It seems to me that the team has sufficient talent to make the playoffs If they can play well in spurts, there is talent there. The issue is leadership and mentality. - We play like garbage in the first halves of games. We come back and do just enough to lose. We lose games in November when it really counts. But in December, we win a bunch of meaningless games to just miss the playoffs. IMO, these are one and the same. There is a fundamental lack of mental toughness to succeed when the other team is playing its best and trying its hardest. We get so far behind (within a game and within a season) that our "comebacks" are meaningless because the other team has let up. - If you listen to the players after the games, they aren't pissed enough. Eric Winston, Matt Schaub, even Bernart Pollard on the radio. They aren't furious, aren't sore losers, and aren't pointing fingers, holding each other accountable. No, it's this rah rah crap. No, we have a bunch of nice guys, milk drinkers, that accept losing. It doesn't seem to hurt enough. The successful athletes are maniacally driven, and losing eats the linings of their stomachs. No, I"m not looking to stock our team with A-holes. But I think that winning teams need some A-hole element to them. We have none. Kubiak, Mario, DeMeco, Schaub, Johnson, Daniels.... all a bunch of nice guy, milk drinkers. That lose. - Playing not to lose -- Kubiak can't bear to watch field goals. He does not go for the win. He does not believe in audibles. He does not like to blitz. He won't go for a score in a 2 minute drill. He/Rick Smith do not like to make big moves via trades. Nope, it must be build through the draft. That conservatism is a poison that robs the team of its heart.
agree 100%. the lack of mental toughness is what is killing this team and it all starts with the head coach. complete lack of urgency, complete unwillingness to rock the boat, total lack of intensity.... these are the things that have continued to plague this team since rubiak took the helm. how anyone can continue to support this regime is beyond me.
Rather than just blaming it on a lack of battlefight, I think we can pretty much point directly to the coaches. We've seen our players perform well before, they didn't just all the sudden forget how to play football this year. Our coaches are some of the worst pregame planners in the league, very mediocre (at best) game managers, and historically bad at defensive personnel and scheming. They have lost us at least 4-5 games every year they've been here. In the first 3 years it was excusable. It was inexcusable last year. Now, it's freaking unbelievable.
This entire coaching staff needs an extension. This sign of solidarity will catapult this team to greatness.
We obviously need Kubiak's next contract to include a bonus clause based on how many times he yells at somebody to battlefight harder.
Nope, the OP's post is nonsense... The Texans' problem is the fact that they have the worst defense in the league. They couldn't consistently stop a parked car. Blame it on the players, the coaches, whoever... But, as long this secondary performs this way, the Texans will continue to lose. Plain and simple.
This just about sums it up. No other way of looking at it. We've had our annual mid-season losing streak to kill the season for four straight years now, and the coaching has not progressed whatsoever. Last year, the fans could at least point the finger at Kris Brown missing a FG or Chris Brown fumbling at the goal line. The year before, Schaub's injury sparked the slump. But this year, it's all on them. There is absolutely no reason why we shouldn't have won all 4 of these games. That may sound unreasonable, but they were all there for the taking and we either didn't take advantage or choked them away. Granted our secondary is piss-poor, but a decent scheme (IE not giving up the back of the endzone with :10 second left) should keep them from being 32nd in passing. With good coaching, we'd be at least 7-3 right now, if not 8-2.
Kubiak nothing, it all comes from Bob McNair. He's the emotionless drone who hired Kubiak to drive his money machine. After five years, Kubiak has an all-time losing record and no playoff appearances, and McNair really, SERIOUSLY doesn't mind. Gee, I wonder why the team is so complacent.
Are u kidding??? The poster is absolutely on the mark!!!! At this point u can't just blame the players in the secondary anymore! Who decided in the beginning of the year to go with our young lineup? Who did not re-sign Dunte then also did not sign any other decent veteran? Then after the season went on to reveal how atrocious they were, who did not make any trades to improve this secondary? Who then proceeds to say in each and every newsconference that they will not make changes in the secondary and they are going to stick with these same guys? Everyone knows they suck! The coach keeps saying they play hard and only have 5 bad plays with 70 good plays in the game... Well if any DB gives up 5 bad plays in a game, they suck!!!! One bad play for a strong coach can get you benched! Two or three per game and u may be waived! 5 bad plays per game as a Texan means you will start and probably be our best cover corner!!! This is absolutely ridiculous! Everyone knows this coaching staff (kubiak especially) does not have what it takes to take up to the Superbowl! Bring in Cower to add a strong defense to this good offense while cutting down on stupid coaching decisions and we will be 7-3 or 8-2, instead of saying that another year we shudda been at that record! Thanks Rileydog! I am 100% in agreement with you!!!!
Exactly, corners don't play 6 yards off the line at the goal line unless instructed to. And if they are NOT instructed to do so and do it, they get an earful when coming over to the sideline.
I 100% agree with this. However since we're all here trying to put a finger on it I'll give it a try too and I'll say this. I think it has to start at the top. Unfortunately blaming McNair won't do anything because he can't fire himself. However when he hired these guys he should have said listen guys 4 years. If after that you don't succeed we are scratching ya'll and moving on. But whatever for some reason or another they played the political game and got in good with him and are now signed to extensions instead of receiving pink slips. So next in line would be the GM. And I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE it doesn't even have to go any further than this. He's had good drafts but missed on way too many BIG TIME PICKS. And the guy DOES NOT TAKE CHANCES. Julius Peppers, Albert Haynesworth, Darrelle Revis (with his contract dispute earlier in the offseason). Then on top of that to have the arrogance to not franchise tag Dunta. Yeah he wasn't worth it but seriously were your 4th and 6th round picks (Glover Quin / Brice McCain) really just THAT good that you felt like it wouldn't have at least been a viable temporary solution. Especially in an UNCAPPED YEAR. Just look at the list of defensive players he has drafted on this defense WHILE REMEMBERING Charley Casserly and Kubiak decided the the original regime's draft. -Zac Diles (his best pick but still can't cover like the rest of the Texans can't cover) -Brian Cushing (jury's still out after scandal) -Amobi Okoye (BUST) -Glover Quin (BUST) -Kareem Jackson (unfair to call a BUST so early but for the sake of this exercise BUST) All the other starters are free agents and for the most parts are all busts too. Everyone please remember Mario & Demeco were Casserly - Kubiak guys not Smith - Kubiak guys. When it comes down to the offense Kubiak would have had it covered with or without Rick Smith. The money would have been on the defensive selections and he has bombed. Of all the people who should get fired it should MOST definitely start with him.
Does everyone realize just how ridiculously stupid that was...especially mixing in a LB blitz at the same time??? I'm not sure everyone grasps it. I swear, junior high coaches would know better....I'M BEING COMPLETELY SERIOUS. It's one thing to play 6 yards off..which is bad enough....but then to FORCE Sanchez into a quick read picking up the blitz?? That's unbelievable how stupid that is.
Is it true that Schaub isn't allowed to audible? If so, that's a huge indictment of the coaching staff to me. It says the coaches think they are so smart that they know the best playcall prior to seeing the defensive alignments, and that no matter what Schaub sees at the line, their playcall is best. That's a ridiculous amount of arrogance.
McClain explained this once, and basically no, he's not allowed to audible out of the play called, because every play they run has a variation which is designed to be adjusted based on what the defense is showing. So he can't call an entirely different play, he can only add a modification to the existing playcall, if that makes sense.
