Texas_Thrill
12-06-2006, 08:39 PM
Can you imagine what Sunday is going to be like for Bob McNair? Uncomfortable doesn't even begin to describe it.
If you're angry about all the things the Texans have done wrong, if you'd like to let them know how you feel, this is the week for you.
It's a referendum on the Texans. That's what Vince Young's return to his hometown amounts to.
It can't be anything else. If the Texans were winning or if there were some sense they're headed in the right direction, Vince's return wouldn't be nearly as much of an issue.
You're going to hear people say they're going to Reliant Stadium on Sunday to cheer for Vince. That's only partly true.
Many of them are going to cheer Vince only because doing so will remind the Texans how badly they blew it on draft day.
This week is also a referendum on David Carr, since he's the other half of the Vince Young debate. Gary Kubiak's first major decision was a vote of confidence in Carr. Wouldn't you like to know how he feels about Carr now?
We're still waiting
I've defended Carr over the years. I said when he got better coaching and more talent around him, he'd be fine. Now, with more talent and better coaching, he's still not there.
Check back after the season when we find out if Kubiak wants Carr back for 2007. As for Vince, he has played with such emotion and poise and has made so many big plays that he's already everything Carr isn't.
It has been amazing to listen to the television guys discuss Vince Young the last two weeks. They talk about his competitive fire, his leadership and that look in his eyes as if they're the first to notice.
Where have they been? Vince is doing for the Tennessee Titans exactly
what he did at Madison High School and the University of Texas.
If you've followed his career, you could have guessed this is what the Titans were going to get. Young may be the least surprising of all this season's rookies.
Intangibles overlooked
The Texans made two critical mistakes regarding Young. They didn't understand his leadership skills. I don't know if they were lazy in doing their homework or if they were never serious about drafting him. Whatever the reason, they couldn't have known what they were passing up.
And they didn't understand how badly they needed someone like him. This team needs leadership. It needs a player who'll challenge other players, who won't accept losing.
Young is different from most other players. He wants the game on his shoulders and is at his best when the stakes are the highest.
Last spring, when there were issues about his intelligence and mechanics and all those other things NFL scouts obsess over, a friend of mine said Vince should simply give every team a Rose Bowl DVD and then ask: ''Got any questions now?"
Leadership isn't something that can be learned, at least not in its purest form. You either have it, or you don't. Vince has more of it than almost anyone. Carr will never have it.
I'm not saying Carr can't be a functional NFL quarterback. He's just not going to be special.
There's another angle to the Vince debate. He would have given the Texans a buzz. He would have brought people back to the stadium and made people care. Reggie Bush would have done the same thing to a lesser extent.
Should teams make draft decisions based on how many tickets can be sold? Absolutely not.
Nevertheless, if a team has the opportunity to draft a great player and get a guy who fills the stadium and sells merchandise, that's the way to go.
Instead, the Texans made what they consider a no-nonsense football decision in taking Mario Williams. They believe he's going to be a dominant defensive player and that they'll eventually be proved right.
If Carr doesn't play better, it won't matter how good Williams plays. And this column is no knock on Williams.
He has improved dramatically since the opening month of the season, and the fact he's playing on a bad foot speaks volumes about his toughness and desire.
If I'm Bob McNair, I'd invite Charley Casserly back for Sunday's game. He messed up the franchise and then quit. His fingerprints are on almost every mistake the Texans have made. It's laughable that he landed a network job as an insider.
He was even in on the Carr decision. It was Kubiak's call, but I'm guessing Casserly gave him a glowing recommendation of Carr. He wasn't about to admit he'd blown it.
I feel bad for McNair, who has tried to do the right thing and surely will get it right at some point.
He doesn't need to be reminded of his mistakes. He knows the Texans have lost 23 of their last 29 games. He sees the thousands of empty seats at Reliant Stadium. He knows fans aren't coming back until there's some excitement.
He'll have some Sunday, but it'll be the wrong kind.
If you're angry about all the things the Texans have done wrong, if you'd like to let them know how you feel, this is the week for you.
It's a referendum on the Texans. That's what Vince Young's return to his hometown amounts to.
It can't be anything else. If the Texans were winning or if there were some sense they're headed in the right direction, Vince's return wouldn't be nearly as much of an issue.
You're going to hear people say they're going to Reliant Stadium on Sunday to cheer for Vince. That's only partly true.
Many of them are going to cheer Vince only because doing so will remind the Texans how badly they blew it on draft day.
This week is also a referendum on David Carr, since he's the other half of the Vince Young debate. Gary Kubiak's first major decision was a vote of confidence in Carr. Wouldn't you like to know how he feels about Carr now?
We're still waiting
I've defended Carr over the years. I said when he got better coaching and more talent around him, he'd be fine. Now, with more talent and better coaching, he's still not there.
Check back after the season when we find out if Kubiak wants Carr back for 2007. As for Vince, he has played with such emotion and poise and has made so many big plays that he's already everything Carr isn't.
It has been amazing to listen to the television guys discuss Vince Young the last two weeks. They talk about his competitive fire, his leadership and that look in his eyes as if they're the first to notice.
Where have they been? Vince is doing for the Tennessee Titans exactly
what he did at Madison High School and the University of Texas.
If you've followed his career, you could have guessed this is what the Titans were going to get. Young may be the least surprising of all this season's rookies.
Intangibles overlooked
The Texans made two critical mistakes regarding Young. They didn't understand his leadership skills. I don't know if they were lazy in doing their homework or if they were never serious about drafting him. Whatever the reason, they couldn't have known what they were passing up.
And they didn't understand how badly they needed someone like him. This team needs leadership. It needs a player who'll challenge other players, who won't accept losing.
Young is different from most other players. He wants the game on his shoulders and is at his best when the stakes are the highest.
Last spring, when there were issues about his intelligence and mechanics and all those other things NFL scouts obsess over, a friend of mine said Vince should simply give every team a Rose Bowl DVD and then ask: ''Got any questions now?"
Leadership isn't something that can be learned, at least not in its purest form. You either have it, or you don't. Vince has more of it than almost anyone. Carr will never have it.
I'm not saying Carr can't be a functional NFL quarterback. He's just not going to be special.
There's another angle to the Vince debate. He would have given the Texans a buzz. He would have brought people back to the stadium and made people care. Reggie Bush would have done the same thing to a lesser extent.
Should teams make draft decisions based on how many tickets can be sold? Absolutely not.
Nevertheless, if a team has the opportunity to draft a great player and get a guy who fills the stadium and sells merchandise, that's the way to go.
Instead, the Texans made what they consider a no-nonsense football decision in taking Mario Williams. They believe he's going to be a dominant defensive player and that they'll eventually be proved right.
If Carr doesn't play better, it won't matter how good Williams plays. And this column is no knock on Williams.
He has improved dramatically since the opening month of the season, and the fact he's playing on a bad foot speaks volumes about his toughness and desire.
If I'm Bob McNair, I'd invite Charley Casserly back for Sunday's game. He messed up the franchise and then quit. His fingerprints are on almost every mistake the Texans have made. It's laughable that he landed a network job as an insider.
He was even in on the Carr decision. It was Kubiak's call, but I'm guessing Casserly gave him a glowing recommendation of Carr. He wasn't about to admit he'd blown it.
I feel bad for McNair, who has tried to do the right thing and surely will get it right at some point.
He doesn't need to be reminded of his mistakes. He knows the Texans have lost 23 of their last 29 games. He sees the thousands of empty seats at Reliant Stadium. He knows fans aren't coming back until there's some excitement.
He'll have some Sunday, but it'll be the wrong kind.