The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

1) The defense steps it up another level

2) Kubiak does a better overall job coaching

3) Matt Schaub steps his game up/Shows up big in crucial moments

4) The O-line plays better

5) Arian takes it up a notch

6) The WR's/TE's get open more

7) We get home field throughout

8) ST's significantly improves

9) We have a few lucky bounces

10) Other



Poll coming.

Positive thread. Time to get some positive thoughts going guys. It's Friday. Football Friday. I realize that more than one of these these will likely have to occur, but what one thing happening will make you feel better (even better) about our Super Bowl chances?

Easy. #4. The OL playing better will help all aspects of this team.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

O Line.

Without the running game, this team is going nowhere.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

No, no, no. #1 & #3 are much easier to pick over #4. Matt has to play big in huge games and the defense can't get exposed against Brady/Manning to get this team to the Super Bowl.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

Where's the ALL ABOVE option.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

Yep. Even if Kubiak makes some silly decisions, if the O line is doing a good job the entire offensive scheme works so much better.

If our offense is clicking, and our defense just plays up to itself, we can hang with any AFC team.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

I purposefully just said better and not a lot better or perfect...

O-line can still play ok and create holes to give more opportunities, but we still have to be able to capitalize on them from the skill positions...There's sometimes where we block it up ok, but fail at the skill positions...Guys are going to get pressure SOMETIMES...

Not arguing with your choice, just saying that the O-line's job is to maximize opportunities...It's the other guys job to capitalize...

But I agree. Oline plays better and we should see improvement most other places...

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

With "Other" being Bill letting out a massive nausea-inducing fart inside Reliant as the opponents begin their final drive. :texanbill:

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

I haven't picked yet...

Easy to look at the O-line and say them, but did our O-line perform terribly against the Pats and Packers? In some of the other games where we've had problems has the O-line been atrocious?

I definitely want them to play better, but if I'm having to pick one thing I'm leading towards having Matt be big in clutch moments and upping his game, or the defense going to another level...The O-line choice is calling me too...I also have a problem with how this team has come out and performed under Kubiak...They seem to get jumped on far too often....If he can step up the coaching on gameday and having the team prepared to play that would be huge too IMO...

It's a tough choice for me...Need to hear more opinions...

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

In truth, a lot of those are good choices and would help us win.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

I picked getting homefield. Hoping that will allow Matt to sort his issues out & play championship football, & allows the OL an extra week of practice to get it figured out. Together, I think those are the most important factors.

As far as the defense getting exposed by Brady & Manning, that's going to happen. That's what those guys do. But if our offense start out strong, we'll be ok. That's what happened when we played Denver earlier this year. Peyton figured them out in the second half, but we had such a good lead, it worked out for us.

Same thing happened to Brady against the 49ers. Offensively, the 9ers started strong & their defense got torched in the 4th qtr. But since SanFran had such a big lead... it didn't matter.

But... it's important that we confuse them & give them fits early.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

MSR.

Very true. We've all seen that gaping hole ready for a big gain & Arian slips on a drop of sweat or something. Or a perfect screen set up & Andre slips on something. Or Schaub given time but no receiver is open or they drop the ball on 4th & 3.

Duane Brown said the problem with the OL is that they are all making mistakes at different times, & the plays where they all do their job right are too far between.

At least I think it was Brown who said it. Could have been Wade Smith.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

Agreed, but it can't happen to the tune of 6 TD passes like Rodgers had against Houston or 21 points on three possessions like Brady did. They simply can't get exposed like that if Houston wants to win.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

This is probably the darkhorse and true deciding factor of how far the Texans go in the playoffs. The road to the Super Bowl is much easier if it's played in Reliant Stadium. They wouldn't have to play against Cincy in the Wild-Card game and then travel to New England to take on the Patriots. Instead they would just stay at home and wait for the Ravens/Colts.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

Same.

I think if the O line plays better it will help Schaub immensely. If he's getting harrassed all day he'll be ducking his own shadow by midway through the 1st quarter, jmo.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

I think we probably need to define clutch. To me, clutch isn't just when we're down by 4 & need a touchdown to win the game. But anytime we get into the red zone, or on third down, or when we want to take a shot downfield & Andre has his guy beat by a hair.

Those moments that change the game.

That way, we aren't in that position where we need him to be "clutch" in the last few minutes of a game?

far too often?

I'm not seeing it. I'll give you our three losses & the Denver game. That's four games where we were "jumped on" four out of 15 games isn't any worse than any other coach has done so far this year. Looking at the Patriots & Broncos, if you consider their losses + 1... which I think you can make that argument. The Patriots lost 4 plus the Jags had them for half the game.

Now if you're going to say the four I gave you (losses + 1 (Broncos) then add the Detroit & Jags game making 6 of 15 games... I'd say you have a point. But I don't think the Lions or Jags jumped out on us, especially the Jags. We bottled them up early. Our mistake was knocking Gabbert out of the game early & bringing in an "unknown" at the most important position.

Detroit, again... I don't think they jumped out on us, but they're as talented as we are. They are a good bunch of players, but they shoot themselves in the foot too much.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

So then should we take Schaub out of the equation since the O-line's play will factor too much into Schaub's play? :thinking:

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

IF they win the next 3 games they will go to the Super Bowl.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

Did you see the 49ers & Patriots game? Brady did the same thing to them that he did to us. The only difference is that he did it to us in the first qtr & to them in the 4th.

So it's not the fact that it did happen, it was more important when it happened.

Re: The Texans will go to the Superbowl IF....
 

To me clutch moments are the moments where you 'feel' like....ok WE HAVE TO HAVE THIS...Even if it isn't true in the long run....

It's those high pressure/tension moments where you feel like it's make this play or it's going to suck really bad...

Not scientific, I know.....


A couple weeks ago when Kubiak said he ripped the players, I ripped him. I wasn't just talking about this year. If you think back over the years, there have been too many times (IMO) where the team has come out and underachieved.