Well, that's a wrap. 2012 season final thoughts

That was actually a pretty good season. I think our limits were entirely in place the moment Matt Slauson decided that the easiest way to get Brian Cushing off his back was to cheap shot him out of the season but it was a good ride for the most part.

Usually when the Texans go on win streaks I am constantly watching things that we're getting away with but shouldn't be doing. Things we manage to win in spite of. Over the first 5 weeks I never really felt like that. I think I expected Schaub to have a little rust coming back and I kept looking for Wade's defense to drop off as I'd been told to expect but I never noticed it all that much. All of that changed in week 5 when Cushing went down. The next week the Packers just used us like toilet paper in prime time and I think we all knew that something had changed. The follow up beat-down of the Ravens was a blast though and the next two wins against Buffalo and Chicago almost had me thinking we were still going to be all right. Then the two OT games scared the crap out of me. Suddenly we start giving up 37 and 31 points a game and a clumsy win in Nashville didn't impress anybody. Hell at least it wasn't another OT game right?

Then the Patriots started the slow spiral down to the bottom of the bowl. 42-14 was about right. That's about how much better they are than us. That game broke the Texans season really. In a lot of ways it unmanned them. They bounced back from the Green Bay loss but they never came back from the beating New England gave them. Most of all Matt Schaub and the OL never came back. In the home win against the Colts that sealed up the division they still didn't look right. I mean, Foster looked great at the end and AJ was still rolling along proving to everyone that he wasn't too old to whip some ass but the OL wasn't protecting at all like they did before New England nor were they opening holes like before. Schaub looked like a shell of the guy who started the season. Worst of all the defense started to become terribly unreliable in crunch time. When you absolutely needed a stop it wasn't there. Against Minnesota and Indy the team threw their season away. Sure the Bengals WC round game is nice but ultimately it means nothing.

The Texans got no further this year than last year when they were balling with a 5th round rookie. Seasons like this that end with a bitter beating after having so much promise hang around. They tend to stick to the teams that endure them. This year was maybe the most straightforward path to the Super Bowl I've ever seen a Houston football team on. Win one of those two infinitely winnable games at the end and you play two home playoff games and force the Patriots and Broncos to play one another. To not succeed at that is a choke job of epic proportions and to think that it's possible that nobody at the top over there understands that is saddening. If this loss and the way this team stumbled down the stretch accomplished anything positive at all I'd hope it makes someone over there look in the mirror and question what they've been doing. The Texans have two enormous problems. They've got a sub-par QB who they just signed up for another four years with and their offensive line (and the philosophy it is based on) has issues that three Pro Bowl nods can't conceal. The right side of the line is a mess. I keep asking myself why was the RG position still being platooned this late in the year? All I can think of is that they don't have anybody they think is ready to play there so they aren't concerned with getting it to gel. I think they'll pick OL heavily next year. They thought they had promising young talent and none of it stepped up.

Even if they find the talent to fix it there's no guarantee that the league won't change the rules enough to force them into changing their philosophy. It might be better to start planning for a future without getting to cut the defenses legs out from under it.

I'm not unhappy with the results this year. I still think I saw progress but at the end of it all I also saw limitations revealed that have to be addressed. I'm ready to see the offense evolve into something other than a copy of the 1998 Broncos being run by a guy with no mobility. I'm ready to see the Texans defense send Barwin to the bench or somewhere else entirely in 2013. His drop-off in performance really hurt us. It's time to fix the Special Teams issues.

None of this is going to be terribly hard to resolve if Rick Smith is the GM the Texans seem to think he is. We need to go get a RG in free agency. We need to keep an eye open for a free agent WR. The rest we can draft or will get back when injured players return. We're still kind of young in most spots and we're going to get better.

Only one major comment. Today, more than any other game, Cushing was missed. Lots of runs up the gut where Cushing makes a play that Ruud, et al simply were overmatched, and dragged for extra yards, or tackles completely missed.

It was a massive blow back then, and it came down to roost big time today. I know Schaub is the target right now, but the defense still gave up a ton of yards, points etc. Cushing may have made a huge dent in that. You can't discount the leadership void and talent divide.

From the outside looking in, your window is now and the best thing to not do is panic.

Zone blocking is dead. We been figured out by elite staffs. Qb needs an upgrade. Wr needs an upgrade. D is as good as it gets. No really the D is as good as it gets. This is an offense oriented league now

Meh, I'm not going to say ZBS is dead.

That's what happens when you think you can get away with basically starting two rookies on the right side of the line. Getting average play from them is being lucky, forget about hoping they can replace the guys we had on that side...two very good players...

EDIT: Maybe they'll be better in the long run, we can hope at least.

1. Schaub's foot has affected his longevity. He was nails in the first half of the season, but as time wore on...I think the gimpy foot (even though it's "healed") has made it hard for him to move around AND throw--reliably--anything over 15 to 20 yards downfield. No other way to describe his inability to get the ball vertical. That pass was basically removed the past month and a half.

2. Kubiak is stuck. He's loyal, and so he probably genuinely thinks Matt is good-to-go, the thinks Matt just needed to get a feel for playoff football and all that jazz. Experience, I tell ya'! And by golly we'll get 'em next time.

It's always NEXT TIME.

3. I am surprised at the anger at Wade Phillips. For about the final 6 games, his defense was put to the test via Gary's offense being unable to sustain drives and put up a lead they could work with. That sort of thing, if sustained over a long period of time, is going to ruin guys in the defense. They're people, too. They have thoughts, too. They wonder to themselves why they are always doing the heavy lifting. Good thing is that they found the Andre Johnson of their defense, JJ WATT, who seemingly gives all-world performances even when everyone else is sort of standing around watching him do it.

4. Connor Barwin shouldn't be in this team. His only role was to contain the edge. I bet 90% of the time he puts two hands on the OL and then backs up and shuffles his feet, watching the QB. If Wade has him playing spy THAT much, then WOW! I might need to reevaluate my opinion of Wade as d-coord.

5. Posey deserves WR2 duties, the whole game. All season. He has proven he can do it, and he moves twice as fast as Walter does. Game over.

6. Defense needs 12 more LBs. Because they got injured all year long. In a 34 defense, the linebacker is King. Our King(s) got tumbled, and our offense couldn't pick up the slack for anything other than the 2nd Titans game which looking back on it, it seems weird that we won so convincingly. This means the Titans are, in deed, VERY bad.

7. Marciano should retire quietly. It took Manning putting the entire ST unit onto his own back in the Patriots playoff game to make something explosive happen for us in the kickoff game. We lost HFA, IMO, when the Colts returned a kickoff on us in the 2nd game. Granted, we won the first Colts game (perhaps) because of Braman's blocked punt that was a TD for us. Still, the penalties and the lack of inspired play and positive, consistent results, was saddening.

8. Manning and Joseph. What is their window? What is there contract situation? I'm scared about this. They are good. We need them forever. Period.

9. Tate. Hope we get a good deal for him, cuz he gone baby gone. I now think he wasn't played for two reasons: Foster wanted it all on his back, which is commendable, and because maybe the Texans FO did NOT want Tate blowing a knee or some other freak accident that harms his trade value. #conspiracy

10. We're at the top of the world with Kubiak. This is what it looks like. And I don't think he can find the next level. And I even think maybe he knows it, too. Shouldn't he? A little? Can he look at things and say "Man, we're GROWING. We're almost there. I'm excited!" Sure not. Probably so? I dunno.

I just wish I had some Walking Dead and Boardwalk Empire to watch. I'm a moody muthersucka' right now. LOL. Wife says I'm PMS'ing. Pffft....women!

It was a good season. They peeked at the Chicago game.
Kareem and Watt made huge strides this year. Barwin and Reed were no shows.
Foster had a good not great year. He lost that breakaway speed but managed 17 TDs ill take that any year.
AJ had his best year yardage wise but the clock is ticking. The other receivers were non factors. Daniels was good not great.
Now to Shaub. If he gets behind in an important game he does not have the ability to bring em back. He looked great in the Denver and Ravens game impressive in the Jags and Lions game but down the stretch in our clinching games he was a NO SHOW. And that's concerning.

It was a good fun year but the writing was on the wall with 4 weeks left in the season. Till next year.

Titans Sux 72 said:

It was a good fun year but the writing was on the wall with 4 weeks left in the season. Till next year.

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Unfortunately only a handful of us saw it and called it as we saw it and were of course ridiculed for it.....

As we all know as Houston sports fans..."There is always next year"

What hurts the most: We had two chances at HFA and couldn't do it.

We even had a THIRD chance at HFA, via a Broncos loss to the Ravens in TWO OT periods nonetheless, and we couldn't do it.

Three times to get the AFCC game in Houston. Fail. Fail. Fail.

That's the ultimate death blow for my hopes and dreams. Inability to suck it up and get it done. That 1 yard is always the toughest.

This team had a very good season. I'm hoping that they learn how to finish a season next year and not peak at week 6.

I honestly expected more injuries, but we got very lucky. Just means that we didn't execute with nearly all the healthy players. This defense right now has 1 playmaker in its front 7 and that scares me with all the draft picks we have in the first and second.

This was a fun season, but I don't see a change in the outcome without a #2 WR.

The minute Cushing went down I knew we werent winning a super bowl. That night we lost Cush I actually felt worse than I do now to be honest.

The great new gents... Is JJ Watt is OURS. That man will keep us above .500 as a team almost by himself.

I don't trust Kubiak. After deciding that they'd be OK with both right side starters on the OL being scrubs, I don't trust his ability to plan properly. After watching his chosen QB fall apart, I don't trust his flexibility in personnel or scheme. I don't trust his game planning. I don't trust his play calling during the game. I don't trust that he'll put together an offense that scores in the red zone.

I spent all season trying to ignore my distrust of him. It was a good ride, but despite my best efforts to convince myself that this was a Super Bowl team, that GB loss stuck with me. The Pats loss after the couple games prior just convinced me it wasn't going to happen.

Still, the best football season in Houston since 1994. Now let's draft a QB.

Evolve or die. That's all.

I'm optomistic about our defense, especially getting Cushing back......and naturally JJ Watt as our foundation player for yrs to come. I'm good with Wade and he's proven that when his team is healthy - they play really well (unless you're playing GB or NE, although Cushing was out for these 2).

I'm pessimistic about our offense for numerous reasons - the number one reason is Matt Schaub. I don't think he can lead us thru the playoffs and to the Superbowl, let alone win it. He does not have the leadership, can't read defenses, has a weak arm and thus can't throw the deep ball for homerun explosive plays, over/under throws constantly, throws critical picks in big games, he is so immobile/uncoordinated it is quite pathetic, he's inconsistent and has nothing at all that resembles killer instinct.

The other reasons I'm pessimistic on O is at Wide receiver and running back...our number one WR is getting up in age and we don't have a legitimate # 2 WR, and Posey's now hurt. We dont have a legit # 2 running back. Even if you argue tate is - most agree he can't stay healthy or out of kube's dog house.....and he's probably gone.

Lastly, our O-line issues and Kubiak play calling.

I'm just not sure we can get to and win a SB with MS and Kubiak. Period.

You got to win now before the new set of Tom Bradys and Peyton Mannings shut the door on you.....like perhaps Luck or Colin Kap or a healthy RG3......

Houston is wasting the careers of AJ, AF, OD, JJW etc.......

We used to have a great offense - but no defense.

Now we have a good defense, but no offense..........:vincepalm:

Houston we have a Schaublem, he's just not going to get it done, and Kubiak has to change his style to get it done. After listening to his post game comments though I'm convinced we won't get it done under him.

Was a good season, but when it really comes to the top teams in the NFL, we just can't consistently beat them.

I think this team has gone as far as it can with this offense and this QB. I think Kubiak could make this a more dynamic offense with a more dynamic QB. The Shannys did in Washington. So I'm not ready to pull the plug on Kubiak (and it wouldn't matter if I was, he's not going anywhere). But this isn't getting any better with the current cast.

I think the defense needs to change some, as well. Smaller, quicker LBs with bigger, stronger DBs. Dump the overpriced guys who are not producing (Barwin, Cody, maybe Smith) for hungrier, younger players. Fresh blood is required.

The biggest mistake of the 2012 season was the Schaub extension. Wasn't necessary. He was never going to be a hot item in free agency. There was no need to not wait until the offseason. That contract will haunt this team for at least 2 years.

Lucky said:

I think this team has gone as far as it can with this offense and this QB. I think Kubiak could make this a more dynamic offense with a more dynamic QB. The Shannys did in Washington. So I'm not ready to pull the plug on Kubiak (and it wouldn't matter if I was, he's not going anywhere). But this isn't getting any better with the current cast.

I think the defense needs to change some, as well. Smaller, quicker LBs with bigger, stronger DBs. Dump the overpriced guys who are not producing (Barwin, Cody, maybe Smith) for hungrier, younger players. Fresh blood is required.

The biggest mistake of the 2012 season was the Schaub extension. Wasn't necessary. He was never going to be a hot item in free agency. There was no need to not wait until the offseason. That contract will haunt this team for at least 2 years.

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This about sums it up for mr except for dumping smith. He's our second best pass rusher. Would suck to get rid of him and not have any pass rush from anywhere else. Maybe re work his deal though.

This team had a great year. 13-5 a'int nothing to be ashamed of. But improvements must be made. And thats why this draft is so crucial. Get used to Matt Shaub because he is paid for the next couple of years. Accumulate weapons around him, and hope for a 2000 Ravens Trent Dilfer. This defense has shone early, then crashed when playing good talent like tonight's game. Like I said, evaluations have to be made, and I think that starts with not resigning Connor Barwin. I like the guy, but another team will overpay for him and we simply cannot afford that.

We need a legit RT and its not too early to start looking for a LG to replace Wade Smith he did not play at a pro bowl level even if he was selected.

We have to get a better pass rush from the OLB positions whether its from someone on the roster or an addition in the draft/free agency. JJ Watt will probably never have 20.5 sacks again and you can't expect it either.

WR whether that player is on the roster or we acquire him he not only has to play, but Matt has got to feel confident enough to throw him the ball. If our WR become more balanced that will make AJ more effective and give the defense that much more of the field to defend.

We need a true FB. Casey while he is a good receiver he is not the hammer that we had in Leach and the running game was not as dependable the past 2yrs as it was in 2010. It was a huge red flag that late in the year 3rd and 2 became a passing down with one of the best RB's in football in your backfield.

Getting Cushing back will be huge but we need another thumper at ILB to stop the run. Bradie James was not that guy and he was so bad in coverage when Cushing went down that we had a guy off the street playing Nickel/Dime LB late in the year.

In the draft we have to look at DL as well. Antonio Smith is in his 30's now and has one year left on his deal. I don't see the Texans signing him to another deal at the money he is making now at his age. Crick could be a productive player next year and beyond, but it never hurts to have competition at a premium position like DL.

Special Teams were ****ing terrible this year. The return game was non existent except for today, and we gave up 2 kickoff returns and 1 punt return td this year. That is way too many for a team trying to win a championship. I will be shocked if there is not a new coach in place for next season.

I have a bunch of Chicagoans that always ask me about the Texans because I lived in Houston despite my Cowboy background. I told them all the same thing 2 months back and on...if the Texans get home field they will get to the SB because it will be tough to beat them there. If they go to Baltimore, NE, Denver, etc, its over. I'll give you names. That has always been my opinion. Thought they blew a perfect window this year. JMO.

GP said:

7. Marciano should retire quietly. It took Manning putting the entire ST unit onto his own back in the Patriots playoff game to make something explosive happen for us in the kickoff game. We lost HFA, IMO, when the Colts returned a kickoff on us in the 2nd game. Granted, we won the first Colts game (perhaps) because of Braman's blocked punt that was a TD for us. Still, the penalties and the lack of inspired play and positive, consistent results, was saddening.

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This is something that hasn't been harped on enough. Our special teams has been awful this year. Outside of Manning's returns today, our field position as a whole has been awful, and we have given up multiple long returns throughout the year due to poor coverage. On the times we have gotten decent returns, usually they are brought back because holding or block in the back penalties.

Marciano needs to go and they need to bring in a focus on improving all aspects of the special teams, including getting rid of Graham and his inaccurate leg from over 50 yards (I was actually shocked when he got that 55 yarder today).

It's funny, we completed the best season in Texans' football history and all of us upset. In my mind, that's a good thing. We're winners and we want a Superbowl Champion, not just a play-off team.

The GB and NE games exposed our weaknesses. Today's great offenses either have a QB that makes good decisions and has a great arm or one that has wheels and can maneuver in/out of the pocket to put pressure on the defense. Schaub IMHO has only an average arm and is only adequate decision-maker. When he escaped the pass rush today, rolled right and threw the ball away I almost choked on my beer. He's conditioned himself to throw the ball away vs trying to make a play. How can you ever come back with a QB that makes poor decisions and is as immobile as a 100-yr Oak? Maybe as some suggested he's been injured and can't do what he was doing early on. I'd say we need to bring in some competition or at least give TJ a shot.

I think the rest of our offense is not that bad. Yes, adding some OL help, another WR and a big TE could make us better, but unless we do something about our QB we're doomed to a nominee for Homecoming Queen, but always the 4th runner up.

On defense, we need Cush back. Next we need another ILB and OLB (Barwin replacement). I really think a real NT could help us tremendously. Guys like Wilfolk eat of space and push the line of scrimmage--our guys can't do that and that allows OL to get to our LBs and blow holes in our run defense.

Although I know it won't happen like this, here are what I think our priorities should be in the off-season...

1 - QB (Rookie or Vet to compete against Schaub and Yates)
2 - NT (Space eater to protect LBs and dominate interior)
3 - WR (Either FA or rookie)
4 - OT (RT to compete with Newton)
5 - OLB (Barwin replacement, someone to push current guys)
6 - TE (Looking for 6-5 or larger TE to help give us Red Zone target)
7 - ILB (With Cush and Sharp coming back, we need to add a young bone crusher to develop)

Frankly, I had more fun this season than any other. The last 6 weeks have been frustrating and as a fan I still don't understand why we fell apart. It almost seems that the Patriots stripped us of our manhood in that game and we just couldn't get our heads together after that. I hope we get our mojo back in the off-season and come back ready to kick some NFL-ass.

Bottom line is this fellas...

We don't have a QB or coach who can compete with potent offenses like New England or Green Bay. It is what it is...

I like a coach who believes in his system. I like it, because coaches who believe in their system believes in teaching their system & the players they teach become better players in that system.

It's nice, that Shanahan was able to adjust his system for the dynamic QB he drafted 2nd overall, but by drafting another QB & letting RG3 run all over the place, I'm wondering if he's at all concerned about developing the franchise guy.

Because if he is, he's pretty much starting from scratch next season.

I am torn, because I believe Kubiak's emphasis on being a pro kept the dynamic players we needed on the bench. Posey, Jean, Martin, should have been on the field winning & losing games with the team, learning how to win games. Instead, when things got real, those guys were on the bench, Walter was stealing money & we lost those games anyway.

Whether you think Schaub is washed up, or the right side of the line is garbage, or that we don't have a true #2 WR, Kubiak managed to win 13 games & the division in spite of it all. That gives me hope that when we get that right side fixed, when we get those playmakers on the field, when Wade figures out the elite QBs.... then Kubiak is the guy that can get us to the Super Bowl.

I'm not satisfied with the way the season ended, but I'd be lying if I said I did not enjoy following this team & all the stuff that came with it. I can't wait to do it again next season.

checo446 said:

This is something that hasn't been harped on enough. Our special teams has been awful this year. Outside of Manning's returns today, our field position as a whole has been awful, and we have given up multiple long returns throughout the year due to poor coverage. On the times we have gotten decent returns, usually they are brought back because holding or block in the back penalties.

Marciano needs to go and they need to bring in a focus on improving all aspects of the special teams, including getting rid of Graham and his inaccurate leg from over 50 yards (I was actually shocked when he got that 55 yarder today).

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I think GP is right on that point, 100% (not that I'm one to call for a man's job or anything) that kick off return pretty much took the wind out of our sails & gave the Colts hope. Again, we were acting like we had the lead with our easy pace offense & "prevent" defense & lost that game.

Rey said:

This about sums it up for mr except for dumping smith. He's our second best pass rusher. Would suck to get rid of him and not have any pass rush from anywhere else. Maybe re work his deal though.

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Smith is on his last year, so you would have to extend him to get any cap relief. His cap hit will be $9.8 mil in 2013, and that just seems too much for what Smith provides. It would cost $2.5 mil in dead money to cut Smith, a total savings of $7.3 mil. Just think that that money could be better spent. I'm down on some of these defensive players who I think should have had better seasons playing next to a human dynamo like JJ Watt.

Final thoughts? FUN, and entertaining! We won 13 out of 18 games, not that shabby IMHO!! I'm proud of the team I've followed for 11 yrs. I remember the bad years all to well, so making it to the second level in the playoffs two years in a row is nothing to be ashamed of! I'll just keep on believing that SOMEDAY we will make it to the end!!

Here is my final thought on this season:

Before the year, everyone in the Texans organization (players, coaches, owner) said that this season was "Superbowl or Bust"

We did not make, nor did we win, the Super Bowl.

So what is bust? What does it entail? Will they live up to it?

And should they? I judge my Texans seasons by 3 main factors:
1. How often was I in a good mood on Monday (or Tuesday or Friday) morning?
2. How often did I check this messageboard in excitement (Rather than dread)
3. Am I hopeful that the next season will be even better?

2011 ended and was my best year ever as a Texan fan. We won 10 regular season (and 1 playoff!) games, I was super excited to follow Texans news, and I knew 2012 would be better.

2012 has now ended and was even better than 2011. We won 12 regular season games and a second playoff game, I'm even more of a MB addict, and I firmly believe we will be better in 2013.

Its good to be a Texans fan. I hope they didn't mean 'bust' in a literal sense. We have some major leaks to plug in our hull, but I think we can have a real shot at glory next year with most of the core in tact.

my final thoughts man i wish we had that #1 seed .... : (

o well maybe next year we get get #1 or #2 seed and get a bye and see what happens then ...????

Posey's achilles rupture in the final moments of the game sums up the entire season.

Sustained progress towards a promising future collapses in front of the finish line, and leaves us with a murky and troublesome outlook.

Just as Posey's next season is a question mark, so is the Texans'.

At the conclusion of last season, there was a lot to be excited about. The team was on an upward trajectory. Right now, the team is in an unexplainable decline while our division rivals are improving.

Maybe the offensive line will be better. Maybe inside linebacker will be a position of strength again. But nothing will explain why our QB lost his marbles precisely when we needed him to be what TJ Yates couldn't be.

This season goes down as a disappointment in my book. Kubiak and Smith mortgaged our future cap-wise because if we failed last year they woudn't have been around to deal with the consequences. We got just as far with our "real" quarterback as we got last year with our 3rd stringer, and last year we had a chance to win our divisional game, this year we got curbstomped. We also choked horribly to end the year.

gtexan02 said:

Its good to be a Texans fan. I hope they didn't mean 'bust' in a literal sense. We have some major leaks to plug in our hull, but I think we can have a real shot at glory next year with most of the core in tact.

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This isn't a leak in the hull, this team has a broken keel.

Overall, It was a awesome season. There were a few let downs but hey, even the best lose some here and there so I don't feel bad. Also, there are a lot of teams who wish they were in our position.

I think we will be a better team next season, and I onboard with coach k. I want to believe that he knows what he has to do to get to the next level. Something I would like to see next see is a QB competition going into next season for the starter job not just a backup job. I believe Gary wasn't ready to have that competition this season, but I think this off season he will finally have one.

Fun season. Ups and Downs. Decent playoff run. Improvement from last season. Now we just need to continue that improvement until next season. Find a new QB for the future at some point. Find some help at WR.

First of all I enjoyed the season except for the last 6 weeks where the Texans were exposed. Clearly this team lacks speed and receiving options. The right side of the offensive line is a serious problem. You know the old saying....when you have two RT's you really don't have one. The defense can't hold up in man coverage vs elite QB's. Andy Dalton? No problem. Guys that don't miss simple throws? Not enough man cover speed. Not even close. Some of that is injury, but I'm sorry Sharpton wasn't and isn't a starting caliber player.

I've often said in the past that the league moves very fast and the Texans move curiously slowly at times (their conservative bent). What I see is a team that didn't learn jack squat about how to avoid being in a situation that puts them in a bind with a QB that doesn't play up to his contract. They didn't have to give Carr the max option and they didn't have to jump the gun with Schaub. It felt good and everyone was happy that the Texans are such nice guys and a classy organization but they didn't learn one single thing when they threw all that money away for David Carr when nobody was forcing their hand. We'll be stuck with the dinkNdunk offense for at least two more years. Hell, 18 points down early in the 4th quarter the offensive tempo couldn't be more casual. Contrast that with Seattle earlier in the day playing the Falcons. Night and day. This is a synergistic problem and it's part Kubiak and part Schaub. Schaub is yin to Kubiak's yang.

Wade's odd front, fill the gap style of play puts a heavy burden on the backside coverage and forces them to have linebackers with elite cover skills to combat the Gronk's and Hernandez's of the world. It's a great defense if you can avoid great quarterbacks in the playoffs...but Wade never does, and always loses. He has a great regular season record though....I'll give him that much.

I really enjoyed this NFL season. Unpredictable, wide open and after the Refs came back I think it was the best season I've followed in many, many years. One of the main reasons it was so good was the incredible play of the young quarterbacks all over the league. QB's are coming into the league from passing offenses and are more prepared than ever to hit the ground running so to speak. Hell, Washington took TWO quarterbacks that can play in the NFL in the last draft. There is one out there for us if we make it a priority to identify and draft one (like Seattle and 49'ers did) and groom him (Wilson sure didn't take long), instead of finding a 7th round practice squad arm like we usually do. Watching the league's young quarterbacks buying time and extending plays has me a bit jealous of other teams right now. Those guys have their career's ahead of them and will be fun to watch going forward. Here in Houston I'll watch Schaub work his magic for a couple of more seasons. It's like the David Carr years except that we have the 'must play well' thing down....until we play the big boys.

corytx8 said:

Overall, It was a awesome season. There were a few let downs but hey, even the best lose some here and there so I don't feel bad. Also, there are a lot of teams who wish they were in our position.

I think we will be a better team next season, and I onboard with coach k. I want to believe that he knows what he has to do to get to the next level. Something I would like to see next see is a QB competition going into next season for the starter job not just a backup job. I believe Gary wasn't ready to have that competition this season, but I think this off season he will finally have one.

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if u bring in in like a ALex smith or Matt moore Schaub will still beat them somehow in the off season so whats the point

gtexan02 said:

1. How often was I in a good mood on Monday (or Tuesday or Friday) morning?

2. How often did I check this messageboard in excitement (Rather than dread)

3. Am I hopeful that the next season will be even better?

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1.) In addition to the losses, I wasn't in a particularly cheerful mood after the DET game or the JAX game. I had serious reservations about things after the first IND game. I had concerns after the DEN game. So I'm not exactly sure how to answer this question, but it wasn't 13-5.

2.) I'm pretty even keel, regardless what the tone of my posts sounds like.

3.) Not really. I make no predictions on record, but record really doesn't matter beyond a certain point. There's #1 seed, not making the playoffs, and everything in between. I expect they'll make the playoffs and lose. More to the point, I expect many of the same weaknesses to rear up.

Texan in Japan said:

It's funny, we completed the best season in Texans' football history and all of us upset. In my mind, that's a good thing. We're winners and we want a Superbowl Champion, not just a play-off team.

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This, x10. There's no disgrace in getting beat by a team who are now favourites to go on and win the Superbowl, and, but for a late-season slump and a few fine margins against NE, things could have been different. Of course there are areas that need improvement, but we can't lose sight of the fact that progress has been made.

Lest we forget:

gtexan02 said:

Its good to be a Texans fan...

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Amen to this^ .

GP said:

Posey deserves WR2 duties, the whole game. All season. He has proven he can do it, and he moves twice as fast as Walter does. Game over.

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And he probably would be the WR2 next season if hadn't of blown out his Achilles' tendon at the end of the game when it was already lost.

I've seen lots of times that it's better to wait some time and let the emotions settle down before doing a real analysis. But that said, here are some of my thoughts:

0) We really did do well this year. Regardless of play at the end, it was nice to have such a good season, overall. I also think it is healthy that we all see this now as a disappointement, rather than something to be satisfied with. As someone who was a longtime Cowboys fan, this is one big difference I've seen in the fanbases: Cowboys fans expect to win, and are basically never satisfied unless it's a Superbowl. While that can obviously get frustrating, I think that attitude is needed for long-term success, and I think I'm seeing it develop here.

1) Special teams was a disaster. We were consistently having worse field position than the other team through our poor punting/kickoff play. This should be obvious to everyone, and there's no excuse not to fire the ST coach.
1a) At the same time, I will say that Graham did better than I expected at the end of the year. I was all set to go to Bullock next year, but now I'm having second thoughts.

2) I think we are seeing the effect of the lack of emphasis on the offense. Look at the past 3-4 drafts---very defense-heavy (though we did a bit more on offense this past year, it was for positions like OL that take time to develop, and our top pick was still on D). Look at free agents: we have brought in people like Joseph, Manning, and Smith on D. On O? Basically nothing. The point is, regardless of how good our O is supposed to be, when you consistently neglect bringing in talent through FA and the draft over several years, it's not surprising to see it suffer. It's surprising to me that it's doing as well as it is.

3) I also think we are seeing the result of losing much of our 2006 draft class in the offseason: Williams, Ryans, and Winston. Each of those is a reasonable decision to let go, but in every case it's not as though we really upgraded with the replacement.

4) I am frustrated that I don't even know what we really have any more. The regression of Brooks Reed and Connor Barwin makes me wonder what if anything we have there. The right side of the OL is totally uncertain. I have no idea who we really have for receivers (I've not been a fan of Kevin Walter for a long time). Our depth at RB seems OK, but I doubt it lasts into next year. Do we have any corners after Joseph and KJ? What about our TEs (the level of play there seemed to drop off this year)? Normally, I can at least take comfort after a season that I see some progress and the building blocks for the future, but this time I feel we have more uncertainty and questions.

5) I did see some good points. JJ Watt was incredible. AJ showed me he still has it and I feel good about him next year, even as our #1. I think Kareem Jackson showed he can play the position we drafted him for. Some other players that I was actually worried about continuing to perform (Joseph, Foster) showed me they were OK.

6) I wondered how I should take the two OT wins: as signs of trouble, or demonstrations of perseverernce. I think the answer is clear now, which is kind of depressing. I think the NE games showed us where we really stand, overall, and our 12-4 record probably should have been closer to the 10-6 it would have been if we'd lost those OT games.

7) A couple of things I disagree with others on:
7a) First, I don't think losing Cushing was the death knell of our defense (though it certainly hurt). I think a bigger factor was the poor play by the other LBs. Plus, based on Cushing's history so far, I think we are destined for disappointment if we tie our success to Cushing - he seems to have been missing more than he's played.
7b) Second, I don't actually put as much blame here on Schaub as most people do. I'm not saying he's an elite QB, and I'm not excusing the poor plays that were his fault today and in other games, but I think he is plenty good enough to get us to a SB win. I'm totally fine with him going into the next few years. I do think that there is a mental aspect to his game that is now off, though, but it hasn't always been that way, and I don't think it's necessarily going to be there long-term. I think the people calling for Schaub replacement are underestimating the difficulty of getting an improvement (especially with our draft position). I'd put Schaub in the top third of QBs in the league, meaning at least half the teams are having difficulty making improvements at that position.

8) Finally, along the lines of point 4, I don't know what to think about Kubiak. I feel that I've seen steady progress by the team as a whole under Kubiak, and I won't deny feeling for 2/3 of this year that he could lead us to a SB. But, I also found myself questioning his playcalling (runs up the middle today?!?!), and I think the uncertainty I mention in point 4 is directly Kubiak's fault - we should know better what we have (maybe he does, and it's just less apparent to me).

keyser said:

0) We really did do well this year. Regardless of play at the end, it was nice to have such a good season, overall. I also think it is healthy that we all see this now as a disappointement, rather than something to be satisfied with. As someone who was a longtime Cowboys fan, this is one big difference I've seen in the fanbases: Cowboys fans expect to win, and are basically never satisfied unless it's a Superbowl. While that can obviously get frustrating, I think that attitude is needed for long-term success, and I think I'm seeing it develop here.

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thats working out awesome for them

not that i care about the cowboys (not from texas) but the texans have more playoff wins in the last 2 yrs than the cowboys have had in the last 15+

Schaub choked at the end of the season. He couldn't throw tds to secure hfa and He couldn't throw a td until the pressure was off vs Patriots. He was obviously in over his head, and it's time for new blood. You need a lot of points to compete against elite offenses, and it doesn't matter how good your d is.

I bet the rest of the team has lost faith in him except sadly Kubiak. I wish they would give Yates a shot next year, and if he sucks go for Tahj Boyd or Johnny football in that draft.(don't see many promising qbs this years draft.) With Kubiak we already know Schaub will be back all year.

I guess if there is a silver lining, Schaub has some experience in those types of games now, and perhaps he will be better prepared for them. At least that gives me some sliver of hope to make it through next year.

props to AJ Arian JJW on great seasons

I feel empty in regards to this season. I want to compete for superbowls and I don't feel we are in position to do that with this coach and qb combo.

I do not care about the wins other than it was enough to get us into the play offs. Other than that I wasn't a fan of how they played for much of the year. They had some good moments and that was nice to see. I was happy to have a chance by playing in the game yesterday.

But I'm far from ok. I'm far from satisfied and I hope the players and coaches feel the same way.

Re: Well, that's a wrap. 2012 season final thoughts

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Nice ride that ended prematurely due to a bad driver.

#1: Special teams was terrible. The return man is only one SMALL PART of the total body of work. Jacoby & Holliday were both able to go other places and be successful. Other than Braman, it was a total loss.

#2: Our defense has GLARING WEAKNESSES. We miss far too many tackles. There seems to be virtually no hustle in making tackles, about 80% of the time. I watched far too many players yesterday being very uninspired about chasing down a player from behind or getting where they needed to be. One guy trying to bring a ball carrier down and four guys standing around watching, happened far too often yesterday. Another HUGE weakness is that our defense CAN'T HANDLE THE HURRY UP OFFENSE. We saw in week 14 against the Pats and we saw it again yesterday. How in the heck do you NOT get down and set at the goal line when you KNOW IT'S COMING.

#3: Nothing new on the Schaub front. He's an unmotivated and uninspiring player. He's above average in terms of numbers but below average in terms of ability. But he ain't going anywhere so we're gonna have to live with it.

#4: The Kubiak ship has sailed and we're all on board--like it or not! He's not going anywhere anytime soon. He spends too much time trying to out think the room when it comes to playcalling. We're the best play action team in the league and he refuses to use it like he should--imo. Spending too much time looking for the "daily specials" on his "Denny's menu" has cost us valuable opportunitites. He wants to be touted as a brilliant offensive mind. Well, then cut that playbook in half and work on what we do well. Screw being cunning and crafty--just line up and GO TO WORK. If we're the best, then line up and tell the other team "You know what's coming and we're confident enough to let you know...so try and stop us." But he's NOT that guy and he's never gonna be that guy. But like Schaub...he's here to stay.

#5: I believe that our O-line really is more talented than they're playing right now. Honestly if you can keep "Mr. Lead Pants" upright and injury free when he's looking for any reason to go down...then you're not half bad. Our blocking schemes are pitiful.

#6: Foster lead the league in TDs...good job. But to say that he seems unmotivated would be an understatement.

#7: Maybe Wade Phillips isn't the savior that we all hoped he'd be. He seems ineffective at making needed changes once the coin is flipped. If it's not "blitz, blitz and blitz again" he seems not to really know what to do. Staying with man coverage the entire game with the Pats in week 14 just showed me that he's either stubborn and inflexible, or just plain dumb. But it seems to me that he's almost COMPLETELY dependant on players with talent, playing talented. Once Cushing went down it just didn't seem like he had a very strong backup plan.

#8: I see FRUSTRATION and CARELESSNESS in players faces. I wonder how much "sticking with Schaub" has taken the wind out of the sails of the team. I realize that we'll never know it, because we've carefully selected players that won't rock the boat. Cushing is the only boat-rocker that we've got in the locker room, and he's just not able to be the team leader when he's on the sidelines--like an injured Ray Lewis let's say.

#9: LEADERSHIP is lacking. JJ Watt is a phenom, but he's not a leader. He's a guy that's going to quietly do his job and impact the game. But I wonder how long before his frustration will boil over. Everyone has a breaking point.

#10: There's no depth at WR. Dre put up alot bigger numbers than I think anyone thought he would this year. But we all know that he's not what he once was. Whose gonna take over his role? Jean? Daniels isn't what he was before the injury either.

#11: The "Good Guys Syndrome" is gonna be our downfall. We're not the Astros! Back in the day, Houston football had some swagger. It wasn't called "The House of Pain" for no reason. I mean for pete's sake--we even had the OC & the DC get into a fist fight on the sideline. LOL.

#12: Salary cap...salary cap...salary cap.




Well, that's all I've got right now...
Feel free to flame away.

I see this as a season of blown opportunity and the start of a regression in team success. The team has taken a long time to get to where they are, with small improvement every year. That lack of speed contributed to losing talent this year because of salary cap issues before ultimate success was reached. It has also allowed faster moving teams like the Colts to be successful, rebuild, and catch back up with the Texans.

Given the weaker schedule and health of the players relative to last year's team, I think the regression has already started. The team should have had more playoff success than last year, not just a better regular season record.

Counting on "next man up" and a great draft didn't allow the Texans to keep up with or exceed the improvements of other top teams in 2012, and I don't think it will do the trick this off-season either.

A lot of blame being thrown Schaub's way, which I can definitely agree he deserves a nice chunk. He was unable to get us over the hump a lot of us thought he would if he was our QB last year in the playoffs. Maybe he could've, but he dang sure didn't prove it to me.

This Oline was a shell of it's former self. I was an advocate of Winston being cut due to $ vs performance. Boy, we missed the heck out of him in our run game this season. Although, I must admit, Newton did progress throughout the season. And for the love of Pete, can we stop the rotation along the oline?!! That's what training camp's for...compete then make a dadgum decision and stick with it.

I love me some Wade, but he's a stubborn man. He refuses to alter his 40 year old defense when needed. Like Vinny said, we can't compete against the "elite" QBs and coaches of the league. We're caught with our pants down when our pressure can't get home.

Like someone else said, my heart sank when Cush went down. Say what you want about Watt, but Cush is the leader of this defense. Would we have been monumentally better? Probably not, but we damn sure would've been better than what we saw in the 2nd half of the season.

The Sharpton and Brady experiment is over! I fully expect ILB to be a priority. Whether by draft or FA, we need someone next to Cush that can stuff the run. Pretty sure we just traded one away last year.

In the end, it was a decent season. I'm just not satisfied

Unfortunately this team is not ascending. I felt better about them after last season. They played a much better last game given their limitations due to injury than this year. After last season we were all thinking, one more full offseason and a healthy Matt Schaub and we can compete with the best. That proved to be true for 3/4 of the season. Now, I think this team has peaked and will be hard pressed to actually get better before next season starts. Not only that, the Colts are ready to pass them up.

mridge01 said:

Unfortunately this team is not ascending. I felt better about them after last season. They played a much better last game given their limitations due to injury than this year. After last season we were all thinking, one more full offseason and a healthy Matt Schaub and we can compete with the best. That proved to be true for 3/4 of the season. Now, I think this team has peaked and will be hard pressed to actually get better before next season starts. Not only that, the Colts are ready to pass them up.

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That was before we cut Winston, lost Breisel, traded Ryans, an lost Dreessen. Then, who did we get in the draft that had any impact? The 2012 draft has ALOT of question marks.

It was a good ride until December.

1. Special teams were anything but special.

2. Linebacker position decimated by injuries.

3. Lack of coaching adjustments.

4. No killer instinct from HC or QB.

Our coaching philosophies must change for this team to get to the next level. We need a space eating nose tackle that will relieve the double teams from JJ. Offensively, keeping a game close is a loser mentality. Establishing the run to set up the pass doesn't work in this day of the NFL.

Anybody want to assemble a search party for Ben Tate?

We went from having one of the leagues best 2 back combo to basically Arian