[Texans_Chick]

Originally Posted by Lucky

What freakin' words?

Hey Dick Justice, in the words of the immovable Shaquille O'Neal...

Bwahahahahahaha! It took me a second to get your reference.

I looked up his quote:

"A guy who cheats in a friendly game of cards is a cheater. A pro who throws a spitball to support his family is a competitor." - Milwaukee Brewers Manager (1978-1980) George Bamberger

I guess what he is saying is that he can say whatever ugly and or provocative things he wants about whatever player or coach he wants even without basis if he is doing it for a paycheck?

Is it too much to ask to get actual football analysis?

Oh, and he did print my response:

RJ-

Actually, I have no reason to believe that Eric Winston's very positive comments about Alex Gibbs weren't sincere. He's pretty straight talking, especially for a team that doesn't have many straight talking players. And nobody from the Chronicle is reporting player disatisfaction with Gibbs. So why should I as a fan be alarmed by Gibbs yelling when many coaches in the league get profane?

My question is straightforward. Lots of coaches in the NFL, including with the Texans yell at their players. A lot. Many of the words they use are unpleasant. Why is it that you are discussing Alex Gibbs' yelling in particular?

He is one of the most accomplished coaches on the staff with a track record of success. Why discuss his yelling in particular, in comparison, to let's say, coaches with a less accomplished NFL history such as Richard Smith or Frank Bush as examples--two other yelling coaches. Do you know something that we as fans do not know?

The reason I ask this is that I can't imagine let's say, Rick Gosselin writing a column like this one: "Gee, a coach from the team is yelling and saying mean things to players. That doesn't seem smart at all. I don't like to get yelled at in my job. Hey that's mean and the head coach shouldn't allow it." Wha? Really, it is inexplicable.

So that's why I was wondering if something caused you to point out Alex Gibbs' screaming versus any of the bunches of other coaches in the league that yell at their players.

(BTW, I really think that there's some good information for Texans fans about the issues that the team is facing relating to the running game in that ESPN link I gave in my blog comment. It's been interesting seeing the slow improvement of the running back numbers in the preseason [not counting QB/WR]:

Game 1 29 attempts 85 yards 2.9 avg
Game 2 33 attempts 110 yards 3.3 avg
Game 3 26 attempts 112 yards 4.3 avg (with no Chester Pitts and an overmatched Studdard).

Hey, I'm not saying the Texans running backs are world beaters, but they just are who they are, and why you should be particularly upset with this group now versus in training camp, I have no idea).

And if you want me to reveal information that was contained in emails between each other about journalistic professionalism, I suppose I can. This is my view:

1. I've always preached that people should not personally attack people or engage in name calling. This includes sports figures and sports writers. That is is better to critically examine arguments, strategies, ideas than it is to engage in personal attacks.

2. I have suggested that some of what you have written in the past has been unprofessional:

http://blogs.chron.com/fanblogtexans...shandle_1.html

I find it repugnant for a sportswriter to encourage his readership to come up with insulting nicknames for a player he covers. I think it is petty and juvenile behavior and well, not terribly professional. Because after I read that, it makes me wonder if that journalist can ever be fair covering that player.

You might see that as a personal attack. I don't know any of you as a person, but all I can judge of your professionalism is what you put into words, and I was criticizing those particular words on that particular day.

3. In a private email to you and in my public writing, I wondered outloud if there are any standards for sports writing professionalism these days. That is, when being unreasonable and provocative to obtain page hits or to get invited to being a ESPN talking head is the currency of conversation among certain sportswriters, are there any standards these days? If Skip Bayless is the standard for professionalism, then I do wonder if there are truly any standards at all.

Ultimately, you say you believe that Texans fans are too emotionally invested in their team to write critically about them. I don't know about that. It is my experience that fans are looking for rational, realistic, factually-supported criticism of the team. Most teams in the NFL aren't inherently great or awful--they are in the middle--they have strengths and weaknesses, need some breaks, have some challenges.

Sometimes I think your writing about the Texans is sort of on a roller coaster of either things being really really great or things being really really awful. One moment you see the Texans as a team "without glaring weaknesses" (even though they are very young team had a bottom rated defense in 2007 http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef.php), and then the next moment you are throwing the one of the most experienced coaches under the bus for uh yelling(?).

Ultimately, my question is a basic one. Do you know of any Texans offensive players who are unhappy with the way that Gibbs is yelling at them, or are you just extrapolating that you wouldn't like to be yelled at your job, so obviously the line isn't listening to Gibbs, or are you just sore that unlike the rest of the yelling coaches on the Texans staff, Gibbs doesn't talk to the media?

I'm just a Chronicle subscriber that tries to piece through the news we get from the team and tries to figure out what the real deal is. What is real and what is illusory. I want to know if the line is tuning out Gibbs because that is the implication of your article. I don't get too many people asking me if I'm clueless, but generally I don't hang out with impolite people.

And certainly, I didn't want to rehash that professionalism discussion, but only did because you brought it up. Sorry, hope you have a lovely Sunday in every other respect.
-Steph