The "Schaub can't stay healthy" and "Slaton can't hold onto the football" arguments don't really hold water right now. Schaub has only missed time due to viscious/illegal hits, and Slaton did not have any fumbling issues during his healthy rookie season. I'm skeptical of this season too with our schedule, but I'm excited because I think it's a make or break year for Kubiak and co., despite his contract extension. Might as well go up against the best every week to find out what we're made of. That might be just what we need -- a schedule to keep us on our toes every week, rather than having games in which we play down to our opponents.
don't get me wrong...i'm pumped up for some Texans football this season! (i just think their schedule is ridiculous)
there are some valid points in there but he being pessimistic just for the sake of being pessimistic is no better than being optimistic just for the sake of being optimistic....I'd say there is much more reason to being optimistic than pessimistic.
I agree with a lot of the article. It's basically saying we're tired of all the talk about playoffs. We've been talking about the playoffs for the last 3 years with nothing to show for it but a few meaningless wins (after we're mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, of course) that push us to a non-losing record. One thing I DON'T agree with him on is the part about a healthy QB. Last time I checked, our QB started all 16 games last year and went to the Pro Bowl. Oh, but I forgot....2 years ago, Jared Allen took his knees out and he got hurt....so now he's injury prone.....
To be fair, last season we did come one Jets loss away from making the playoffs (if the Colts hadn't rested their starters in the 2nd half or the Bengals had had something to play for) ... even though the slump full of heartbreaks midway through the season was a total buzz-kill. But ultimately we have severely underachieved for the last two years especially, and it gets tiring trying to maintain optimism. If we do more of the same this season, I will be among those calling for Kubiak's job.
ok...here's the deal..it's enough of the excuses. they got their ass handed to them by the Jets. that's not the game i'd be looking at saying, "man, we were sooo close..if we could have just found a way to get that win!!!" the AFC had 8 (out of 16 total!) teams finish either exactly tied with us...one game better...or one game worse. the whole, "if we had just won one more game" argument just doesn't resonate very well given the state of the NFL. we have to find a way to win games in the division. we have to find a way to put complete games together...not just one half. we have to find a way to start out the season better than we have under Kubiak...difficult this season given the early schedule. there are always excuses/reasons why a team doesn't take it to the next level. always. every year. they can be absolutely legit...but pro sports is a results-oriented business, ultimately. this is the franchise's 9th season...no more excuses. Go Texans!
of course. The defense found its groove mid season and played pretty well. Of course Jackson is a question mark and cush missing 4 games will hurt a bit. Still, the defense has shown it can hold it's own. Offense is looking good. Of course missing OD early is a shame, but the texans proved they can still move the ball without him. It's hard to imagine they could be worse running the ball and Foster/Tate should be able to pick up the load. Tate's physical abilities are impressive. Schaub proved himself to be a legit top tier qb.... oh wait...i'm talking to reeko. Nevermind.
Nope, the 4-game losing streak in the middle of the season sealed our fate. Sure, we almost got lucky and made it at the end, but when the games really counted....we had a 4-game losing streak. All division games, btw. Inexcusable. We've had nothing but "ifs" for the last 3 years. Hopefully we can turn it around this year - and I think we can- but until it happens, I'm skeptical.
I was mostly just responding to the part about "making runs when we are mathematically eliminated". I agree with most everything that's being said here, but it's only fair to give a little credit where it's due ... we took care of business against Seattle and the Rams (quite pathetically), then had big wins against Miami and New England, all the while still being very much alive. It's useless to talk about it now, but we had just as much of a case to deserve being in the playoffs as the Jets, despite beating us in week one. They were in the midst of an absolute tailspin after losing to a hapless Atlanta team and not beating anybody worthwhile since week one and two (ie beating up on bad teams like Carolina and Buffalo)...and then poof, the Colts lay down for them in the second half and they have new life. Yes, we dug our own grave, but the Jets got an absolute gift from the heavens with the way their schedule worked out the last two weeks with the colts and Bengals laying down for them. Even the Patriots gave us a competition when they didn't have much to play for. We could be sitting here excited for the season after our first playoff birth, and everyone would have a totally different outlook. And that's assuming that we didn't do anything different last season, only that the Jets had lost a game that they were in the midst of losing. The season could have played out the exact same for us, only with the Jets losing that game, and everyone would be a lot higher on the team this year. I only bring this up to illustrate what perception can do to a fan base, and make everyone realize really how close we were. This is just my response to calling last year's final run "meaningless". It was much different from the '07 and '08 seasons.
To be fair, those 4 games coincided exactly with Owen Daniels' injury. Up until that point, he was on pace to be the best TE in the NFL in terms of receiving yards and TDs (if not #1, then definitely top 5), so it would be tough for me to downplay his loss to the team. Dreessen filled in admirably for him, but our red zone production went down drastically for those first 4 games he was out. I'm not pinning the losses completely on Daniels' injury, but that was a major reason in my opinion.
Well, last season the texans werent mathematically eliminated. before the Jets-Bengals, Texans could still advance, and between the teams that didnt advance to playoffs the texans were the last team to be eliminated, too bad they lost the 1st game, or had the 4 losing streak.
Can't agree with that. It's the NFL ..stuff like that happens; yet the texans were able to bounce back. Same thing can be said about the Jets and the Ravens. If we want only the best teams with the best records to go to the playoffs, then the NFL should only allow division winners into the post season. I love wildcards and that is what the texans were, a wild card contender. (we had the opposite of luck, browns..kris and chris) here is another if.. If the titans don't get that ridiculous call in the Miami game, Miami wins and gets a tie breaker over the jets, then we have a tie breaker over miami. Don't remember if it was Cat or Ric that said he would be so pissed off, if that call in the titans game ended up costing the texans a playoff seed..it did.
Look, I don’t want to come off as a Texan-hater or anything. I’m far from it. Frankly, I think they are the only team in town that is doing things right at the moment. I think they WILL make the playoffs this year. Actually, I have more hope for their season than I do for even the Rockets, but that’s another thread... I’m just tired of everyone saying “well, if this, this, and this would’ve happened and this, this, and this wouldn’t have happened, things would be different!” That’s the way the last 3 seasons have gone and I’m tired of it. It’s a loser’s mentality and it’s becoming a habit. Even the local media participates. The bottom line is that this team has never made the playoffs. Hopefully that changes this year – and I think it will – but until it actually happens, I don’t want to hear any excuses about previous years.
The mind is a strange thing, men. We must begin by asking it, .."What is losing?" Losing is a disease...as contagious as polio. Losing is a disease...as contagious as syphilis. Losing is a disease...as contagious as bubonic plague...attacking one...but infecting all. But curable. Now, I want you to imagine...you are on a ship at sea...on a vast...
We're not playing the games, so it doesn't matter what "mentality" we adopt. Certainly, I agree that it's better if the team comes in pissed off and with something to prove. But for fans and especially the media, we're supposed to look at reality - and part of it is that the Texans would've been in the playoffs if not for some extraordinarily bad luck on factors out of their control. Not all of it, no, but part, yes. We'd all be praising 2009 as a rousing success if the Colts had played starters against the Jets and the Texans made the playoffs (where I'm confident they'd have won AT LEAST one game), so I can't help but feel unreasonable to completely condemn this group over something that was partly out of their control.
well said. we can go 10-6 and not make the playoffs. On the other hand, we can go 8-8 and sneak in. Alot of times, it's not only about how good you are, it's also how bad your opponents are...not to mention the luck involved. does a .500 record and playoffs make it a more successful season than a 10-6 record and no playoffs? on the surface, it sure seems that way. but i'd say luck has more to do with it, just as bad luck had to do with last season.
where do you get the sense that one of us (or specifically, ima_drummer) is "completely condemning" the Houston Texans? the texans fate wasn't floating in the wind like a feather. they had the chance to put games away that they should have won...they had no business losing twice to the Jags. win one of those, and you're in the playoffs and not crossing your fingers hoping another team helps you out. winning either of those games was in their control.
