Houston Texans Bullsite - June 2009

Houston Texans Bullsite

A Fan’s Perspective of the Texans
June 2009

The Dreaded Long Days of the Off Season
Free agency is over. The draft came and went. OTAs and mini-camps are underway. Barring major injuries, I don’t expect any earth shaking news coming out of the Texans camp.

I’m not going to rehash the draft, free agency or other issues just for the sake of writing something. There are plenty of articles on such things on the internet and the Texans blogosphere.

So then what do I write about? Evidently nothing. It’s the off season. I’m not going to create news or issues.

I already gave my Way To Early 2009 Prognostication when the schedule came out.

The Mothership is spewing out OTA news.

I didn’t go to the Pigskins and Pins event. I forgot to RSVP or pay attention to the deadline for registering.

I did go to the All Access event held for season ticket holders on May 27th.

All Access
Unfortunately I missed the Frank Bush interview and I didn’t feel like listen to Sports Radio 610 ramble on while waiting for the Kyle Shanahan interview.

I did get to see first round draft pick Brian Cushing up close for the first time. First thing he needs to do is lose the long hair. He looks like a typical California surfer douchebag. Come on, Brian, this is Texans. I don’t mean bust out the cowboy hat (remember Cowboys are hated around these parts) and boots. But ditch the goofy hair. Try mixing some speech lessons around the game film sessions and practice. Good Lord, was I the only one not understanding a word he said? My two year old nephew speaks clearer.

I did see the mini pep rally the Texans had with the band, Marc Vandermeer and the players.

The first to speak was GM Rick Smith. Not much substance said. Matt Schaub, Chester Pitts, Mario Williams, Steve Slaton, Andre Johnson, Antonio Smith and Brian Cushing were all introduced. Schaub stated that the goal was to make the playoffs. Anything after that was icing on the cake. Johnson took it further. He said he not only expects to make the playoffs, he expects them to win in the playoffs. Anything short of that and he considers the season a failure. Johnson also said if they fail, he considers it a personal failure and a let down to the Houston fans. It may have been Williams, or maybe Pitts, that stated how fired up he was to see so many fans out to an event in May. Seeing the crowd and fans made him excited for the upcoming season.

The only player that didn’t address the crowd was Slaton. After everybody else spoke, the fans started chanting “Steve, Steve, Steve!” but he didn’t come out to speak. He looked genuinely bashful in my opinion.

Pitts was the only one announced that would speak. The other players were just going to be introduced. I guess the fired up crowd incited them all, except Slaton, to give a few words.

While the crowd was enthusiastic about all the players, it’s obvious who the favorites are by the noise created at the introductions. Cushing got a rousing ovation only to be out done when Matt Schaub was introduced. I think the fans have decided to live and die with Schaub at quarterback. There were no boos like the early in the Dolphins game.

The crowd really erupted when Mario Williams walked on stage. Then the spontaneous chants of “Mario, Mario, Mario” started.

However, the loudest applause came for All-Universe WR Andre Johnson (The Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald is the other All-Universe WR).

It’s clear that the fickle fans of Houston are in love with the Texans right now. There was unbridled enthusiasm at the pep rally. The players and fans have high expectations for the upcoming season. The mentality around the Mothership, players, fans and management is this is a playoff season or it will be considered a bust.

Coach Kubiak’s Seat Getting Warm?
With the playoff or bust mentality, the question arises: Will Coach Gary Kubiak survive the season if they don’t make the playoffs?

The general consensus among the blogs, fans, message boards and media is Kubiak will be back to coach another season if the playoffs are missed. Unless there is a total team implosion, ala Dom Caper’s 2-14 comedy, Kubiak should be safe.

TexansChick Stephanie Stradley wrote a great blog entry about Kubiak’s sitting in owner Bob McNair’s crosshairs. Read it at Gary Kubiak on the hotseat? Nope, I don't think so.

Who Takes the Seat Next?
It’s to early for guessing a replacement for Kubiak. Yet I have a friend, you know who you are if you are reading, that is already trotting out names to replace Kubiak. I can’t get it through his thick skull that McNair won’t fire Kubiak just because they miss the playoffs.

My friend has brought up two names: Mike Holmgren and the Jaw Bill Cowher. The body isn’t even cold and he wants Holmgren in. Cowher? Forget it. Two reasons. I don’t think Cowher would come to Houston. I think he takes the Carolina or Jacksonville jobs if they open up. I don’t see him straying to far from home. The other reason is I think bringing a 3-4 coach would be a disaster. The Texans don’t have the personnel for it. My friend states that the Texans have the linebackers for it and Cowher knows how to coach it. I disagree. Plus what do you do with Mario Williams? Stand him up at outside linebacker? A position he’s never played! A 3-4 end doesn’t attack like Williams. You certainly don’t ask him to tie up blockers for the LBs. It would be a tremendous waste of his talent.

Coaching Changes Not Always the Answer
Firing coaches is the easy answer but not always the smart move. Remember two years ago the Giants were on the verge of firing Tom Coughlin. Management and ownership brought him back for 2007 on a short leash. Coughlin did something unheard of. He checked his ego somewhat at the door and became a little bit of a player’s coach. What happened? They pulled off the upset of the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Raise your hand if you think the Giants would have even made the Super Bowl, much less win it, if Coughlin was calling games for TV.

Obviously keeping a coach won’t win you the Super Bowl. My point is many times firing a coach is a knee jerk reaction. The media and fans howl for a coach’s head. Ownership fears TV blackouts and drop off of season ticket sales so they take the coach out back and put one in his skull.

Of course, a coaching change is sometimes necessary. I cited the 2005 Dom Capers Comedy Caper earlier. Detroit had to let Rod Marinelli go if for nothing else to start with a clean slate after 0-16. KC let Herm Edwards go because the regime had changed and they wanted their guy. Mike Shanahan overplayed his hand in Denver after winning a power struggle a in March 2008 over then GM Ted Sundquist. Tampa Bay ownership grew tired of Jon Gruden’s antics.

Other times management doesn’t know what’s going on so they make the coach the fall guy. Ask Eric Mangini in New York. How GM Mike Tannenbaum kept his job is beyond me. He’s the one responsible for the roster. Was Mangini entirely at fault for the perceived team failure? No. Bringing in Brett Farve and free agent signings had Tannenbaum’s finger prints all over it. If anything both should have been shown the door but Tannenbaum made Mangini the fall guy.

On the flip side, I don’t think letting Romeo Crennel was the smart thing to do in Cleveland. I think he’s a better coach than Mangini but owner Mike Lerner decided to clean house. Surprisingly the other Ohio team kept coach Marv Lewis. It’s the one smart thing Bengals management has done lately.

Is it Kick Off Time Yet?
Camp opens next month and then the preseason shall be upon us. This slow part of the season is hard to write about. I did commit myself to writing a monthly article in the off season. The first two were easy with free agency and the draft. I’m already scratching my head about next month’s issue. Maybe I’ll just cut and paste articles from the blogs. Yeah, right.