Keep Texans Talk Google Ad Free!
Venmo Tip Jar | Paypal Tip Jar
Thanks for your support! 🍺😎👍

How to "read" this win

GP

GP

Go Texans!
IMO, this win was the result of Texans players understanding that this game and the 49ers game was/will be the only real chances for us to come away with a win or two.

I think this year's group of players is tired of this team's coaching staff and their lame system, and they basically rallied this weekend to at least keep us from going 0-16.

You look at the Raiders two years ago when there was a very ugly and very public mutiny against Callahan, and the players made life a living you-know-what for the coaching staff in the media every weekend on the field and even during the week leading up to games, and you contrast it with the way these Texans players have handled a similar situation, and you have to be proud of our guys. For the most part, these players have buttoned their lips about this team's coaching philosophy and they are just going to let Capers & Co. get what's coming at the end of this season.

They are playing for themselves and for us, not for their coaching staff. When a guy like Seth Payne speaks up and basically jolts the team into realizing that they play for us and not for the coaches (even though that's probably not what he said in these sorts of terms that I am) you can tell that this past game against the Browns was one that we were going ot win no matter what. Simmons puts his hat right on the ball and knocks it loose. Carr and Gaffney hook up for a nice pass/catch. Mathis blows the doors off the Browns' special teams unit to set up the clutch Kris Brown field goal, and even P-Burnt found a way to not mess it up.

To me, this team's players are just like us: They want to get a new staff in here who will not play-it-close-to-the-fourth-quarter-so-we-have-a-chance-to-win-it-in-the-end type of game planning and play calling. They are hungry for the same thing we are: A coaching staff that will let Carr make more decisions, let other guys more deserving than Bradford get a shot at the starting WR spot, and a staff who can play this team to its strengths each and every week.

I sense the end of the Capers era, even if it is at the end of this season and not as soon as I would like it to be (like, tomorrow for instance). And I see a classy group of players in the midst of what is a difficult situation, and I see this group of players taking the high road thorugh it all and knowing that soon their chance will come to shine.

We all wanted the playoffs this year, and I know the Astros proved that it can be done (and it might still happen if the planets align just right)...but you have to think that maybe this sort of season will serve a better purpose for us in the near future (next season) than had we done well enough to squeek into the playoffs and lose, thus giving Capers more years as HC around here.

Thanks, Texans players, for giving it all you've got and for making the best of a bad situation. And thanks for being the class of the NFL while doing it.
 
Good take, man. I think you have a good point, that the players know (behind the scenes) that Coach Capers' days are numbers. [He pretty much knows it too when asked in an interview. It's very subtle, but I think he knows the end is near - January 2006]

The players willed themselves to win against the Browns, in spite of the extreme conservative "play-not-to-lose" coaching philosophy. Carr admitted yesterday that they were playing for fieldgoals (which is whack, IMO, but if that's what the coach wants, then that's what the players have to do).

I think we could see a couple of more wins this season just from the players' determination to not be the worst team in football/NFL history. But they won't win enough to save the HC's job.

Which, of course, is a good thing.
 
Double Barrel said:
Good take, man. I think you have a good point, that the players know (behind the scenes) that Coach Capers' days are numbers. [He pretty much knows it too when asked in an interview. It's very subtle, but I think he knows the end is near - January 2006]

The players willed themselves to win against the Browns, in spite of the extreme conservative "play-not-to-lose" coaching philosophy. Carr admitted yesterday that they were playing for fieldgoals (which is whack, IMO, but if that's what the coach wants, then that's what the players have to do).

I think we could see a couple of more wins this season just from the players' determination to not be the worst team in football/NFL history. But they won't win enough to save the HC's job.

Which, of course, is a good thing.
Click to expand...

I keep saying the tragedy and the irony is that many players are getting the blame for what is happening when in reality they are simply doing what they are coached and allowed to do. People say they are doing certain things whether it be defensively or offensively, but the reality is they would be benched if they didn't. This is indeed a strange group of coaches.

I have had the joy to be around some excellent basketball coaches and I will liken what I see in this case to those experiences. What's amazing was they wanted their players to try to make plays. If the opposition picked up on it, but it was a good attempt they weren't unhappy. You have to work at the better plays to make them work. They didn't want their good players just sitting on it and making no effort. In fact they were down on players who didn't make mistakes, because they figured they weren't going to improve. They just didn't want the same mistake over and over again.

For example, we should go long to Mathis a few times a game and then throw some short ones underneath to him, because he's very likey to break one that way to. We need the defense to really start focusing on Mathis and that will make AJ and Gaffny that much more effective. When we have three scarry receivers everything we do will be a lot better. This team has to pass to get the running game going. I've often stated we are like the Montana led 49ers. They passed and then ran the ball. They were very effective doing that. We are in the same mold. DD is very effective when the other team is looking for the pass.

The only problem is that everyone knows the problem is the coaching staff, but nothing is going to happen until the end of the season. The real worry is that this team begins to win despite the coaching staff. Then they will argue they turned it around and you will have to live through more years of the same mediocrity or failure. I'm not certain this win was really in the best long term interest of the team, but for the players I'm glad it happened. They deserve a lot better.
 
Another example of why our guys are the class of the league:

I mentioned the Raiders' situation they had a few years back when Callahan was the victim of mutiny.

Today, it has been reported on ESPNradio that Vikings defensive back A. Winfield has PUBLICLY ripped the defensive coaching staff and has stated that the defensive staff is too conservative and that they need to be more aggressive in their defensive schemes, etc.
 
Carr audibled to a play other than the plays allowed? I mean, not speak out about the coaching, not go public, but just audibled to a deep ball, or a different kind of run, or a screen, a reverse, a TE pass -- whatever -- that he's not supposed to do. There's a lot of talk here about Carr being restrained by the coaches, that he's only "allowed" to do certain things, but by the nature of the game and his position, he's the boss on the field. He calls the plays. What's Capers gonna do, pull him out? Bench him? Say he does this audibling several times, and sometimes it's lousy and hurts us, and sometimes it's good and helps us. What's the coach going to do? If this team really IS like us, sick of Capers and his version of small ball, wouldn't a little SUBTLE mutiny, in deed and not in word, be refreshing? Is it even possible?
 
Don't forget Pbuc said that the Texans were using him in a zone defense and that it was affecting his play. So the Texans do have some mutiny, but I think for the most part it has been capped. The players are smart. They don't want to be cut by the next coach for bad-mouthing the current coach.
 
I think we have a shot against Arizona too. They are not very good, and we play them here. I wouldn't be surprised if this team played itself out of a top 5 pick.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top