It's time to face facts. This Texans team is the epitome of mediocre. They're not bad per se (in a Detroit Lions sense) but they're not especially good either. This is going to be hard for a lot of reporters covering the Texans to accept, them being the teams' biggest cheerleaders, for the Texans fans (who long ago stopped believing the hype, it should be a little bit easier.
Sure, sure, you were all told to believe. You were told by what passes for sports experts in Houston that "this was the biggest game in franchise history" and that "the playoffs were there for the taking". That's fine to say...except it wasn't and they weren't. Not by this team anyway.
Reality is there have been no big games for the Texans franchise to date, nothing with real playoff implications anyway. Even had the Texans won this game, with a record of 6-4 they would probably be in need of a 4-2 closing run to have a shot at a Wild Card. With two penciled-in losses against Indianapolis and New England on the schedule the reality is they'd have to run the table in the following four games: @Jacksonville, Seattle, @ St Louis, @ Miami. As it stands now they have to win those four games AND beat either Indy or New England. That's right, they have to go 5-1 over their last six games to finish 10-6. FWIW a 10-6 New England team missed last years' playoffs, so there's no post-season promise with even that record.
A more fitting question is this: After starting 0-6, will the Titans finish with an equal or better record than the Texans? That may sound laughable but right now the former Oilers are exactly one game worse than your Houston Texans. Vince may not have been the right pick for the Texans, but to say he can't make it as an NFL quarterback requires either an unrational hatred of UT, or a lack of understanding of winning football. Unfortunately, in Houston, many fans carry around both.
Next Sunday is Indianapolis, where it should be back to a sub .500 record for the worst expansion franchise in NFL history. Sports personalities may care about that but I think the majority of Houstonians are beyond caring. The truth is you just don't give much of a damn any more.
- Coaching not to lose: Sean Pendergast from 1560 said it best: "If you settle for a 48 yard field goal, you deserve what you get." Kubiak has a tendency to coach not to lose way too often. It's a fatal coaching flaw.
- Dead fish count: I counted 10 times that Dunta "pay me" Robinson flopped around on the filed like a fish out of water after a)missing a tackle or b)blowing a coverage. The guy's not even an average NFL CB this season.
- Beating a dead horse: How long is it going to take Kyle Shanahan to learn that this year's version of the Texans are not a running team? The well is dry. Get creative with a short, ball-control passing game or perish.
- Beaten units: The O-line is sub-par, the DB's are overmatched, and the D-line is anemic. That is all.
- We'll miss 'ya: I'm on Andre Johnson's side here. The guy is too talented to waste his entire career playing for a mediocre team out of the playoffs. He's within his rights to demand a trade. Here's hoping it's to a winning franchise. (or San Francisco, which would NOT suck)