Football Gods, how do you appease them?

[Hervoyel]

I can't believe how wrong I was in not wanting Wade Phillips here. I was so wrapped up in not wanting anymore .500ish "Gary-Ball" that I didn't want the defense to get better. I wanted the entire thing thrown out the window (baby AND bathwater) and if I'd had my way the Football Gods would still be angry with Houston I think. Today I don't claim to know that they aren't angry with us any longer. That would be a grave mistake. No one knows the minds of the Football Gods or should presume to.

Instead I'm going to simply say that I think Houston may have taken a step toward rectifying the New Years Eve Massacre by bringing a Phillips back to town and employing him in the same capacity that he once held with the Houston Oilers. A Phillips walks the Astro-domain again and I think this pleases the Football Gods.

Lets face it, wasn't that really when everything went wrong? Bud fires Bum and destroys the communities ongoing Luv-Ya-Blue love affair with it's NFL team. Nothing was ever right again. The Oilers built an arguably better team after that and it was still somehow wrong. We got better but it didn't seem better. It didn't feel better. It always felt like the other shoe was about to drop (and it always did). The day Bud fired Bum the Football Gods turned their backs on this town. Losing the two AFC Championship games in Pittsburgh wasn't a sign of Football God anger. That was just the NFL tempering our connection with the team. That was adversity pulling us all together and making us stronger. It had none of the sickening feeling to it that the later defeats in Denver & Buffalo would bring.

Then the Texans came to town and while it was right at the same time it has always still been a little wrong so often. The bad drafts and snake-bit nature of the early years was maybe a little worse than we expected. Even the opening win against Dallas seemed merely to serve as a setup for the coming kick to the nuts in San Diego. Last season the stream of improbable losses alone was enough to get us talking about the anger of the Football Gods. I confess I had no idea how we might go about getting them to turn their wrath elsewhere. Neither did anyone else apparently. Then two things happened. We began running the football well and a Phillips came to town to make the defense work correctly. Things have seemed "right" ever since.

That's how I feel anyway.

[Double Barrel]

You appease the football gods by showing your loyalty to a franchise as a fan base.

A decade of consecutive sellouts - win or lose - has proven that this fan base, the fans of Houston, are worthy.

18 years is a looooong time to wait between playoff teams. But our fans have proven their loyalty and resilience.

What's funny is that we needed the Saints - the team that Bum and Earl went after the Oilers, and whose fan base was welcomed by Bob McNair and the city of Houston after a devastating natural disaster - to beat the friggin' Titans!! How awesome is that?!

Full circle, baby! And for a rookie QB sporting the no. 13 to break the curse?!

[Thorn]

Good post Herv. I'd rep you if I could. Also, I really like your avatar, a return of The House of Pain is fine by me.

[Playoffs]

You make your own luck.

Only thing we couldn't control was a bad owner.

We have a good owner now. Made some bad hires as part of his learning curve. Once they see the outcomes of the right choices, they begin to create an organizational/institutional memory -- winning begets winning.

I don't see another team in this league that could take the key losses that we have and cruise into the playoffs with their 3rd string quarterback.

You make your own luck.

[DBCooper]

Lol!

You sacrifice a virgin or a quarterback, whichever is more plentiful!

[TexansFanatic]

Originally Posted by asleep

Only thing we couldn't control was a bad owner.

We have a good owner now.

Right on.

I've said for years now that Houston is the only city I can think of that found a way to fire its NFL owner and hire a better one.

I know it took 10 seasons to finally break through and win a division title, but it took the previous Houston NFL franchise 21 years to win its first division title.

I think we've done very well.

[FirstTexansFan]

+Rep for in my opinion your best posting ever. It states in much more eloquent words than mine, my opinion as well. I've now printed this, and placed it on the billboard directly in front of my desk in GIANT FONT for all my LastAss Sowboy fans to peruse

[Tango]

Originally Posted by Hervoyel

Lets face it, wasn't that really when everything went wrong? Bud fires Bum and destroys the communities ongoing Luv-Ya-Blue love affair with it's NFL team. Nothing was ever right again.

You mean everyone who thought abstinence would appease the football gods were wrong? I like this "inference to the best explanation" of yours much better.

But John McLain was pushing the idea that he thinks Wade is all but gone after this season this morning.

[TexansBull]

Originally Posted by Tango

You mean everyone who thought abstinence would appease the football gods were wrong? I like this "inference to the best explanation" of yours much better.

But John McLain was pushing the idea that he thinks Wade is all but gone after this season this morning.

Well if McLain said he is gone, then Wade will retire here. That guy is as wrong as a 3 dollar bill.

That is my biggest fear. Wade leaving and not leaving a successor before he turns 70. I think he is 64 now.

[Buffi2]

Originally Posted by TexansBull

Well if McLain said he is gone, then Wade will retire here. That guy is as wrong as a 3 dollar bill.

That is my biggest fear. Wade leaving and not leaving a successor before he turns 70. I think he is 64 now.

I don't know a lot about what makes a football god happy but I do know about being 64 ish.

I am hoping that age has shown Wade that DC in Houston is where he happily and successfully belongs. Sometimes age does show a person how to be happy within ones' limitations as well as recognizing said limitations. I'm also hoping McNair will pay him whatever it takes. A little retirement nest egg, so to speak.

I fear Wade and the Football Gods would regret leaving after only one year. Let's hope Wade is old enough and smart enough to have figured this out on his own.

[ziggy29]

By sacrificing at least one starter to them every Sunday, it would seem.

[Thorn]

Originally Posted by Buffi2

I don't know a lot about what makes a football god happy but I do know about being 64 ish.

I am hoping that age has shown Wade that DC in Houston is where he happily and successfully belongs. Sometimes age does show a person how to be happy within ones' limitations as well as recognizing said limitations. I'm also hoping McNair will pay him whatever it takes. A little retirement nest egg, so to speak.

I fear Wade and the Football Gods would regret leaving after only one year. Let's hope Wade is old enough and smart enough to have figured this out on his own.

Wade signed a three year contract with the Texans. The only way he leaves is McNair let's him leave.

[TexansBull]

Originally Posted by Buffi2

I don't know a lot about what makes a football god happy but I do know about being 64 ish.

I am hoping that age has shown Wade that DC in Houston is where he happily and successfully belongs. Sometimes age does show a person how to be happy within ones' limitations as well as recognizing said limitations. I'm also hoping McNair will pay him whatever it takes. A little retirement nest egg, so to speak.

I fear Wade and the Football Gods would regret leaving after only one year. Let's hope Wade is old enough and smart enough to have figured this out on his own.

Dick LeBeau said at his hall of fame induction that if he would of quit at retirement age at 65 or 67n he would have missed out being part of two Superbowl championships, No. 1 defense, his number retired at his high school, having a building named after him, making the Detroit Lions all 75 year team, being accepted into the Ohio State University Athletic Hall of fame, and of course his induction to the NFL hall of fame. He quotes his mother "onward and upward, age is just a number.

I agree completely.

[ziggy29]

Originally Posted by TexansBull

Dick LeBeau said at his hall of fame induction that if he would of quit at retirement age at 65 or 67n he would have missed out being part of two Superbowl championships, No. 1 defense, his number retired at his high school, having a building named after him, making the Detroit Lions all 75 year team, being accepted into the Ohio State University Athletic Hall of fame, and of course his induction to the NFL hall of fame. He quotes his mother "onward and upward, age is just a number.

Good for him. I envy people who love their job enough to never want to retire. I personally can't relate to it, but I have to think it's a real blessing to love what you're doing to the point where you still want to do it long after you no longer need the income from it, where you work because you *want* to and not because you *have* to.

[Craig.]

Originally Posted by Thorn

a return of The House of Pain is fine by me.

It would be more appropriate if you added 'management' or 'killers' at the end.

[TexanExile]

Originally Posted by Hervoyel

I can't believe how wrong I was in not wanting Wade Phillips here. I was so wrapped up in not wanting anymore .500ish "Gary-Ball" that I didn't want the defense to get better. I wanted the entire thing thrown out the window (baby AND bathwater) and if I'd had my way the Football Gods would still be angry with Houston I think.

...

Lets face it, wasn't that really when everything went wrong? Bud fires Bum and destroys the communities ongoing Luv-Ya-Blue love affair with it's NFL team. Nothing was ever right again.

"You blamin' me, boy?"



I have to agree. I remember being crushed when I heard this team wanted to keep the Kubiak regime propped up and I remember dropping the "Son of A Bum" reference when I heard Wade was to become the band-aid for the rotten season finish last year. So anyway, this crow is delicious.

Apparently we do need a Phillips on the sideline, if only to cleanse the sins of the past. But he's definitely welcome to stick around as long as he likes, after this year's performance.

[NitroGSXR]

Originally Posted by Thorn

Wade signed a three year contract with the Texans. The only way he leaves is McNair let's him leave.

He can leave for a promotion. He cannot leave for another defensive coordinator job but he can take a head coaching gig.

[mussop]

apparently one starter per game does the trick.

[ObsiWan]

Originally Posted by Thorn

Good post Herv. I'd rep you if I could. Also, I really like your avatar, a return of The House of Pain is fine by me.

I got him for ya.

[ObsiWan]

Originally Posted by NitroGSXR

He can leave for a promotion. He cannot leave for another defensive coordinator job but he can take a head coaching gig.

Wade can leave but I don't think he will. I think he wants to bring a championship to his home town.
Seems like I've heard or read him say he wasn't interested in another head coaching gig.