What Will You Consider a Successful Season?

[TheCD]

Hey all. Just wanting to gauge everyone's thoughts and feelings on what outcome you think would suffice to make you consider this season "successful".

My poll is as follows:

1. We were successful because we won the division, and that guarantees the playoffs. Only 12 playoff teams a year makes (almost) anyone who gets a birth successful.

2. We won our first playoff game - First trip + first win = how can you be upset about that?

3. Beating the Ravens in their house - Going on the road and winning against a team we've never beat before in their house when they haven't hosted a playoff game in 11 years? How can you be dissapointed in that?

4. Super Bowl Loss - We would have won our conference with this depleted team and gone to the big stage. Who can say a Super Bowl appearance is unsuccessful?

5. Champs, Baby! - The only way you could be satisfied and call this season a success is to be measuring those ring fingers in the offseason. Isn't this why we play the game? Anything else is loser talk...


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So what say you, fellow Texans fans? At a bare minimum what would you want out of the Texans to consider this season a "success" (and you can define success however you want here). Personally, I'm torn but I'm going to go with if we can beat the Ravens. We expected the Texans to compete and win the division. Losing at home would have been ridiculous, even with our injuries. If we can get out of Baltimore with a win, I will be satisfied...probably because I feel the only team that could stop us from there would be the Saints.

[dream_team]

To me, this has already been a successful season. Everything else is just gravy.

[Texan_Bill]

Originally Posted by dream_team

To me, this has already been a successful season. Everything else is just gravy.

While my head tells me this, my heart wants it ALL!

[amazing80]

With the big time injuries we had, I think our first playoff win is the thing that makes this season a success. If we lose to the Ravens we should not hang our hats, they are a tough team and fully healthy (for the most part), we will get revenge next season with our roster back!

[Hervoyel]

Originally Posted by Texan_Bill

While my head tells me this, my heart wants it ALL!

Exactly. Beating the Bengals made this season a success when it was beginning to have the slight odor of disappointment to it after that three game losing streak at the end. We all understand that the injuries have played havoc with our season. Still, one playoff win goes a long way.

But more is "more". Beating Baltimore would be amazing. Best season in this town since Bum Phillips took the Oilers to Pittsburgh the second time for the AFC Championship game. That would make this te best season of football since 1979.

That would incredible and topping that would be "more incredibler".

[Perki-Perk]

Originally Posted by amazing80

With the big time injuries we had, I think our first playoff win is the thing that makes this season a success. If we lose to the Ravens we should not hang our hats, they are a tough team and fully healthy (for the most part), we will get revenge next season with our roster back!

Good post "Noob" LOL! I agree with your assessment and now I don't have to post all of that.

[Double Barrel]

Originally Posted by dream_team

To me, this has already been a successful season. Everything else is just gravy.

My thoughts exactly.

This team has traditionally taken "baby steps" with success over the years. Stuff like finally having a three game winning streak several seasons into it, finally having a winning season, and so on.

But this season has blown the doors off of all that trend. Just think about the firsts in 2011:

First 7 game winning streak

First double digit win season

First division title

First playoff game (and at home!)

First playoff win

I want it all like anyone else, but not matter how the rest of the playoffs pan out, this season is clearly a success in terms of Texans history. Now the team has standards to live up to and something positive to build on. And that, my fellow fanatics, is a wonderful thing.

[ChampionTexan]

Originally Posted by Double Barrel

My thoughts exactly.

This team has traditionally taken "baby steps" with success over the years. Stuff like finally having a three game winning streak several seasons into it, finally having a winning season, and so on.

But this season has blown the doors off of all that trend. Just think about the firsts in 2011:

First 7 game winning streak

First double digit win season

First division title

First playoff game (and at home!)

First playoff win

I want it all like anyone else, but not matter how the rest of the playoffs pan out, this season is clearly a success in terms of Texans history. Now the team has standards to live up to and something positive to build on. And that, my fellow fanatics, is a wonderful thing.

I won't be happy on Sunday unless we get the "W", but that's short term. Regardless of what happens in the divisional game - or any game we play after that - everybody associated with this team should feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. Not just with what this team did, but how they did it.

They should also have a burning desire to feel that same thing again, and again, and again...

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by TheCD

At a bare minimum what would you want out of the Texans to consider this season a "success" (and you can define success however you want here).

I didn't look at it this way, I saw the poll & answered the question.

Success to me is a Super Bowl Championship... that's why you play the game. Anything less, & I'm waiting for next year to give it another shot.

Bare minimum, I expect the Texans to provide an entertaining experience. For me, that doesn't necessarily mean we have to win. As a Texans' fan I always want the Texans to win.

The first 4 years, we were getting spanked, & basically getting lucky & winning every now & then. The last 6 years, I've seen some of the best football I've ever seen. I don't expect to win them all, if we play a good game & lose, I'm fine with that.

So if we have a year like 2009, where we finished with a winning record & simply got beat 7 times...... I was fine with that.

2010.... most of those were exciting games. There was almost always an element of come back in them. So while I left the stadium feeling entertained, I wasn't necessarily happy with the direction the team was headed.

At a bare minimum winning the division was good enough for me.... but if we lost to a team (the Bengals) that I thought was definitely inferior, I wouldn't have been happy.

Losing to the Panthers, Colts, & Titans did not bother me, because I felt Kubiak was looking at the big picture... we'll see next week if it paid off.

[HOU-TEX]

Ask me Sunday afternoon...

[Rey]

For me, a successful season ends in nothing short of a superbowl.

Now, that doesn't mean that I will be pissed off at the team if they don't make it, but if the main goal is truly to win a superbowl then by definition alone you have failed to reach that goal.

I will be optimistic heading into next year, but I will have concluded that we failed to reach our ultimate goal this season.

[BIG TORO]

If you ain't first your last!

"SUPERBOWL WIN"

[eriadoc]

If the team goes into BAL and plays a competitive game, I'll be satisfied with the season, win or lose. They've already won a playoff game, which was my criteria, but they can kill a lot of good will by going into BAL and playing like crap.

Also, like Bill said above, this is just what my head tells me. My heart wants it all. You never know how many times the playoffs will happen. I know we all want to believe this is the first of many trips, but most teams don't go on a multi-year run. Take advantage of the chances that come along.

[thunderkyss]

I'm sure there are going to be a lot of fans "demanding" big changes if we lose on Sunday.

[Perki-Perk]

Success equals a Super Bowl, trading 2 players from our practice squad each with a bag of peanuts, to Indianapolis for that 1st pick in the draft as well as also drafting Andrew Luck, just to put him on the bench until he drifts off into obscure mediocrity ala Matt Leinert.

Also, the defense crashes the Pro Bowl, ties up all the starting defenders and locks them away in a basement while taking the field in a dominating effort against all the "best" the NFC has to offer holding them to 3 points.

That is a measure of success!

[Perki-Perk]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

I'm sure there are going to be a lot of fans "demanding" big changes if we lose on Sunday.

And here I thought you should have put "fans" in parenthesis. Must be my skewed way of thinking. After the way this season has gone and the past seasons, heck, I'm tickled that we not only made it to the playoffs, but won our first playoff game! A good showing against the Ravens would be enough for me, a win would set me off into ultimate homer mode!

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Perki-Perk

And here I thought you should have put "fans" in parenthesis. Must be my skewed way of thinking. After the way this season has gone and the past seasons, heck, I'm tickled that we not only made it to the playoffs, but won our first playoff game! A good showing against the Ravens would be enough for me, a win would set me off into ultimate homer mode!

That's big picture thinking. Some of our fans are real football fans. & if we're on the goal line about to score when a field goal would win the game & Kubiak has Jacoby Jones taking a direct snap.... then he fumbles the ball away......


That's his ass.

[badboy]

Goal and success for me is to different things. There can be more than one goal as there can be degrees of success. I predicted 15-1. McNair stepping up to bring Wade Phillips in was big as was the signing of Manning & Joseph. The move of Quin to safety as I had advocated was huge. The draft was amazing and all were degrees of success & reaching goals. We still have only glimpses of what the team could be barring injuries.

The championship was my primary goal after Leinert went down. Everything else is a rainbow after a rain in a drout. I will be very satisfied if Phillips returns. This will be the first time "Wait until next year" is a happy scream rather than a resentful defensive mutter.

[JCTexan]

Originally Posted by Double Barrel

But this season has blown the doors off of all that trend. Just think about the firsts in 2011:

First 7 game winning streak

First double digit win season

First division title

First playoff game (and at home!)

First playoff win

I want it all like anyone else, but not matter how the rest of the playoffs pan out, this season is clearly a success in terms of Texans history. Now the team has standards to live up to and something positive to build on. And that, my fellow fanatics, is a wonderful thing.

This. Seven game winning streak, first division title, first playoff win, etc.. It's hard not to say this season hasn't already been a success.

[Thorn]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

I'm sure there are going to be a lot of fans "demanding" big changes if we lose on Sunday.

Every fan wants a Super Bowl win, and when they don't get it, they want changes in their team so they can get a Super Bowl win. That's kind of like the sun rising in the East.

For myself, I'm happy with what we got ONLY if Wade comes back next year. If we lose to Baltimore AND lose Wade, I'm going to be a grumpy poster again until the Texans do something to shut me up.