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All encompassing Rick Smith thread

amazing80 said:
Smith needs to go. I would rather get rid of Smith and let OB play out his final year, decide then if he is worthy of an extension. Can't make a gourmet meal without quality ingredients.
Click to expand...

This^^^

Giants owner didn't let sentiment sway what was best for his organization and fired his GM, a long time employee: "Reese's inability to piece together an adequate offensive line for years on end."

:coffee:
 
cuppacoffee said:
This^^^

Giants owner didn't let sentiment sway what was best for his organization and fired his GM, a long time employee: "Reese's inability to piece together an adequate offensive line for years on end."

:coffee:
Click to expand...
You guys are harsh. Reese helped bring 2 championships to that team, and they just won 11 games and made playoffs last season. "But he can't make an offensive line, fire his ass!"
 
cuppacoffee said:
This^^^

Giants owner didn't let sentiment sway what was best for his organization and fired his GM, a long time employee: "Reese's inability to piece together an adequate offensive line for years on end."

:coffee:
Click to expand...

The difference is McNair just gave Ricky an extension. Ricky's not going anywhere. This all comes down to $$$$.
 
It’s pretty clear our team is garbage after losing like 85% of our starters due to season ending injuries, but the gaping holes throughout the roster are hard to overlook. I can’t think of any other NFL team (as of right now) that’s in worse shape than us when it comes to depth, or lack thereof, geez!

It’s gotta be frustrating for any business owner to have their franchise look like complete sh*t after having consecutively successful seasons. The thing is, does McNair even realize that his GM has not done a very good job at having his team ready for situations like the ones that the team has faced? Does he just write it off as “bad luck?”

I wonder what his thought process is? Any other team would have cleaned house after such an embarrassing season, but it looks like McNair will just sit this one out.

If there ever was a time to be panicking, this would be it!
 
Mangler said:
It’s pretty clear our team is garbage after losing like 85% of our starters due to season ending injuries, but the gaping holes throughout the roster are hard to overlook. I can’t think of any other NFL team (as of right now) that’s in worse shape than us when it comes to depth, or lack thereof, geez!

It’s gotta be frustrating for any business owner to have their franchise look like complete sh*t after having consecutively successful seasons. The thing is, does McNair even realize that his GM has not done a very good job at having his team ready for situations like the ones that the team has faced? Does he just write it off as “bad luck?”

I wonder what his thought process is? Any other team would have cleaned house after such an embarrassing season, but it looks like McNair will just sit this one out.

If there ever was a time to be panicking, this would be it!
Click to expand...

Except for at safety & OL, I think our depth is fine. For any team in the NFL, depth won’t help when you lose your best players.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Big decisions loom on the plate of Texans owner Bob McNair

McNair must decide whether his GM and coach are capable of reversing club's course in 2018

By Brian T. Smith, Houston Chronicle

December 16, 2017 Updated: December 16, 2017 8:27pm
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting a great article that helps back up what several of us Texans fans have been stating. This next move by McNair should be to create an immediate clean slate for his new Mentor, GM and HC. There's only a limited time left for him to see his organization get on track.
 
OptimisticTexan said:
Thanks for posting a great article that helps back up what several of us Texans fans have been stating. This next move by McNair should be to create an immediate clean slate for his new Mentor, GM and HC. There's only a limited time left for him to see his organization get on track.
Click to expand...
Did you mean limited time in his lifetime ?
 
I would bring back O'Brien but would 100% change course on the GM. I enjoyed the offense with Deshaun and think he's got something there. However, if for some reason Deshaun Watson is not healthy enough to play next season, then definitely can them all. I can't watch any more of these non-Watson QBs and the dumpster fire offense any longer.

Just please let us have some false hope with a new GM.
 
Lets get a running list of Smith's failures. All of this info is from another poster on a different board. The guy brings his A game with every post.

2017 failures
  • Brock Osweiler - $9 million in dead cap space + 2nd round pick to clear $16 million more - worst FA signing in NFL history crippling on the field one year, the cap the next, the draft the next. Major factor in losing Pro Bowl CB & LT.
  • Duane Brown debacle, see Aaron Donald 1 game holdout vs. missing 7 games then leveraging sub market value trade anyway
  • AJ Bouye, double disaster with him IMPROVING on a Pro Bowl season, but also solidifying the D for new division frontrunners
  • Tom Savage
  • Chris Clark/Kendall Lamm, no Duane Brown contingency
  • Geno Giacomini as best Derek Newton contingency after week 7 2016 career ender
  • Marcus Gilchrist / Corey Moore
  • XSF, #33 overall
  • Jeff Allen over Brandon Brooks
  • Jaelen Strong / Braxton Miller, 3rd rounders
  • 13 defensive backs churned in 3 months
  • Decoud, Gilchrist, and Moore not being the 14th, 15th, 16th DB cuts.
  • Not recognizing Kareem Jackson & Kevin Johnson lack of man coverage skills paired with bottom barrel safeties = trainwreck
  • Brandon Weeden cut, no Watson injury contingency
  • Jay Prosch
  • Andre Hal, $16.8 million
  • 3 games without enough TEs or WRs on roster or active for playbook
  • Brian Cushing
  • Bill O'Brien as HC/OC dual role
  • Mike Vrabel
  • Special Teams incompetence regardless of coach
  • Moving training camp to cozy Greenbrier, WV resort and team looks woefully prepared mentally and physically in wk1 throat punch
  • Possible medical staff malpractice in failing to diagnose Watson knee injury in game, after, or at facility/practice. See how to tank a franchise mismanaging a QB knee injury - RG3 edition. You and your medical staff need to be on top of it more than a 22 year old or an old school coach who repeatedly sent a clearly concussed Brian Hoyer back into a blowout playoff game and cost Fido at least half a season ignoring concussion protocols.
  • Complete disappearance and lack of leadership during catastrophic racially charged PR gaffe by owner. Damage to team image, morale, and attractiveness to future Free Agents is potentially massive. I still don't think I've heard a word from the highest ranking officer in the franchise outside the owners son that happens to be a black executive that McNair untrusted to run one of the most valuable franchises in sports for the past decade despite a thin resume. Directly contributed to the damage as his failure to manage Duane Brown situation gave Brown leverage and platform to add fuel to PR nightmare and force trade to team held up as progressive, player friendly, socially aware while painting us as quite the opposite.
Lets take a look at the longest tenured non owner Gms in the league (which one doesn't belong?)

1) Bill Belichick, Pats, (2000), 201-71 5 Super Bowl Wins, 7 Super Bowl Appearances, 14 Playoff Appearances, 10 Win Seasons - 15, 10 Loss Seasons - 1

2) Mickey Loomis, Saints, (2002), 136-101 1 Super Bowl Win, 5 Playoff Appearances, 10 Loss Seasons - 1

3) Ozzie Newsome, Ravens, (2003), 132-101, 1 Super Bowl Win, 8 Playoff Appearances, 10 Loss Seasons - 2

4) Ted Thompson, Packers, (2005), 123-77, 1 Super Bowl Win, 9 Playoff Appearances, 3 Conference Championship Games, 10 Loss Seasons - 2

5) Rick Smith, Texans (2006), 91-94, 0 Super Bowl Wins, 4 Playoff Appearances, 10 loss seasons 3 (4th coming)

Next 5 longest tenured GM's

again - winning %, few losing seasons, all having Super Bowl seasons or Roseman's Eagles currently best team in football!

6) Jerry Reese, Giants (2007), 90-80, Super Bowl Wins 2, Playoffs 4/10, 10 loss seasons 2

7) Thomas Dimitroff, Falcons (2008), 91-63, Super Bowl Loss 1, Playoffs 4/9, 10 loss seasons 2

8) Kevin Colbert, Steelers (2010), 79-42, Super Bowl Loss 1, Playoffs 5/7, Losing Seasons - none

9) John Schnieder, Seahawks (2010), 76-44, 1 Super Bowl Win, 1 Super Bowl Loss, Playoffs 6/7, 10 loss seasons - none

10) Howard Roseman, Eagles (2010-14, 16-17), 57-48, Playoffs 2/6 (currently 8-1), 10 loss seasons - 1

Rick Smith - 4 playoffs in 12 seasons despite worst division in football - 1 wild card blowout/3 division round blowouts - amongst worst in football 4x

Find me a GM in the history of the NFL who has a LOSING record still had his job after 12 years, 10, 8? Matt Millen was probably the worst ever, but even he was fired in his 7th season. Do you people understand what an unprecedented lack of accountability Rick Smith continues to experience with this team by the owner, fans, and media? Demand answers!

While it's far from the worst, I'm ready to add resigning Fido to the list of grievances against Rick Smith. Is this the profile of a guy worth 3 years / $21 million (aka $7 million per season)?

2014 - 4 rec / 28 yards / 1 td

2015 - 24 rec / 167 yards / 1 td

2016 - 54 rec / 559 yards / 4 td

2017 - 12 rec / 111 yards / 0 tds

Total - 87 rec / 865 yards / 6 tds



Salaries of the top 5 TEs are only $2 - $3 million more per season than Fido or less than we paid Tony Bergstrom to sit on the bench last year.

Jimmy Graham - 548 / 6,727 / 67 ($10m)

Travis Kelce - 286 / 3,639 / 19 ($9.3m)

Jordan Reed - 275 / 2,813 / 22 ($9.3)

Rob Gronkowski - 451 / 6,797 / 75 ($9m)

Zach Ertz - 302 / 3,479 / 20 ($8.5m)



Let's explore the comparables making avg $7 million per season:

Greg Olsen - 626 rec / 7,403 yards / 52 tds

Jason Witten - 1,139 rec / 12,317 yards / 66 tds

Kyle Rudolph - 311 rec / 3,050 yards / 34 tds

Coby Fleener - 255 rec / 3,080 yards / 22 tds

Martellus Bennett - 433 rec / 4,573 yards / 30 tds

Jermaine Gresham - 360 rec / 3,586 yards / 29 tds

Delanie Walker - 458 rec / 5,427 yards / 32 tds

Charles Clay - 298 rec / 3,247 yards / 23 tds



Swallow this one. EVERY player mentioned above has had at least one season where they have eclipsed Fido's CAREER totals for rec / yards/ or tds IN A SINGLE SEASON.



Just because I'm a glutton, here is a sampling of some backup or #2TEs career #'s.

Antonio Gates - 913 / 11,339 / 112 ($5.5m)

Vernon Davis - 538 / 6,951 / 58 ($5m)

Brent Celek - 393 / 4,968 / 30 ($4.3m)

Benjamin Watson - 476 / 5,286 / 40 ($3.5m)

Virgil Green - 69 / 765 / 4 ($2.8m)

Anthony Fasano - 294 / 3,216 / 36 ($2.75m)

Zach Miller - 146 / 1631 / 15 ($2.5m)

Garrett Celek - 69 / 826 / 8 ($2.55m)

Ed Dickson - 174 / 1,945 / 12 ($2m)

Lance Kendricks - 214 / 2,272 / 18 ($2m)

Luke Wilson - 85 / 1,082 / 10 ($1.8)

Richard Rodgers - 115 / 1,085 / 12 ($690k)

Cameron Brate - 116 / 1,407 / 15 ($690k)



How about some other upcoming free agents/starters Fido would be "competing" with (bolded players above are also 2018 FAs):

Julius Thomas - 219 / 2,360 / 35 ($6m)

Tyler Eifert - 127 / 1,537 / 20 ($2m)

Erik Ebron - 161 / 1,813 / 9 ($3m)

Austin Seferian Jenkins - 96 / 1,028 / 10 ($1.3m)



Sure, most of the guys on these lists have been in the league longer than Fido and it's not his fault he's suffered multiple concussions. However, these are the types of numbers that we should be negotiating with this offseason had we not made the inexplicable decision to resign him a year early which has burned Rick Smith nearly EVERY season he has done it (everyone from Kris Brown, Cushing, Foster, and this season the trifecta with Fido, Prosch, Hal). 6 Touchdowns in 4 seasons folks! Worst $7 million guy literally has 3 times the production Fido does. Not sure what bothers me more, that Brent Celek has over 4,000 more yards than Fido or that his scrub brother Garrett has as many yards and 2 more TDs as a career backup. Fido will have to string together several more 2016's just to get to Luke Wilson or Richard Rodgers levels and they are #3 TEs!

Anyone still defending Smith isn't paying attention. It isn't about 1 season riddled with injuries and no backup plan. It is an accumulation of poor decisions with no accountability. The fanbase, media, and ownership need to acknowledge that a $2.8 billion franchise should not be "rebuilt" an unprecedented 4th time in 11 years by the same General Manager who's failures, incompetence, and dereliction of duty have kept this franchise stuck in the same cycle of top end mediocrity and low end collapse every 4 years.
 
^that post says a LOT about Rick Smith, but ultimately, it says a lot more about the man that hired him and continues to hold him unaccountable.

Yeah, thanks McNair for bringing football back to Houston, but beyond that, he's nothing special as an owner. He's far from the best, not the worst, but he's certainly the epitome of milquetoast management.

And Rick Smith is the perfect example of it.
 
amazing80 said:
Lets get a running list of Smith's failures. All of this info is from another poster on a different board. The guy brings his A game with every post.

2017 failures
  • Brock Osweiler - $9 million in dead cap space + 2nd round pick to clear $16 million more - worst FA signing in NFL history crippling on the field one year, the cap the next, the draft the next. Major factor in losing Pro Bowl CB & LT.
  • Duane Brown debacle, see Aaron Donald 1 game holdout vs. missing 7 games then leveraging sub market value trade anyway
  • AJ Bouye, double disaster with him IMPROVING on a Pro Bowl season, but also solidifying the D for new division frontrunners
  • Tom Savage
  • Chris Clark/Kendall Lamm, no Duane Brown contingency
  • Geno Giacomini as best Derek Newton contingency after week 7 2016 career ender
  • Marcus Gilchrist / Corey Moore
  • XSF, #33 overall
  • Jeff Allen over Brandon Brooks
  • Jaelen Strong / Braxton Miller, 3rd rounders
  • 13 defensive backs churned in 3 months
  • Decoud, Gilchrist, and Moore not being the 14th, 15th, 16th DB cuts.
  • Not recognizing Kareem Jackson & Kevin Johnson lack of man coverage skills paired with bottom barrel safeties = trainwreck
  • Brandon Weeden cut, no Watson injury contingency
  • Jay Prosch
  • Andre Hal, $16.8 million
  • 3 games without enough TEs or WRs on roster or active for playbook
  • Brian Cushing
  • Bill O'Brien as HC/OC dual role
  • Mike Vrabel
  • Special Teams incompetence regardless of coach
  • Moving training camp to cozy Greenbrier, WV resort and team looks woefully prepared mentally and physically in wk1 throat punch
  • Possible medical staff malpractice in failing to diagnose Watson knee injury in game, after, or at facility/practice. See how to tank a franchise mismanaging a QB knee injury - RG3 edition. You and your medical staff need to be on top of it more than a 22 year old or an old school coach who repeatedly sent a clearly concussed Brian Hoyer back into a blowout playoff game and cost Fido at least half a season ignoring concussion protocols.
  • Complete disappearance and lack of leadership during catastrophic racially charged PR gaffe by owner. Damage to team image, morale, and attractiveness to future Free Agents is potentially massive. I still don't think I've heard a word from the highest ranking officer in the franchise outside the owners son that happens to be a black executive that McNair untrusted to run one of the most valuable franchises in sports for the past decade despite a thin resume. Directly contributed to the damage as his failure to manage Duane Brown situation gave Brown leverage and platform to add fuel to PR nightmare and force trade to team held up as progressive, player friendly, socially aware while painting us as quite the opposite.
Lets take a look at the longest tenured non owner Gms in the league (which one doesn't belong?)

1) Bill Belichick, Pats, (2000), 201-71 5 Super Bowl Wins, 7 Super Bowl Appearances, 14 Playoff Appearances, 10 Win Seasons - 15, 10 Loss Seasons - 1

2) Mickey Loomis, Saints, (2002), 136-101 1 Super Bowl Win, 5 Playoff Appearances, 10 Loss Seasons - 1

3) Ozzie Newsome, Ravens, (2003), 132-101, 1 Super Bowl Win, 8 Playoff Appearances, 10 Loss Seasons - 2

4) Ted Thompson, Packers, (2005), 123-77, 1 Super Bowl Win, 9 Playoff Appearances, 3 Conference Championship Games, 10 Loss Seasons - 2

5) Rick Smith, Texans (2006), 91-94, 0 Super Bowl Wins, 4 Playoff Appearances, 10 loss seasons 3 (4th coming)

Next 5 longest tenured GM's

again - winning %, few losing seasons, all having Super Bowl seasons or Roseman's Eagles currently best team in football!

6) Jerry Reese, Giants (2007), 90-80, Super Bowl Wins 2, Playoffs 4/10, 10 loss seasons 2

7) Thomas Dimitroff, Falcons (2008), 91-63, Super Bowl Loss 1, Playoffs 4/9, 10 loss seasons 2

8) Kevin Colbert, Steelers (2010), 79-42, Super Bowl Loss 1, Playoffs 5/7, Losing Seasons - none

9) John Schnieder, Seahawks (2010), 76-44, 1 Super Bowl Win, 1 Super Bowl Loss, Playoffs 6/7, 10 loss seasons - none

10) Howard Roseman, Eagles (2010-14, 16-17), 57-48, Playoffs 2/6 (currently 8-1), 10 loss seasons - 1

Rick Smith - 4 playoffs in 12 seasons despite worst division in football - 1 wild card blowout/3 division round blowouts - amongst worst in football 4x

Find me a GM in the history of the NFL who has a LOSING record still had his job after 12 years, 10, 8? Matt Millen was probably the worst ever, but even he was fired in his 7th season. Do you people understand what an unprecedented lack of accountability Rick Smith continues to experience with this team by the owner, fans, and media? Demand answers!

While it's far from the worst, I'm ready to add resigning Fido to the list of grievances against Rick Smith. Is this the profile of a guy worth 3 years / $21 million (aka $7 million per season)?

2014 - 4 rec / 28 yards / 1 td

2015 - 24 rec / 167 yards / 1 td

2016 - 54 rec / 559 yards / 4 td

2017 - 12 rec / 111 yards / 0 tds

Total - 87 rec / 865 yards / 6 tds



Salaries of the top 5 TEs are only $2 - $3 million more per season than Fido or less than we paid Tony Bergstrom to sit on the bench last year.

Jimmy Graham - 548 / 6,727 / 67 ($10m)

Travis Kelce - 286 / 3,639 / 19 ($9.3m)

Jordan Reed - 275 / 2,813 / 22 ($9.3)

Rob Gronkowski - 451 / 6,797 / 75 ($9m)

Zach Ertz - 302 / 3,479 / 20 ($8.5m)



Let's explore the comparables making avg $7 million per season:

Greg Olsen - 626 rec / 7,403 yards / 52 tds

Jason Witten - 1,139 rec / 12,317 yards / 66 tds

Kyle Rudolph - 311 rec / 3,050 yards / 34 tds

Coby Fleener - 255 rec / 3,080 yards / 22 tds

Martellus Bennett - 433 rec / 4,573 yards / 30 tds

Jermaine Gresham - 360 rec / 3,586 yards / 29 tds

Delanie Walker - 458 rec / 5,427 yards / 32 tds

Charles Clay - 298 rec / 3,247 yards / 23 tds



Swallow this one. EVERY player mentioned above has had at least one season where they have eclipsed Fido's CAREER totals for rec / yards/ or tds IN A SINGLE SEASON.



Just because I'm a glutton, here is a sampling of some backup or #2TEs career #'s.

Antonio Gates - 913 / 11,339 / 112 ($5.5m)

Vernon Davis - 538 / 6,951 / 58 ($5m)

Brent Celek - 393 / 4,968 / 30 ($4.3m)

Benjamin Watson - 476 / 5,286 / 40 ($3.5m)

Virgil Green - 69 / 765 / 4 ($2.8m)

Anthony Fasano - 294 / 3,216 / 36 ($2.75m)

Zach Miller - 146 / 1631 / 15 ($2.5m)

Garrett Celek - 69 / 826 / 8 ($2.55m)

Ed Dickson - 174 / 1,945 / 12 ($2m)

Lance Kendricks - 214 / 2,272 / 18 ($2m)

Luke Wilson - 85 / 1,082 / 10 ($1.8)

Richard Rodgers - 115 / 1,085 / 12 ($690k)

Cameron Brate - 116 / 1,407 / 15 ($690k)



How about some other upcoming free agents/starters Fido would be "competing" with (bolded players above are also 2018 FAs):

Julius Thomas - 219 / 2,360 / 35 ($6m)

Tyler Eifert - 127 / 1,537 / 20 ($2m)

Erik Ebron - 161 / 1,813 / 9 ($3m)

Austin Seferian Jenkins - 96 / 1,028 / 10 ($1.3m)



Sure, most of the guys on these lists have been in the league longer than Fido and it's not his fault he's suffered multiple concussions. However, these are the types of numbers that we should be negotiating with this offseason had we not made the inexplicable decision to resign him a year early which has burned Rick Smith nearly EVERY season he has done it (everyone from Kris Brown, Cushing, Foster, and this season the trifecta with Fido, Prosch, Hal). 6 Touchdowns in 4 seasons folks! Worst $7 million guy literally has 3 times the production Fido does. Not sure what bothers me more, that Brent Celek has over 4,000 more yards than Fido or that his scrub brother Garrett has as many yards and 2 more TDs as a career backup. Fido will have to string together several more 2016's just to get to Luke Wilson or Richard Rodgers levels and they are #3 TEs!

Anyone still defending Smith isn't paying attention. It isn't about 1 season riddled with injuries and no backup plan. It is an accumulation of poor decisions with no accountability. The fanbase, media, and ownership need to acknowledge that a $2.8 billion franchise should not be "rebuilt" an unprecedented 4th time in 11 years by the same General Manager who's failures, incompetence, and dereliction of duty have kept this franchise stuck in the same cycle of top end mediocrity and low end collapse every 4 years.
Click to expand...


So what are you trying to say ? :forrest:
 
Double Barrel said:
^that post says a LOT about Rick Smith, but ultimately, it says a lot more about the man that hired him and continues to hold him unaccountable.

Yeah, thanks McNair for bringing football back to Houston, but beyond that, he's nothing special as an owner. He's far from the best, not the worst, but he's certainly the epitome of milquetoast management.

And Rick Smith is the perfect example of it.
Click to expand...
I'm all for stability within the organization, but at some point enough has to be enough. I might become a full time Patriots fan if OB is fired because of a rift between him and Smith. IMO, either both of them or Smith needs to be on the chopping block. I'm not a huge OB fan either, but I would prefer to keep him and see how things shake out with DW4 and get a new GM to buy the groceries for OB.
 
This brings us to the other half of our NRG Stadium Wrestlemania main event, and that's Smith, who is on the cusp of surviving another monumental nadir, his third with this team in a decade or so. This team is 4-10 right now, and the injury excuses are flying around like bottle rockets at a July 4th picnic, not so much from O'Brien or Smith, but from apologists for either side. That's all well and good, but the fact that injury excuses are necessary for anybody is far more an indictment on the team's lack of depth and the rickety construction of the roster, and THAT falls on Smith.

The overpaid, leaky secondary... the lack of second and third tier talent to fill out competent special teams... the complete sham of an offensive line that's been trotted out there all year.

Smith... Smith... Smith.

Back to my previous point about assessing and grading general managers. Judging a general manager is a more nuanced debate than judging a head coach. Except in extreme cases (very great and piss poor), the quality of draft classes, the quality of free agents signings, the overall roster constriction strategy — those are largely subjective things where a majority of the topical material falls into a gray area where a case can be made for either side, for or against the GM.

That said, there reaches a point where, like head coaches, general managers can be judged by the quantitative accomplishment of the organization on his watch. Rick Smith is past this point. No current NFL general manager has been around longer and overseen less organizational accomplishment than Rick Smith. By any measurement, the Texans have been a below average outfit with Smith overseeing personnel.

Rick Smith came here in June of 2006, so the draft and free agency were already in the books when he got here. (One way to tell that the 2006 draft class didn't belong to Smith is that it was one of the best in team history.) Smith's apologists will tell you that the 6-10 regular season in 2006 really shouldn't count on Smith's ledger, since he didn't REALLY get to put his indelible stamp on the team until the following offseason. (You know, the one where they took Amobi Okoye with their first pick of the 2007 draft.)

To that, I say "Fine." The fact of the matter is that the starting point for judging Smith doesn't really matter. The organization ranked somewhere in the lower half of the league any way you slice performance. So how do I quantify this? Well, let me count the ways...

REGULAR SEASON WINNING PERCENTAGE
Up to and including this weekend's games, the Texans are 86-88 since 2007, a winning percentage of .494, good enough for 19th in the NFL. Every team below the Texans since 2007 has changed general managers AT LEAST twice in that timeframe. Eight teams above the Texans have the same general manager that they had when Smith was hired. Five have won Super Bowls (New England, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, New Orleans, Baltimore), two have a GM who actually OWNS the team (Dallas, Cincinnati), and the other is Minnesota, who is 11-3 with a Texans castoff at quarterback this season.

DOUBLE DIGIT WIN SEASONS
Since 2007, the Texans have had just two regular seasons in which they won ten or more games. Only Washington, Tampa Bay, Oakland, Cleveland, the Rams — all one apiece — and the Bills (zero) have had fewer. (For the record, I don't see ten wins as some arbitrary point to make Smith look bad. Most 10-6 teams are generally thought to be good football teams, and Brock Osweiler's going 9-7 last season invalidated 9-7 as an inflection point where you can say "Hey, 9-7 teams are good!")

POST SEASON PERFORMANCE
Since the 2007 season, the Texans have won three playoff games, all at home — two wins over Cincinnati, led by Andy Dalton (winless in the postseason in his career), and one win last season over Oakland led by Connor Cook, who might be working at Dairy Queen right now, for all I know. The average margin of loss in their four playoff elimination games is 17 points. In that time frame, the Texans are one of 14 teams who haven't made it past the divisional round. Eighteen teams have made it past the divisional round. (Yes, the Texans being ranked 19th in categories under Rick Smith is a trend.)

BLENDED ACCOMPLISHMENT
So how do we take all of the Texans' performance since 2007, regular season and postseason, and blend it in a way that (a) properly reflects the importance of making the postseason, (b) properly reflects the fact that they made the postseason a couple times on the back of an incredibly weak division, and (c) properly reflects the necessity of ADVANCING in the postseason. Well, here is the scoring system I came up with:

Regular Season
Qualifying for a wild card ... 1 point
Winning division w/ no bye ... 2 points
Winning division w/ bye ... 3 points
Double digit wins ... 1 point

Post Season
Wild card round win ... 1 point
Divisional round win ... 2 points
Conference title win ... 3 points
Super Bowl win ... 5 points

So, without further ado, here we go. Since the start of the 2007 season through the end of the 2016 postseason, here are the rankings, with the number of Super Bowl wins in parentheses. The teams in BOLD all have the same general managers in place as they did the day the Texans hired Smith:

1. New England (2) ... 72 points
2. Green Bay (1) ... 46 points
3T. Seattle (1) ... 40 points
3T. Pittsburgh (1) ... 40 points
5. Denver (1) ... 34 points
6T. New York Giants (2) ... 33 points
6T. Baltimore (1) ... 33 points
8. Indianapolis ... 30 points
9. New Orleans (1) ... 23 points
10T. San Francisco ... 22 points
10T. Atlanta ... 22 points
12. Arizona ... 21 points
13. Carolina ... 20 points
14. Dallas ... 16 points
15. LA Chargers ... 15 points
16T. Minnesota ... 14 points
16T. Cincinnati ... 14 points
18T. Philadelphia ... 13 points
18T. HOUSTON ... 13 points
20. Kansas City ... 12 points
21. New York Jets ... 10 points
22. Chicago ... 7 points
23T. Tennessee ... 6 points
23T. Washington ... 6 points
25T. Miami ... 5 points
25T. Detroit ... 5 points
27T. Jacksonville ... 3 points
27T. Tampa Bay ... 3 points
29. Oakland ... 2 points
30. Cleveland ... 1 point
31T. Buffalo ... 0 points
31T. LA Rams ... 0 points

NOTE: Again, this scoring system is for the period of the beginning of 2007 through the postseason of last year in 2016, in case you're wondering why the 10-win Rams of 2017 or the 10-win division champion Jaguars don't have numbers reflecting their accomplishments this season.

SUMMARY
Any way you slice it, whether it's by something as easily quantifiable as winning percentage or as nuanced as my well-reasoned Scoring System Of Franchise Accomplishment (we will call it the SOFA, for short), the Texans under Rick Smith are, generally speaking, the 19th best team in football over that time. Winning percentage? NINETEENTH. Playoff accomplishment? Eighteen teams have gone further in the playoffs. Sean's SOFA method? Tied for EIGHTEENTH (putting them in the top nineteen, yay!). This is over a TEN season sample with Smith constructing the roster, a ten-year window where I give Smith a pass for a 6-10 season for which he was in the building at the beginning of his employment with the team.

And again, we must point out that eight general managers from around the league are still in place from the day Smith was hired — five Super Bowl winners, two actual owners who double as GM, and one GM whose team is 11-3 with Case Keenum at quarterback. Accepting Smith's level of performance, especially at the expense of O'Brien coaching Watson, would be a demoralizing acceptance of mediocrity.

No further witnesses, your honor.
Click to expand...

http://www.houstonpress.com/news/three-playoff-wins-in-twelve-seasons-the-rick-smith-story-10049032
 
DocBar said:
I'm all for stability within the organization, but at some point enough has to be enough. I might become a full time Patriots fan if OB is fired because of a rift between him and Smith. IMO, either both of them or Smith needs to be on the chopping block. I'm not a huge OB fan either, but I would prefer to keep him and see how things shake out with DW4 and get a new GM to buy the groceries for OB.
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Yep. I have come to the conclusion that Smith and O'Brien are not good partners. O'Brien needs a better GM, and Smith needs a better HC, but together, I'm not sensing any sort of successful chemistry.

Personally, I'd like to see McNair just clean house from Smith on down.

The article that zshawn10 had an excellent point that should really open the eyes for everyone: "That said, there reaches a point where, like head coaches, general managers can be judged by the quantitative accomplishment of the organization on his watch. Rick Smith is past this point. No current NFL general manager has been around longer and overseen less organizational accomplishment than Rick Smith. By any measurement, the Texans have been a below average outfit with Smith overseeing personnel."
 
A lot of people wanted Rick Smith fired back in 2010 after a 6-10 season. Nearly eight years later and he's still here and we may be coming off a 4-12 season in 2017. Nothing has really changed other than the fact that Rick Smith seems to have job security. It doesn't matter what the fans want if they're not the ones making the decisions.
 
Double Barrel said:
Yep. I have come to the conclusion that Smith and O'Brien are not good partners. O'Brien needs a better GM, and Smith needs a better HC, but together, I'm not sensing any sort of successful chemistry.
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I've been wanting Smith gone for a long, long time. I think 2010 was when I first started calling for his head. Nothing has changed for me in that regard. But you mention chemistry, so I figure I'll point something out that's been bouncing around my head. O'Brien and Watson look like they have chemistry. I think the bond between a HC and QB is probably the most important element of a powerful offense, and if they've really developed that, then I have no issue watching the O'Brien-Watson combo another year to find out if it's something that's going to stick. It's clear that O'Brien sucks with other QBs, so I won't shed any tears if he gets fired, but I'd be willing to keep him on another year to see that development.

But Rick Smith has to go.
 
zshawn10 said:
Adam Wexler @awexlerKPRC


This is Smith's 4th in 12 seasons. (2 10+ win seasons, 4 playoff berths). 3 last place division finishes, could be a 4th this season. https://twitter.com/latmadays/status/942511202495811584 …

1:51 PM - Dec 17, 2017
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Amazing80 and a couple others in the last couple of pages have :club::deadhorse the fact most of us know Rick Smith is

average at best, you could do better or worse, mediocre, tepid, milquetoast, JAGM (just another GM), Plain Jane, a regular GM, bland, he is who he is, uninspiring, a journeyman GM w/o the traveling, fill-in guy (did I miss anything???)
 
ArlingtonTexan said:
Amazing80 and a couple others in the last couple of pages have :club::deadhorse the fact most of us know Rick Smith is

average at best, you could do better or worse, mediocre, tepid, milquetoast, JAGM (just another GM), Plain Jane, a regular GM, bland, he is who he is, uninspiring, a journeyman GM w/o the traveling, fill-in guy (did I miss anything???)
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Boot licker. Smith is also a boot licker. :fingergun:

Broken record is. . .broken. I just wonder why we keep listening, I guess.

RCAdog.jpg
 
Double Barrel said:
^that post says a LOT about Rick Smith, but ultimately, it says a lot more about the man that hired him and continues to hold him unaccountable.

Yeah, thanks McNair for bringing football back to Houston, but beyond that, he's nothing special as an owner. He's far from the best, not the worst, but he's certainly the epitome of milquetoast management.

And Rick Smith is the perfect example of it.
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McNair is alot closer to the worst than he is to the best.
 
amazing80 said:
Lets get a running list of Smith's failures. All of this info is from another poster on a different board. The guy brings his A game with every post.

2017 failures
  • Brock Osweiler - $9 million in dead cap space + 2nd round pick to clear $16 million more - worst FA signing in NFL history crippling on the field one year, the cap the next, the draft the next. Major factor in losing Pro Bowl CB & LT.
  • Duane Brown debacle, see Aaron Donald 1 game holdout vs. missing 7 games then leveraging sub market value trade anyway
  • AJ Bouye, double disaster with him IMPROVING on a Pro Bowl season, but also solidifying the D for new division frontrunners
  • Tom Savage
  • Chris Clark/Kendall Lamm, no Duane Brown contingency
  • Geno Giacomini as best Derek Newton contingency after week 7 2016 career ender
  • Marcus Gilchrist / Corey Moore
  • XSF, #33 overall
  • Jeff Allen over Brandon Brooks
  • Jaelen Strong / Braxton Miller, 3rd rounders
  • 13 defensive backs churned in 3 months
  • Decoud, Gilchrist, and Moore not being the 14th, 15th, 16th DB cuts.
  • Not recognizing Kareem Jackson & Kevin Johnson lack of man coverage skills paired with bottom barrel safeties = trainwreck
  • Brandon Weeden cut, no Watson injury contingency
  • Jay Prosch
  • Andre Hal, $16.8 million
  • 3 games without enough TEs or WRs on roster or active for playbook
  • Brian Cushing
  • Bill O'Brien as HC/OC dual role
  • Mike Vrabel
  • Special Teams incompetence regardless of coach
  • Moving training camp to cozy Greenbrier, WV resort and team looks woefully prepared mentally and physically in wk1 throat punch
  • Possible medical staff malpractice in failing to diagnose Watson knee injury in game, after, or at facility/practice. See how to tank a franchise mismanaging a QB knee injury - RG3 edition. You and your medical staff need to be on top of it more than a 22 year old or an old school coach who repeatedly sent a clearly concussed Brian Hoyer back into a blowout playoff game and cost Fido at least half a season ignoring concussion protocols.
  • Complete disappearance and lack of leadership during catastrophic racially charged PR gaffe by owner. Damage to team image, morale, and attractiveness to future Free Agents is potentially massive. I still don't think I've heard a word from the highest ranking officer in the franchise outside the owners son that happens to be a black executive that McNair untrusted to run one of the most valuable franchises in sports for the past decade despite a thin resume. Directly contributed to the damage as his failure to manage Duane Brown situation gave Brown leverage and platform to add fuel to PR nightmare and force trade to team held up as progressive, player friendly, socially aware while painting us as quite the opposite.
Lets take a look at the longest tenured non owner Gms in the league (which one doesn't belong?)

1) Bill Belichick, Pats, (2000), 201-71 5 Super Bowl Wins, 7 Super Bowl Appearances, 14 Playoff Appearances, 10 Win Seasons - 15, 10 Loss Seasons - 1

2) Mickey Loomis, Saints, (2002), 136-101 1 Super Bowl Win, 5 Playoff Appearances, 10 Loss Seasons - 1

3) Ozzie Newsome, Ravens, (2003), 132-101, 1 Super Bowl Win, 8 Playoff Appearances, 10 Loss Seasons - 2

4) Ted Thompson, Packers, (2005), 123-77, 1 Super Bowl Win, 9 Playoff Appearances, 3 Conference Championship Games, 10 Loss Seasons - 2

5) Rick Smith, Texans (2006), 91-94, 0 Super Bowl Wins, 4 Playoff Appearances, 10 loss seasons 3 (4th coming)

Next 5 longest tenured GM's

again - winning %, few losing seasons, all having Super Bowl seasons or Roseman's Eagles currently best team in football!

6) Jerry Reese, Giants (2007), 90-80, Super Bowl Wins 2, Playoffs 4/10, 10 loss seasons 2

7) Thomas Dimitroff, Falcons (2008), 91-63, Super Bowl Loss 1, Playoffs 4/9, 10 loss seasons 2

8) Kevin Colbert, Steelers (2010), 79-42, Super Bowl Loss 1, Playoffs 5/7, Losing Seasons - none

9) John Schnieder, Seahawks (2010), 76-44, 1 Super Bowl Win, 1 Super Bowl Loss, Playoffs 6/7, 10 loss seasons - none

10) Howard Roseman, Eagles (2010-14, 16-17), 57-48, Playoffs 2/6 (currently 8-1), 10 loss seasons - 1

Rick Smith - 4 playoffs in 12 seasons despite worst division in football - 1 wild card blowout/3 division round blowouts - amongst worst in football 4x

Find me a GM in the history of the NFL who has a LOSING record still had his job after 12 years, 10, 8? Matt Millen was probably the worst ever, but even he was fired in his 7th season. Do you people understand what an unprecedented lack of accountability Rick Smith continues to experience with this team by the owner, fans, and media? Demand answers!

While it's far from the worst, I'm ready to add resigning Fido to the list of grievances against Rick Smith. Is this the profile of a guy worth 3 years / $21 million (aka $7 million per season)?

2014 - 4 rec / 28 yards / 1 td

2015 - 24 rec / 167 yards / 1 td

2016 - 54 rec / 559 yards / 4 td

2017 - 12 rec / 111 yards / 0 tds

Total - 87 rec / 865 yards / 6 tds



Salaries of the top 5 TEs are only $2 - $3 million more per season than Fido or less than we paid Tony Bergstrom to sit on the bench last year.

Jimmy Graham - 548 / 6,727 / 67 ($10m)

Travis Kelce - 286 / 3,639 / 19 ($9.3m)

Jordan Reed - 275 / 2,813 / 22 ($9.3)

Rob Gronkowski - 451 / 6,797 / 75 ($9m)

Zach Ertz - 302 / 3,479 / 20 ($8.5m)



Let's explore the comparables making avg $7 million per season:

Greg Olsen - 626 rec / 7,403 yards / 52 tds

Jason Witten - 1,139 rec / 12,317 yards / 66 tds

Kyle Rudolph - 311 rec / 3,050 yards / 34 tds

Coby Fleener - 255 rec / 3,080 yards / 22 tds

Martellus Bennett - 433 rec / 4,573 yards / 30 tds

Jermaine Gresham - 360 rec / 3,586 yards / 29 tds

Delanie Walker - 458 rec / 5,427 yards / 32 tds

Charles Clay - 298 rec / 3,247 yards / 23 tds



Swallow this one. EVERY player mentioned above has had at least one season where they have eclipsed Fido's CAREER totals for rec / yards/ or tds IN A SINGLE SEASON.



Just because I'm a glutton, here is a sampling of some backup or #2TEs career #'s.

Antonio Gates - 913 / 11,339 / 112 ($5.5m)

Vernon Davis - 538 / 6,951 / 58 ($5m)

Brent Celek - 393 / 4,968 / 30 ($4.3m)

Benjamin Watson - 476 / 5,286 / 40 ($3.5m)

Virgil Green - 69 / 765 / 4 ($2.8m)

Anthony Fasano - 294 / 3,216 / 36 ($2.75m)

Zach Miller - 146 / 1631 / 15 ($2.5m)

Garrett Celek - 69 / 826 / 8 ($2.55m)

Ed Dickson - 174 / 1,945 / 12 ($2m)

Lance Kendricks - 214 / 2,272 / 18 ($2m)

Luke Wilson - 85 / 1,082 / 10 ($1.8)

Richard Rodgers - 115 / 1,085 / 12 ($690k)

Cameron Brate - 116 / 1,407 / 15 ($690k)



How about some other upcoming free agents/starters Fido would be "competing" with (bolded players above are also 2018 FAs):

Julius Thomas - 219 / 2,360 / 35 ($6m)

Tyler Eifert - 127 / 1,537 / 20 ($2m)

Erik Ebron - 161 / 1,813 / 9 ($3m)

Austin Seferian Jenkins - 96 / 1,028 / 10 ($1.3m)



Sure, most of the guys on these lists have been in the league longer than Fido and it's not his fault he's suffered multiple concussions. However, these are the types of numbers that we should be negotiating with this offseason had we not made the inexplicable decision to resign him a year early which has burned Rick Smith nearly EVERY season he has done it (everyone from Kris Brown, Cushing, Foster, and this season the trifecta with Fido, Prosch, Hal). 6 Touchdowns in 4 seasons folks! Worst $7 million guy literally has 3 times the production Fido does. Not sure what bothers me more, that Brent Celek has over 4,000 more yards than Fido or that his scrub brother Garrett has as many yards and 2 more TDs as a career backup. Fido will have to string together several more 2016's just to get to Luke Wilson or Richard Rodgers levels and they are #3 TEs!

Anyone still defending Smith isn't paying attention. It isn't about 1 season riddled with injuries and no backup plan. It is an accumulation of poor decisions with no accountability. The fanbase, media, and ownership need to acknowledge that a $2.8 billion franchise should not be "rebuilt" an unprecedented 4th time in 11 years by the same General Manager who's failures, incompetence, and dereliction of duty have kept this franchise stuck in the same cycle of top end mediocrity and low end collapse every 4 years.
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Thanks for all of the research.

Sad isn't it.

Some say the GREAT FANS of the HOUSTON TEXANS dont deserve better. I wholeheartedly disagree.
 
steelbtexan said:
Thanks for all of the research.

Sad isn't it.

Some say the GREAT FANS of the HOUSTON TEXANS dont deserve better. I wholeheartedly disagree.
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Honestly, we deserve what we get. We let our former NFL team go without even a whimper of protest, much less any sort of fight. And all Bud ever wanted was what McNair got: a new stadium.
 
Double Barrel said:
Honestly, we deserve what we get. We let our former NFL team go without even a whimper of protest, much less any sort of fight. And all Bud ever wanted was what McNair got: a new stadium.
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When you look at it like that

You are ABSOLUTELY correct and I never thought I would EVER type that statement.
 
Double Barrel said:
Honestly, we deserve what we get. We let our former NFL team go without even a whimper of protest, much less any sort of fight. And all Bud ever wanted was what McNair got: a new stadium.
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I agree with you, but Bud Adams was the epitome of an owner making money hand over fist with a crap team for the majority of its existence. It would've been ideal if McNair bought the team from Adams, but that was never going to happen. Hopefully, DW4 will encounter greater and longer lasting success than Adams did with Campbell or Moon.
 
DocBar said:
I agree with you, but Bud Adams was the epitome of an owner making money hand over fist with a crap team for the majority of its existence. It would've been ideal if McNair bought the team from Adams, but that was never going to happen. Hopefully, DW4 will encounter greater and longer lasting success than Adams did with Campbell or Moon.
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We hear that all the time, but it is revisionist history. Bud had the highest payroll in the NFL during the run & shoot days, both for players and coaching staff.

He also hired coaches like offensive genius Sid Gillman and defensive innovator Bum Phillips, Jerry Glanville, and Jack Pardee.

Of course Bud had his share of bad choices and bad seasons, but there was never really a doubt about his desire to win. He just got in his own way too many times, especially in the early Oilers days.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of Bud, but I do miss the Oilers and wish this city had responded at all when they were debating whether to stay or not. Bud let himself get duped by Drayton McClane, who leveraged the Oilers leaving into getting his own baseball stadium (even though he had been defending the Astrodome for years before the Oilers left).

My entire point, though, was not to defend Bud, but just to point out the fans of this city get what we deserve in the end. All we apparently wanted was football back in Houston and a great gameday experience. McNair delivered on both of those desires, but that's all he's pretty much given us, and the fans seem generally content with it since they stadium sells out every year since 2002.

I'd like to believe the Texans will capitalize on Watson. Judging history, though, you can look at both Andre Johnson and JJ Watt for HoF caliber players that spend the majority of their careers spinning their wheels on Kirby Drive. I hope they can do better with and for DW4.
 
DocBar said:
Hopefully, DW4 will encounter greater and longer lasting success than Adams did with Campbell or Moon.
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I hate being the guy that pisses in everyone's Cheerios, but I don't see any reason why that's going to happen. His offensive line is getting QBs killed and the defense can't get off the field. Week after week after week.

I've got no clue what's behind all the injuries this year, but it's not just bad luck. I'm starting to think it was that candy-ass training camp in WV.

DW4 is no better than a band-aid for an amputated limb. This is what businesses call institutional rot.
 
Mr. White said:
I hate being the guy that pisses in everyone's Cheerios, but I don't see any reason why that's going to happen. His offensive line is getting QBs killed
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No piss in my cheerios bro. This line sucks and needs an overhaul. Preach on man!
 
I hate to say it but this has gotta be the low water mark for me as a fan. Reminds me of the Ladd Herzeg days with the Oilers.

He was also incompetent but at least he didn't blow years worth of 1st rounders when he screwed up on free agent signings.
 
Mr. White said:
I'm surprised the national media is speculating on OB's job so much, but no one ever questions RS's track record except the guys around here.
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I think we’ve all come to terms with the fact that Rick Smith is untouchable, and will more than likely remain the GM even after McNair’s demise. (The perks of being kins with the owner.)

The only thing that will ever change will be the coaching staff and the players.
 
I know Rick Smith is going nowhere, but I keep going back to this: in his 11 years as GM, the team has a 3-4 playoff record, and has not even made the AFC Championship Game. Frankly, his record is indefensible. If a team cannot make a conference championship game even once in an 11 year span under the same GM, I am dumbfounded how anyone can possibly justify him keeping his job. Unless, of course, winning is not the most important thing.
 
Mr. White said:
I hate to say it but this has gotta be the low water mark for me as a fan. Reminds me of the Ladd Herzeg days with the Oilers.

He was also incompetent but at least he didn't blow years worth of 1st rounders when he screwed up on free agent signings.
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Ladd actually built the LYB days OL. Thank him for Moon/Matthews/Munchak. Sad to say but we can only hope Ricky rises to the level of Herzeg.
 
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