Chemistry

[El Tejano]

Sorry to drop the C word around here but it brings up an interesting question. Doesn't chemistry mean anything anymore?

I only say this because I remember how when we first started the only thing we wanted was to see our team play with chemistry/to gel etc...

I read Nick Scurfield's live chat and noted how he said that talking to all the players in the locker room they were all very happy to hear that Kubiak would be returning.

For those that don't know, after the Chris Brown int I wanted Kubiak gone. However the more I read about why people want him gone the one thing that noone has been able to say is that the players have not bought into his style or system of coaching. All the players do believe Kubiak is the dude. We could say that the players didn't like Capers and disagreed with how he coached but that can't be said now.

 

[HoustonFrog]

I stated this in another thread a few weeks back but the whole liking/disliking a coach thing is bogus to me. Them liking him didn't get them over the hump the last 3 years. Them liking him didn't make them win in the division and win 4 big games mid-season. I mean I could rip off HOF type coaches who weren't liked by many players.....Lombardi, Knoll, Landry, Cowher, Jimmy Johnson, Belichick. You don't need your players to like you universally. You need your players to respect you. Truthfully, these guys get paid a ton. They may like a coach because camp is cake and he isn't hard on them. They make like him because he isn't a screamer. But that really doesn't make a difference. You just need a guy that takes the talent, gameplans, pushes the right buttons and gets them ready every week. Maybe this next year it all comes together and it clicks, so to speak.

So taking all that and using the word Chemistry.....I think Chemistry happens when everyone is on the same page and pretty much having the same goal....basically winning. It is alot easier to see Chemistry when a team is winning. There are alot of players that don't like each other but they sure like winning together.

 

[houstonspartan]

I stated this in another thread a few weeks back but the whole liking/disliking a coach thing is bogus to me. Them liking him didn't get them over the hump the last 3 years. Them liking him didn't make them win in the division and win 4 big games mid-season. I mean I could rip off HOF type coaches who weren't liked by many players.....Lombardi, Knoll, Landry, Cowher, Jimmy Johnson, Belichick. You don't need your players to like you universally. You need your players to respect you. Truthfully, these guys get paid a ton. They may like a coach because camp is cake and he isn't hard on them. They make like him because he isn't a screamer. But that really doesn't make a difference. You just need a guy that takes the talent, gameplans, pushes the right buttons and gets them ready every week. Maybe this next year it all comes together and it clicks, so to speak.

So taking all that and using the word Chemistry.....I think Chemistry happens when everyone is on the same page and pretty much having the same goal....basically winning. It is alot easier to see Chemistry when a team is winning. There are alot of players that don't like each other but they sure like winning together.

You know, Frog, when I saw Mario Williams utter "We love this coach" on tv several weeks ago I thought it was so absurd I started laughing hysterically. Not that I don't believe that they love the guy. I thought it was ridiculus because they waited until deep in the season - when his ass was on the line - to show their love for their coach.

Give me a break.

They love him alright. Love that he lets them do whatever the hell they want with no consequences.

 

[Fox]

They love him alright. Love that he lets them do whatever the hell they want with no consequences.

Except fumble.

 

[TexansFanatic]

I do think having a player's coach is a double-edged sword.

If you have the right group of players, it can be a huge asset.

If you have a group of lazy-asses, it can be a liability.

One only need look at Bum Phillips. When he was with the Oilers, his players would throw themselves in front of a train for him. When he was with the Saints, well, not so much.

There's a real danger in being friends with your players.

Having said all that I think it's going to work out with Kubiak. I think he has showed the correct quantities of love and discipline.

Some of the players, like Mario, clearly respond when they're called out. And it gets tiresome having to call a player out over and over again.

But one of the things I think Kubiak has going for him is that for every Mario and Amobi, the Texans roster now has two players who are self-starters and hold the others accountable. There's Dunta, Cushing, Ryans, and Pollard. There's Schaub, Walter, AJ, and O.D.

These guys want to win and now they've gotten a taste of what it's like to decide you're not going to lose and be successful after making that decision.

Call me a ridiculous pumper, but I see big things for this team in the Fall. Can't get here soon enough. Looking forward to the draft!!!

 

[ObsiWan]

I stated this in another thread a few weeks back but the whole liking/disliking a coach thing is bogus to me. Them liking him didn't get them over the hump the last 3 years. Them liking him didn't make them win in the division and win 4 big games mid-season. I mean I could rip off HOF type coaches who weren't liked by many players.....Lombardi, Knoll, Landry, Cowher, Jimmy Johnson, Belichick. You don't need your players to like you universally. You need your players to respect you. Truthfully, these guys get paid a ton. They may like a coach because camp is cake and he isn't hard on them. They make like him because he isn't a screamer. But that really doesn't make a difference. You just need a guy that takes the talent, gameplans, pushes the right buttons and gets them ready every week. Maybe this next year it all comes together and it clicks, so to speak.

So taking all that and using the word Chemistry.....I think Chemistry happens when everyone is on the same page and pretty much having the same goal....basically winning. It is alot easier to see Chemistry when a team is winning. There are alot of players that don't like each other but they sure like winning together.

You might find individuals who didn't get along with these coaches - Bradshaw/Knoll comes to mind - but on the whole, the team respected and liked those coaches because they were tough but fair.

Now I agree that liking a coach isn't good enough if the players don't perform. The players liked Jim Zorn. The 'Skins still sucked. The players liked Romeo Crennell. The Browns still sucked.

I agree, it would have been better to show this "love for Kubiak" during the division games. Or even the Cardinal game. Anything that would have given us a 10-6 record.

 

[thunderkyss]

Sorry to drop the C word around here but it brings up an interesting question. Doesn't chemistry mean anything anymore?

I think your thread has been hiJacked. For some reason everyone is talking about how nice Kubiak is, which has nothing to do with Chemistry. At least everyone I know is referring to the play & interaction of the players on the field, when they are talking about Chemistry.

But Chemistry is huge. This isn't college football, but the principle is the same. How many starters are returning is one of the most important questions in college football. When they project a teams season, you can't find a discussion that doesn't include how many starters are returning.

First, they've got to be good. & there is usually a few "important" stats that back up how good they are, other wise they could bring back 100% of their starters, & it won't make a difference.

Look at Indianapolis, the Patriots, San Diego... the only teams that have made it to the play-offs the last 4 out of 4 years. They have starters that have been playing together longer than the Texans have been a franchise.

They love him alright. Love that he lets them do whatever the hell they want with no consequences.

We can ask Kevin Mathis & Jacoby Jones about that.

But if that is the case, I'd like to know why Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels, Mario Williams, Demeco Ryans, & Bryan Cushing work so hard.

 

[buddyboy]

Except fumble.

People complain that he benches people after they fumble and that he was too harsh with Jacoby. Darned if you do, darned if you don't.