Sorry if I responded late, but I felt this needed a response, since so many seem to be in either one camp or the other regarding Keenum (and Schaub, too for that matter, although Schaubs supporters have really dwindled). Im not pro-Keenum, neither am I anti-Keenum.
That's why I got so tired of people in here blathering about how Kubiak wasn't letting "case be case" or claiming that Kubiak was trying to turn Case into Schaub..couldn't have been further from the truth imo. What Kubiak was trying to do when he had Case under center & running other "schaub-like" plays was trying to incorporate some "normal" aspects of his offense that could help offset some of the things defenses were doing to Case. He knew you couldn't sustain an NFL offense doing only the things Keenum feels most comfortable. It probably wasn't enough TBH...At some point you've got to settle into something much more comprehensive & viable...
And thats been one of the main points of my argument is how viable and/or vital Kubiaks offense is in 2013. I say not much
and even after Keenums first game, I was a little disconcerted that we only saw him under center at the goal line. I wanted to see a healthy mix, e.g. Brees and Newton to confuse the defense; but since I believe there is a fundamental problem with Kubiaks offense, it didnt matter anyway. I think the proof in Kubiaks nonviable offense is the aforementioned play calling that did not take into account the blitz. No 3 or 5 step drops with hot reads. It was the same sh!t every time, whether it was Keenum or Schaub under center. Then people question Keenums hesitancy on making some throws, when anyone would hesitate to throw the ball into windows too tight because defenders are sitting on routes and your O-line is Swiss cheese.
Whether or not Keenum and Kubiak settled on some sort of happy medium to win ballgames, well never know. Or maybe we will if Keenum ever gets to play under a different HC (which I hope isnt a QB guru).
Last night showed this perfectly. The offense looked stagnant with Keenum most of the night, but Schaub comes in & we're moving the ball up & down the field like it's nothing. But b/c all people heard was Mayock saying "uptempo" they automatically think "oh why doesn't he do that with keenum, he did it so well at UH" Well, if keenum wasn't good at running the plays in the uptempo package, then it doesn't matter if it's uptempo or not..
One thing we have to factor in here is Schaubs experience, and also during the workweek, Schaub had been taking the same snaps using the same game plan (in the pistol) as Keenum had been during the week. That gave Schaub the edge coming off the bench. Contrary to popular belief, Schaub might be slightly aging, and lost in the confidence department, but its not like hes a straight up scrub. At the end of the game it was all hokus pokus, anyway. Schaub didnt win either game he came in a relieved Keenum. The O-line still sucked, both QBs had the same amount of attempts, and they did the same damage. Its the offense. Every defense knows that thing is a cow and youre not going to convince them its a leopard.
Good qbs don't let you corner them into 1 tendency or another & it doesn't matter what defenses are trying to do to you....That's one thing that you see early on with good qbs. It might give the defense a better chance to win by taking away a big tendency that that qb has, but ultimately, that qb can make you pay another way....that isn't the case with Schaub...and/or now Keenum.
Youre right, 100% - Good QBs burn you while youre trying to burn them. Yet, again, were back to the chicken or the egg question, when I have no doubt the Schaub could have thrived even more under a system that gave him more latitude as a field general. Im not saying that he would have set the NFL on fire, but hes a pretty smart guy, very able to run Kubiaks cerebral brand of offense; therefore equally capable of running some other brand. I also believe the same thing with Keenum. I knew when he came out, if anything, Keenum had/has a mind for the game. There were always question marks about his physical tools, but not about his football smarts. Lo and behold Keenum answered some questions about his physical tools, both good and bad surprising a few people along the way but all of a sudden are we expected to believe he just got stupid and cant read a defense for sh!t? Maybe. But also, you know as well as I do that good QBs are not created overnight, either. I mean, Cam Newton was found out early on. RGIII has been found out. Does that mean they are crap? I doubt it, but because of draft status they will get their chance while someone like Case Keenum or Billy Voleck might not.
Having said all that, if I had sight into the future, Id wish to see Keenum as a fry cook for the rest of his life it meant us having a franchise QB in the near future. The truth is, the Texans cant afford very much time working on the Keenum experiment. We want a turnaround NOW! So
well, I guess its all moot now that Kubiak has hit the road. A lot of things are about to change. I hope its for the best, with the right people, even if it means that every player on this team has to peace the f'ck out.
