I think you have to quit saying talent when it's the same story every week. Get behind early. Battle back to tie or even take a lead. Then blow the game at the end. That's coaching. The Texans don't lose games in a ho hum manner. Well, maybe the Charger game where they got a bad bounce off of AJ's knee. But they lose in Spectacular fashion! They lose games not being able to punch it in from the 1 yard line. They lose games trying to throw a halfback pass at completely the wrong time. Santonio Holmes/Mark Sanchez Mike Thomas Gary Brackett Peyton Manning Vince Young All with amazing plays to help the Texans lose spectacularly. And can the defense please be all out blitzing aggressive from the get go?? Cause they sure as heck can't sit back in a base zone scheme and get anything done.
Texans defense gives up a 103 QB rating PER GAME. No surprise there with Flacco, its customary by now that the opposing QB will get theirs against the Texan's D. Its maximizing OUR QB to where he doesn't need to rally from behind forcing the action wit 60+ pass attempts. Texans can have a balanced offense all they want, if your defense puts you in a big early hole you're telling your QB its time to launch away BEATING a 103 QB rating. Schaub makes some errant plays and can do better at times, but demanding Tom Brady play just to simply COMPETE is too tall an order.
Flacco came into the game with one of the top QB ratings if not the highest in the past like 7-8 games. Well over a 100.
Shaub played horrible in the first half. First quarter he was 2 for 8 plus a sack that was followed by a longer and then missed FG. second half he was 5 for 12 plus an interception and a sack. He had "drives" in the second quarter that took no time off the clock and put the defense in terrible position.
2 for 8..but about 3 of those were passes that should have been caught, but the damn receivers couldn't hold on to the ball. Bottom line...once again, as with every week, the defense (this time with some help from the special teams) gave up 4 touchdowns...and we HAD TO HAVE the offense put up 30 to win. Same story....every....single....week. They've lost 6 of 7. Time for change.
I didn't get to see the game, but can anyone tell me if there was a clear breakdown of blitzing defensive possessions vs non blitzing possessions like in the Philly or Jets game??
That's on Kubiak. Arian Foster averaged 5 YPC and it wasn't a bunch of 2 yarders with a big run. He was solid. That's on coaching.
Fire the coach. Nice guy, players love him. He is a good offensive coordinator. But he just fails at managing the game and the team. I was screaming last night.... in overtime we were deep in our end with the ball, we needed to drive to field goal range, we had a very good running back and playing at home I was shouting run the football... Any good coach would have called for some tough running, the defense was using the 3 man front with all kind of press coverage and we try 2 passes- get the bad throw and lose. The coach has to set the players up to be successful. Kubiak does not make the right adjustments. He doesn't call plays that defeat what the other team is trying to do. Kubiak should have blasted the defensive coordinator after the Jet's game for calling for press coverage on the play that set the Jets up for the winning score. That should have been a prevent defense with a three man rush. No way you let someone get behind your cornerback. But there we were doing something stupid, playing press coverage without help over the top. Grover Quinn knocking the hail mary pass down against Jacksonville??? You've got to be kidding me, if the ball comes into your hands on the final play of a game you do everything in your power to intercept it. Do you know how much teams practice tip drills???????? I am so frustrated that the players, the media and the OWNER do not see that we have a nice coach who has made bad decisions over and over and over. It is not right for the players, the fans and the owner. Someone get through to Mr. McNair- start looking for a better coaching staff.
The defense played well enough to win, IMO. They only gave up 3 scores, and pitched a shut out after halftime. And that was with our impotent offense handing over midfield position repeatedly in the first half. They were blitzing effectively, willing to send Cushing and Pollard together at times. They put a serious Ravens run game on ice. I fully put this one on the offense. You can't blame the D for the passing game being so off in the first half. Schaub had the noodle arm in full effect until the 4th. Daniels and others had an upsetting case of cement hands. Kubiak needed to get more out of the run game (again). The game losing scores were courtesy of that full of fail second half kickoff and Schaub's backfoot special. I've called out our D as much as anyone....but this game was absolutely not on them. They gave up 21, and nothing in the second half. Offense has to come to play.
I'm convinced Kubiak is gone. Bob McNair can't rationalize bringing him back after going 8-8 following 9-7. It doesn't matter what McNair says publicly from now on because he won't pull there chair out early. That isn't his way. Maybe I'm overestimating the guy, but I now trust the owner will do the right thing. Money won't be a factor in the decision. He knows there has to be a change at the top and will pull the trigger shortly after the final game. If there is a deal to let Kubiak walk to Denver with dignity, fine and well.
The only way Kubiak gets canned is if 1) he goes 6-10 or worse and 2) the labor situation gets resolved.
I understand your reasoning, but disagree. Bob McNair will surprise you this time. He wants to win too and the fact he likes Kubiak won't prevent him from making a change.
For the most part, I agree. Except for your excusing the defense. They absolutely played lights out in the second half; it was actually fun watching them. But they were abysmal in the first half. Again. You can't rationalize a 21-point first half; it completely changes the dynamic of the game. And hopefully no one has forgotten Jacoby's drop in the back of the end zone. I know he worked hard to make up for it, but for all that went wrong, IMO, that's your ball game right there: 4-point swing. BTW, anyone find it interesting that in both this and the Chief game, the opposing offense, when faced with a short-yardage down late with a chance to ice the game, eschewed the run and wound up throwing incomplete passes to give the Texans a chance to climb back into the game? Would have been weirder had they completed the comback last night. Anyway, for all those who think the Texan coaches outsmart themselves (and I'm often among that group), it's not an exclusive problem.
I really hope Bob McNair is seriously exploring coaching candidates. The Kool Aid he is drinking is that he sees the players rally around Kubiak, he likes Kubiak's humble and honest demeanor. He trusts Kubiak's toughness and ability to rebound. BUT what he doesn't see is that Kubiak has not managed the games or the team, he doesn't prepare them and place them in the best position to win. The play calling has been bad when it is needed most and the team is rarely prepared in the first quarter. I know Smith is GM but Kubiak had to sign off on drafting Kaareem Jackson and not addressing cornerback and safety in the offseason. The thing that has saved this team all season is---- Andre Johnson and Arian Foster- 2 great playmakers - credit them for signing Foster- but seriously those 2 have made game rescuing plays that account for about 4 of our wins this season. The coaching staff has cost us at least every single defeat this season IMO. The only team I can accept beating us was Philly at their place and it might have been our best coached game. We just aren't as good as Philly at this point to beat them at home, but at least we played smarter. I am very frustrated at key errors the coaches have made. It demoralizes the team and the fans. I only wish the owner was equally clear on the coaching.
Well, one of those 1st half TDs was created by a stupid 15 yard penalty on a nice return that setup the Ravens at our 45. The "D" did give up a TD but it was a BAD spot to be put in by a dumb play. Can't bash the "D" and won't, they played good enough to win. We often let the offense off the hook because they "played good enough to win," well now it was the other way around. The "O" had a horrid 1st half that put them in that spot and special teams killed them last night as well.
