Pupils have Texans on right track

[Wolf]

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_8818449

It's becoming a frightening thought.

Who will reach the Super Bowl first: The Houston Texans, or the former team of so many Texan bosses?

Just three years ago, it was an absurd proposition. The Broncos went 13-3 and reached the AFC Championship Game while Houston was a Texan laughingstock. But after that 2005 season, Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith left their deputy offices at Dove Valley in exchange for boss accommodations in Houston.

Coach Kubiak and general manager Smith pushed the 2-14 team they inherited to 6-10 in 2006 and 8-8 last year.

If football were recorded on a graph, the Texans would be projected to reach the Super Bowl well ahead of the franchise that trained them. The only problem with this Houston report is football isn't a game determined by charts but on a field, even if it is played between the lines.

It's admirable the Texans have climbed from atrocious to mediocrity in such a short period, but only a graph believes 2-14 to 8-8 is a more sizeable accomplishment than going from 8-8 to 10-6.

"We know those extra two games to get to 10, that's an exponential jump," Smith said. "A lot of that is building and developing and creating a mindset of expectation. But we have a ton of work to do and we understand the challenges."

Broncos coach and vice president Mike Shanahan taught Smith and Kubiak all they know about running an organization. Since his two prized pupils graduated, Shanahan has suffered through heavy turnover in all three phases _ the front office, coaching staff, and player roster.

More difficult to understand was why the Broncos let offensive linemen Chris Myers go for no more than a sixth-round draft pick.

The team trained him for two years before starting him for 16 games at two positions in his third year. Then the 26-year-old Myers is allowed to anchor the Texans" new zone-blocking scheme while the Broncos replace him with Casey Wiegmann, who will soon turn 35?

Even if Myers was supposed to return to backup this year, he seemed to have more value than a sixth-round pick. But here's what happened: The Broncos did try to sign Myers to a multiyear contract. The team thought its offer was fair; Myers rejected it as too low. At that point, the team realized it was only going to have Myers for one more year before losing him to unrestricted free agency.

[ObsiWan]

Great post! Thanks.

Soon the whole NFL will see we are to be reckoned with.
very soon.

[ObsiWan]

Originally Posted by b0ng

The comments in that article are nothing short of hilarious, and I am sorry to posters like GP here. Those guys have a bad case of "The Sky is Falling!".

Sorry GP

ummm... what do you mean?

[b0ng]

Originally Posted by ObsiWan

ummm... what do you mean?

You know, the comments that are at the bottom of the article, similar to how the Houston Chronicle has their articles laid out? You know, you read the article and then at the bottom you read what other users had to say about the article? You know? The comments section? Here's one that I found:

Originally Posted by A Denver Post Reader

Apparently, since I only know about %5 of what I post... I was the guy everybody said "I didn't know what I was talking about" when I said Bowlen let go of the "wrong" coach. When Kub went to H town. Back when this was the EZ board.

[barrett]

http://www.denverpost.com/klis/ci_8818449

"It's becoming a frightening thought.

Who will reach the Super Bowl first: The Houston Texans, or the former team of so many Texan bosses?

Just three years ago, it was an absurd proposition. The Broncos went 13-3 and reached the AFC Championship Game while Houston was a Texan laughingstock. But after that 2005 season, Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith left their deputy offices at Dove Valley in exchange for boss accommodations in Houston.

Coach Kubiak and general manager Smith pushed the 2-14 team they inherited to 6-10 in 2006 and 8-8 last year.

If football were recorded on a graph, the Texans would be projected to reach the Super Bowl well ahead of the franchise that trained them. The only problem with this Houston report is football isn't a game determined by charts but on a field, even if it is played between the lines.

It's admirable the Texans have climbed from atrocious to mediocrity in such a short period, but only a graph believes 2-14 to 8-8 is a more sizeable accomplishment than going from 8-8 to 10-6.

"We know those extra two games to get to 10, that's an exponential jump," Smith said. "A lot of that is building and developing and creating a mindset of expectation. But we have a ton of work to do and we understand the challenges."

Broncos coach and vice president Mike Shanahan taught Smith and Kubiak all they know about running an organization. Since his two prized pupils graduated, Shanahan has suffered through heavy turnover in all three phases - the front office, coaching staff, and player roster.

Funny how the perception is the past two seasons were much worse for the Broncos (16-16) than Texans (14-18). But trends are trends.

"I have total confidence in Mike," Smith said. "Mike knows exactly what he's doing. He's got a plan, and he's executing his plan. Sometimes you have to make decisions that are tough and are not going to be popular. But when you sit in that seat, you need the conviction to make them. And he has it. He's going to get the building back in shape." "

also some insite later in the article towards some bronco fan frustrations about letting Meyers slip to Houston

[Texan_Bill]

Broncos coach and vice president Mike Shanahan taught Smith and Kubiak all they know about running an organization

Obviously the Denver paper has some legit biases, but let's remember Kubiak had some great mentors and opportunities along the way besides Shanahan. However, it was a nice article nevertheless.