I agree with most of the article. Kubiak just doesn't cut it as head coach and Rick Smith probably needs to leave with him. Bob McNair needs to forget about continuity. The Texans need a regime change. The notion they will get different results by keeping things the same is the definition of insanity (according to some).
It was a radio interview he did on SR610 directly after the shellacking the Giants put on us. He said that "some" players need external motivation to play the game, and that for whatever reason, they didn't get it that week. I wonder if a lack of a paycheck is enough external motivation for him??
You should accept the fact that the Texans are a national punchline and have been for years. The Texans and "pretender" are pretty much synonymous with each other. Texans are a team everyone expects to crumble in games that matter and it's 100% the truth. The team is soft as Charmin.
Well that's just great. What a bad pick. (in hindsight for me, I was initially on board and excited for Amobi.)
+1 REP BOOOOOYAAAAAHHHH! Um...the team has either given up or the coaches legitimately suck or both. I can't do this anymore... Out.
For those looking/talking about the previous Amobi interview: Brad Davies: Talked about needing to come out today and be physical. Got off to 2-0 start, you were physical. Something different and I didnt see that today. Nowhere to be found today. Amobi Okoye: It's...certain thing in some players that aren't not in other players. Some players..Certain thing in all players. All players, certain aspect or feeling. Some of them/us, you can bring it out on. Some of us, it takes a coach, preferably a player to bring it out. Today, those of us who needed someone else to bring it out, in a sense didnt accept it. You werent ready to accept whatever someone told you to use that as the motivation factor to bring the physicality out of you. And I think that's what happened today. Some players might not wanted to just grow on there own, not knowing that there are certain things you can't do on your own. It will take another player, another coach, another factor to help you out. http://kilt.cbslocal.com/2010/10/10/amobi-okoye-2/
I actually have no idea what he's talking about - but it sounds to me like he's calling somone out, not admitting he's among the players that needs extra motivation.
Either that or he's smoking the weed again. Seriously agree, sounds like he is calling someone else out.
I'm not a fan of Okoye at ALL, but I don't really see what the big deal is about what he said. Seems like he saying different players respond to different styles of coaching and maybe not every player responds well to so-called "players" coaches. Some players need to have their asses kicked to get motivated. Hell, I'm the same way in real life. I think expecting a player to come out ready to play every single Sunday solely because he makes a lot of money is a little unrealistic.
I think people are mad because he played like a punk and now is deflecting blame onto the coaching staff for his/their lack of physicality and hubris. Look in the mirror Amobi.
In any other pro league, I'd agree. But there are 16 game days in the NFL. 16. Any one particular guy, I can appreciate that there'll be 2-3 games where it just isn't their day. When an entire team craps on the field and can't get their heart rate above 70 like we saw in the Cowboys disaster, that's the mark of a pretender. And that's been part of the Texans' identity nearly every year. We're the Clippers of football and motivationally-challenged losers like Okoye are a big part of the problem.
Listen to the clip - the reason it reads so disjointedly is because it sounds like he's trying to choose his words very carefully. He's certainly calling a teammate(s) out. Did the Lions disband? We're now, far and way, the least successful expansion franchise in NFL history. No expansion team has ever taken this long to post a winning record or make the playoffs.
Agree with everything here. So whose fault do you think it is? The players or the coaching staff? As far as Okoye goes, his problem may not be a problem of motivation as much as just not being very good.
It starts at the top. I blame everyone...but McNair is ultimately responsible for this mess. His team has been mediocre (usually worse) FAR too long. His team has become a joke.
Like Disciple said, it's more or less everyone: McNair clearly isn't going to breathe fire down anyone's neck for results. Business is good, the budget is being kept, and his mind is on the next CBA. The fans enable McNair to operate like this. We show up and buy jerseys until it gets to be an insulting fiasco like the 2-14 season. Even in the aftermath of that, McNair extended Carr and kept Casserly. Kubiak is living in a McNair-enabled bubble and goes off the scale in the balance between loyalty/confidence and accountability/merit. You have to Dexter his wife to get benched or fired. When that happens, guys slowly realize that they don't have to give 100% each week or produce results. The Texans are all government workers at this point. The coaching staff, specifically the defensive staff outside the LB corps, are clueless. Period. Inept, out of their league. 1 guess as to how DB coach David GIBBS got his job with us. Kubiak, Bush and Smith have serious blindspots in evaluating talent and gauging team needs. We all laugh about them drafting their 6th TE to the team. The Texans haven't used a day 1 pick on a safety. Ever. McNair clearly has let his front office know that he expects team building to come through the draft and FAs only brought in to fill holes. When they can't draft defensive personnel (aside from LBs and maybe DEs) to save their life....it's been a disaster. Their hit rate on drafting usable DBs is 2 for 9. We do have good players, but our best players on offense aren't leaders that hold their crew accountable. Mario Williams isn't a leader. Ryans is out. Cushing doesn't have seniority yet. You need leaders that will demand that everyone gets their head right. More than most sports, that lies on the head coach. Kubiak doesn't fire his team up. We've had enough locker room confirmation about that, it isn't just speculation based on how he acts on the sideline. They don't fire up themselves either, so you get flat lifeless performances at home like we saw against Dallas. A losing culture in the locker room is nearly impossible to remove without a drastic change from the top. The Cowboys were never going to end their slide into embarrassment with Wade Phillips at the helm, and someone's going to need to smack the little boy out of Romo as well. Kubiak laid the groundwork for an impressive offense, but he's got to go for the Texans to reach their potential. Better do it quick too, Andre Johnson is going to lose a step before you know it.
