EllisUnit
Vote RED!!!
i know a lot of yall dont care for Richard Justice, but its an aight article.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/justice/7415045.html
ARLINGTON One striking thing about this Super Bowl is how much the Texans operate just like the Steelers and Packers.
I know this is going to be a tough sell because many of you no longer believe in Texans owner Bob McNair or his blueprint, and I probably can't persuade you to change your mind.
But it seems significant that executives of the Packers and Steelers say many of the same things McNair routinely says.
No, not every team operates this way. Some for instance, the Dallas Cowboys sometimes seem more interested in moves that will sell tickets instead of win games. Other franchises change coaches on a whim.
The Packers and Steelers, like the Texans, weren't built with flashy free-agent signings or by hiring big-money coaches. They did what they believed to be right instead of what they knew would be popular.
Whether by accident or not, McNair's organizational structure and core beliefs are very similar to those of these Super Bowl teams. McNair believes in stability, patience and building through the draft. So do the Steelers and Packers.
McNair hires people he trusts and gives them the resources to do their jobs. And he stays out of their way. How's that for painting another losing season with a nice soft brush? I mean, you need some hope that the 2011 season will be different, don't you?
If there's a flaw in this thinking and obviously there is considering the Texans have had one winning record in nine years it's the quality of the people McNair has hired.
Give him credit for sticking with coach Gary Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith when it would be easy to make a case for firing both of them. Five seasons is long enough to put a playoff team on the field.
If they haven't gotten it done in five seasons, there's no reason to think they're going to get it done in six or seven or nine. If the Texans do turn some kind of corner next season, McNair will deserve a parade for staying the course.
There are indications McNair won't tolerate much more. One of his employees recently said, "He has basically put the whole organization on notice."
He said McNair is fine taking bullets for Kubiak and Smith, but he's not going to take them forever. If a new defensive staff doesn't do it, he'll probably throw 'em all out the door.
Four-fingered fist
Successful NFL franchises must be competent in four areas: ownership, general manager, coach and quarterback. They all must be good at what they do, and the decision makers must have the guts to stick to their guns in tough times.
McNair did that in resisting the temptation to fire Kubiak and hire Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden. With a chance to ignite interest in his franchise, he did what he thinks is still in the best interest of the franchise.
The Packers would understand. One aspect of this week is redemption for general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy.
All they did three years ago was make the toughest call they'll ever have to make in parting ways with Brett Favre and turning their team over to untested Aaron Rodgers.
"We've moved on," Thompson said this week when asked about Favre.
He has now, but Thompson needed this Super Bowl to put out the still-simmering anger over Favre's departure. Never mind that Favre's will-he-or-won't-he offseasons pretty much dared the Packers to do what they did.
Splashy? It would be hard to find two less flashy men than these Super Bowl coaches, Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin and Green Bay's Mike McCarthy. And both general managers, Thompson and Pittsburgh's Kevin Colbert, seem uncomfortable in the spotlight.
"Panic doesn't seem to work," Steelers president Art Rooney II said. "There are enough people that seem to have gone through that mode. Our feeling is that you pick good people, and you try to stick with them if you have good people.
"There are ups and downs in any sport, but if you have the right people in place, you'll always have a chance to be successful, and that's what we do."
If it ain't broke ...
For the last 40 years, one Steelers team has been remarkably similar to all the others. They run the ball, have great linebackers and win to the tune of 25 playoff appearances in the last 38 seasons.
The Rooney family stuck with both Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher in tough times, and every single time their patience was rewarded.
"I think the idea of having the right people in place and finding and keeping good people, that's something that goes back to my grandfather and my father," Rooney said. "As they said, keeping it simple and keeping the right people in play, that's the key."
His point is that it's sometimes easier to fire people than show faith in them when everything is coming undone. Whether McNair's patience will be rewarded is yet to be seen, but there's no question he's got the right blueprint.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/justice/7415045.html
ARLINGTON One striking thing about this Super Bowl is how much the Texans operate just like the Steelers and Packers.
I know this is going to be a tough sell because many of you no longer believe in Texans owner Bob McNair or his blueprint, and I probably can't persuade you to change your mind.
But it seems significant that executives of the Packers and Steelers say many of the same things McNair routinely says.
No, not every team operates this way. Some for instance, the Dallas Cowboys sometimes seem more interested in moves that will sell tickets instead of win games. Other franchises change coaches on a whim.
The Packers and Steelers, like the Texans, weren't built with flashy free-agent signings or by hiring big-money coaches. They did what they believed to be right instead of what they knew would be popular.
Whether by accident or not, McNair's organizational structure and core beliefs are very similar to those of these Super Bowl teams. McNair believes in stability, patience and building through the draft. So do the Steelers and Packers.
McNair hires people he trusts and gives them the resources to do their jobs. And he stays out of their way. How's that for painting another losing season with a nice soft brush? I mean, you need some hope that the 2011 season will be different, don't you?
If there's a flaw in this thinking and obviously there is considering the Texans have had one winning record in nine years it's the quality of the people McNair has hired.
Give him credit for sticking with coach Gary Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith when it would be easy to make a case for firing both of them. Five seasons is long enough to put a playoff team on the field.
If they haven't gotten it done in five seasons, there's no reason to think they're going to get it done in six or seven or nine. If the Texans do turn some kind of corner next season, McNair will deserve a parade for staying the course.
There are indications McNair won't tolerate much more. One of his employees recently said, "He has basically put the whole organization on notice."
He said McNair is fine taking bullets for Kubiak and Smith, but he's not going to take them forever. If a new defensive staff doesn't do it, he'll probably throw 'em all out the door.
Four-fingered fist
Successful NFL franchises must be competent in four areas: ownership, general manager, coach and quarterback. They all must be good at what they do, and the decision makers must have the guts to stick to their guns in tough times.
McNair did that in resisting the temptation to fire Kubiak and hire Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden. With a chance to ignite interest in his franchise, he did what he thinks is still in the best interest of the franchise.
The Packers would understand. One aspect of this week is redemption for general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy.
All they did three years ago was make the toughest call they'll ever have to make in parting ways with Brett Favre and turning their team over to untested Aaron Rodgers.
"We've moved on," Thompson said this week when asked about Favre.
He has now, but Thompson needed this Super Bowl to put out the still-simmering anger over Favre's departure. Never mind that Favre's will-he-or-won't-he offseasons pretty much dared the Packers to do what they did.
Splashy? It would be hard to find two less flashy men than these Super Bowl coaches, Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin and Green Bay's Mike McCarthy. And both general managers, Thompson and Pittsburgh's Kevin Colbert, seem uncomfortable in the spotlight.
"Panic doesn't seem to work," Steelers president Art Rooney II said. "There are enough people that seem to have gone through that mode. Our feeling is that you pick good people, and you try to stick with them if you have good people.
"There are ups and downs in any sport, but if you have the right people in place, you'll always have a chance to be successful, and that's what we do."
If it ain't broke ...
For the last 40 years, one Steelers team has been remarkably similar to all the others. They run the ball, have great linebackers and win to the tune of 25 playoff appearances in the last 38 seasons.
The Rooney family stuck with both Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher in tough times, and every single time their patience was rewarded.
"I think the idea of having the right people in place and finding and keeping good people, that's something that goes back to my grandfather and my father," Rooney said. "As they said, keeping it simple and keeping the right people in play, that's the key."
His point is that it's sometimes easier to fire people than show faith in them when everything is coming undone. Whether McNair's patience will be rewarded is yet to be seen, but there's no question he's got the right blueprint.