Do the players deserve a large share of the blame? Hell yes. But what I have seen week in and week out is a team that is unprepared. There is no excuse to not be ready for teams by week 10. There is plenty of film to go around. They were not properly coached this week. I understand they're paid professionals. It's just getting tiring every damn week to hear the head coach say that he didn't prepare them well enough. WTF is he doing all week then?
wouldn't it just be the cat's ass if we drafted a DT in the 1st round this year?????? AWESOME!!! GOOD TIMES!!!
Is he really saying that in the post-game presser every week? If the coach isn't preparing the team properly, and then tells the nation that, what are we supposed to think? If I were Kubiak, I would have said:
Could someone clue Richard Smith in on the fact that the Tight End is actually an eligible receiver and that the ref does NOT have to be notified like he does for a tackle-eligible play. Neither does the defensive coordinator, for that matter. Watching the games this year, I’m not sure he understands. TIA.
So if they don't match or improve their record from last year then Kubiak has failed. Is that unfair to say? So how much of our team are "fillers" and how much are quality depth? Which one is Okoye since you mentioned him earlier in this thread? Are we talent level wise good enough not to get blown out or thoroughly outclassed from other good teams? So Kubiak made no improvement on this team this offseason, is that what I can safely infer from what you said? Should this team get blown out though (like yesterday) from the talent level we have and IF we have competent coaching? Getting beat is one thing, getting your ass handed to you is another.
Then there's cutting one's own ass off and surrendering it to the enemy, which is what the Texans did yesterday.
failed? no but there's certainly reason for concern. look: they got progressively better in years 1 and 2 - he deserves a chance to prove year 3 was the fluke - do you not agree? no idea on okoye; he's had flashes but no consistency. he's also 21. defensively, i think they start 6 fillers; possibly 7 if okoye's a bust. on offense, i think pitts and briesel, while ok, could both be upgraded. no; the other teams didn't fall back to the pack. the gap is too wide for us to make up the distance all by our lonesome in one offseason. every team - even the good ones - will have an off-week; some will even get blown away or thoroughly outclassed. the best team in the nfc, maybe all of football, and the defending super bowl champs lost to the 3-6 browns by 21 points. carolina, record-wise, the 2nd best team in the nfc, lost to TB 27-3. new england, the reigning afc champs, have lost 38-13 and 30-10 to miami and SD. the ravens got pummeled by the colts, 31-3, and the colts promptly followed that up with a 34-14 loss to green bay..... this happens every week in the nfl.
And nearly every other week in Houston. Save the recent 3-game winning streak, the first in franchise history, 2 of which came against cream puffs and another against a very weak 5-4 team.
The Colts and Jags were a combined 24-8 last year. They are 9-9 this year. I think they definitely fell back to the pack.
sure - and we lost to them in OT and in a fluke, one-in-a-million meltdown. last year, they pounded us in the three games that mattered. so the gap is shortening, based on the on-the-field results. but let's fire kubiak and bring in vince lombadri. this team needs fire!! we still have a ways to go and they still need to fall back some more. but i wouldn't, as v3.0 was trying to do, categorize it as kubiak didn't improve the team in the offseason.
I was just going by your Titans rebuilding model. Sure, I've posted already that his job is safe this year unless the team totally gives up from here on out. But seriously doubt he'll survive after next year. His passing grade for next year is playoffs or bust. No more benefit of the doubt excuses. I'll let others comment on the rest of your post. But in my opinion, even with all the improvements we've made, we still have deer in the headlights moments and cluelessness from the players and coaching decisions. No substantial improvement on that since year 1 of Kubiak. That falls on Kubiak.
But it appears the the gap shortened because those teams got worse - not because the Texans improved. The Texans were 8-8 last year, basically the same as the Colts/Jags this year. So with an easier division schedule this year, the Texans have a worse record - at least in the results, it seems like the Texans stepped backward just as did the Colts/Jags (though less so).
At a bare minimum, the QB play is worse. Rosenfoulup played well enough to stir up a quasi-QB controversy in a handful of starts last year. This year, the sight of his mug makes me want to throw up. He's worse than David Carr, if that could be fathomed. Schaub has also been turnover prone, had a couple good games but also a couple bad games, and (of course) is now out for a minimum of two weeks. I *wish* the defense were flatlining. They appear to be playing worse, as well. The receiving corps is as good or better, and the running backs are better with Slaton but not sure about the running *game*. Somebody critique this list and make it better and more accurate (I'm already conceding I'm going to be wrong on several fronts): Comparing '08 Texans with the '07 Texans: QB: worse RB: better WR: same or better OL: same or better running game in general: worse, somehow?? passing game in general: worse (the TOs count) DL: worse (how in the hell???) LB: worse (how bad is 'Meco's foot??) secondary: worse run defense in general: worse pass defense in general: worse Yeah, Richard Smith is doing a horrifyingly bad job.
the question is whether you see progress or not. and if you do see progress, is it enough to make you feel confident going forward?
I definitely see progress, but it's really all on the personnel side. Kubiak has proven to be a poor manager of a game which is not good going forward. I don't know who is most responsible for the draft, but I certainly think that person should keep his job.
Offense Some of the personnel and the scheme generate confidence and excitement, but it is tempered (like a damn wet blanket) by the fact that our QB misses over 33% of games, and our backup is as dumb as a doornail. Bad clock management and bad play calling are downers, too. Considering Kubiak and Shanahan have been in the NFL working with NFL offenses for years, I'm wondering how they're not already better at this??? Defense Some of the personnel generates confidence and excitement. MW and Demeco, especially. But this scheme is a turd. And Smith is a turd who gave birth to this turd. So no, I don't look forward to watching this team defend in the least, and I don't see any immediate or intermediate relief to that disappointment.
Two players, three if you count Dunta, and four if you believe Bennett is going to be anything special are worth noting on defense. The rest are what we call in baseball, replacement level players at best.
How this guy still has his job is beyond me. I was calling for his head after the Jags game but this is just ridiculous, giving up 41 points to the Ravens is an absolute joke.
