I quickly jumped on board with the *idea* of hiring Wade Phillips (a strong defensive leader has been missing from day one of the Kubiak era) - but even I didn’t think they’d be *this* good. Now that we’re 8 games into the season – with the toughest stretch of the schedule behind them – here’s where the Texans rank defensively (number in parenthesis is their ranking in the same category last year*): Overall (NFL): 3rd (30th) Pass (NFL): 5th (32nd) Rush (NFL): 6th (13th) Points Allowed (NFL): 5th (29th, allowing nearly 10 more a game) Turnovers (AFC): 2nd (14th; they had a grand total of four more last year – through 16 games) Sacks (AFC): 8th (18th) And, in theory – they should only be getting better as they learn the new system, play and practice together more, etc. All offseason, we asked for nothing more than a mediocre defense. We all would have taken… the 20th best defense in football. We’re getting a whole lot more: they force punts, turnovers, and, in lieu of TDs, FGs. And I would hang two wins on them (Pittsburgh and Jacksonville). The Raider loss was bitter because, man oh man, would 6-2 look sooooooooo much better. But at 5-3, I think this is the best Texan team in history. And I don’t see a team left on their schedule that they can’t beat. I’m already angling for a first-round rematch with Baltimore. At home. And with Andre Johnson healthy. * As much credit as Phillips deserves, I think we also need to acknowledge how terrible Frank Bush was. Joseph and Manning have obviously been significant upgrades - but, otherwise, this is more or less the same personnel and it is *light* years better.
i think we're going to really miss Mario. the defense will still hold its own, but man. Mario would really excel the defense.
^ and they will miss Sharpton too. Those numbers are a bit skewed since they really haven't played many high scoring/ball moving teams, but they are playing very well and have held teams in check for the most part.
Maybe. But how where would last year's defense be ranked? To me, the key is that they make stops: TOs, punts.... it's night and day from 2010, and I think it's taken a lot of pressure off the offense.
You left out the most important stat - the fact that he's doing all this with Kareem Jackson and Jason Allen tag-teaming as the #2 CB. I was NOT on board with hiring him at all. I thought it was just for the 'feel good' effect of having Bum's son bring back Love Ya Blue memories, etc. Man, was I wrong. I agree that the D's play this season really makes Frank Bush look totally incompetent and the decision to have him as Coordinator one of the worst decisions in franchise history. And that's saying a lot...... Seriously. That's a whole year down the drain (2010) because of Bush.
I know his pedigree and track record say otherwise, but he was just coming off a bad stint in Dallas, he comes off as unintelligent, and he is the complete opposite of what you'd call a motivator. I wasn't all that excited about him coming on board. Especially when you move to a 3-4, force players out of position (1 step forward, 2 steps back), and you have Kubiak's nuts on the dresser meaning -- what happens if he's fired and we want to pursue a 4-3 coach again? Anyways, I was wrong to worry, Wade is earning his paycheck.
I'm not saying that they aren't much improved, they are. It's a night and day difference in terms of killing drives and creating turnovers. I was just commenting on the statistics of it all.
Darn it! That reminds me I forgot an out-of-nowhere swipe a t Hillboy. Yeah, btw, how are those Cowboys looking now that he's out the door? Thank God they got rid of Mr. Fixit.
Ever read about a frog who dreamed about being a king and then became one, then turned back into a frog but turned our defense around? That's how I feel about Wade right now. Btw, Gary should be barred from hiring anymore of his boys. As I recall, no one else was interviewed when Frank Bush was hired. smh
The Texans have always had the talent, they have drafted so high for years, but the scheme and more importantly the belief in the scheme hurt them. Now they have both the talent and the scheme/belief. Nice ! Not to mention a running game that controls the clock and keeps them off the field. DD
It really is remarkable. The biggest thing that Wade has been able to do is get the pass rush going, which forces turnovers, while still being able to stop the run. The improved secondary I think is more due to the pure talent upgrade (and improved pass rush). Instead of having three below average to bad cover guys -- Wilson, Pollard, KJ -- we now only have one. Quin, Manning/Nolan, and J-Jo have been amazing. Joseph and Cushing should be on the all-pro team based on this first half.
I will always go back to this quote by Gruden, " I love their offense, but their defense does not challenge opposing quaterbacks." Wade does that now. Teams actually have to gameplan for our defense!!! Amazing!
The revamped secondary is certainly a huge plus. They went from having 1 above average player in the secondary last year (Quinn) to having 3 above average players this year.
I am happy that Wade has been able to "coach up" the players he inherited. Wade has single handedly save Rick Smith's job. I am not too excited about the 5-3 and where the D is currently ranked. The Texans got four of those wins against truly pathetic offenses: the Colts, Dolphins, Titans and lastly Jags. Good news is that the Texans get to play the Colts, Titans and Jags again :grin: My expectation before the start of the season was that Wade would be able to get the Texans to play average defense. Now I think that the Texans D will be better than that. Wade drafted well, especially JJ and Brooks. Rick Smith signed one pro-bowl CB and one above average safety. And finally Wade is coaching up players that the fans have given up on: Kareem Jackson, Jason Allen, Brice McCain, Troy Nolan, Shaun Cody and to some degree Brian Cushing.
Wade has been marvelous in his role as DC. And yes, it's really nice to have this stretch of games to tune in this defense ....esp. with the injuries. Brooks is the real deal and has been put in a place where he has the greatest chance of succeeding. That said, I am skeptical of our chances when it comes to beating the better teams in this League. We need Mario to go deep into the playoffs. Another concern is of course Wade's potential elevation to HC should Kubes ever get the axe.( v3.0) All that aside though, fantastic job Wade ...keep it coming.
I wonder if Wade will be given carte blanche during next year's draft to shore up the remaining holes in the defense (CB2/NT/OLB - pending their decision on Mario). It sure would be nice to invest some picks in fine tuning the offense as well (maybe a WR (to groom to replace Andre - think Randy Moss to Andre's Chris Carter) or a RG). Wade's done an amazing job bringing this defense along - especially considering the lack of a training camp and OTAs. I just hope there's no big regression next year, and we continue to build and field a team that can make hay while the sun's out (Manning's injured, and the Jags/Titans are rebuilding around younger QBs).
