Do they stay Humble?

[Kgbmedic]

I realize this maybe premature. But as I am watch the success of the Texans slowly increasing and all of the hoopla that goes with it. This is the early stages and when they take it to the next step hopefully. It will only increase in notoriety as well as commercial deals.

Do the Texans stay humbled and hungry next year to expand upon the success of this year? An awful lot of trappings come with the success that the Texans are experiencing this year, and especially if they take it to the next level the second half of this season. My concern is because of the amount of young players we have, how will they will handle it.

[The Pencil Neck]

I don't care if they stay humble. I seriously doubt most guys who've made it to the NFL are particularly humble about it even when they're on a losing team.

I just want them to play great football.

Some of the guys will be humble, some of the guys won't. And I don't think being a successful football player on a successful team has a lot to do with that.

[Kgbmedic]

I want them to continue to play great football myself, which is why this concerns me. The ego is a rather fragile monster especially when coupled with a man child playing the game. Their egos start getting feed the strong positive on a consistent bases can cause good players to go bad.

Take Dunta for instance he had one really good season then thought he was untouchable. I hope they stay humbled and maintain this level of play.

[Kthx]

I guess its bound to happen but thats what is sorta nice about hiding in the shadows and still being good. I don't know if I could honestly deal with having a quarterback like Romo who has just as much time spent talking about him on E! as he has on ESPN. I honestly don't want the media crap here, I enjoy the football side of things and hope it never gets to the point where we have ESPN talking about who Arian Foster is dating.

[Kgbmedic]

Originally Posted by Kthx

I guess its bound to happen but thats what is sorta nice about hiding in the shadows and still being good. I don't know if I could honestly deal with having a quarterback like Romo who has just as much time spent talking about him on E! as he has on ESPN. I honestly don't want the media crap here, I enjoy the football side of things and hope it never gets to the point where we have ESPN talking about who Arian Foster is dating.

Exactly my point.

[Sideline]

Originally Posted by Kthx

I guess its bound to happen but thats what is sorta nice about hiding in the shadows and still being good. I don't know if I could honestly deal with having a quarterback like Romo who has just as much time spent talking about him on E! as he has on ESPN. I honestly don't want the media crap here, I enjoy the football side of things and hope it never gets to the point where we have ESPN talking about who Arian Foster is dating.

I can't see it happening myself. I understand the concerns completely but as we have seen this franchise has always taken pride in the character of our players. We are rarely in the news for anything un-football related. McNair and the current coaching staff seem to have a really good grasp of the team's character. Our only blotch that I can think of has been Cushing's steroid situation.

[Vinny]

I get your overall point but no need for humble...just keep an attitude. Football is a game about strategy and imposing your will on people. We were as humble as a franchise could be for nearly a decade. Time for some attitude around here. I tell my kid to play with a mean streak like you are an actor in a play. Between the whistles you impose your will on people with intensity and great determination...after the games over, go back to being a nice kid.

[Craig.]

I think The Woodlands would be a better choice.

[badboy]

IMO, we don't have any prima donnas. I mean AJ and Cush could be or even Schaub and not a whiff of it. I really like the character makeup of this roster. Reminds me of the Bruce Matthews and Ray Childress guys in past.

[The Pencil Neck]

Originally Posted by Kgbmedic

I want them to continue to play great football myself, which is why this concerns me. The ego is a rather fragile monster especially when coupled with a man child playing the game. Their egos start getting feed the strong positive on a consistent bases can cause good players to go bad.

Take Dunta for instance he had one really good season then thought he was untouchable. I hope they stay humbled and maintain this level of play.

I think you've totally misread the whole Dunta thing. He didn't like the Texans defensive coaching staff and he thought he was worth more on the open market than what Smith was offering him.

Where was he wrong?

Rick Smith told him that he'd make a great offer and wouldn't have to use the Franchise tag. Dunta took that as a promise that he wouldn't be franchised. Dunta got the offer from Smith and it wasn't as good as he wanted so he turned it down. So Smith broke what Dunta thought was a promise and franchised him. That pissed Dunta off because as far as he was concerned, he'd been lied to.

So we let Dunta walk and... he was right. THe Texans' defensive coaches SUCKED. And he got $3 million more than the Texans were offering (iirc). And he got on a team that went to the playoffs.

He hasn't gone to Atlanta and become some sort of ego-monster. And he also hasn't performed up to that contract but that's beside the point.

The bottom line is that most great players really aren't that humble. They're very proud. And it's that pride that drives them to greatness.

[Kgbmedic]

Originally Posted by Vinny

I get your overall point but no need for humble...just keep an attitude. Football is a game about strategy and imposing your will on people. We were as humble as a franchise could be for nearly a decade. Time for some attitude around here. I tell my kid to play with a mean streak like you are an actor in a play. Between the whistles you impose your will on people with intensity and great determination...after the games over, go back to being a nice kid.

Don't get me wrong I expect confidence. I just don't want that to turn into Co ckiness. I respect confident player, but have no respect for the co cky ones. I believe this team does have a strong character makeup and hope it prevails. But the ego is a very dangerous animal especially in that type of enviroment.

[Kgbmedic]

Originally Posted by The Pencil Neck

I think you've totally misread the whole Dunta thing. He didn't like the Texans defensive coaching staff and he thought he was worth more on the open market than what Smith was offering him.

Where was he wrong?

Rick Smith told him that he'd make a great offer and wouldn't have to use the Franchise tag. Dunta took that as a promise that he wouldn't be franchised. Dunta got the offer from Smith and it wasn't as good as he wanted so he turned it down. So Smith broke what Dunta thought was a promise and franchised him. That pissed Dunta off because as far as he was concerned, he'd been lied to.

So we let Dunta walk and... he was right. THe Texans' defensive coaches SUCKED. And he got $3 million more than the Texans were offering (iirc). And he got on a team that went to the playoffs.

He hasn't gone to Atlanta and become some sort of ego-monster. And he also hasn't performed up to that contract but that's beside the point.

The bottom line is that most great players really aren't that humble. They're very proud. And it's that pride that drives them to greatness.

I will concede that I didn't really read much on the dunta situation. I wasn't impressed with the way he made his feelings known. It was on the childish side as far as I was concerned.

The fact that he didn't become an ego monster was most likely due to getting spanked here. There is a difference between pride, confidence and a great player, and one that is driven by the ego monster that is speaks out of pure coc kiness.

I am not asking our expecting our players to ask if it is ok to light up opposing teams. I just don't want them to be egotistcal with all of the extra attention that will explode when they go deep into the season.

[Texn4life]

Originally Posted by Kgbmedic

Don't get me wrong I expect confidence. I just don't want that to turn into Co ckiness. I respect confident player, but have no respect for the co cky ones. I believe this team does have a strong character makeup and hope it prevails. But the ego is a very dangerous animal especially in that type of enviroment.

I would define cockiness as over-confidence or extreme confidence in one's own abilities. I'm sure most great players in the history of football are cocky. They think extremely highly of themselves. As long as the work ethic matches it then I don't mind a few cocky dudes on the team.

In fact, the 2 people I consider the greatest athletes of all time were extremely cocky. Michael Jordan and Ali. They also worked their tails off though and in the case of Jordan, demanded that his teammates do the same.

[The Pencil Neck]

Originally Posted by Kgbmedic

I will concede that I didn't really read much on the dunta situation. I wasn't impressed with the way he made his feelings known. It was on the childish side as far as I was concerned.

The fact that he didn't become an ego monster was most likely due to getting spanked here. There is a difference between pride, confidence and a great player, and one that is driven by the ego monster that is speaks out of pure coc kiness.

I am not asking our expecting our players to ask if it is ok to light up opposing teams. I just don't want them to be egotistcal with all of the extra attention that will explode when they go deep into the season.

Dunta's best season was his first season when he was CB2 with Glenn on the other side. His entire tenure here up until the negotiation of his contract, he was a quiet-spoken, hard-hitting leader of the team. Which is exactly what he is now in Atlanta. Up until those contract negotiations, everyone loved his attitude.

He never changed. He didn't get a big head and start thinking he was Revis.

That whole thing was never about his ego. It was about him getting paid what he thought he was worth (and maybe a bit more). In a work situation like these players are in with the NFL, they have to maximize those times they have a chance to negotiate their contract. That was his time.

But, the main point is that I think you're dead wrong about what makes a great player. I don't think there's a huge difference between being cocky and being confident and proud. I think you're making a semantic distinction that doesn't exist. I want the Texans to have some swagger and I want them to be cocky.

You can be cocky and still work hard. You're saying you don't want them to think they've arrived and get lazy. You can get lazy and coast and rest on your laurels and still be humble. Laziness isn't related to humility vs. cockiness.

[Thorn]

Let's win a Super Bowl first, and then see if they stay humble.

[rush2112mn]

Yes...with Kubiak as their head coach.

[NBT]

Intensity=attitude=Success! Go Texans!

The only player I've seen on our team without an humble attitude is J. Jones. And from my viewpoint, he hasn't caught enough passes to deserve doing that.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by Kgbmedic

Don't get me wrong I expect confidence. I just don't want that to turn into Co ckiness. I respect confident player, but have no respect for the co cky ones. I believe this team does have a strong character makeup and hope it prevails. But the ego is a very dangerous animal especially in that type of enviroment.

I think they got kicked in the teeth too much the last few seasons to get too full of themselves. If this entire group is one year into rebuilding I think its a legit worry. This team is more of a punch 'em in the mouth unit than ever before...it feels like...victory.

[ObsiWan]

I haven't seen any signs of any egos growing to planetary sizes. Quite the opposite so far. Even when they win, each player I've seen quoted talks about getting in the film room and finding out how to get better. And to a man, the mantra remains, "We try to go 1 and 0 every week".

It doesn't hurt, IMHO, that the coaches preach staying focus and keeping an even keel.

[houstonspartan]

Originally Posted by Kgbmedic

I want them to continue to play great football myself, which is why this concerns me. The ego is a rather fragile monster especially when coupled with a man child playing the game. Their egos start getting feed the strong positive on a consistent bases can cause good players to go bad.

Take Dunta for instance he had one really good season then thought he was untouchable. I hope they stay humbled and maintain this level of play.

Dunta was an ass. The problem he ran into was that, at first, he was a good player on a team that was void of talent. When he was on the field, we cheered. When he went out during his injury, we let him know how much he was missed. When he returned, that stadium erupted. I was there.

Then, when it came to contract time, someone - probably his agent - convinced him that he was the ONLY talented person on the team, and that he should play hardball. He did, and it bit Dunta in the ass BIG TIME.

Dunta had bad advice, plain and simple.

Also, as others have said, you need a certain amount of ego to make it in the NFL. Look at the Texans this year. They didn't start dominating UNTIL they STOPPED being humble.