He wasn't ready.....

[thunderkyss]

Just thought I would post my ideas about this team before this game... just because.

I was disappointed as many of you were with our HC after our 2006 season. I knew then, that he was not ready for the job at hand after watching what had transpired that season. It's not that I thought he wasn't ready to be a head coach in this league, I thought he was not ready to take this team from where we were to where we wanted to go.

Taking that into consideration, I think he's done a remarkable job.

We weren't an expansion team in 2006. We were a failed expansion team, & IMHO we needed a Holmgren, Parcells, a Shanahan, or maybe a Cowher at that time.

4 years later, we are a handful of plays away from competing with the elite teams in the NFL. & that's the way I expect this game to go. I would be shocked, & sorely disappointed if we get blown out the way the Titans & Jags did. & I would have to admit I'm wrong about the state of this franchise if we are.

From where we are now, I believe Kubiak is the right man for the job. To take us from where we are now, to the Super Bowl, there is no doubt, in my mind, that Kubiak can get that job done. If we make it to the play-offs this season, I think we'll see that. Not that we'll get to the Super Bowl, but I'd bet we make it to the AFC Championship game & compete well with whoever is there.

I don't by any means believe Kubiak is the only guy who can get us there. If McNair decides we need to move on, I can respect that... & unless he screws the pooch on his next selection, I believe that coach has an inside track to being very successful his first year here.

I do however feel that Kubiak built this, & he should at least get next year to prove he deserves to stay. This is where we should have been when he got here. He got us here. To me, it's only fair.

Again, I don't care if he's here or not... I care more about this team. I just think it would be the right thing to do.

[DexmanC]

The "handful of plays" needs to be removed from our vocabulary. You have
to apply it to BOTH sides of the ledger if you're gonna continue to use it.
We were a handful of plays from winning the Colts, Jags, and Titans games.
We were also a handful of plays away from LOSING to the Rams, Dolphins,
and Tennessee. At the end of he season, you ARE who your record
SAYS you are.

[WWJD]

Until the Texans can compete well within their own division I'll hold back on Coach Kubiak doing a "remarkable" job.

They haven't and he hasn't. But he'll be back.

[Thorn]

Smith and Kubiak have immensely improved the talent level on this team, but it hasn't yet turned into the victory's we need. Depending on my mood these days, I'm all for keeping Kubiak and not rocking next years boat. I can also see hiring a proven coach to come in here and take all this accumulated talent to the next level.

Either of those two options work for me. What will NOT work for me, and I've said this before, is replacing Kubiak with another rookie head coach. If McNair does that, now matter how enticing the new HC is, I'll be pissed as hell.

[edo783]

Originally Posted by Thorn

Smith and Kubiak have immensely improved the talent level on this team, but it hasn't yet turned into the victory's we need. Depending on my mood these days, I'm all for keeping Kubiak and not rocking next years boat. I can also see hiring a proven coach to come in here and take all this accumulated talent to the next level.

Either of those two options work for me. What will NOT work for me, and I've said this before, is replacing Kubiak with another rookie head coach. If McNair does that, now matter how enticing the new HC is, I'll be pissed as hell.

This is where I'm at also. (I suspect most of the non soapers but not Sally sunshineers are at this point) If we could get someone like Cowher (would need to have him in the bag before letting Kubes go) then OK, but most of the other guys I wouldn't be on board with like Gruden or Shanny senior, MIGHT be OK with Billick. I'm willing to take that sort of risk and make no mistake about it, it would still carry risk with it at least in the short term. But, if we just dump him to dump him and then look around to see who we can get, that would be stupid. I see him moving the team in the right direction, just not as fast as we might like.

[ObsiWan]

Originally Posted by edo783

This is where I'm at also. (I suspect most of the non soapers but not Sally sunshineers are at this point) If we could get someone like Cowher (would need to have him in the bag before letting Kubes go) then OK, but most of the other guys I wouldn't be on board with like Gruden or Shanny senior, MIGHT be OK with Billick. I'm willing to take that sort of risk and make no mistake about it, it would still carry risk with it at least in the short term. But, if we just dump him to dump him and then look around to see who we can get, that would be stupid. I see him moving the team in the right direction, just not as fast as we might like.

EXTREMELY stupid.

[GP]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

Just thought I would post my ideas about this team before this game... just because.

I was disappointed as many of you were with our HC after our 2006 season. I knew then, that he was not ready for the job at hand after watching what had transpired that season. It's not that I thought he wasn't ready to be a head coach in this league, I thought he was not ready to take this team from where we were to where we wanted to go.

Taking that into consideration, I think he's done a remarkable job.

We weren't an expansion team in 2006. We were a failed expansion team, & IMHO we needed a Holmgren, Parcells, a Shanahan, or maybe a Cowher at that time.

4 years later, we are a handful of plays away from competing with the elite teams in the NFL. & that's the way I expect this game to go. I would be shocked, & sorely disappointed if we get blown out the way the Titans & Jags did. & I would have to admit I'm wrong about the state of this franchise if we are.

From where we are now, I believe Kubiak is the right man for the job. To take us from where we are now, to the Super Bowl, there is no doubt, in my mind, that Kubiak can get that job done. If we make it to the play-offs this season, I think we'll see that. Not that we'll get to the Super Bowl, but I'd bet we make it to the AFC Championship game & compete well with whoever is there.

I don't by any means believe Kubiak is the only guy who can get us there. If McNair decides we need to move on, I can respect that... & unless he screws the pooch on his next selection, I believe that coach has an inside track to being very successful his first year here.

I do however feel that Kubiak built this, & he should at least get next year to prove he deserves to stay. This is where we should have been when he got here. He got us here. To me, it's only fair.

Again, I don't care if he's here or not... I care more about this team. I just think it would be the right thing to do.

So you're really invested, emotionally, in seeing Kubiak mature into the head coach that NFL teams NEED in order to be above-average?

I see a lot of sentimentalism in your post (bolded, for effect). You firmly believe that it wouldn't be "fair" or "right" if someone else came in and took over what he started.

My view is that if Gary Kubiak wants to keep that which he started, he needs to stop being a maintainer and begin being a cold-blooded, ruthless menace on gameday.

You had responded to me in another thread and made a semi-critical remark about my admiration of Fisher and Del Rio--about their ruthlessness when they get a chance to beat someone down. I stand by those remarks because the NFL is not a video game, it's not sandlot football where we all drink a beer after playing a good, clean game of flag football.

If Gary Kubiak had one single ounce of what Fisher and Del Rio have, it'd mix perfectly with the other ingredients that he already possesses and exhibits. It would complete him, IMO. But it still feels like the guy, on gameday, is just out there running practice drills and not being a manager of the game (spotting the opponent's weaknesses, riding hell-bent for leather, etc.) Instead, we get Chris Brown. WTH? Kubiak is perplexing.

I know you care about this team. And I applaud this thread and your first post in it.

[houstonspartan]

Good lord. ANOTHER thread.

Ugh.

[GP]

Originally Posted by houstonspartan

Good lord. ANOTHER thread.

Ugh.

And you posted in it!

FTW!

[DexmanC]

The OP just gave us a long winded version of:

Give Kubiak a FOUR-YEAR MULLIGAN!!!

lol

Four years, to get "nestled" in.

Next year's THE REAL "The Year!"

[gary]

Each year 8-8 happens...........................
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9sraruD8ho

[Wolf]

Casserly on NFL show expects Kubiak to get an extension

[Wolf]

Originally Posted by Thorn

Smith and Kubiak have immensely improved the talent level on this team, but it hasn't yet turned into the victory's we need. Depending on my mood these days, I'm all for keeping Kubiak and not rocking next years boat. I can also see hiring a proven coach to come in here and take all this accumulated talent to the next level.

Either of those two options work for me. What will NOT work for me, and I've said this before, is replacing Kubiak with another rookie head coach. If McNair does that, now matter how enticing the new HC is, I'll be pissed as hell.

exactly my thoughts

[Scooter]

Originally Posted by Thorn

Smith and Kubiak have immensely improved the talent level on this team, but it hasn't yet turned into the victory's we need. Depending on my mood these days, I'm all for keeping Kubiak and not rocking next years boat. I can also see hiring a proven coach to come in here and take all this accumulated talent to the next level.

Either of those two options work for me. What will NOT work for me, and I've said this before, is replacing Kubiak with another rookie head coach. If McNair does that, now matter how enticing the new HC is, I'll be pissed as hell.

smith and kubiak did indeed improve the talent level of this team. what have they impoved it to? all we have to go off of is crap - we've improved our talent level from andre johnson as the only player to our current roster ... where are we now really? is it forgotten that kubiak was handcuffed with david carr for his first season? did we miss that mike sherman set us back a season both in free agency and scheme? did we miss bush being in his second year (first as DC) on the texans? how many years has kubiak actually had?

[Mr. White]

Originally Posted by Scooter

did we miss that mike sherman set us back a season both in free agency and scheme?

Nope and we damn sure haven't missed that Alex Gibbs has been doing the same thing the past two years. Wonder who the next caveman will be that gets hired as Asst. HC...........

At some point the buck stops with the head coach.

[Wolf]

Is Bruce Mathews getting groomed for the Texans?
He is one of a dozen (it seems) assistant coaches on the team

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by DexmanC

The "handful of plays" needs to be removed from our vocabulary. You have
to apply it to BOTH sides of the ledger ....

I'm not jaded at all, & I agree exactly with what you said. We are a handful of plays away from being a great team...

Originally Posted by GP

My view is that if Gary Kubiak wants to keep that which he started, he needs to stop being a maintainer and begin being a cold-blooded, ruthless menace on gameday.

You had responded to me in another thread and made a semi-critical remark about my admiration of Fisher and Del Rio--about their ruthlessness when they get a chance to beat someone down. I stand by those remarks because the NFL is not a video game, it's not sandlot football where we all drink a beer after playing a good, clean game of flag football.

& where has that got Fisher & Del Rio? They're going to be rooting for the Jets tonight, in hopes that the Texans don't get to the post season.

I see what you're saying, & yeah, it would be great to see someone get in someone's grill on game day. But... I also like the way the Colts do it. Learn your job, & do your job better than everyone else. & you'll win more games than you lose.

That's where I see us going.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Scooter

is it forgotten that kubiak was handcuffed with david carr for his first season? did we miss that mike sherman set us back a season both in free agency and scheme? did we miss bush being in his second year (first as DC) on the texans? how many years has kubiak actually had?

I'm with you. Sure, maybe Kubiak should have stood up a little more to McNair... & benched him early in 2006. Maybe he should have stood up to Sherman, & told him, "ZBS & nothing else" I don't know what the dynamics were, & what Kubiak could have, & could not have done.

People wonder about why Alex Gibbs has not been able to work his magic here... but I think what Sherman did, poisoned the minds of Pitts & Winston. Pitts did not like Zone Blocking. You could watch him & see it. He would much rather go mano-y-mano, & over power his opponent.

Chester is big, strong, athletic, & he's a good player. But it may be time for him to move on.

I may very well be making all this up, & I may be way off.

But if you put your hatred of Chris Myers aside, & watch how our "starting 5" has progressed this year.... I think it's obvious.

Before, the Zone Stretch would hit a log pile at Pitts when they would run to the left, & there would be no cutback lane, because Winston simply would not cut block.

But if you watch them since the Second Tennessee game, they've been consitently opening holes, & cut back lanes... Since the second Tennessee game, our running game weakness has been the RB, not the OL.

What I do like about Kubiak, is that this is his do or die year. He knows that. But instead of playing it safe, & letting the players "do what they want to do" he was determined to run the ZBS this year.

There was a thread way back at the beginning of the year, when I asked why Kubiak was not doing what made our run game successful last year, pulling Pitts & Winston, getting them out in front & running behind them.

& you could see he was determined to run to the left, putting Winston on the backside of the play...

Now we're running to the right just as much, & Winston is doing the right thing on the backside.

Same thing with Frank Bush. I was afraid after our third game, when we let another RB go crazy on us, that we would start playing prevent defense. Like we have in the past. But have been aggressive from bell to bell. Our defensive players have been empowered to make plays on every down. & they've responded by becoming the best defense we've ever had.

I'm loving this team.

[Scooter]

hiya.

[houstonspartan]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

I'm not jaded at all, & I agree exactly with what you said. We are a handful of plays away from being a great team...



& where has that got Fisher & Del Rio? They're going to be rooting for the Jets tonight, in hopes that the Texans don't get to the post season.

I see what you're saying, & yeah, it would be great to see someone get in someone's grill on game day. But... I also like the way the Colts do it. Learn your job, & do your job better than everyone else. & you'll win more games than you lose.

That's where I see us going.

Are you kidding me? Del Rio and Fisher are outstanding coaches. You can't compare us to Indy, because they built a history of winning and excellence. We are not the Colts. We HAVE to get inj people's grills on game day.

And, I'm going to get a nice letter from Bob McNair in about a month, saying how he's about to screw season ticket holders with a 10 percent bump (even though he raised prices last year).