McClain's Blog

There is some interesting stuff in there. This is the type of thing I would have liked to see get more ink while it was happening rather than two years later though.

This seems like a great time to remind everyone of something: In 2004, the Texans finished 7-9. They were one of six teams with a 3,500-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher (Domanick Davis) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Andre Johnson). Then, the braintrust made Palmer change the offense because they panicked when Carr was sacked six times and hit a lot more in that season-ending loss to Cleveland.

Palmer didn't want to change the offense. He wanted to improve the protection by adding better linemen. But he was forced to change it to try to protect Carr, so they went to a quick drop and quick release rather than let Carr take a deeper drop and wait for his receivers to get open down the field. It backfired because Palmer hadn't coached that system, and Carr hadn't played in it.

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if the offensive system had been left alone, and the Texans had devoted more energy into improving the protection in 2005? I know it's hindsight, but I bet they wouldn't have finished 2-14, and Dom Capers wouldn't have lost his job.

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Pendry was playing the politics games so hard so that he could be offensive coordinator that:

a) He messed up the o-line - don't play the best players, play non-Casserly players.
b) He in turn messed up the offense - Palmer's offense is too hard, try my ultraconservative approach.

The Texans are paying for these self-aggrandizing games to this day weak line, stunted offense.

That is what is sad, it was always about Carr, not about the Texans. Thankfully Kubiak is in charge.

With the optimism and hope of a more successful period for the Texans
under new HC Kubiak, how ironical that the 2006 season finale is the same as
2004: a date at Reliant with the Clevland Browns.We all joke about deja vu all
over again, but this last game of the year in Reliant with the same team as in
'06 really does have a feel of deja vu but with a chance to rewrite the outcome ? Or to rewrite history if you will.
Instead of feeling good at the end of 2004 for just having completed a 8-8 season, I can remember Bob McNair being on TV and sounding very defensive
about the way the team finished against the Browns and promising, almost guaranteeing that'd he'd make sure that David Carr got some help for the 2005 season in the way of better protection. And I gotta agree with KT on that one, it did seem to be more about Carr than the team on that day.
Lets just hope Kubiak has them playing their best on New Years Eve this year,
so we have a chance to end the season with an impressive win and have the
positive momentum going into the offseason, unlike the end of the 2004 season.

But he was forced to change it to try to protect Carr, so they went to a quick drop and quick release rather than let Carr take a deeper drop and wait for his receivers to get open down the field. It backfired because Palmer hadn't coached that system, and Carr hadn't played in it.

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Mr.McClain???? He went to a school called Fresno State and they throw the ball a lot, and a lot of 7 step drops, and deep balls through the ball alot in college...........Carr was a Carson Palmer mold QB before Chris descided to make him into a runner a slasher if you may.

Hulk75 said:

Mr.McClain???? He went to a school called Fresno State and they throw the ball a lot, and a lot of 7 step drops, and deep balls through the ball alot in college...........Carr was a Carson Palmer mold QB before Chris descided to make him into a runner a slasher if you may.

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McClain was saying neither Palmer nor Carr had played in the new "3 step drop only with quick hitters and no vertical passing game" system. Carr and Palmer were both in favor of opening up the field and the playbook, but apparently they were stiffled by upper management when our team had a bad game.

Hulk75 said:

Mr.McClain???? He went to a school called Fresno State and they throw the ball a lot, and a lot of 7 step drops, and deep balls through the ball alot in college...........Carr was a Carson Palmer mold QB before Chris descided to make him into a runner a slasher if you may.

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The previous poster was wasn't referring to Carr's lack of a 7 step drop during college. He has played in that, he was referring to the quick release style of football that became prevalent in '05. You've highlited two phrases that aren't connected.

Runner said:

There is some interesting stuff in there. This is the type of thing I would have liked to see get more ink while it was happening rather than two years later though.




Pendry was playing the politics games so hard so that he could be offensive coordinator that:

a) He messed up the o-line - don't play the best players, play non-Casserly players.
b) He in turn messed up the offense - Palmer's offense is too hard, try my ultraconservative approach.

The Texans are paying for these self-aggrandizing games to this day weak line, stunted offense.

Click to expand...

They did a part Pendry/part Palmer offense. But Palmer ran his stuff more. But didn't have the line to do it. Palmer gets canned, Pendry does more of his quick throw stuff, but Pendry didn't know the playbook well enough to call stuff sometimes. And Pendry's offense was a joke--max protect no down field stuff.

That's why the offense looked better when Carr called it last season.

The offense being called in Dallas is not Palmer's tho.

This is so tiring. Carr bashers have to find something to complain about on threads unrelated to him, Carr defenders have to defend Carr when nothing bad was said about him. Then both "sides" point fingers at the other for being the same way.

Texans_Chick said:

They did a part Pendry/part Palmer offense. But Palmer ran his stuff more. But didn't have the line to do it. Palmer gets canned, Pendry does more of his quick throw stuff, but Pendry didn't know the playbook well enough to call stuff sometimes. And Pendry's offense was a joke--max protect no down field stuff.

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McClain Blog said:

Palmer didn't want to change the offense. He wanted to improve the protection by adding better linemen.

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Justice Blog said:

Seth Wand ... It's incredible that the coaching staff was too dumb to give him consistent help from a tight end or running back.

The previous coaching staff soured on Wand and pretty much had him out of their plans by last season. That decision was one of many Charley Casserly disagree with that staff about.

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http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2006/09/goodbye_to_doma.html


Politics, Politics, Politics. Not a good way to run a football team.

I can see Pendry's thought process now. "I'll start Victor Riley to spite Casserly with the bonus that it screws up Palmer's offense. Palmer gets fired; I get promoted. Sweet!"

I'm sure that when the night before the Bills game when they threw away the play book was a big help to.