Dear Texans

[El Tejano]

Just wanted you to know that I'm still very proud of you. Yes, this one was hard to swallow as I'm sure you all know, and moral victories aren't what gets it done in this league. However, I don't want you to get down on yourself. I've been with you guys since day one - the 2-14 seasons, the whole Mario/Vince thing, the Rosencopter, the come from behind losses etc.... And I'm still here.

This by far is the best team I've ever seen us put out on the field. People are actually afraid to play you now because they know you are coming to play and are more than capable of pulling off a victory even if it is in their house. 3rd and 2 no longer means we are going to punt but now means we have over a 90% chance of staying on the field. There are 20 yard passes and our defense tackles now. Yes it was that bad in the past. However, YOUR team has given all The Texan faithful a new hope and The Texan faithful are going to claw, cling, grasp, clinch, vise, and hold on to that hope til the season is over. You still have something to play for and we still have something to cheer for.

The loss this week was only painful because everyone from the fans to the opponent and their fans knew we should've won that game. It's also only painful because we see how good of a team you are. Please keep your heads up this week.

Please use this week as a way to find out how to get better. If you ever wanted to make up anything to the fans, nothing would come closer than to the pull the sweep off against Tenn (something we've done only once) on Monday Night Football.

I know the road ahead will be tough but if you just give everything you got, I know you will be still playing in January and us Texans fans will be with you every step of the way. Just know that.

I'm A Texan,

El Tejano

[El Tejano]

Anybody else feel the same way?

[BigTimeTexanFan]

Yeah, I'm with you. The reason it was so painful for me was because we were so close coming back from an early 13-0 deficit on the road and 6-3 sounds much better than 5-4.

I can gurantee you the Texans will be playing in January!!!

[Hervoyel]

I do not. I'm down to the basics now. "Just win" is all I care about at this point.

If they don't win I don't want to see their faces, I don't want to hear their voices. I'm proud of them when they win and I'm disgusted with them when they lose. No sentimentality, no soft spot for player "x" or "y". I was driving home yesterday and heard Eric Winston on the radio. I turned it off. I don't want to hear a word out of that overrated turnstiles mouth this week. The same empty words follow every loss and I have them memorized by now. He sounds just like Steve McKinney did and in fact I consider him the heir to Steve's "throne". He's the overrated lineman who happens to be a good interview now.

Maybe that's really crappy of me but that's how it is.

[badboy]

Originally Posted by Hervoyel

I do not. I'm down to the basics now. "Just win" is all I care about at this point.

If they don't win I don't want to see their faces, I don't want to hear their voices. I'm proud of them when they win and I'm disgusted with them when they lose. No sentimentality, no soft spot for player "x" or "y". I was driving home yesterday and heard Eric Winston on the radio. I turned it off. I don't want to hear a word out of that overrated turnstiles mouth this week. The same empty words follow every loss and I have them memorized by now. He sounds just like Steve McKinney did and in fact I consider him the heir to Steve's "throne". He's the overrated lineman who happens to be a good interview now.

Maybe that's really crappy of me but that's how it is.

What is really crappy is that you seem to get all your joy and peace from a stupid game. That's rather sad. What is pretty cool is you are going to be judged one day and you will maybe get to hear someone say how disgusted they are about your losing ways because I somehow doubt your are perfect. You are a WINNER! Yay, you.

[Pantherstang84]

Originally Posted by badboy

What is really crappy is that you seem to get all your joy and peace from a stupid game. That's rather sad. What is pretty cool is you are going to be judged one day and you will maybe get to hear someone say how disgusted they are about your losing ways because I somehow doubt your are perfect. You are a WINNER! Yay, you.

and I'm not laughing with you.

[Hervoyel]

Originally Posted by badboy

What is really crappy is that you seem to get all your joy and peace from a stupid game. That's rather sad. What is pretty cool is you are going to be judged one day and you will maybe get to hear someone say how disgusted they are about your losing ways because I somehow doubt your are perfect. You are a WINNER! Yay, you.

Couldn't be further from understanding me. All this exists in a "pocket" apart from the rest of my life. I have "joy and peace" to spare outside of the world of Texans football and everything associated with it.

And "Damn Straight. Yay Me and don't you forget it".

[Texecutioner]

Personally I'll never understand the "moral victory" crowd that is proud of mediocraty. I remember after last season so many people were excited and happy because they felt that it was a "different" 8-8 team. Well so what, you still are what your record says you are.

I'm glad that the Texans are improving on defense and that they've got one of the best offenses in the league and all, but this is year 4 in the Kubiak regime and I don't think a playoff birth in year 4 is to much to ask at all. I'll be disappointed by season's end if we are not in the post season, especially when I think at least two games this season could have been different had their not been some of the coaching mistakes. I'm really tired of the "so close, but just not quite there" endings that this team continually has. I think that this team has enough talent to be a playoff team this year. They've got to be managed well though and have to execute against whomever their opponents are regardless of whether or not they are at home or on the road.

[scourge]

I, too, hate the moral victory. It's either a win or a loss. It's that simple.

[Runner]

Originally Posted by Texecutioner

Personally I'll never understand the "moral victory" crowd that is proud of mediocraty. I remember after last season so many people were excited and happy because they felt that it was a "different" 8-8 team. Well so what, you still are what your record says you are.

I'm glad that the Texans are improving on defense and that they've got one of the best offenses in the league and all, but this is year 4 in the Kubiak regime and I don't think a playoff birth in year 4 is to much to ask at all. I'll be disappointed by season's end if we are not in the post season, especially when I think at least two games this season could have been different had their not been some of the coaching mistakes. I'm really tired of the "so close, but just not quite there" endings that this team continually has. I think that this team has enough talent to be a playoff team this year. They've got to be managed well though and have to execute against whomever their opponents are regardless of whether or not they are at home or on the road.

I don't know - if this team finishes 8-8 I can see an argument made that it was a much improved 8-8 team.

[Dan B.]

This is why the damn "turn the corner" argument was so stupid. Moral victories are for teams that are trying to turn the corner. Once you've done so, there are no longer any moral victories. Playoff teams do not console themselves with how they tried their best. They do not blame the referees. Great teams take care of what they can control and minimize the rest. You have no say in how a ref is going to call a game. You can't control whether a guy is going to get injured. You can control throwing the ball into triple coverage. You can control the plays you call and the personnel on your roster. If the Texans had taken care of the things they could control on Sunday, they would have won. Despite everything else, the game was in their hands. There is no moral victory there. If the team feels that this was a win, they will not make the playoffs.

[Texecutioner]

Originally Posted by Runner

I don't know - if this team finishes 8-8 I can see an argument made that it was a much improved 8-8 team.

I think I've already heard those arguments actually. Lol!

[Double Barrel]

Dear Texans,

You've got 7 games left. If you lose more than one of them, you can probably kiss your playoff chances good-bye for 2009.

I'm a loyal fan, but I'm not wearing blinders or drinking the koolaide. All that matters is scoreboard, and so far you're 0-7 with regards to successful seasons. Let's see you change that trend.

Texan for life,

Double Barrel Darrell

p.s. if you lose to the Titans on MNF, you officially suck...just an fyi.

This, my friends, is TOUGH LOVE.

[ObsiWan]

Win or lose, thick & thin, the Texans are my team.
Edit:
that was all I really need to say.

[ObsiWan]

if it's any consolation (maybe 'validation' is a better word), count Andre Johnson in the "W's are the only thing that matter" crowd.

(on if he agrees that they are a very good team but not an elite team right now) "I think we're a good football team. I wouldn't consider us elite until we're a playoff contender every year and we're eventually competing for Super Bowls. I agree with that. We're a good football team and we're working to become elite."
(on being past moral victories) "I said that after the game, too. There are no moral victories. Are we getting better? I think we are. The biggest thing is just winning. You can get better all you want, but if you're not winning, it really doesn't matter. You look at football or any sport, that's all that matters, getting W's. We just have to find a way to win more games. "

[Drew_Smoke]

I know for sure the Texans will be playing a game in January, too. Hopefully...not just one though.

[DerekLee1]

Originally Posted by Dan B.

This is why the damn "turn the corner" argument was so stupid. Moral victories are for teams that are trying to turn the corner. Once you've done so, there are no longer any moral victories. Playoff teams do not console themselves with how they tried their best. They do not blame the referees. Great teams take care of what they can control and minimize the rest. You have no say in how a ref is going to call a game. You can't control whether a guy is going to get injured. You can control throwing the ball into triple coverage. You can control the plays you call and the personnel on your roster. If the Texans had taken care of the things they could control on Sunday, they would have won. Despite everything else, the game was in their hands. There is no moral victory there. If the team feels that this was a win, they will not make the playoffs.

Nobody on the TEAM called this ANY kind of victory, or blamed the refs in any way. Just the fans did. Every one of the players said, "we thought we should have won that game, and we blew it". THAT is the sign of a winning team. They expected to win, they didn't, and it pissed them off.

[El Tejano]

Originally Posted by El Tejano

and moral victories aren't what gets it done in this league.
El Tejano

I think everyone misunderstood the meaning of this thread. It is plain to see that I am not satisfied with moral victories based on my own quote from the thread.

The point was to tell fans and the team alike that we've been through tougher times than this one. In years past we could expect the team to not perform. Now they are performing and we actually KNOW they can win any game they play. So stay the course and do what it takes this week to become winners.

That was the point. The other stuff that was added in there was to remind us fans, that we've seen much worse and we can get through this and get to the playoffs.

[MojoMan]

Originally Posted by El Tejano

I think everyone misunderstood the meaning of this thread. It is plain to see that I am not satisfied with moral victories based on my own quote from the thread.

The point was to tell fans and the team alike that we've been through tougher times than this one. In years past we could expect the team to not perform. Now they are performing and we actually KNOW they can win any game they play. So stay the course and do what it takes this week to become winners.

That was the point. The other stuff that was added in there was to remind us fans, that we've seen much worse and we can get through this and get to the playoffs.

The Texans are a real football team now. Any lingering talk of being an "expansion franchise" is nonsense. The Texans are for real. They have a chance to win every game, and so far have won 5 and lost four. That is not as good of a record as most Texans fans would like to see. But it is about where most of these same fans would have expected the Texans to be at the point of the season, if they had been asked for a prediction prior to week one.

A lot of people around here complain too much. The Texans are meeting expectations so far this year. They are doing fine.

[Tailgate]

Originally Posted by DerekLee1

Nobody on the TEAM called this ANY kind of victory, or blamed the refs in any way. Just the fans did. Every one of the players said, "we thought we should have won that game, and we blew it". THAT is the sign of a winning team. They expected to win, they didn't, and it pissed them off.

Agreed. And its clear to me, AS A FAN, that this team is a better team than in any season before. And that its also clear that we will continue to improve and get better and better. And that we have one of if not THE youngest starting lineups in the NFL. For now, I am loving the playoff talk and possibilities. Who says we dont win the next two anyway?? We have had way too much zilch or crap football for years and years for others to be judging fans on them being excited for the team we have. For me, I really think that next year is going to be the year this team is ready to contend for it all. A few more holes to fill,etc.

But we are going to fight till the end this year and I believe our chances come down to the last game or two of the season. Because of the improved team we have. In my opinion, we have turned a corner. Its not stupid, its just one fans opinion. I have faith in our future now. Thats part of that corner btw... AS A FAN. This isnt coming from the players as DerekLee1 pointed out.

Its all good after we b slap those Titans at home on Monday night football!!!