All encompassing Rick Smith thread

[The Pencil Neck]

Bump.

The season is over. Why does Rick Smith still have a job? Get this scrub out of here.

First off, I'd be fine if Smith was fired.

BUT...

Calling someone a bust who was drafted after the 3rd round is a stretch of the word bust.

But more importantly, you don't know which of these guys were Rick Smith's picks and which of these guys were Kubiak or some other coach's pick. For all we know, Rick would have drafted a completely different set of players if he had his way. McNair knows which guys Rick wanted to draft... and he has apparently decided to keep the guy. So it might be that Rick Smith was better at drafting than we know.

 

[thunderkyss]

I'm still holding out hope that he'll be fired the same way Casserly was fired; after the draft. Rick Smith out watching bowl games & McNair being the public voice of our coaching search feeds my delusion.

 

[steelbtexan]

Token= Slick Rick

 

[dream_team]

Bump.

The season is over. Why does Rick Smith still have a job? Get this scrub out of here.


2007
Amobi Okoye (1) - Bust
Jacoby Jones (3) - OK
Fred Bennett (4) - Bust
Brandon Harrison (5) -Bust
Brandon Frye (5) - Bust
Kasey Studdard (6) - OK
Zac Diles (7) - Bust

2008

Duane Brown (1) - Good
Antwaun Molden (3) - Bust
Steve Slaton (3) - 1 good year
Xavier Adibi (4) - Bust
Frank Okam (5) - Bust
Dominique Barber (6) - Bust
Alex Brink (7) - Bust

2009

Brian Cushing (1) - Good
Connor Barwin (2) - Good
Antoine Caldwell (3) - Bust
Glover Quin (4) - Good
Anthony Hill (4) - Bust
James Casey (5) - OK
Brice McCain (6) - OK
Troy Nolan (7) - Bust

2010

Kareem Jackson (1) - OK
Ben Tate (2) - OK
Earl Mitchell (3) - OK
Darryl Sharpton (4) - OK
Garrett Graham (4) - Bust
Sherrick McManis (5) - Bust
Shelley Smith (6) - Bust
Trindon Holliday (6) - OK
Dorin Dickerson (7) - Bust

2011

JJ Watt (1) - Good
Brooks Reed (2) - OK
Brandon Harris (2) - Scrub
Rashad Carmichael (4) - Bust
Shiloh Keo (5) - Scrub
T.J Yates (5) - OK back-up
Derek Newton (7) - Scrub
Cheta Ozugwa (7) - Who?

2012

Whitney Mercilus (1) - OK, but not 1st round talent
DeVier Posey (2) - OK, but lots of better WRs were available
Brandon Brooks (3)
Ben Jones (4)
Keshawn Martin (4)
Jared Crick (4)
Randy Bullock (5)
Nick Mondek (6)

2013

DeAndre Hopkins (1)
D.J. Swearinger (2)
Brennan Williams (3)
Sam Montgomery (3)
Trevardo Williams (4)
David Quassenbery (6)
Alan Bonner (6)
Chris Jones (6)
Ryan Griffin (6)

Conclusion: Fire Rick Smith

What's your point? Every GM in the league picks Busts.

I think Rick is doing a fine job and I'm ok with him sticking around.

 

[steelbtexan]

What's your point? Every GM in the league picks Busts.

I think Rick is doing a fine job and I'm ok with him sticking around.

If you think that is a fine job by Slick Rick, then you must set very low standards.

The teams is 2-14 for a reason and Slick's draft history is a very big part of that history of suckitude.

 

[The Pencil Neck]

If you think that is a fine job by Slick Rick, then you must set very low standards.

The teams is 2-14 for a reason and Slick's draft history is a very big part of that history of suckitude.

How much did his draft history have for us going 10-6 and 12-4? How many guys have hit 2 DROY over that time span? And how much of these drafts are his choices?

 

[Norg]

2007
Amobi Okoye (1) - Bust
Jacoby Jones (3) - OK
Fred Bennett (4) - Bust
Brandon Harrison (5) -Bust
Brandon Frye (5) - Bust
Kasey Studdard (6) - BUST
Zac Diles (7) - Bust

2008

Duane Brown (1) - Good
Antwaun Molden (3) - Bust
Steve Slaton (3) - BUST
Xavier Adibi (4) - Bust
Frank Okam (5) - Bust
Dominique Barber (6) - Bust
Alex Brink (7) - Bust

2009

Brian Cushing (1) - Good...Injury prone knocks him down to OK IMO
Connor Barwin (2) - Good
Antoine Caldwell (3) - Bust
Glover Quin (4) - Good
Anthony Hill (4) - Bust
James Casey (5) - OK
Brice McCain (6) - SCRUB....Brice MC BURN SCRUB
Troy Nolan (7) - Bust

2010

Kareem Jackson (1) - Average
Ben Tate (2) - OK
Earl Mitchell (3) - OK
Darryl Sharpton (4) - OK
Garrett Graham (4) - Bust
Sherrick McManis (5) - Bust
Shelley Smith (6) - Bust
Trindon Holliday (6) - BUST
Dorin Dickerson (7) - Bust

2011

JJ Watt (1) - AAA
Brooks Reed (2) - SCRUB
Brandon Harris (2) - Scrub
Rashad Carmichael (4) - Bust
Shiloh Keo (5) - ok
T.J Yates (5) - SCRUB
Derek Newton (7) - Scrub
Cheta Ozugwa (7) -BUST

2012

Whitney Mercilus (1) - OK, but not 1st round talent
DeVier Posey (2) SCRUB I want to like him but yeah
Brandon Brooks (3)
Ben Jones SCRUB
Keshawn Martin (4)
Jared Crick BUST
Randy Bullock SUPER BUST
Nick Mondek ..?????

2013

DeAndre Hopkins ok
D.J. Swearinger ok
Brennan Williams ..???
Sam Montgomery BUST
Trevardo Williams BUST
David Quassenbery ..???
Alan Bonner BUST
Chris Jones ..???
Ryan Griffin ok

did some tweekin


35 BUSTS

10 Ok players

4 good players

like 2 ..????? unknown players it was 4 but ill just add them two busts

and like 1 AAA player JJ WATT

I don't think that's gonna get it down LOL

 

[corytx8]

How much did his draft history have for us going 10-6 and 12-4? How many guys have hit 2 DROY over that time span? And how much of these drafts are his choices?

Don't forget finding Arian Foster.....

 

[welsh texan]

I'm still holding out hope that he'll be fired the same way Casserly was fired; after the draft. Rick Smith out watching bowl games & McNair being the public voice of our coaching search feeds my delusion.

Only problem with that, TK, is that it sets up the exact same power dynamic of HC being linger tenured than GM that McNair has publicly expressed his displeasure with.

I wouldn't have been too upset if rick got the boot, but a little like kubes in 2010, in just going to get over it right away, I see plenty of arguments that plausibly diminish ricks responsibility for this current mess, and McNair is in the best position to tell whether those are fair or not.

Right now, Rick needs to be focused on where this team is headed personnel wise, we need a lot of quality guys on rookie contracts, CB is set to become a cap issue shortly die to JoJos contract, AJs contract makes him a difficult keep as soon as his production starts to dip, our oline is living off potential and possibly needs a total do over depending on scheme.

So many issues both at hand now and coming up, I think the new coaching staff will benefit from having some stability in the FO so I can support meeting rick for now.

 

[steelbtexan]

How much did his draft history have for us going 10-6 and 12-4? How many guys have hit 2 DROY over that time span? And how much of these drafts are his choices?

Look at his draft history, it speaks for itself.

10-6, 12-4 against a bad division

Getting blown out anytime they played upper echelon teams, color me unimpressed by Slick Rick's tenure.

 

[TheIronDuke]

I can't believe anyone can actually say with a straight face tht Smith has done a good job in the draft. One only needs to look at the DBs and LBs he's drafted after the first to realize that he's incapable of selecting anything approaching talent there and he busts in the first round too. We have to sign free agents to make up for his inability to draft defense. He's done a terrible job with the cap as well.

He is only able to draft in the first round and I am pretty sure that that's only because the coaches have the most input in those picks. And just because he had a good UFA pick up doesn't mean he's doing a good job. And it's actually sad we had 2 UFA make the team from this past draft over players we actually drafted. Both of which we cut anyways while NE is able to use one of the players we drafted and cut as a DT who has more sacks this season than anyone we have besides Watt!

I have zero faith in Rick Smith and we will not go anywhere with that moron having any input. He spent seconds on Brooke Reed, who is the worst LB I've ever seen an Brandon Harris who can't even beat out Brice McCain. And that's a good GM?

 

[cstyle42]

Token= Slick Rick

smh up and down

 

[thunderkyss]

Only problem with that, TK, is that it sets up the exact same power dynamic of HC being linger tenured than GM that McNair has publicly expressed his displeasure with.

Not at all. The power dynamic was set up because it was Kubiak that fingered Smith for the job. He is a "F.O.G." the first actually.

If Rick gets the ax after the draft, as long as Bob doesn't as his HC to pick the next GM, it's not the same thing. McNair may be setting up a structure where all things Texans converge on him..... like a CEO. The finance guy, the Sales manager, the Production manager, head of R&D all answer to the CEO. They've got to work together, but none of them work for the other.

In Denver, that guy is John Elway. The GM doesn't work for the HC, the HC doesn't work for the GM. They both answer to John Elway.

 

[Texian]

In Denver, that guy is John Elway. The GM doesn't work for the HC, the HC doesn't work for the GM. They both answer to John Elway.

Elway is the GM, Executive VP of Football Operations
http://www.denverbroncos.com/team/staff-directory.html

 

[thunderkyss]

I can't believe anyone can actually say with a straight face tht Smith has done a good job in the draft. One only needs to look at the DBs and LBs he's drafted after the first to realize that he's incapable of selecting anything approaching talent there and he busts in the first round too. We have to sign free agents to make up for his inability to draft defense. He's done a terrible job with the cap as well.

He is only able to draft in the first round and I am pretty sure that that's only because the coaches have the most input in those picks. And just because he had a good UFA pick up doesn't mean he's doing a good job. And it's actually sad we had 2 UFA make the team from this past draft over players we actually drafted. Both of which we cut anyways while NE is able to use one of the players we drafted and cut as a DT who has more sacks this season than anyone we have besides Watt!

I have zero faith in Rick Smith and we will not go anywhere with that moron having any input. He spent seconds on Brooke Reed, who is the worst LB I've ever seen an Brandon Harris who can't even beat out Brice McCain. And that's a good GM?

I want Rick Smith fired. I've wanted him gone since 2010 more so than Gary.

You bring up some good points, but our DT going to New England says more about coaches than it does Rick Smith. It says the same thing that Demps starting & playing well for Kansas city says, not to mention returning kicks pretty well too. It says the same thing that Ben Tate's tenure in the dog house says, the same thing Brandon Harris's inability to beat out McCain says..... for some reason our coaches hold grudges against players & let "non-field" related issues keep them off the field.

In the long-term, I don't know if Kubiak's approach, demanding his players be "pros" is a good thing or not. But I know it isn't conducive to winning when less talented players are on the field & you're talented draft picks are on the sidelines.

 

[thunderkyss]

Elway is the GM, Executive VP of Football Operations
http://www.denverbroncos.com/team/staff-directory.html

Now... but when he was hired, Xanders was the GM. Fox was the coach. Xanders left & Elway just didn't replace him. He absorbed his duties.

 

[dream_team]

BoB/Rick/Charley/Gary make this stuff sound like brain surgery. It's not, you just have to do your homework and be willing to take risks on talented/injured players with Character flaws in the late rds. Teams that win do this regularly, and until the Texans get in the game they will continue to be a hit or miss winning team and never a true SB contender. IMHO

Ummm... didn't the Texans do this last season with Brennan Williams and Sam Montgomery, and the fans severly punished Rick for doing so.

How many impact players did the Texans lose this offseason? 2-3? Quin/Cody/Barwin/Walter/Casey? Who else did they lose that you would say was a true impact player? They had 4 picks in the 1st 3 rds to replace these guys. If your going to be a pay your guys a kings ransom (BoB/Rick/Gary's choice) your going to lose guys. That's the way the system is set up. How do you replace them? By doing the hard work and hitting on 3-4 guys a yr.

Quin was replaced by Swearinger. Walter replaced by Hopkins. Mitchell was just as effective as Cody. Jones is a better pure FB than Casey. And Barwin was overpaid by Philly.

So in your mind, who exactly is an excellent GM? All GMs in this league miss on draft picks and lose players due to the salary cap.

 

[Scooter]

drunk post.

 

[thunderkyss]

Ummm... didn't the Texans do this last season with Brennan Williams and Sam Montgomery, and the fans severly punished Rick for doing so.

Yeah... they need to get better. Then they won't be as severely punished.

Didn't last draft seem a bit "panicked" & out of character to you?

 

[Playoffs]

Tania Ganguli ‏@taniaganguli

In the salary cap era "you have got to have coaches who are teachers," because you rely on a lot of young players, Smith says. #Texans

James Palmer ‏@JPalmerCSN

Making adjustments and the ability to do that is the main talking point from Rick Smith. #texans

Jayson Braddock ‏@JaysonBraddock

"Got to have a little charisma and personality" Speaking glowingly about O"Brien and his recommendations. #Texans

"Only scored twice in the first 5 minutes of football games" Rick Smith

Dave Zangaro ‏@DZangaro

Rick Smith said everyone he's talked to about BOB talks about his character. #Texans

Smith mentions accountability and toughness. Says games are won and lost in first and last five minutes. #Texans

"We identified the traits and characteristics that we were looking for in the next head coach, but then we also looked at our organization and our team and we tried to look at where we felt like where we were deficient and how could we look to improve those areas. Once we did that, one of the things that I think Bob just talked about was intelligence. Intelligence, innovative, flexibility - that was one of the things that we were looking for. From a football perspective that happens from game to game, whether you are talking about a personnel grouping or how you attack defenses, or how you attack offenses, but the ability to be innovative or flexible that way [is an ability that] you have to have.

You come out in the first half and you have a game plan that you worked on all week, but then you have to adjust and be innovative - flexible that way. But then over the course of a football season you have to have that same ability. We were tied for first with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with number of guys that were on injured reserve with sixteen, and so you've got to be able to adjust and adapt to those changing circumstances. Conversely the Green Bay Packers were actually third with fifteen and they're in the playoffs, so you've got to be able to do that over the course of a football season and being innovative and flexible and intelligent is one of the things that we think Bill represents."

 

[beerlover]

Is Rick Smith being held accountable? Were all mistakes leading up to this past seasons collapse solely on Head Coach, Gary Kubiak?

When Rick reached out his hand to shake Bill O'Brian hand, end of press conference, to me felt uncomfortable & awkward.

 

[Playoffs]

Dave Zangaro ‏@DZangaro

Smith not opposed to trading down. "We’ll get a good player or we’ll move and get good value for the pick and improve our football team."

Deepi Sidhu ‏@DeepSlant

Rick Smith also talked about getting the QB situation resolved: "We didn't have an effective player at the position last year." #Texans

 

[TheIronDuke]

Tania Ganguli ‏@taniaganguli


James Palmer ‏@JPalmerCSN


Jayson Braddock ‏@JaysonBraddock


Dave Zangaro ‏@DZangaro


"We identified the traits and characteristics that we were looking for in the next head coach, but then we also looked at our organization and our team and we tried to look at where we felt like where we were deficient and how could we look to improve those areas. Once we did that, one of the things that I think Bob just talked about was intelligence. Intelligence, innovative, flexibility - that was one of the things that we were looking for. From a football perspective that happens from game to game, whether you are talking about a personnel grouping or how you attack defenses, or how you attack offenses, but the ability to be innovative or flexible that way [is an ability that] you have to have.

You come out in the first half and you have a game plan that you worked on all week, but then you have to adjust and be innovative - flexible that way. But then over the course of a football season you have to have that same ability. We were tied for first with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with number of guys that were on injured reserve with sixteen, and so you've got to be able to adjust and adapt to those changing circumstances. Conversely the Green Bay Packers were actually third with fifteen and they're in the playoffs, so you've got to be able to do that over the course of a football season and being innovative and flexible and intelligent is one of the things that we think Bill represents."

I like how he used the IR excuse even though most of the draft was made up of players they only stashed on IR because they weren't good enough to play. Way to go Rick.

 

[thunderkyss]

Conversely the Green Bay Packers were actually third with fifteen and they're in the playoffs, so you've got to be able to do that over the course of a football season and being innovative and flexible and intelligent is one of the things that we think Bill represents.

I like how he used the IR excuse...

Not to mention 9-7 got into the play-offs.

 

[dalemurphy]

I like how he used the IR excuse even though most of the draft was made up of players they only stashed on IR because they weren't good enough to play. Way to go Rick.

It wasn't an excuse... quite the opposite. It was a vale criticism of Kubiak and Wade's inability to adjust and compensate schematically and in game plan preparation when the team loses key players.

I must say that I could not agree more! The greatest frustration I have had with this coaching staff is their inability to adjust- both in the middle of a game and week to week. The epitome of that frustration, for me, was last year's playoff game vs. New England. Watching Brady and company isolate anyone they wanted on Tim Dobbins in man coverage play after play was insufferable, especially since it had just happened one month earlier in the regular season.

Certainly, the same is true on offense. Offensively, it tended to be the personnel decisions on Sundays, ranging from the unwillingness to rotate RBs the past 4 years, the insistence of playing Newton over Harris this year and last year, shoving Studdard down our throats for two years (I'm still bitter about letting Shelley Smith walk), etc....

 

[Norg]

I don't know why rick isn't held accountable he was part of the regime that got us to a 2-14 hes been here just has long has kubes 8 years and he has a long list of faliures just like KUBES

I did the numbers in his drafts

he drafts like 75 % Busts like and the reast of the players are OK


only 2 Superstars BROWN and Watt and I don't even think he picked watt that seems like a Wade pick 2 me

 

[Exascor]

only 2 Superstars BROWN and Watt and I don't even think he picked watt that seems like a Wade pick 2 me

If you credit Phillips for Watt, then you answered your own question. You can't say the best players are coaches picks and the worst are Smiths.

I'm on record saying that Smith should have been part of wholesale changes. He's not going anywhere. I'm going to give him a clean slate. We don't know what happened out of public view. McNair does and chose to keep him.

 

[thunderkyss]

I'm still holding out hope he'll be replaced after the draft.

 

[dalemurphy]

I don't know why rick isn't held accountable he was part of the regime that got us to a 2-14 hes been here just has long has kubes 8 years and he has a long list of faliures just like KUBES

I did the numbers in his drafts

he drafts like 75 % Busts like and the reast of the players are OK


only 2 Superstars BROWN and Watt and I don't even think he picked watt that seems like a Wade pick 2 me

Use the same methodology and check out the other 31 teams.... I'm not sure how many "superstars" you expect a guy to draft...

Rick isn't going anywhere this year. That fact was clear if you watched the press conference today. Only McNair, and others in the inner circle of the organization know which decisions were ultimately Smith's and which were Kubiak's... Still, we just removed a coach in the middle of the season who took a roster built by Rick Smith to consecutive 12 win seasons. So, was the coaching that good in 2011 and 2012? If so, why fire the guy that took a poorly drafted roster into the playoffs? Or, was Kubiak justly fired for dramatically failing to get the best out of a roster that one season earlier was capable of 12-4 regular season...

Perhaps the foundation of this team was built on Quin, Casey, Barwin... and their loss destroyed the team's ability to compete... If so, do we blame Rick Smith for their loss or credit him with drafting three players in the middle rounds that are so impactful on an NFL team so early in their respective careers?

Those of you who are so adamant about what an awful coach Kubiak was and how poorly Rick Smith drafted, please explain how this team won so many games in 2011 and 2012 and yet only won two games in 2013. And please, do us all a favor and don't attribute it to luck... or scheduling. This is the NFL!

 

[paycheck71]

Use the same methodology and check out the other 31 teams.... I'm not sure how many "superstars" you expect a guy to draft...

Rick isn't going anywhere this year. That fact was clear if you watched the press conference today. Only McNair, and others in the inner circle of the organization know which decisions were ultimately Smith's and which were Kubiak's... Still, we just removed a coach in the middle of the season who took a roster built by Rick Smith to consecutive 12 win seasons. So, was the coaching that good in 2011 and 2012? If so, why fire the guy that took a poorly drafted roster into the playoffs? Or, was Kubiak justly fired for dramatically failing to get the best out of a roster that one season earlier was capable of 12-4 regular season...

Perhaps the foundation of this team was built on Quin, Casey, Barwin... and their loss destroyed the team's ability to compete... If so, do we blame Rick Smith for their loss or credit him with drafting three players in the middle rounds that are so impactful on an NFL team so early in their respective careers?

Those of you who are so adamant about what an awful coach Kubiak was and how poorly Rick Smith drafted, please explain how this team won so many games in 2011 and 2012 and yet only won two games in 2013. And please, do us all a favor and don't attribute it to luck... or scheduling. This is the NFL!

I really feel like the 2 win season is mainly attributable to the drastic decline in play at the QB position. I think if Schaub had played all 16 games at the level he showed at the start of the season, we probably were good for 7 to 9 wins. But we expected much better, so changes had to be made. Keenum didn't turn out to be who we wanted him to be. And at some point apathy set in, and we weren't going to win another game, no matter what happened.

 

[steelbtexan]

Is Rick Smith being held accountable? Were all mistakes leading up to this past seasons collapse solely on Head Coach, Gary Kubiak?

When Rick reached out his hand to shake Bill O'Brian hand, end of press conference, to me felt uncomfortable & awkward.

Yes men quite often feel this way.

 

[steelbtexan]

Use the same methodology and check out the other 31 teams.... I'm not sure how many "superstars" you expect a guy to draft...

Rick isn't going anywhere this year. That fact was clear if you watched the press conference today. Only McNair, and others in the inner circle of the organization know which decisions were ultimately Smith's and which were Kubiak's... Still, we just removed a coach in the middle of the season who took a roster built by Rick Smith to consecutive 12 win seasons. So, was the coaching that good in 2011 and 2012? If so, why fire the guy that took a poorly drafted roster into the playoffs? Or, was Kubiak justly fired for dramatically failing to get the best out of a roster that one season earlier was capable of 12-4 regular season...

Perhaps the foundation of this team was built on Quin, Casey, Barwin... and their loss destroyed the team's ability to compete... If so, do we blame Rick Smith for their loss or credit him with drafting three players in the middle rounds that are so impactful on an NFL team so early in their respective careers?

Those of you who are so adamant about what an awful coach Kubiak was and how poorly Rick Smith drafted, please explain how this team won so many games in 2011 and 2012 and yet only won two games in 2013. And please, do us all a favor and don't attribute it to luck... or scheduling. This is the NFL!

Consecutive 12-4 seasons?

Manning got hurt and the Texans played a relatively easy schedule in the weakest division in the NFL.

 

[dalemurphy]

Consecutive 12-4 seasons?

Manning got hurt and the Texans played a relatively easy schedule in the weakest division in the NFL.

The Texans won 12 games in 2011 (playoff game included)... including 5 of them with a rookie 5th round pick at QB and essentially without Andre Johnson. (How does the depth Rick Smith developed via the draft compare with what Bill Polian had minus Peyton Manning?)

Then, the won 13 games the next season (playoff game included), without the services of Brian Cushing most of the season and a diminished Schaub, resulting from his injury in 2011... How does that roster and cap management compare with what Indy did, with the good fortune of falling into Andrew Luck's draft pick?... The two teams played essentially identical schedules over the course of the two seasons (The Texans schedule only appears weaker, according to record, because Indy played the Texans while the Texans played Indy over those 4 games).

I have issues with some personnel decisions the Texans have made. But, I'm not going to hold Rick Smith responsible for things he had nothing to do with...

His draft record is pretty good... It's even better if you are correct about how poor of a coach Gary Kubiak was. Smith put together a team with multiple All-pros. He drafted those players without ever having the luxury of a top 5 pick. All of the Indy Colts success throughout their domination of the AFC South is a direct result of capitalizing on the good fortune of the 1st pick in the draft (Peyton and Luck). As you asserted earlier, the Colts are nothing without that one, single person... Essentially, that means the Colts would've had similar success if Mel Kiper was their GM.

It will be interesting to see how the talent acquisition changes with the new staff. It will also be interesting to see how the new staff assesses the existing talent. Are you going to credit Rick Smith with his drafting prowess if guys like: Mercilus, Hopkins, B.Brooks, Swearinger, T. Williams, Quessenburry, KJ, Posey, B.Harris appear to be more effective players in 2014 and 2015? Or, will you then argue that Smith doesn't deserve credit, but their success is due to the coaching staff?

I would just like to see some consistency from the anti-Smith crowd. Please explain how much responsibility the coaching staff has for the development, assessment, and quality of play from the players. I should make a correction: the arguments have been consistent- if a player under-performs, Smith and Kubiak are both 100% responsible for their failure. If a player over-performs, it is a fluke and neither deserve any credit. It is the only way to bash Kubiak for failing as a coach in 2011 and in 2012 while still discrediting Rick Smith's assembly of the talent capable of winning 25 games in two seasons with an awful head coach.

 

[Jackie Chiles]

The Texans won 12 games in 2011 (playoff game included)... including 5 of them with a rookie 5th round pick at QB and essentially without Andre Johnson. (How does the depth Rick Smith developed via the draft compare with what Bill Polian had minus Peyton Manning?)

Not jumping into the argument but we won 10 games in the regular season in 2011 therefore 11 with the playoff win.

 

[dalemurphy]

Yes men quite often feel this way.

 

[LikeMike]

I don't know why rick isn't held accountable he was part of the regime that got us to a 2-14 hes been here just has long has kubes 8 years and he has a long list of faliures just like KUBES

I did the numbers in his drafts

he drafts like 75 % Busts like and the reast of the players are OK


only 2 Superstars BROWN and Watt and I don't even think he picked watt that seems like a Wade pick 2 me

Just a couple of seasons ago people were consideeing him GM of the year... this team has talent, enough talent that this team was considered a super bowl contender before the season. He did mistakes, especially with some big contracts and some FA leaving, but overall he built a pretty strong roster. Last season was much more the coaches fault than the GMs.

75% busts? Perhaps last season, though I am not even sure about that. Guys like McCain, Mitchell or Crick ain`t busts - you can`t expect top talents in every round. And don`t forget about Cushing, Tate, Foster, Jackson, Quin, Barwin even Graham, Griffin and perhaps Mercilus and Reed... we might not hit the home run every year, but for the most part our drafts have been solid.

 

[dalemurphy]

Not jumping into the argument but we won 10 games in the regular season in 2011 therefore 11 with the playoff win.

Wow! I follow the Texans pretty closely and can easily quote their record from the beginning off the top of my head.

4-12
5-11
7-9
2-14
6-10.. etc... (first win against Miami..Mario batted a ball down in the red zone to seal the win)

I was convinced we went 11-5 in 2011! Typical Sunshine Club Member, I convinced myself that we won the Delhomme game vs. Tennessee at the end of the year to such a degree that I actually reinvented the history in my own head... Actually, it's a little scary. Sorry for the error.

 

[infantrycak]

6-10.. etc... (first win against Miami..Mario batted a ball down in the red zone to seal the win)

2nd. 1st win was opening day 2003. Matt Stevens took Ricky Williams' shoe off so he wasn't available for a 2 pt conversion.. Marcus Coleman ended the Fins last two drives with INTs.

 

[Texecutioner]

I'm not going to be bashing Rick Smith right now as he has made me pretty happy as a fan with his last hire.

A lot of people may dislike Rick Smith (I have been one of them), but he played a hand in hiring O'Brien and him and Bob both decided that "they" needed to adapt as management and find a guy that had a lot of the opposite characteristics of what Kubiak was. Kudos to Rick Smith for recognizing the big changes that this team needed after this season we just had. Him and Kubes were always tight and Kubiak played a big hand in getting him hired here, so Rick always "owed" some loyalty to Kubiak which I hated, but none the less I understood it. Now that Kubiak is gone, I don't know if Rick's philosophy as a GM will be quite the same. I guess we're just going to have to watch and see how things play out over the next few years. But as of now, Rick Smith just made a great decision as a GM in my eyes and if it turns this franchise around for many years I'd say that Rick Smith has learned a few things possibly which is all I can ask of a fan. Learn from your mistakes and don't frequently repeat them. Rick just might be learning and "ADAPTING" as crazy as that sounds.

 

[thunderkyss]

2nd. 1st win was opening day 2003. Matt Stevens took Ricky Williams' shoe off so he wasn't available for a 2 pt conversion.. Marcus Coleman ended the Fins last two drives with INTs.

I think he meant first win that season. Not against Miami.

The first win of that season was against Miami. Mario sealed it with batting the ball down..... etc...

 

[steelbtexan]

Just a couple of seasons ago people were consideeing him GM of the year... this team has talent, enough talent that this team was considered a super bowl contender before the season. He did mistakes, especially with some big contracts and some FA leaving, but overall he built a pretty strong roster. Last season was much more the coaches fault than the GMs.

75% busts? Perhaps last season, though I am not even sure about that. Guys like McCain, Mitchell or Crick ain`t busts - you can`t expect top talents in every round. And don`t forget about Cushing, Tate, Foster, Jackson, Quin, Barwin even Graham, Griffin and perhaps Mercilus and Reed... we might not hit the home run every year, but for the most part our drafts have been solid.

The Texans were 2-14 for a reason.

Lack of depth on the roster was a big part of the problem. That goes back to drafting. Extending Schaub was a brilliant move. Gary may have been the catalyst but Rick could've said no.

Yes, the good doc predicted Shaub's falling off the cliff and Rick should know more than a MB Dr. He has access to all of the medical info that C-N-D doesn't have. It's like nobody took the time to review Schaubs medicals. (Brilliant) See Ed Reed

 

[steelbtexan]

I'm not going to be bashing Rick Smith right now as he has made me pretty happy as a fan with his last hire.

A lot of people may dislike Rick Smith (I have been one of them), but he played a hand in hiring O'Brien and him and Bob both decided that "they" needed to adapt as management and find a guy that had a lot of the opposite characteristics of what Kubiak was. Kudos to Rick Smith for recognizing the big changes that this team needed after this season we just had. Him and Kubes were always tight and Kubiak played a big hand in getting him hired here, so Rick always "owed" some loyalty to Kubiak which I hated, but none the less I understood it. Now that Kubiak is gone, I don't know if Rick's philosophy as a GM will be quite the same. I guess we're just going to have to watch and see how things play out over the next few years. But as of now, Rick Smith just made a great decision as a GM in my eyes and if it turns this franchise around for many years I'd say that Rick Smith has learned a few things possibly which is all I can ask of a fan. Learn from your mistakes and don't frequently repeat them. Rick just might be learning and "ADAPTING" as crazy as that sounds.

Hope you're right. Proof will be in the pudding.

 

[Norg]

I'm not going to be bashing Rick Smith right now as he has made me pretty happy as a fan with his last hire.

A lot of people may dislike Rick Smith (I have been one of them), but he played a hand in hiring O'Brien and him and Bob both decided that "they" needed to adapt as management and find a guy that had a lot of the opposite characteristics of what Kubiak was. Kudos to Rick Smith for recognizing the big changes that this team needed after this season we just had. Him and Kubes were always tight and Kubiak played a big hand in getting him hired here, so Rick always "owed" some loyalty to Kubiak which I hated, but none the less I understood it. Now that Kubiak is gone, I don't know if Rick's philosophy as a GM will be quite the same. I guess we're just going to have to watch and see how things play out over the next few years. But as of now, Rick Smith just made a great decision as a GM in my eyes and if it turns this franchise around for many years I'd say that Rick Smith has learned a few things possibly which is all I can ask of a fan. Learn from your mistakes and don't frequently repeat them. Rick just might be learning and "ADAPTING" as crazy as that sounds.

hahaha dis is funny RIck found and helped bring in BOB HAHAHAH

whats to find Bill o brein and Lovie were the two hottest coaches in the nation ..???? the media was talking about bill like 6 months ago has the top F/a Coach

bill wanted to go anywere has long has he was out of the polotics and train wreck that is penn state

 

[Norg]

Use the same methodology and check out the other 31 teams.... I'm not sure how many "superstars" you expect a guy to draft...

Rick isn't going anywhere this year. That fact was clear if you watched the press conference today. Only McNair, and others in the inner circle of the organization know which decisions were ultimately Smith's and which were Kubiak's... Still, we just removed a coach in the middle of the season who took a roster built by Rick Smith to consecutive 12 win seasons. So, was the coaching that good in 2011 and 2012? If so, why fire the guy that took a poorly drafted roster into the playoffs? Or, was Kubiak justly fired for dramatically failing to get the best out of a roster that one season earlier was capable of 12-4 regular season...

Perhaps the foundation of this team was built on Quin, Casey, Barwin... and their loss destroyed the team's ability to compete... If so, do we blame Rick Smith for their loss or credit him with drafting three players in the middle rounds that are so impactful on an NFL team so early in their respective careers?

Those of you who are so adamant about what an awful coach Kubiak was and how poorly Rick Smith drafted, please explain how this team won so many games in 2011 and 2012 and yet only won two games in 2013. And please, do us all a favor and don't attribute it to luck... or scheduling. This is the NFL!

its easy to win 10 games in 11 games IN THE """Regular season""""" when u go

6-10

8-8

8-8

9-7

6-10


talk about a slow and steady 5 year Rebuildng plan I would hope some fruits of rick and kubes come to reality LOL

but its all the stuff Rick did within those 5 years of medoricty that throw up red flags to me

 

[DX-TEX]

hahaha dis is funny RIck found and helped bring in BOB HAHAHAH

whats to find Bill o brein and Lovie were the two hottest coaches in the nation ..???? the media was talking about bill like 6 months ago has the top F/a Coach

bill wanted to go anywere has long has he was out of the polotics and train wreck that is penn state

And we landed the hottest coaching candidate, that doesn't just happen on accident. If BOB took this job just to get "out of the polotics and train wreck that is penn state" why did he turn down Cleveland last season?

 

[welsh texan]

And we landed the hottest coaching candidate, that doesn't just happen on accident. If BOB took this job just to get "out of the polotics and train wreck that is penn state" why did he turn down Cleveland last season?

Yeah cos that was a great HC gig to take...

 

[DX-TEX]

Yeah cos that was a great HC gig to take...

As he was implying that he only took the job to leave PSU it is a valid observation. He was also wanted this season by the Lions and Vikings so he had options

 

[dalemurphy]

its easy to win 10 games in 11 games IN THE """Regular season""""" when u go

6-10

8-8

8-8

9-7

6-10


talk about a slow and steady 5 year Rebuildng plan I would hope some fruits of rick and kubes come to reality LOL

but its all the stuff Rick did within those 5 years of medoricty that throw up red flags to me

Who cares about the question: was Rick Smith a good GM in 2007?

I only care about this question: Is he a good GM now?


He was going to have a severe learning curve given his lack of experience and his youth.

 

[welsh texan]

As he was implying that he only took the job to leave PSU it is a valid observation. He was also wanted this season by the Lions and Vikings so he had options

Not really, he would obviously want to get out of PSU at the first good opportunity, I'd say he showed excellent judgement to stay on another year at PSU and avoid the Browns' regime change.

He was pretty much signed by the time any other NFL HC GIGS came up as well.

I think the Texans played a blinder by firing Kubiak early and putting themselves at the head of the queue, they went out and got their favourite candidate lets just hope they made the right choice.

I think the real reason that Rick Smith avoided the chop is because the Texans top brass felt that Kubiak had too much control I've the draft process and Rick Smith was marginalised in that department, this is backed up by the leak earlier in the season which said as much.

McNair knows better than anyone on this forum exactly how our draft board looked each year from the FO, and how that was affected by what Kubiak wanted. He also knows who it was that decided guys like Jacoby, Holliday, Chris jones etc were allowed to leave and be productive elsewhere, and why our coaching staff wasn't capable of getting production out of them here.

Rick Smith still being around would lead me to believe that a lot of the issues with talent on our roster aren't his doing.

 

[houstonspartan]

Not really, he would obviously want to get out of PSU at the first good opportunity, I'd say he showed excellent judgement to stay on another year at PSU and avoid the Browns' regime change.



He was pretty much signed by the time any other NFL HC GIGS came up as well.



I think the Texans played a blinder by firing Kubiak early and putting themselves at the head of the queue, they went out and got their favourite candidate lets just hope they made the right choice.



I think the real reason that Rick Smith avoided the chop is because the Texans top brass felt that Kubiak had too much control I've the draft process and Rick Smith was marginalised in that department, this is backed up by the leak earlier in the season which said as much.



McNair knows better than anyone on this forum exactly how our draft board looked each year from the FO, and how that was affected by what Kubiak wanted. He also knows who it was that decided guys like Jacoby, Holliday, Chris jones etc were allowed to leave and be productive elsewhere, and why our coaching staff wasn't capable of getting production out of them here.



Rick Smith still being around would lead me to believe that a lot of the issues with talent on our roster aren't his doing.

Yep. Marciano getting fired 2 seconds after Kubaik told me all I need to know. It's likely that the big bosses wanted Marciano gone a while ago, but Kubiak wouldn't allow it.


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