Fixing this mess

[otisbean]

What we need is a a go between for McNair and the football staff, a president of football operations if you will. One of the issues with McNair and Kubes is that Bob REALLY likes Kubes as a person, and from all accounts Kubes is a great guy. Having said that, really liking a guy can make it REALLY tough to judge his body of work objectively. For all the fans clamoring that McNair is fine with mediocrity, I don't believe that for a second. I do believe that his personal feelings for Kubiak may/will cloud his judgement.

The solution, hire a go-between. A guy that has been there and done that. A guy that knows what it takes to build a quality organization AND has done it in multiple locations. I think my guy for the job would be Marty Schottenheimer. This guy has built 3 top level teams in 3 different cities, Cleveland, KC, and SD. Many will say, "He's never won the big one" my response to that is he ran into a buzz saw in John Elway not once but twice in the AFC championship game, where Elway pulled off near miracle game winning drives both times. He made it far in the playoffs with KC, knocking off our beloved Oilers in the process, and believe me the Oilers were vastly more talented. Finally, if Marlon McCree simply falls down after his late game interception of Brady they beat the Pats in the 06-07 playoffs, and that was with a rookie QB.

In short, I think Marty could get this ship headed in the right direction, and if not Marty then someone else that knows how it should be done because what we are doing isn't working my friends. It's time to end the frustration for the football fans in Houston!

Peace

 

[hradhak]

Well, right now we are "real close" so the chances of making an overhaul are low. The best we can expect for is a new D coordinator. I'm hoping that McNair has a change of heart at the last of it all and get someone in, but I just don't see it happening.

 

[houstonhurricane]

Otis,

Your analysis is "spot on" and I also believe there needs to be a professional buffer. Unfortunately, that is what a GM really should be but in the case of the Texans, Rick Smith seems to work for/with Kubiak rather than fill a management and oversight role.

I think yesterday's awful loss to a team that had lost six straight and was playing with their 75 year old backup qb may be enough to gain McNair's attention. If it does and he brings in a strong coach with an even stronger football-minded GM, we may be able to turn this around. If not, adding another layer to the current management structure will not improve the product on the field.

 

[otisbean]

Im not sure McNair is qualified to know if we are real close. To me there are 2 ways to view this season:

1) We've been in a bunch of games against really good teams and should have won a bunch of said games if not for our D

2) We barely squeaked out games against KC and Wash, otherwise we'd be in play for the number one pick in the 2011 draft. You could take this a step further and say one of our wins was against a team's 3rd string QB that threw 3 picks

Which team are we? Are we a team that could easily be 8-6 or 9-5 OR should we really be 3-11 or 2-12?

I'll be the first to admit I'm a die hard fan and I think of my self as objective, maybe with a slightly positive outlook. Looking at us objectively its hard for me to say which we are closer to 9-5 or 2-12.

I think our organization needs help from top to bottom, and this is not an indictment of McNair. I think its incredibly tough to put together a truly top level organization in the NFL. I think he just needs some help.

 

[hradhak]

Im not sure McNair is qualified to know if we are real close. To me there are 2 ways to view this season:

1) We've been in a bunch of games against really good teams and should have won a bunch of said games if not for our D

2) We barely squeaked out games against KC and Wash, otherwise we'd be in play for the number one pick in the 2011 draft. You could take this a step further and say one of our wins was against a team's 3rd string QB that threw 3 picks

Which team are we? Are we a team that could easily be 8-6 or 9-5 OR should we really be 3-11 or 2-12?

I'll be the first to admit I'm a die hard fan and I think of my self as objective, maybe with a slightly positive outlook. Looking at us objectively its hard for me to say which we are closer to 9-5 or 2-12.

I think our organization needs help from top to bottom, and this is not an indictment of McNair. I think its incredibly tough to put together a truly top level organization in the NFL. I think he just needs some help.

I'd say we're closer to 9-5 than 2-12. And I'm not being an eternal optimist. 1 more defensive stop per game and the whole thing would be different. Our lack of experience in the secondary is what has killed us. 1 season of experience and better coaching (and some personnel changes) and we could easily be 9-5.

 

[otisbean]

I'd say we're closer to 9-5 than 2-12. And I'm not being an eternal optimist. 1 more defensive stop per game and the whole thing would be different. Our lack of experience in the secondary is what has killed us. 1 season of experience and better coaching (and some personnel changes) and we could easily be 9-5.

I would tend to agree with you, but it does disturb me that we could legitimately be a 2 or 3 win team.

The thing that concerns me with this team as well is in the area of personnel. We haven't done a good job over the last 3 years with drafting and that bothers me. Im not sure what the dynamic is, does Kubiak have fine say or is the problem Smith? I don't think we've done a terrible job but I wouldn't put us in the top ten either.

I do think a new defensive staff is definitely in order.

 

[Speedy]

I would tend to agree with you, but it does disturb me that we could legitimately be a 2 or 3 win team.

The same way the Jets could legitimately be a 5, 6 win team right now. Just a handful of plays. That's how close things are in this league. The Jets make their plays, the Texans don't.

Make a play or 2 in the Jags game you're 6-8. Make one play in the Jets game, you're 7-7. Make a couple of plays in the Ravens game, 8-6. Make a play in the Chargers game, 9-5. Then with that record, maybe you don't come out an open up a can of quit yesterday, 10-4.

It's that close in this league. Even with a pathetic defense. The Texans make too many mistakes, they miss too many plays that have to be made to win football games. And that one or 2 plays can and will cost you.

 

[houstonhurricane]

I'd say we're closer to 9-5 than 2-12. And I'm not being an eternal optimist. 1 more defensive stop per game and the whole thing would be different. Our lack of experience in the secondary is what has killed us. 1 season of experience and better coaching (and some personnel changes) and we could easily be 9-5.

How close were we to losing to Oakland, KC and Washington? Pretty darn close as well. These things even out, but no way in the world we are anywhere near close to a 9-5 team. Kubiak needs to go, but a new coach is going to need serious help on the defensive side of the ball in order to truly compete.

 

[TheCD]

It's that close in this league. Even with a pathetic defense. The Texans make too many mistakes, they miss too many plays that have to be made to win football games. And that one or 2 plays can and will cost you.

I completely understand you here, but the more I think about it the more I realize we should have lost that Washington game. Blocking an easy field goal that would seal a game, then coming back and winning it? That is not the Texans' luck. Futhermore, had that game taken place any time other than after the Colts game, I guarantee you we would have lost.

 

[Speedy]

I completely understand you here, but the more I think about it the more I realize we should have lost that Washington game. Blocking an easy field goal that would seal a game, then coming back and winning it? That is not the Texans' luck. Futhermore, had that game taken place any time other than after the Colts game, I guarantee you we would have lost.

That's a game they made the plays in. If they don't, they lose that one too. Again, that close.