Team Scapegoat: Whose it for you?

[m5kwatts]

Which one of these players do you feel strongest about being the team scapegoat? Who are you most upset with as you watch this team NOT in the playoffs?

[brakos82]

CHKris Brown.

[Cjeremy635]

Originally Posted by brakos82

CHKris Brown.

This (both).....but I tend to lean more towards Kris Brown.

[Ole Miss Texan]

I'm going with the injuries to the OL.

[pbat488]

Dan Riley.

[Goatcheese]

Did you really need more than 2 options?

[thunderkyss]

Steve Slaton.

If he would have not come down with fumblitus we wouldn't have seen Chris Brown more then 6 times a game, we wouldn't have been asking Kris brown to kick high preessure kicks, and every body in Houston would have been drinking the Kool aide as we clinched a wild card spot in week 14.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Ole Miss Texan

I'm going with the injuries to the OL.

We returned all five starting linemen from '08. And had no running game against the Jets or Jacksonville. It's hard for me to blame the OL. Kubiak wasn't going to let them do what they proved they were good at last year. He was going to get his ZBS installed 100% this year. A bad call by Kubiak I think, but I understand his position & give him props for sticking to his guns.

If you watched the OL over the last 5 games, I believe we have 6 guys who can play Alex Gibbs' ZBS, & at least 1) who can do well in that system.

[CloakNNNdagger]

A scapegoat is usually one who is a player that does not deserve the blame..............for sure, all of the above mentioned can take a bow for being less than helpful in our 2009 playoff aspirations.

[Hervoyel]

Originally Posted by Ole Miss Texan

I'm going with the injuries to the OL.

I disagree. I've read so often over the season variations of the "But for this mistake by Chris Brown (of Steve Slaton, or Ryan Moats, or.....) or that missed FG by Kris Brown the Texans would have won" and that it wasn't so much the way Gary conducts his business this year that hurt us as the mistakes and failures to execute (apologies to Dom for using his trademark phrase).

If we accept this as true then it wasn't the OL injuries that caused Chris Brown to fumble the ball and it wasn't the injured OL that caused Kris Brown to miss all of those kicks (The man left 34 points on the field this year). The OL didn't throw those pick 6's either.

Yes, absolutely the job is easier if they're all healthy. No doubt about it. The running game started out awful and never really righted itself until the last two games or so with the emergence of Foster and the backups finally getting a little "gelling" going on. If our starters had stayed healthy then maybe the running game comes around a little sooner.

But we had an effective offense without it.

With the 34 points on the board that Kris Brown missed we jump up into the top 10 in scoring going from 388 points to 422.

The Browns killed our season. They were the daggers in our backs. Slaton's problems hurt us and injuries gave us our share of problems but Chris & Kris cost us at least 2 wins between them. Possibly 3.

[stingray]

Why is Amobi on this list? He didn't play like Warren Sapp but he wasn't horrible either. And Dunta? The guy stole some money this year but he is hardly a terrible cornerback.

[Big Lou]

I voted for Kris Brown because I think he cost us the most games. However Chris Brown makes me the most angry.

Also I feel bad for Kris Brown, he has been the difference in a lot of games for the positive, just not this year. He will be missed, unlike his missed feild goals.

[eriadoc]

One could argue that Chris Brown tried to fulfill a role that he was not equipped to fill (power back). He wasn't successful as a short yardage back, but there was nothing in his past to realistically suggest that he excelled in that role anyway. Asking any RB not named Tomlinson or Ronnie Brown to complete a HB pass in the scenario in which the play was called was pretty dumb, and again not really Chris Brown's forte.

Kris Brown, on the other hand, was never asked to do anything outside the norm for his job, and he sucked at it.

I also would like to vote for Slaton, though.

[stingray]

Originally Posted by CloakNNNdagger

A scapegoat is usually one who is a player that does not deserve the blame..............for sure, all of the above mentioned can take a bow for being less than helpful in our 2009 playoff aspirations.

Well, if you go by that logic, then the whole team except, AJ, Schaub, Cushing, and Pollard would be on that list.

[Goatcheese]

Originally Posted by stingray

And Dunta? The guy stole some money this year but he is hardly a terrible cornerback.

Because he wrote "Pay me Rick" on his shoes.

[m5kwatts]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

Steve Slaton.

If he would have not come down with fumblitus we wouldn't have seen Chris Brown more then 6 times a game, we wouldn't have been asking Kris brown to kick high preessure kicks, and every body in Houston would have been drinking the Kool aide as we clinched a wild card spot in week 14.

Slaton gets an omission due to his injury and being stashed on IR... had he not gotten hurt and finished the season as poorly as he started he would've been on the list but there's no telling what his second half of the season would've been like.

[STEEL BLUE TEXANS]

Gotta go with Kris Brown.

I expected Chris Brown to fail.

[BattleRedToro]

Gary Kubiak.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by m5kwatts

Slaton gets an omission due to his injury and being stashed on IR... had he not gotten hurt and finished the season as poorly as he started he would've been on the list but there's no telling what his second half of the season would've been like.

Good point. I'm just saying we started the season thinking he was going to be our factor back, he was supposed to be on the same level as Schaub & AJ. He basically forced Chris Brown into the starting role, way before the injury.

I believe his fumblitus was the single biggest detriment to this team.

[beerlover]

numerious muffs in critical situations after being rewarded in offseason with entirely too long & rich contract, Kris Brown. what should've been