Bob McNair's Thoughts...

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by bckey

Change owner to gm and you hit the trifecta. McNair is just excrutiatingly patient. Its becoming a fault instead of an asset. He is also as others have said "learning on the job". I doubt he learned this slow in business. I can't hate him but it is fairly aggrivating at times.

I am as disappointed with our exit as anyone. However, I don't know that McNair is learning slowly, or if his patience is excruciating. He fired Capers after 4 years, I don't know if that was too long, actually I'd have been fine if he'd have dumped Casserly & kept Capers.

Either way, four years seems about right.

4 years later, the organization was completely overhauled & we had our first winning season.

• Should have been in the play offs

  
  I understand everyone thinks we've underachieved. Actually, everyone believes we've consistently under achieved. I wonder if we've just overestimated our team. We were who we were & the best they could do was below our expectations.

• could have won sooner

  
  I think we could have won sooner. Maybe I'm just as guilty as everyone else & overestimating our team. But I think we sacrificed winning at all costs for building the right way. At the time, I was ok with that. I think we're doing some of the same thing now. I'm not ok with that now.

4 years later we'll probably be in a Super Bowl, 4 years after that, we'll probably win it.



But think about where the other expansion teams are now. No one wants to hear it, but that's the only way to judge this organization. We're not an expansion team any more, neither are they. But until this becomes a sought after destination for FA wanting to win a championship, we've still got a way to go.

[bckey]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

McNair's net worth is roughly at $1.5 B per Wiki (I didn't think to check Forbes, but is there a need?)

You don't put out an inferior product and make that much money year in and year out.

I never said he was a bad businessman. Slow learning as an NFL football team owner. Big difference.

And I am not a bitter fan. Disappointed yes. I'm just tired of the same ol same ol in Houston. Fans making excuses as to why our team didn't meet expectations. They had a huge meltdown at the end of epic proportions and fans are fine with it. By golly they beat the Bengals. Should have been off that week. They should have been whoopin a$$ on the Ravens at Reliant in the championship game. Why should we believe they will do anything different in 2013 if everything remains the same? Overall record is nothing. Bring a Lombardi to Houston.

[tru80texan]

Originally Posted by bckey

I never said he was a bad businessman. Slow learning as an NFL football team owner. Big difference.

And I am not a bitter fan. Disappointed yes. I'm just tired of the same ol same ol in Houston. Fans making excuses as to why our team didn't meet expectations. They had a huge meltdown at the end of epic proportions and fans are fine with it. By golly they beat the Bengals. Should have been off that week. They should have been whoopin a$$ on the Ravens at Reliant in the championship game. Why should we believe they will do anything different in 2013 if everything remains the same? Overall record is nothing. Bring a Lombardi to Houston.

Can't say I feel much different & agree 100%.

[Premier]

Originally Posted by Double Barrel

If someone had told me in January 2010 that Texans fans would be so bitter after a 12-4 season that won the division and won a playoff game, I would not have believed you.

In January 2010, the Texans had one winning season and no playoff history. Amazing what two years and success can bring to a fanbase...

it has nothing to do with 2 years of success, weve been told for 4-5 years now that weve had a team ready for the playoffs. now were supposed to be content with 12-4 and getting blown out in the division round? lol wtf is that.. no fanbase should ever be content. when youre touted as a super bowl favorite and get embarrassed in the playoffs there is no silver lining, it was not a successful season, it was a failure..

[GP]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

McNair's net worth is roughly at $1.5 B per Wiki (I didn't think to check Forbes, but is there a need?)

You don't put out an inferior product and make that much money year in and year out.

Product and team success are two different things.

One can be highly, continuously successful and bearing a bountiful harvest...while the other can languish and fall short of expectations.

10 times out of 10, a Super Bowl winning team is going to have automatic success in terms of being a cash cow. It's a natural consequence. What teams ever won the Super Bowl and then the following season saw its fan base shrink and regress in its spending on that team's products? I thought so.

But when a team can rake big bucks and never really produce a tried-and-true Super Bowl caliber team...a team who wins the Super Bowl or at least is playing in one...then this is more indicative of the team's savvy when it comes to providing 325 other "products" that the fan(s) enjoy and spend money upon.

I would love to see some sort of study and report that focuses on team's revenue and how it correlates to the mindset of a team's fan base. I think it's cultural to a large extent. I think certain areas of this country are more apt to function a certain way based on that area's cultural identity related to the sport being studied in the report.

In Texas, football is KING. We'll go nuts every year attending high school games, college games, and pro games: Three levels of football that Texas football fans relish with zeal year in and year out. We can tolerate a loser at one of those three levels because we often have a fall-back in one or more of the other two levels we're following. My Texans having a bad year is off-set by how my WTAMU Buffaloes almost made it to the championship game this year. We made it to the semi-finals. I had a fall-back "Option B" I could enjoy.

In California, I've heard many people say that football is popular but it's not nearly as big as it is in Texas and other more rural-minded states.

I think it'd be interesting if Grantland did a big article on this topic.

If anything, Bob McNair is a wise man because I bet his exploratory team--when he considered getting Houston another NFL franchise--did their homework and knew that Texas, of ANY state, would be the nearest thing to a sure-thing in terms of making a healthy profit off of fans come rain or shine. I'm not saying he's the devil and he's greedy. I'm saying he is SMART. Obviously.

In the Texas Panhandle region, in the early 1900s, the oil men hired geologists and even paleontologists ...they discovered that in the dinosaur age there were certain swamps and pools in certain areas of the Texas Panhandle--They knew where to drill and find large caches of dead dinosaurs...OIL!

Bob knew where to drill, folks. Smart man.

[Scooter]

i understand lingering frustration, but the outcry has become ridiculous. we went 12-4 ... stop and think on that. 12-4. say it out loud. twelve wins. getting to the postseason is the goal, after that it becomes quite the crap shoot. ask arguably the greatest quarterback ever - peyton manning. if that's not enough, ask the greatest QB/HC pair ever (brady and belichick) who have gone 3-5 in their past 8 postseason games. ask the 1 and 2 defenses every year for the past 15 years - the steelers and ravens. 3 superbowls is fantastic, but combined they've been bumped from the playoffs 20 something times, with several years failing to even get in.

get over the "worst team ever" schit. i'm tired of it. i'm sick of the booing, the entitlement, the venom directed at schaub and kubiak, and the overall hate leveled at a team that went as far as their talent allowed.

mcnair's patience is WHY we won 12 games this year. it's why we still have kubiak and smith. it's why we were the talk of pundits all season as "this is the most complete team in football". it's why we're still a young and building and successful team instead of a reboot every other year. mcnair's patience is WHY you're so pissed off ... he stuck with a plan that would work. 12 wins and a tough loss is so heartbreaking that you have something to be passionate about. there are plenty of teams who can give you safe lethargy, would you be happier as a fan of the rams or cowboys or redskins who make giant splashes without having any substance or chance at real glory?

[silentassassin]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

Was there any moral victory when they somehow find a way to lose in 2010?

Either way, they would hear it, wouldn't they?

Exactly. I'm sure a lot of us weren't buying that "so close" thing back then. I don't understand how losing close games changes ANYTHING. They still lost the games they lost.

Situation is very binary for me. Winning vs. Losing, doesn't matter how it happens.

[steelbtexan]

Originally Posted by Scooter

i understand lingering frustration, but the outcry has become ridiculous. we went 12-4 ... stop and think on that. 12-4. say it out loud. twelve wins. getting to the postseason is the goal, after that it becomes quite the crap shoot. ask arguably the greatest quarterback ever - peyton manning. if that's not enough, ask the greatest QB/HC pair ever (brady and belichick) who have gone 3-5 in their past 8 postseason games. ask the 1 and 2 defenses every year for the past 15 years - the steelers and ravens. 3 superbowls is fantastic, but combined they've been bumped from the playoffs 20 something times, with several years failing to even get in.

get over the "worst team ever" ****. i'm tired of it. i'm sick of the booing, the entitlement, the venom directed at schaub and kubiak, and the overall hate leveled at a team that went as far as their talent allowed.

mcnair's patience is WHY we won 12 games this year. it's why we still have kubiak and smith. it's why we were the talk of pundits all season as "this is the most complete team in football". it's why we're still a young and building and successful team instead of a reboot every other year. mcnair's patience is WHY you're so pissed off ... he stuck with a plan that would work. 12 wins and a tough loss is so heartbreaking that you have something to be passionate about. there are plenty of teams who can give you safe lethargy, would you be happier as a fan of the rams or cowboys or redskins who make giant splashes without having any substance or chance at real glory?

Glad your happy with the 12 wins.

This team with Gary/Matt in charge is as good as it's going to get. IMHO

They've reached their peak as currently constructed. Matt is not going to get better. (Injury)

If that's good enough for you so be it. For a growing number in the fanbase it's not good enough.

[Double Barrel]

Originally Posted by Premier

it has nothing to do with 2 years of success, weve been told for 4-5 years now that weve had a team ready for the playoffs. now were supposed to be content with 12-4 and getting blown out in the division round? lol wtf is that.. no fanbase should ever be content. when youre touted as a super bowl favorite and get embarrassed in the playoffs there is no silver lining, it was not a successful season, it was a failure..

You do realize that us fans have ZERO influence on this team's operations, yeah?

So what do you propose fans do with with their resentment? Stop supporting the team? Stop buying merchandise? Write e-mails? Call sports radio? Stop going to games? Please elaborate how fans are supposed to show their discontent with a 12-4 team that won their division and won a playoff game. I am very interested in an effective fan movement, because everything up to this point in time over the years has been lame, and quite frankly, a joke.

At some point, you've got to enjoy the ride. Right now we have very vocal segment who are coming off as a bunch of myopic whiny fans who piss and moan because our team did not bring home a Lombardi.

Well, guess what, 31 teams in the NFL this year will have the same results as the Texans.

It's just ENTERTAINMENT. When did fans lose sight of this? Were y'all entertained or not? I know I enjoyed the hell out of the 2011 and 2012 seasons. If you didn't, why even bother being a fan?

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by Double Barrel

You do realize that us fans have ZERO influence on this team's operations, yeah?

So what do you propose fans do with with their resentment? Stop supporting the team? Stop buying merchandise? Write e-mails? Call sports radio? Stop going to games? Please elaborate how fans are supposed to show their discontent with a 12-4 team that won their division and won a playoff game. I am very interested in an effective fan movement, because everything up to this point in time over the years has been lame, and quite frankly, a joke.

At some point, you've got to enjoy the ride. Right now we have very vocal segment who are coming off as a bunch of myopic whiny fans who piss and moan because our team did not bring home a Lombardi.

Well, guess what, 31 teams in the NFL this year will have the same results as the Texans.

It's just ENTERTAINMENT. When did fans lose sight of this? Were y'all entertained or not? I know I enjoyed the hell out of the 2011 and 2012 seasons. If you didn't, why even bother being a fan?

MSR.

Or maybe think about the Cardinal fans.
Let's say somehow you stick with the team since its inception, all the way back to 1920 (nineteen twenty.)

No Lombardi trophy, a 6-7 play-offs record, and 209 games under .500 for the regular season.

How is that for "suffering", LOL.

[Scooter]

Originally Posted by steelbtexan

Glad your happy with the 12 wins.

This team with Gary/Matt in charge is as good as it's going to get. IMHO

They've reached their peak as currently constructed. Matt is not going to get better. (Injury)

If that's good enough for you so be it. For a growing number in the fanbase it's not good enough.

our peak is 12 wins with favorable matchups against all but a couple of teams in the NFL. if that's "as good as it's going to get", i'm pretty sure being a fan of the texans is going to continue to be a lot of fun.

[thunderkyss]

Can't we all just get along?

Hey, I hear Cushing's house is for sale.

[Jules Winnfield]

sometimes loyalty isnt a good thing.

[HOU-TEX]

Originally Posted by Double Barrel

You do realize that us fans have ZERO influence on this team's operations, yeah?

So what do you propose fans do with with their resentment? Stop supporting the team? Stop buying merchandise? Write e-mails? Call sports radio? Stop going to games? Please elaborate how fans are supposed to show their discontent with a 12-4 team that won their division and won a playoff game. I am very interested in an effective fan movement, because everything up to this point in time over the years has been lame, and quite frankly, a joke.

At some point, you've got to enjoy the ride. Right now we have very vocal segment who are coming off as a bunch of myopic whiny fans who piss and moan because our team did not bring home a Lombardi.

Well, guess what, 31 teams in the NFL this year will have the same results as the Texans.

It's just ENTERTAINMENT. When did fans lose sight of this? Were y'all entertained or not? I know I enjoyed the hell out of the 2011 and 2012 seasons. If you didn't, why even bother being a fan?

Great post, DB! I'm guilty of losing sight of this too at times. I reckon I was kinda miffed with the way the last 1/4 or so of the season went, but iiwii.

[Double Barrel]

Originally Posted by HOU-TEX

Great post, DB! I'm guilty of losing sight of this too at times. I reckon I was kinda miffed with the way the last 1/4 or so of the season went, but iiwii.

I'm certainly not above it all. None of us were happy with an 11-1 team blowing a chance at HFA. In the heat of the moment, we are all fans venting our perspectives.

But now in hindsight? I'm not going to lose sight of the big picture. Having 12 win team in this city is fantastic. I already miss football. It's going to be a long off-season.

[Rey]

Originally Posted by Double Barrel

I'm certainly not above it all. None of us were happy with an 11-1 team blowing a chance at HFA. In the heat of the moment, we are all fans venting our perspectives.

But now in hindsight? I'm not going to lose sight of the big picture. Having 12 win team in this city is fantastic. I already miss football. It's going to be a long off-season.

I'm not going to lie...I'm not super optimistic going forward as I feel this team is slow to recognize and fix problems.

But as always I'm looking forward to off season changes/additions to the team and hopefully another year of learning experience for all involved.

[Scooter]

Originally Posted by Double Barrel

But now in hindsight? I'm not going to lose sight of the big picture. Having 12 win team in this city is fantastic. I already miss football. It's going to be a long off-season.

this is exactly it. noone likes how it ended, but like it does for 31 teams every year, it ends in disappointment. what we cant lose sight of is that this WAS a successful season and one that can certainly be built upon. we arent going to lose any key pieces this year, especially if we can keep quin. we're going to be significantly stronger simply for having a full year of experience for 3 of our budding offensive linemen, and we'll have an excess of young talent infused between our current two rookie wide receivers and rush linebacker, and a ton of draft picks. heck we may even be able to save some money for a future impact free agent with the current youth movement (again on a 12 win team).

[BullNation4Life]

Look before everybody gets all giddy over the 12 wins, you have to look between the lines. 12 wins, great but what about the 4 losses? It's not the fact they had 4 loses, was never expecting a undefeated season, but look how they lost, hell look how they won.

a 3 game losing streak going into the playoffs..ok teams have done that before and come out ok BUT 1 TD in the red zone over 3 games? They go into Foxburough, get their head handed to them THEN go back and act like they have never seen the Patriots before.That is where my frustration comes into play and it now is no longer entertaining...

It is almost like watching your kid grow up and make the same damn mistakes you made, and you are helpless to do anything about it.You see it coming a mile away, and you hope that they see the light before it happens, then BAM, they walk right into what you hoped they would have avoided and there is nada you can do about it.

was the same way with the Texans this year, at least the last 7 weeks of the year...

[Double Barrel]

Originally Posted by Rey

I'm not going to lie...I'm not super optimistic going forward as I feel this team is slow to recognize and fix problems.

But as always I'm looking forward to off season changes/additions to the team and hopefully another year of learning experience for all involved.

I can respect that perspective. I'm not advocating anyone to pump sunshine.

Rather, just have some objectivity about it. We finally have a team that is winning more than losing and going to the playoffs. That, in and of itself, is a good thing

Now, can they maintain? That's the big question in the off-season.

I'm more of a reactive fan than proactive. I am not a fortune teller and cannot predict the future. So we'll wait and see and talk about the team's decisions in the meantime.

Originally Posted by Scooter

this is exactly it. noone likes how it ended, but like it does for 31 teams every year, it ends in disappointment. what we cant lose sight of is that this WAS a successful season and one that can certainly be built upon. we arent going to lose any key pieces this year, especially if we can keep quin. we're going to be significantly stronger simply for having a full year of experience for 3 of our budding offensive linemen, and we'll have an excess of young talent infused between our current two rookie wide receivers and rush linebacker, and a ton of draft picks. heck we may even be able to save some money for a future impact free agent with the current youth movement (again on a 12 win team).

Good post, man. MSR.

I think folks can choose to be optimistic or pessimistic. There is nothing inherently wrong with either one. I just choose to be optimistic about our team's success so far, mainly because I vividly remember 2-14 and the 9 craptacular seasons before 2011.

Originally Posted by BullNation4Life

Look before everybody gets all giddy over the 12 wins, you have to look between the lines. 12 wins, great but what about the 4 losses? It's not the fact they had 4 loses, was never expecting a undefeated season, but look how they lost, hell look how they won.

a 3 game losing streak going into the playoffs..ok teams have done that before and come out ok BUT 1 TD in the red zone over 3 games? They go into Foxburough, get their head handed to them THEN go back and act like they have never seen the Patriots before.That is where my frustration comes into play and it now is no longer entertaining...

It is almost like watching your kid grow up and make the same damn mistakes you made, and you are helpless to do anything about it.You see it coming a mile away, and you hope that they see the light before it happens, then BAM, they walk right into what you hoped they would have avoided and there is nada you can do about it.

was the same way with the Texans this year, at least the last 7 weeks of the year...

Fair enough. I'm not telling anyone to be giddy. By the same token, don't act like it's nothing to get 12 wins in this league. I hated the way the season ended, as well. No way to sugar coat that letdown.

The Texans are still learning, regardless if we realize it or not. 2012 was the first time that they were the front runners for most of a season. That, in and of itself, is a new perspective for the franchise and this fanbase. I think that kind of media attention got in their heads, which manifested itself in a very ugly way on MNF at Foxboro. They got down on themselves as a team. It snowballed for a few more weeks and they lost a chance for HFA (another first for this young franchise).

Unfortunately, they let it get to them again in NE. And this is where they have to mature into a championship caliber team. Collectively, not just individuals, they have to believe in themselves and find that intangible quality to rise above a collection of individual players and become a team.

I think they are talented enough to beat a team like NE. The Patriots are not perfect, as vividly shown last Sunday. So now the Texans have to learn to play physical and push their will onto other good teams.

I'm not saying they can or cannot do it. I might lean certain ways, but none of us truly knows until it happens. But, I have no doubt that their failures will teach them and they will learn.

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by Fiddler

Can't we all just get along?

Hey, I hear Cushing's house is for sale.

Are you suggesting that they should move in together? J/k