I trust Matt SCHAUB and KUBIAK

[Goldensilence]

I dunno about Kubiak as a HC, but I do trust him in the way he's built this offense. I think some people are asking what's wrong with AJ because he's not putting up pro-bowl numbers, but the truth is this really is a run first team. IMO this is Arian Foster's offense; he makes it go, which is why he deservedly got the extension and I was relieved. I still don't think overall there's a better back in the league.

I will say this about Matt Schaub, the dude has really impressed me this year. Something is different, I dunno if it was seeing this team going on a run without him and winning a playoff but, something is different. He's cut down on mistakes and is it just me or am I seeing more ZIP than I used to on some throws? I mean that one throw to OD for a TD was on a line. There's been a few others where I have seen better arm strength than in the past. Am I seeing things?

[michaelm]

Originally Posted by amazing80

It was my first game today and let me tell your that you miss a lot from the tv view compared to live. Schaub misses WIDE open people a lot. It's like he does 2 reads and that's it. Pretty bad to watch live. IMO

It could just be a simple as Schuab knowing more than you do. And I don't mean that as an insult to you.
Let me explain. During the game yesterday, Schaub hit AJ on a roughly 9 yard out on the right sideline. My buddies were screaming because Kevin Walter appeared to be wide open on a corner route to the same side. I agreed with them at the time that Walter looked quite open, but my very strong impression was that Ed Reed was sitting on that route and bating Schaub to throw it. I know I could easily be mistaken, but Reed has a reputation for doing that, and I believe that he was doing it on that play. For reference, our seats are in the end zone (600 level) looking straight down the middle of the field, so you can really see entire plays develop.

[eriadoc]

Originally Posted by Goldensilence

I dunno about Kubiak as a HC ...

I think that's the biggest issue people have with Kubiak. I've never heard anyone come out and say that the ZBS and running scheme is awful, and those freakin' bootlegs are awful, and we need to stop with the crossing routes, and stop throwing to the damn TEs .... LOL. We all love Kubiak's offense. We're just not that confident he's a good HEAD coach.

[PandapuffTexan]

after the packers game there was serious concern we couldnt play from behind and shaub couldnt gun it out that he must have the running game. Idk if anyone else noticed but we didnt pound the run game. we won the game thru the air which is very encouraging.

[2012Champs]

Originally Posted by eriadoc

I think that's the biggest issue people have with Kubiak. I've never heard anyone come out and say that the ZBS and running scheme is awful, and those freakin' bootlegs are awful, and we need to stop with the crossing routes, and stop throwing to the damn TEs .... LOL. We all love Kubiak's offense. We're just not that confident he's a good HEAD coach.

If you have a really good OC and really good DC maybe it just works out.

[2012Champs]

Originally Posted by PandapuffTexan

after the packers game there was serious concern we couldnt play from behind and shaub couldnt gun it out that he must have the running game. Idk if anyone else noticed but we didnt pound the run game. we won the game thru the air which is very encouraging.

I think how well we played on defense was a better showing than our offense given the ravens issues on D. However I was glad when the Ravens scored 10 on two drives in a row the Texans posted 14 to answer each of those drives

[PandapuffTexan]

Originally Posted by 2012Champs

I think how well we played on defense was a better showing than our offense given the ravens issues on D. However I was glad when the Ravens scored 10 on two drives in a row the Texans posted 14 to answer each of those drives

ya and some the catches the defense made were down right amazing you can tell they played with all there heart...injurys or not scoring 43 on the ravens is not a easy task

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by 2012Champs

I think how well we played on defense was a better showing than our offense given the ravens issues on D. However I was glad when the Ravens scored 10 on two drives in a row the Texans posted 14 to answer each of those drives

The offense held the ball for 38:16

That's what took Ray Rice out of the game. Jjo's pick 6 is what sealed the deal. From that point, the Ravens started looking for the big plays because they weren't getting the ball we were hogging it.

We didn't have a bunch of big plays, or quick scoring possessions. But for the offense to grind it out & methodically march down the field, that's what has taken the run game out of every game this year. Not our defense.

Our defense is awesome. They make the QB work & force mistakes. But we're capitalizing on those mistakes by controlling the ball offensively.

[PandapuffTexan]

Originally Posted by Fiddler

The offense held the ball for 38:16

That's what took Ray Rice out of the game. Jjo's pick 6 is what sealed the deal. From that point, the Ravens started looking for the big plays because they weren't getting the ball we were hogging it.

We didn't have a bunch of big plays, or quick scoring possessions. But for the offense to grind it out & methodically march down the field, that's what has taken the run game out of every game this year. Not our defense.

Our defense is awesome. They make the QB work & force mistakes. But we're capitalizing on those mistakes by controlling the ball offensively.

even without cushing its supriising we still have a dominant defense, iamgine the bandwagon fans if we beat the patriots by 20 plus

[2012Champs]

Originally Posted by Fiddler

The offense held the ball for 38:16

That's what took Ray Rice out of the game. Jjo's pick 6 is what sealed the deal. From that point, the Ravens started looking for the big plays because they weren't getting the ball we were hogging it.

We didn't have a bunch of big plays, or quick scoring possessions. But for the offense to grind it out & methodically march down the field, that's what has taken the run game out of every game this year. Not our defense.

Our defense is awesome. They make the QB work & force mistakes. But we're capitalizing on those mistakes by controlling the ball offensively.

Yeah we didnt have any quick plays and something like 3 20 yard passing plays but we didnt need anything quick so I think it went realy well.

[Texanmike02]

Not sure that I understand "not trusting" Kubiak or Schaub. Unless you say that because you don't trust anyone that hasn't won a SB. Of the teams that aren't "verified winners" (which I will assume means they have won a SB) who's situation is better than ours? Atlanta? By the way, since his first playoff game how has Atl looked in the playoffs?

I just don't get it. Are you citing Kubiak's first few years with this team? Prior 09 were we in a position to compete at all? If you want to say that Kubiak shouldn't be trusted to hire his DC, I'm ok with that. What other issue can you take with him? Are you really going to hold his first two or three years against him? 2-14? Were you expecting 10 wins the next season? Lets look at this team since 2009. That would be the year that we really had the talent to compete. Since 09 we are 31-24. If we lose 3 more games that will put us at 37-27 overall and 12-4 for the season. That will mean that in 3 of the last 4 years we will have won 9 or more games and 2 of the 4 we will have won 10 or more.

What about player progression? Is Foster progressing? What about our young receivers? Prior to 09 how many times did you hear about other teams targeting our free agents? It just didn't happen. We are bringing in free agents too. Joseph, Manning? Those were big names. Oh, and we're drafting well too. So going into the playoffs are you going to clown this team for winning 10 and 12 games successively? What if we make it to the AFCCG? If we lose there this season is a failure? By what measure? 29 teams would love to be in your position.

Pittsburgh? Balt? NE? GB? NO? This isn't a SF of the late 90's that has mortgaged our future for a year or two of extra glory. I just don't understand the grief. Has Kubiak made mistakes and mishandled the clock in the past? Sure. Has Schaub made mistakes in the past? Sure. In the last 2 1/2 years how has he looked? In 2010 our defense was a diasaster. On offense though, we were actually pretty clutch. It was our DEFENSE that let us down, multiple times. We don't have that problem now.

Other than a few anecdotal stories about a few one off mistakes about how kubiak has handled the game, give me a serious reason to mistrust him. He seems to have learned from his mistakes. We don't have to try to "get away" with anything anymore and he coaches like it. It is easy to go back to the HB pass from a few years ago and malign that decision but the reality is we didn't have the talent to compete with the elite teams in the league. We had to pull out all of the stops to win and hope that some kind of trickery worked. We are not that team any more. We have the best talent on the field most of the time and this is a team that plays like it. The GB game looks like the perfect storm right now and this team looks like a power house.

Mike

[Texanmike02]

Originally Posted by 2012Champs

If you have a really good OC and really good DC maybe it just works out.

Reid and Johnson worked out for the Iggles a few years ago. I heard Kalu talking about it one time. He was with the Iggles for like 5 years and said that Reid talked to him three times while he was there.

Mike

[eriadoc]

Originally Posted by Texanmike02

Not sure that I understand "not trusting" Kubiak or Schaub.

Last week vs. the Packers, with 36 or 37 seconds to go in the half, GB failed to convert a 3rd down. They ran to the line and acted like they were going to run a play to try for it on 4th down. Kubiak did not call a timeout and let the half expire. There are a few ways you can analyze that. I'll let you decide hwo you want to interpret that move in your own head, but personally, I had visions off him kneeling to God on the sidelines, begging for the half to be over. What a good HC would do is call timeout, grab the ST coach, demand a decent return, and then run at least a couple plays that range in risk:reward somewhere between a 3rd and long draw play and a hail mary.

You can call that anecdotal if you want, but it's the same thing we've been bagging on Kubiak since he got here for. I can cite the example where he didn't run a play after a fumble before the 2-min warning that gave the Colts time to challenge and get the ball on challenge. I can cite other examples, but the point is, he doesn't manage the clock well, he doesn't handle challenges well (one area he does seem to have improved), and he turtles at the wrong times. These are not new criticisms. I quoted a 3-yr old post last week that complained about Kubiak's prior three years worth of those problems. I can go back through any number of game day threads and get a sense of what people think about Kubiak in the moment just by following the thread.

When you add to those issues the fact that he hired crappy DCs and has made some seriously questionable personnel decisions, then you begin to realize why people don't trust him as a HEAD coach. He really hasn't improved much in 105 games, and in some areas, I'd argue not at all. And for as much as people like to take me on about the topic, when the chips are down in a game, they start bitching about Kubiak as well. I just finally got fed up enough to quote them is all.

[eriadoc]

A small sampling from the Packers Gameday thread:

Originally Posted by Austrian

WHy a draw there?

Originally Posted by TexanSam

Damn. 3 and out to start the game.

Originally Posted by ChrisG

Standard texans 3rd and long.

Originally Posted by TheIronDuke

Are you allowed to run anything else on 3rd and long?

Originally Posted by GP

The play calling is getting worse every game.

We should have been running it down their throats snap after snap with Raji out of the game. Instead, Schaub has had to throw three passes away, and has been sacked.

Love it. Way to go, Kubiak and Dennison. Superb job.

Originally Posted by TheIronDuke

Are you allowed to run anything else on 3rd and long?

Originally Posted by speedfreek

Has Gary lost his friggin mind? One rush to foster and umpteen freaking passes?

Time to get off the script man, it isn't working.

Also, lining up in the neutral zone? WTF!? Get your heads in the game!!

TJ

Originally Posted by Mr. Texan

looks like a typical come out flat kubiak game

Originally Posted by sandmanx

I'm ready to pull out my pink soap tonight.

Originally Posted by WolverineFan

Textbook Kubiak coached game.

Originally Posted by eriadoc

You know what pisses me off every time I see Ball on the field? Brandon Freakin' Bust Harris not even dressing, that's what.

Originally Posted by ChrisG

WTF is Kubes doing?

Originally Posted by Wolf

Wasted time uggh

Originally Posted by TheMatrix31

Da **** you waitin' for?!

Originally Posted by fikster

this 1st half has been 2010 all over again especially with that clock management at the end.

Originally Posted by Luv_ya_blue

Great game management there Kubes...

Originally Posted by mattieuk

Why didn't Coach K hit the timeout as soon as that play goes dead.

Goodness me.

Originally Posted by Luv_ya_blue

Great game management there Kubes...

Originally Posted by Say Watt

Kubiak getting outcoached something fierce. This is bad.

We are not an elite team. Not a chance in hell this is what an elite team looks like on primetime.

Originally Posted by TheIronDuke

Is Jason Garrett in charge of clock mgmt today??

Originally Posted by BigB0iFresh

Why not call a freaking timeout

Originally Posted by GuerillaBlack

Kubiak time management.

Originally Posted by IlliniJen

No time out taken? It's not like Kubes wasn't going to take a knee to head into halftime anyway. This isn't a surprise.

People just don't trust Kubiak as the HEAD coach. Take it or leave it, but it's evident.

[76Texan]

Just as I'm sure there are people who sees the virtue of being patient.

They are willing to look at Kubiak as a guy who learns and grows with the job.
These people normally don't speak out as much as the dissenters.

When people dislike something, they tend to vent it out over and over again.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by eriadoc

Last week vs. the Packers, with 36 or 37 seconds to go in the half, GB failed to convert a 3rd down. They ran to the line and acted like they were going to run a play to try for it on 4th down. Kubiak did not call a timeout and let the half expire. There are a few ways you can analyze that. I'll let you decide hwo you want to interpret that move in your own head, but personally, I had visions off him kneeling to God on the sidelines, begging for the half to be over. What a good HC would do is call timeout, grab the ST coach, demand a decent return, and then run at least a couple plays that range in risk:reward somewhere between a 3rd and long draw play and a hail mary.

You can call that anecdotal if you want, but it's the same thing we've been bagging on Kubiak since he got here for.

I think we've seen Kubiak do exactly what you're asking for here & then some over his first three years here for sure & in spurts over the last three. Every time, it's back fired on him for one reason or another.

Take the two minute offense for example. We used to run an up tempo 2 minute offense to try to gain momentum before the half. More times than not, it turned into a turn-over or something for the other team to feel good about.

We straight up stopped doing two minute offenses. Every now & then, we'll do it now. I was surprised Kubiak tried it before the half Sunday. We had that botched snap that Matt handled. I thought, "well, that's the end of that." But Kubiak surprised me & kept at it.

Originally Posted by eriadoc

When you add to those issues the fact that he hired crappy DCs and has made some seriously questionable personnel decisions, then you begin to realize why people don't trust him as a HEAD coach. He really hasn't improved much in 105 games, and in some areas, I'd argue not at all. And for as much as people like to take me on about the topic, when the chips are down in a game, they start bitching about Kubiak as well. I just finally got fed up enough to quote them is all.

I see what you're saying. Instead of trying to spin, because everything can be spun... we do have what many people consider to be the most balanced team in the NFL. & we're young, & we've got some depth.

Not to say that you are wrong about any of the things you mentioned. But some head coaches.... say Rex Ryan, can nail all those things you wish Kubiak could do. However, they crash & burn on all the things that Kubiak does to get what we've got.

The Jets have been to two AFC Championship games & Kubiak has been to two play-off games. That's a big difference in accomplishments. But if you had to pick one of those two teams as the team with the best chance to appear in a Super Bowl this year & the next three years, which one would you choose?

That's a pretty big difference in accomplishments as well. It's just a matter of balancing long term & short term goals. Would be great to accomplish both, but how many teams have?

& trust me, I'm not sold on Kubiak or Schaub. I'd like to see more from both of them.

[Goldensilence]

Originally Posted by eriadoc

Last week vs. the Packers, with 36 or 37 seconds to go in the half, GB failed to convert a 3rd down. They ran to the line and acted like they were going to run a play to try for it on 4th down. Kubiak did not call a timeout and let the half expire. There are a few ways you can analyze that. I'll let you decide hwo you want to interpret that move in your own head, but personally, I had visions off him kneeling to God on the sidelines, begging for the half to be over. What a good HC would do is call timeout, grab the ST coach, demand a decent return, and then run at least a couple plays that range in risk:reward somewhere between a 3rd and long draw play and a hail mary.

You can call that anecdotal if you want, but it's the same thing we've been bagging on Kubiak since he got here for. I can cite the example where he didn't run a play after a fumble before the 2-min warning that gave the Colts time to challenge and get the ball on challenge. I can cite other examples, but the point is, he doesn't manage the clock well, he doesn't handle challenges well (one area he does seem to have improved), and he turtles at the wrong times. These are not new criticisms. I quoted a 3-yr old post last week that complained about Kubiak's prior three years worth of those problems. I can go back through any number of game day threads and get a sense of what people think about Kubiak in the moment just by following the thread.

When you add to those issues the fact that he hired crappy DCs and has made some seriously questionable personnel decisions, then you begin to realize why people don't trust him as a HEAD coach. He really hasn't improved much in 105 games, and in some areas, I'd argue not at all. And for as much as people like to take me on about the topic, when the chips are down in a game, they start bitching about Kubiak as well. I just finally got fed up enough to quote them is all.

Pretty much perfectly sums up reasonable complaints against Gary Kubiak as a HEAD COACH.

Had it not been a lockout prior to last year I think it's not out of the realm of possibility he was let go, a lot of people who thought about coaching changes held out on it because they knew when the season started they wanted continuity if it was a shortened season. It paid off with the Texans especially after adding Wade to the staff.

Ironically, Wade's years as a HC he's had fairly similar complaints. If he can keep his ego in check, Gary and Wade can have a very good symbiotic situation moving forward.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Goldensilence

Ironically, Wade's years as a HC he's had fairly similar complaints. If he can keep his ego in check, Gary and Wade can have a very good symbiotic situation moving forward.

Personally, I think Wade can (& should) learn a lot from Gary Kubiak as a head coach. Wade didn't control his locker room, Wade didn't/doesn't understand the media. You've got to build a certain amount of trust between players & coaches to where the outside world has no idea what is going on inside the locker room. The media feeds on controversies. You may think your group is mature enough to handle it, but eventually the constant barrage by the media will have it's way.

Best to nip it in the bud & let them get their kicks somewhere else. They ask you if you're happy with your WOLB who hasn't got a sack after 7 games, you tell them sacks is only a small part of what we do, we work together, as a unit, sacks will come.

They ask you if your job is on the line, you tell them how fortunate you feel to have a job today & we'll worry about tomorrow tomorrow. They ask you if you're ok being overshadowed by your defensive coordinator, you tell them how lucky you feel to have him here & that you're picking his brain daily to make you a better coach. They ask you what's wrong with the offense, even though you didn't hire the OC, you tell them WE are working on it. I'm the head coach & the buck stops with me They ask you if you'd like to be a head coach again, you tell them this is your dream job, you're having so much fun you wouldn't dream of another job. Owners want to win, GMs want to win. If they feel like you give them the best opportunity to win, you'll get your phone calls, they'll wait for you. They're going to ask you why you failed in your previous HC gigs & they don't want to hear, "I don't know, we were winning. Some people think you failed just because you got fired."

"In my previous jobs, I failed to recognize the difference between a club & a team. My teams were actually more like clubs where you gained membership by being at a certain place at a certain time. In Houston, I realized you need more than that, you need to be a team, a group of people who work together because they share the same goal. They grow together, they live & die together. Being a team is about being honest with one another, being accountable to each other, trusting each other."

It doesn't matter if you think that's a load of bull, that you think you did nothing wrong. Perception is reality.

[Playoffs]

Matt Schaub plays it close to the vest
Low-key Texans QB isn't one to seek headlines

Schaub says the injury was "very tough." Teammates said it was devastating. None of them would've blamed him if he limped away and sulked for a while. But Schaub was around the facility so much that it was almost as though he was playing. He wanted to help rookie T.J. Yates get ready to play. He wanted to see the season through for Kubiak, for owner Bob McNair, and all of his teammates.

"Nobody could've helped me more than he did," Yates said.

"The coaches were coaching me up as much as they could, but it's so much better to hear it from a guy who's been in the position and [is] seeing the same things you are. He just gave me so much advice all the way through."

The piece of advice that stuck with Yates the most was what Schaub said after a bad game. Schaub told him that when he came in tomorrow, he had to make sure that nobody saw that it affected him. He was the leader of the team. And he needed to show the rest of them that it didn't get him down.

Schaub was always doing things to promote team-building. Every year on the Monday before the season starts, Schaub invites the entire offense to his house and caters in dinner. At least three times a season, he'll pop in for the offensive line's Thursday night meals together.

He is one of them, center Chris Myers said. At the end of the year, he sprung for airfare for the linemen's annual postseason trip to Las Vegas. He did it to say thank you, as he does every year for his line, but Myers said this act of generosity was even more impressive because Schaub didn't even play the final two months of the season.

[Double Barrel]

It's great to read stories like that. These guys like each other, consider themselves friends and even family. There is an intangible quality in that regard that can often elevate individuals into a true team that battles for each other.

I've also read that Schaub is quite the prankster in the locker-room. He doesn't let that out to the public, but he's allegedly one of the funnier dudes on the team when it comes to pranking other players.