - they were 6-0 against teams in the draft's top 10; 1-6 against playoff teams; their one win coming against chicago after it had long ago wrapped up the #1 seed. in their first six meetings againt playoff teams, they lost by a combined score of 198-70 [avg. score of 33-12], including two shut-outs. houston, otoh, played 4 top 10 teams in the draft [3-1] and 7 playoff teams [1-6]. given that houston was in the second-best division in football (based on aggregate record) and played the best division in the NFC, their "progress" was on par with the other top 5 teams in last year's draft. well, at least you gave them 11 months to get it all worked out....
i completely disagree with this. the 2005 saints and the 2006 saints were entirely different. their roster had like 30 new players on it -- honestly i can't remember the exact number. but it's not like the 2005 saints were really some kick-ass team waiting to happen. they weren't. the 2006 saints were an entirely new creation.
I was going to respond to Vescey's post, but something told me to hold off and let Ric handle it. A couple of things.... Just like the Texan fans had optimism after the 2004 season. Your post seems to prove my point that the titans weren't as good as their record. Kind of like the 2004 Texans. Wasn't Pennington hurt for almost all of 2005. I can't remember, but that would have a LOT to do with the improvement seeing as how he played the whole year this year. And the 2 main reasons the Saints were so good this year were because of Drew Brees (didn't play there last year) Deuce (who missed a lot of games in 2005, didn't he?). Bush was not a reason they were good this year. Uh....how 'bout we wait until the offseason actually begins before we write it off. When you say "Texans management" who exactly are you referring to? Charlie Casserly? Dom Capers? You know they're both gone, right?
i've been over this, too - there was definite turnover, but not to the core; primarily, to the back-ups - mcallister, horn, henderson, 3/5 of the OL, grant, smith, mckenzie... all there last year. in fact, 2 of their 3 pro bowlers were on the team last year. no one said they were kick-ass; they were known for always underachieving under haslett. their win totals prior to 2005: 8, 8, 9, 7 and 10. this year, they've won 10 games. do they win 10 games last year had their houses not been under water? do they win their division is they hadn't played 12 games outside their home state and none in their home stadium? no; they probably would have once again been a 7-, 8-, 9-win team, just as they'd been the previous five years - ok, maybe 5 or 6, because of mcallister's injury, but not 3-13. it makes a great story; so their turnaround is romanticized. but it's not as drastic as it appears on the surface.
and to clarify: i'm not, by any stretch, discounting what they've done; i'm just trying to put a more realistic spin on it, ignoring the, "They're America's New Team!!!!!!!!" yada yada. but yes, payton and his staff deserve a lot of credit (as do fisher's; mangini's, et al). they hit big time with brees. he may wind up being the most impactful FA signing since reggie white if they do, indeed, go the SB. i just think the 3-13 to 10-6 turnaround isn't so black-and-white. people want to dismiss the texans' progress - they weren't a "good" 6-10 team; etc. - but 6-10 teams AREN'T good... if the texans had played a more agreeable schedule, maybe they would have looked better more often. i think of all the teams, they're closer to what they really are. and in some ways, that's a good thing. if the jets and titans were playing way out of their heads this year, well, they're going to suffer in the draft, and they're going to have a harder schedule next year... which is NOT to say i'm glad the texans went 6-10; just that they still have work to do and are now properly positioned to benefit from their season.
Well Mr. McNair, Looking back over the last 5 years what have you learned? I am sure these weren't the results you expected. This is an interesting road we are taking to that Super Bowl Championship.
The Saints in terms of personell alone.... -went from having the one of the leagues worst starting to one of the best QBs -got their workhorse RB healthy -added 2 major receiving threats in the draft -did major revisions in the defense (e.g., all 3 starting LBs were brought in) Couple the above with going to an excellent high performing staff instead of Haslett (total mess and disaster, I also agree they had a lot more talent in the first 30 roster spots than most 3-13 teams), a division that played much weaker than expected and one of the easiest schedules in the league, the Saints turn around isn't all that surprising. This years' 6-10 Texan team has far fewer components in place than the 3-13 Saints team from last year.
the titans have $41MM in cap space this upcoming season. if you're expecting their demise you will be sorely dissappointed.
And you will have a huge boner. tHat's what this thread really is. It's just another I love VY thread.
Ric on the Titans and Texans at this point has the same track record in terms of forecasting as the Bush Administration does on Iraq, so disappointment will be the order of the day.
you must have missed the lesson on why having cap space and money to spend on free agents really isn't important
