Finally a good argument against.
We are a top ten offense.
Were the season to start all over again, we would be at least upper half defense, if not top 10.
I have a question for you regarding offensive and defensive rank:
WHO FLIPPIN' CARES?!
And by that I mean a team can be top ranked in tons of categories, but if rank doesn't translate into wins, I couldn't give a flying falafel.
I think the fact that we ARE a top 10 offense and could make an argument our defense has improved and we have a pitiful 5-7 record is indicative that something is rotten in the state of Denmark. And down at Reliant.
Still alot of things to be improved upon, I don't deny that, but I think we are headed in the right direction.
How many more years will constitute "headed in the right direction?" Seriously, Kubiak has shown ZERO improvement in win/loss ratio over the last 3 seasons. That's not improvement. That our offense is top ten but we're still 5-7 means that rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic doesn't mean that the skipper wasn't asleep at the wheel.
I'm going for a record number of cliches and allegories in this post.
Other than the Tennessee game, & the Jets game, I don't have a real big problem with the play calling, & I honestly think too many people are confusing play calling with the decisions the players make on the field.
Did you slip and fall and hit your head? Is your Medic Alert bracelet working? Do we need to send help?
I honestly need to know what about yesterday's game (that you excluded) was good in the play-calling area.
Just looking at yesterday's game, had DA held on to the ball, & not coughed it up, had AJ & KDub held on to several balls they dropped, had James Casey(3rd round rookie, I know) made the correct block, had Chris Brown kept the ball & took the loss, or threw it out of bounds, he was on the freak'n sideline already) & several other things, like Grossman being on the same page with AJ, & putting a little less air under a couple of throws...... the play calling was right on.
Look, if your team has trouble executing, there are two things that need to change, and I put BOTH on the coaching staff:
1. Preparation: We have a lot of talented players making stupid mistakes. Mental errors are correctable, but only if someone chews their butt out and makes them fear for their lives if they make them again.
2. If your players are prone to mental errors and make costly mistakes on the field, then it would be logical to NOT PUT THEM IN A POSITION TO FAIL. And you know what low-percentage plays in key situations like a HB pass does? It sets your players up to fail. Run smart, high-percentage plays. To me, this is a key area of bone-headedness that cannot be stressed enough. Your team doesn't know how to win. Doesn't know how to shut the other team down and dominate them mentally or physically. But you know what your team does know how to do? Screw things up in key situations. Why help them do so by calling HB passes or multiple passes on first and goal at the 1? WHY?!
You don't loose the majority of your games by 7 points or less, because of bad play calling, & it's not like we're asking our players to do anything they are not capable of doing. They simply aren't getting it done, when it counts. IMO, that's part of the natural progression from where we were, to where we want to be.
How is this a different trend from last year? They haven't been "getting it done" for 3 seasons now. I'll give Kubiak a mulligan on his first year.
The last 5 weeks, we've been in position to tie or win every game, despite all the fumbles & interceptions, & bad decisions made by the players on the field.
That's not bad coaching, or game management, or clock management.
That's a stepping stone. & I've got faith in Kubiak, because I've seen this team lay down before, but not in the last 3 & a half years.
You don't mention the other important aspects of coaching that Kubiak has not shown any competence or ability in:
1. Preparation
2. Attitude
3. Toughness
4. Personnel decisions - CHRIS BROWN?!?!?!?! Hitches, please!
5. Making adjustments
There's only so much you can put on the players. If your leader is not making the adjustments and getting his players to mentally check in each and every week and go out there and play with balls on fire, then it's time for a change. And Kubiak is a niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice guy. How lovely for him. I bet he'd be a great choice to babysit your kids. But a head football coach is not in his DNA right now, not with this team.
The players love this guy and I'm sure the group hugs after practice, or whatever the hell Kubiak does to get their love, is all fine and well. But do they love him enough to go out there and kill the other team and play with some piss and vinegar?
Hell. No.
Let me repeat that.
HELL. NO.
If football was a contest where the least offensive team won, where likeability and "goshdarnit, aren't they cute when they try?" were factors in winning a championship, then the Texans are right up there as contenders.
There is nothing...AND THE ROCK MEANS NOTHING...on Kubiak's head coaching resume that you can point to and say "this outweighs the mediocre record, the lack of preparation, the 'what the WHAT?!?!' playcalling and lack of heart."
If you like luke-warm coffee, limp handshakes, nougat, beige cubicle farms, mini vans and other things of a tepid, non-descript fashion, then Kubiak is the coach for you.
Kubiak is nougat. Coaching nougat. Boring, airy filler that no one is specifically excited about. No one says, "hey, while we're at the Stop and Rob, let's get some Acme Nougat Bars." No, people want freakin' Twix or Kit Kats or Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Candy filled with WIN.
Coaching nougat.