McKinney on Total Access

[The Pencil Neck]

Didn't see this posted yet, but I saw Steve McKinney on Total Access today. I only caught part of it but they were really wanting him to throw Carr under the bus. They asked him how many sacks last year were David's fault. McKinney answered... All of them.

Then he took it back and said he was just joking and that the blame for a sack can go lots of different places. He said the line made some mistakes last year but some of the sacks were on other people. Very politically correct... and true, too.

He talked about how different the attitude was this year and how good it felt to be winning and being 2-0 going into a game against the Colts.

 

[Double Barrel]

I wouldn't expect SM to say much. From what I've read, they are still pretty good friends. He's probably just getting tired of his line always taking 100% of the blame, though.

 

[Tulip]

I wouldn't expect SM to say much. From what I've read, they are still pretty good friends. He's probably just getting tired of his line always taking 100% of the blame, though.

I remember McKinney being on with John and Lance at an event during the offseason (before David was cut), and he did seem pretty irritated about the media's opinion of his unit's skill.

 

[Hooston Texan]

This has got to be a happy time for the offensive line, particularly the long-timers like McKinney, Pitts and Weary. Almost from the beginning, they've been dumped on by everyone in the national media (and, to be fair, from local media not wanting to take shots at the former Face of the Franchise) for the outrageous sack numbers.

Remember the espn draft commercial after the first season--the one showing Carr lining up for a play without any linemen in front of him? And then, at this year's draft, the usual draft-grading know-it-alls took the Texans to task for drafting Amobi instead of an offensive tackle--never mind that the next OT did not go off the board for another 18 picks.

I can't imagine being a national laughingstock for five years. But now, the chuckleheads are finally acknowledging that they were wrong. Sweet redemption; that's gotta feel good.

Truth be told, it was not ALL David Carr's fault--though I doubt even the most ardent anti-Carrite would say that it was. When you are constantly behind, the sack totals are going to pile up. But when you are ahead like we've been most of the first two games (the early two-TD deficit in Charlotte lasted all of three plays), defensive lines can't tee off on the pass rush. Now, if we fall behind on Sunday to Dwight Freeny, Schaub will take a pounding. But that's not because we have the worst OL in football (as everyone used to say). It's just hard for any OL to keep its QB upright if the other team absolutely knows a pass is coming. And if that QB has absolutely no feel for the pocket, then sack totals will go from high to outrageous.

But in any event, I hope the guys are enjoying this little run. After five years, they deserve to see a little sunshine.

 

[Matt]

Now, if we fall behind on Sunday to Dwight Freeny, Schaub will take a pounding.

We fell behind to the Panthers who are supposed to have a much better pass rush than Indy (Peppers + Rucker >> Freeney) and he didn't take a pounding.

 

[real]

Truth be told, it was not ALL David Carr's fault--though I doubt even the most ardent anti-Carrite would say that it was. When you are constantly behind, the sack totals are going to pile up. But when you are ahead like we've been most of the first two games (the early two-TD deficit in Charlotte lasted all of three plays), defensive lines can't tee off on the pass rush. Now, if we fall behind on Sunday to Dwight Freeny, Schaub will take a pounding. But that's not because we have the worst OL in football (as everyone used to say). It's just hard for any OL to keep its QB upright if the other team absolutely knows a pass is coming.

The coaching staff isn't stupid.

If we fall behind we are going to methodically try to make our way back...We aren't going to drop Matt back in the pocket and ask him to throw 50 yard strikes.

I seriously doubt that Matt is ever in a situation, as long as Kubiak is the coach, in which we are calling plays that are allowing the opposing team to just pin their ears back and rush...

This is Kubiak, not Sean Payton.

 

[thunderkyss]

They asked him how many sacks last year were David's fault. McKinney answered... All of them.

Then he took it back and said he was just joking and that the blame for a sack can go lots of different places. He said the line made some mistakes last year but some of the sacks were on other people. Very politically correct... and true, too.

I'd be very upset to think this team broke down individual sacks as to whose fault they were.

Just like Dunta has never(as far as I know) called anyone out on defense. They play as a unit, and take the blame as a unit.

IF our QB needs extra time to throw the ball, then either our Receivers need to get open quicker, or our line needs to provide that time. When a blitz is called, it's not just the QB who needs to be aware of it, but everybody, WRs, TEs, RBs... OL, everybody, and they all have to be on the same page about how they are going to pick it up.

 

[real]

I'd be very upset to think this team broke down individual sacks as to whose fault they were.

Why ?

How else would they know how or what area they needed to improve upon ? If you don't break down the sacks individually, how are the guys who messed up gonna know they messed up?

Amobi even mentioned in an interview how in the NFL they call guys out individually.

I don't know how the Texans meet, but my guess is that when they first watch the film, they do it with their position coaches...

As in OL with OL, QB's with QB's, Reciever's with the recievers...

If the O-line coach is watching a play where a sack occured, and he
recognizes that the O-line did their job, he's probably going to say something like "that one wasn't you guys fault" .


He may, or may not go into whose fault it actually was.

 

[The Pencil Neck]

I'd be very upset to think this team broke down individual sacks as to whose fault they were.

In the film room, they better be breaking down individual sacks as to whose fault they were. That's the only way they're going to fix them so they don't happen in the future.

Now, he wasn't going through and laying blame for this sack or that sack during the interview. He was just saying that it was a complicated issue and everybody has to work together.

 

[Double Barrel]

IF our QB needs extra time to throw the ball, then either our Receivers need to get open quicker, or our line needs to provide that time. When a blitz is called, it's not just the QB who needs to be aware of it, but everybody, WRs, TEs, RBs... OL, everybody, and they all have to be on the same page about how they are going to pick it up.

A quick release QB makes all the difference. Schaub rarely holds on to the ball, and when he made the 77 yd. TD pass to AJ, the offense was selling a run (AJ was the only WR on the field).

And you need a QB that can read defenses before the snap and make the adjustments for the skill positions to know a blitz is coming and respond accordingly. We now have that kind of QB in Schaub.

 

[thunderkyss]

I'm talking about with the media.

If Vonta Leach missed three blocks that led to sacks, and McKinney was asked, "what do you think about Vonta Leach allowing three sacks on your QB."

I'd expect him to say, "We've got to get better as a Unit, it's as simple as that."

In the film room, someone might say, "Owen, if you'd have chipped that DE on your way out, it would have been easier for Vonta to make that block. That said, Vonta you gotta get your head out of your ARSE, and make that play."

 

[Hooston Texan]

As I said, we were behind by two scores for all of three plays. And on one of those plays (the TD pass), Schaub got nailed just as he was releasing the ball. But after that TD, it was a one-score game with three quarters remaining, so the scoreboard did not dictate the offensive strategy.

The true test of the OL's pass-blocking mettle will come when we are forced to throw by circumstances. The fact is that we've had only one drive this year (other than maybe the aforementioned first TD against Carolina) where game conditions dictated that we pass: in the last two minutes of the first half against KC. Our offense got lit up by the Chief defense that drive, and we found ourselves facing a Carr-esque 3rd and 35.

For five years, we lived through a perfect storm for high sack totals: (1) an undistinguised OL, (2) a QB with no pocket presence or decision-making ability, and (3) a team that was constantly behind. #1 has remained constant--or, at least, the personnel hasn't really changed. #2 has, of course, seen an enormous change. We really haven't faced #3. Hopefully this is merely an academic point: with a confident team, a good QB and a defense improving seemingly every snap, our days of 21-0 deficits may be over for awhile.

Believe me, there is no bigger Schaub fan than me. I told anyone who would listen after we acquired him that our offensive line's days as a laughingstock were over. All I'm saying is that we'll know for certain how much Carr was at fault when defenses know for certain that Schaub's throwing it.

 

[real]

In the film room, someone might say, "Owen, if you'd have chipped that DE on your way out, it would have been easier for Vonta to make that block. That said, Vonta you gotta get your head out of your ARSE, and make that play."

That is definitely something a coach would say.

 

[real]

As I said, we were behind by two scores for all of three plays. And on one of those plays (the TD pass), Schaub got nailed just as he was releasing the ball. But after that TD, it was a one-score game with three quarters remaining, so the scoreboard did not dictate the offensive strategy.

The true test of the OL's pass-blocking mettle will come when we are forced to throw by circumstances. The fact is that we've had only one drive this year (other than maybe the aforementioned first TD against Carolina) where game conditions dictated that we pass: in the last two minutes of the first half against KC. Our offense got lit up by the Chief defense that drive, and we found ourselves facing a Carr-esque 3rd and 35.

I don't understand the point you are making.

If you are saying we don't have a line full of pro-bowlers and upper echelon guys, I don't think you'd find many that'd disagree.

But what does that have to do with a line that can go out and perform well enough to win games ?

All along the common sentiment has been that our line wasn't good enough for David nor anyother QB to play behind. The major fact that should be slapping everyone in the face is that the original thoughts regarding our O-line probably weren't as drastic as previously belived.

I think you're just chasing your tail. It seems as if you are looking for reasons to justify the original notion that our line was horrible. For what..I dunno...

 

[thunderkyss]

Now, if we fall behind on Sunday to Dwight Freeny, Schaub will take a pounding.

We fell behind to the Colts twice last year. Dwight Freeney got nothing, Ephraim Salaam put a collar & leash on him and made Dwight his Beyatch.