joe thiesman

[Honoring Earl 34]

The team has quit ... but where is there pride ? Can you make a bunch of quitters into a playoff team ?

If you are the new coach and watched film of the season ... I think you get a stack of pink slips ready . This is why Parcells brings in his old players from yesteryear . He knows they'll compete and teach the young players .

[touttail]

Originally Posted by infantrycak

Nice theory except the melt-down started before any of those events. This team looks exactly like they did against Cleveland and the passing game has sucked since week 10 last year.

You are right! Guess I was grabbing for straws to make some sense why the Texans did a complete flip flop.

It was so much fun being at the home games last year. The team was playing with pride. Yeah they lost some games, but was somewhat competetive. The NE, GB, and Minn. games they were right there in it.
You don't mind seeing your team get beat by a good team if you know they were there playing their hearts out.

I feel that just a couple of players are playing with that kind of desire right now.

bobby 119C :brickwall

[Runner]

Originally Posted by touttail

You are right! Guess I was grabbing for straws to make some sense why the Texans did a complete flip flop.

It was so much fun being at the home games last year. The team was playing with pride. Yeah they lost some games, but was somewhat competetive. The NE, GB, and Minn. games they were right there in it.
You don't mind seeing your team get beat by a good team if you know they were there playing their hearts out.

I feel that just a couple of players are playing with that kind of desire right now.

bobby 119C :brickwall

There is surely a case study in building a new NFL franchise in here somewhere. The "Capers approach" (for lack of a better term) worked for a while 2 - 2.5 years, then the wheels started to wobble last year and now they've fallen off.

I'm sure there are many, many reasons for this. I think one part of it may have been that Capers didn't change the coaching approach as the team and players matured. He ran a very tight ship with curfews and such things when the team started, and I think that gave the team a foundation of discipline and focus. However, as the team came together as a unit and the younger players got a little older they may have started to find the environment oppressive, and Capers may not have modified the environment to fit the changing needs of the team. I'm talking about off the field things here, not on field.

The more strict discipline of the Texans' environment may have the same effect on veteran players that come from other teams.

Any thoughts?

[Mycco]

It seems like the consensus is the our O-Line needs to go along w/ the coaching staff. Our O-line is a pitiful excuse for and NFL O-line, and won't get any better because their jobs are too secure. W/o any blue chip rookies or Pro Bowl calibur vets to push them to play better, and Carr continually patting them on their ***** everytime they skrew up they are not going to strive to improve, becuase it's become acceptable. It also seems like the coaching staff doesn't hold them accountable for their actions or lack there of also. I bet if they were fined $1000 for every penalty and $2000 for every sack they'd play with more urgency.

I like Carr for the most part, and have been anxious to see what he could do given time to throw, but when is this going to happen? When is the O-line going to be held accountable, and when is the GM going to get off his ***** and spend some $$ to bring in a top notch free agent that can help the team immediately instead a bunch of over priced no names.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by Mycco

and when is the GM going to get off his ***** and spend some $$ to bring in a top notch free agent that can help the team immediately instead a bunch of over priced no names.

uh, name me a top notch FA who we can pick up immediately. Frankly our line is full of FA players...that's what we got in FA. We need to draft some of our own.

Vinny they are there, it's just that our management can't seem to find them, acquire them or bring them in. Here's one for ya, Marco Rivera, G, Dallas Cowboys. Since the kid gloves have come off on the players and coaches, they should come off of the GM. We could have had Pace if we ponied up. We just complete missed out on Fonoti for a 6th rounder if he plays. There are numberous things we could have done to beef up this line in the offseason.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by SESupergenius

Vinny they are there, it's just that our management can't seem to find them, acquire them or bring them in. Here's one for ya, Marco Rivera, G, Dallas Cowboys. Since the kid gloves have come off on the players and coaches, they should come off of the GM. We could have had Pace if we ponied up. We just complete missed out on Fonoti for a 6th rounder if he plays. There are numberous things we could have done to beef up this line in the offseason.

funny thing about FA...the players get to have a say. What makes you think Marco Rivera wanted any part of this sorry team? We need to draft our own then start spending some money when other players think we are building a smart team. Right now the smartest FA in years has been Jeff Posey.

Peerless Price can't even beat out Patrick Crayton.

[Vinny]

well...its kinda obvious Price can get some PT if a guy is injured and can't get on the field, but Price was the 4th or 5th wr since he came aboard...I've followed the Cowboys as close as any team this year.

Originally Posted by Vinny

funny thing about FA...the players get to have a say. What makes you think Marco Rivera wanted any part of this sorry team? We need to draft our own then start spending some money when other players think we are building a smart team. Right now the smartest FA in years has been Jeff Posey.

Well after this 0-5 start in which you are using hindsight, no, I'm not too sure any player would want to come here. Considering you thought we had a legitimate shot at a playoff spot this year I'm thinking that maybe other people were buying into that as well, certainly football players and the media had higher expectations too. Are we going to give the "expansion" excuse to Casserly for not brining in talent this year?

[Wolf]

Personally I think Pace used the Texans to get his "real" contract done instead of the franchise tag placed on him every year..
And I don't blame him