Solomon: 'Enough is enough,' and Texans should fire Kubiak

and certainly not the kind of talk u hear before what, again, could be a chance to climb back into the division race

 

If that were all he said, sure. But he said a lot more and his comments echoed comments Amobi made when he seemed to tip-toe around saying, essentially, some of the players didn't have the proper motivation.

I don't know, man... I go back and forth on this. I look at the Jet game and think, "It's the coaches! No, wait: Its the players!" I can't understand why they didn't have 38 DBs in the game on that final drive, all stationed near midfield. That would fall on coaching.

But then I watched Jason Whateverhisnameis give Edwards the sideline *and bite on an underneath fake* and that last part is clearly on the player. So is it too hard to fathom that the DB would be equally dumb enough to give Edwards the sideline? I just can't believe the entire staff would coach their players to give up the sideline in that situation. These might not be great coaches - but you'd have to be borderline braindead to draw up that scheme in that situation.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...-to-Jets/ca3d7705-557e-4aa7-baf5-78bb5d91bb4f

Head coach Gary Kubiak
(on Football Night in America criticizing the coaching for CB Jason Allen’s positioning on the 42-yard pass to WR Braylon Edwards)
“I don’t know anything that happens on these shows, so obviously you know more than I do. We’re playing two-man. He was not supposed to be on the outside. He’s working his inside hip. We’re in trail all the way, but we’ve got to stay with him. Obviously, as a safety we can keep our width and not get so involved with the inside routes, so we can play the coverage better. I don’t know what they’re talking about.”

 

Well, I always figured it was some kind of players code that you don't blame your bad play on the coaches. At least not publicly. You look in the mirror and blame yourself, first and foremost. That's how I see those particular comments by Pollard. I'm not going to dig much deeper than that. I could be wrong though.

Well, you would hope not. But sometimes I wonder.

I don't claim to be an expert on basic defensive back technique, since I played nothing but offense back in my glory years.* But on every replay I see of an opponents big pass completion, I see our DB's with their backs towards the sideline. It really does look like that's how they are coached.

*starting RT for the Bleyl Brahmas 8th grade B-team.

 

you keep repeating this shtick, so I'm guessing you really were in town to witness it.

I know I was. I know I was even at the playoff game against KC.

I have to seriously doubt your judgement if you think "it worked" and "it was off"...

yeah, off to rebuilding the following year....because it didn't work. the team once again collapsed in teh second half of a playoff game, once again failing defensively (KC scored 28 points that game). Yes, Moon had a key 4th quarter fumble that allowed them to score one of their 3 fourth quarter touchdowns, but it was still quite a collapse.

Yes the defense was improved, and throughout the regular season was one of the better defensive squads. But they still choked when it counted. And it's not like it was a horrible defense the year before...as the Texans currently is.

Point being, what you say "worked" simply delayed the inevitable rebuilding process that started the next year when Jeff Fisher took over.

Still, in retrospect, it probably was a good decision for THAT TEAM. They were already a playoff team. They were already a better than average defensive squad, Jack Pardee had had a string of otherwise successful squads, they hadn't had a losing season since 1986, etc., etc. So, for that team, sure, why start rebuilding when you are accustomed to at least some level of success, when you really really think you still have a shot, and you just need an energizer in there to pump up the defense a little more, etc.

It doesn't seem at all analgous to this Texans squad or Kubiak as a head coach. Kubiak's reign can only be described as successful in any way whatsoever if you compare it to the Capers regime. The team as a whole still hasn't had any real success, so why not start to "rebuild" again. More to the point, we don't have anything close to resembling a good defense, players or coaching. I get it, they had a strong stretch of above average defense for more than half of last year - that was last year, and seems to have been more the exception than the rule.

Even with all the reasons that 93 Oilers squad and upper management had to keep everything together while making a DC change, it still explicitly didn't work. The Texans squad has none of those reasons.

 

Could someone de-Kubiak this for me? This was just the biggest blunder and I would like to know his reasoning here. It sounds like he's saying with a cover 2 the safeties should have been on the outside funnelling in, except what can you do when they're sending 4 deep and your 4-3 linebackers obviously will lose coverage quickly.

Saying that "we're in trail all the way" means the corners are getting burnt right? Getting burnt while starting with a 10 yard cushion is embarassing, and the "got to stay with him" hasn't happened all year, even against Joey Galloway so this isn't one of those "aww shucks; no luck" situations.

 

Firing Kubiak scares the **** out of me if we don't hire a big time coach. Seriously.

I don't want (and you have to see it coming, come on people) to hire a DC or OC that had 1 or 2 good seasons.

Don't want to see the boys go after a Brad Childress or something to that nature. Like I read in the Josh McDaniels thread, it's easier to go from mediocre to terrible than it is to go from mediocre to playoff contender.

 

I had the exact same thought. A question later, and his answer, seems to more explicitly implicate Wilson. But, yeah - I have no idea what he's talking about. Maybe the players didn't either and that's the problem?

 

Said it before, and I'll say it again, all 8 teams that lead their division right now are doing so with coaches that have never been a headcoach anywhere else before they started with their current teams.


You can hit a homerun without going for a big name.

 

Not to be contrarian here but you can also strike out big time. Just ask the Denver Broncos. I certainly hope that McNair gets better advice on his next coaching hire than when he picked Capers.

 

Bill Belichick is the notable exception of course...

 

He was a head coach for NYJ for one game, doesn't really count.

 

He was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for like 5 years.

 

Striking out with a John Gruden would be a lot less damning than striking out with a Josh McDaniels.

 

Apologies, I was quoting myself from the previous night, before the Jets-Pats game, forgot the Patty Cakes were on top of the division now.

Not that Rex Ryan has done a bad job either.

Point remains.

First-job coaches have gone onto great success as of late.

 

I dont think anyone would disagree with that. All he is saying that you dont keep Kubiak just because you cant find a big name guy. the next great nfl coach has to be discovered some time.

 

It was more a theoretical example. One of the reasons is ultimately failed was Buddy Ryan. He was too much of a personality and his bluster and hubris blew a hole through the team. I even mentioned that in an earlier post. But Marv Lewis, for example, wouldn’t bring the same hurricane of ego that Buddy did; few, in fact, would. (Hopefully, they wouldn’t court one of his sons.)

I agree: it was a total overreaction and likely unnecessary – but someone had to pay for 35-3. Regardless of its merit, the defense was appreciably better; championship-level better. The idea most assuredly *worked*: They finished with the franchise’s best record; they secured the franchise’s first-ever first round bye; they hosted the franchise’s first-ever second round playoff game; they won a franchise record 11 straight games. During the streak, the defense allowed 11.2 points/game including four games of single digit scores. How did it not work? Because of a fluke playoff loss? So that invalidates everything else? Hell, it worked so well, Buddy Ryan – who had been exiled from the league, more or less - landed a head coaching job because of it.

Further, it’s far from the only example I’ve cited. Several teams – several successful teams; several successful teams with (once) equally inexperienced, offensive minded head coaches like Kubiak – have employed a similar blueprint of bringing in a big-time coordinator and enjoying success: Gregg Williams in NO, Dom Capers in Green Bay, Romeo Crennel in Kansas City…

That sounds like almost EXACTLY where the Texans are right now: A team that needs to find a way to get over the hump. To try and declare the humps different is splitting hairs, IMO.

 

Here's an explanation on the Cover-2 Man technique.

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The guy doing the coaching here says that this should take away the deep bombs because the safeties should be able to see that and make a great break on the ball. Where this backfired against the Jets was that Eugene Wilson got duped by Sanchez and was late getting over the top. He should've been there to either pick off that pass to Edwards or knock him out of bounds before he could complete the catch.

Matt Bowen breaks it down further for us:

Allen had the right technique and was counting on Wilson to be there for the over-the-top help. Our veteran got burned by a second year starter.

That was on the players, not the coaches. Not sure who is responsible for the bad technique in the red zone on the TDs to Edwards (on McCain) and Holmes (on GQ). McCain played 10 yards off from the 5 yard line making it an easy throw (especially with the Safety showing his intention to blitz so early in the pre-snap read). And GQ got picked on that crossing route combo for the game losing score.

Plenty of blame to go around here. The coaches may have called bad defenses a time or ten, but the players have failed to execute more often than not, IMO. It's a function of going young in the secondary.

 

Its not splitting hairs when one team is a playoff team and one is the definition of average

 

Except....why in god's name would you call for that coverage in that situation? Why were they not playing a dime package, 3 deep, and giving the CBs strict sideline responsibilities? That scheme was nothing short of asinine.

55 seconds.
70 yards.
No timeouts.

And the Texans wanted man on the underneath routes with 2 back?

Pure stupidity.