Kubiak’s job could hinge on 2nd half

[coloradodude]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/6099573.html

Commentary: Kubiak’s job could hinge on 2nd half
By JEROME SOLOMON Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Nov. 6, 2008, 9:16PM



Didn't we all see this one coming?

[barrett]

He hitched his star to a QB who had never been a starter (multiple draft picks and big contract). That is the kind of decision that if you are wrong, you get fired. Hopefully, the team can salvage it for him. Otherwise we are in full rebuilding mode (which would be unfair since you should have to win for a while before you rebuild).

[NBT]

Very unfair to the fans. But it is the way it has always been done in Houston. We are hexed when it comes to our pro football teams.

[NBT]

It seems that the longer Kubiak has been here the more inflexible he has become.

[NBT]

After today's humiliating loss to Baltimore at home, I've had it with this administration. I've lost all hope. The offense couldn't hold the ball (6 turnovers, I believe), and a defense that was so porous, swiss cheese would look tight! I had great expectations for the Texans when Kubiak came aboard but he has shown he is not man enough for the job. In the first place he should have fired Richard Smith a long time ago and let Bush see what he could do down the stretch. But he seems to be unable to do anything but get more and more conservative. All to the detriment of this team. I am tired to death of starting over, but I now see no other recourse.

[coloradodude]

And I'd say he's about done now.

[barrett]

I think Kubs is in big trouble. I said a few months back I thought we had a good coach who had gameday coaching lessons to learn he likely wouldn't figure out until his next Head Job (like many NFL coaches Bellachik/dungy/etc). Or maybe he is just bad. Either way I don't think he survives the off-season IF there is a great candidate out there interested.

So my question is... is there a great candidate out there who might be interested. If so lets officially start the internet rumors right here.

[coloradodude]

Sign me up for Schottenheimer.

[barrett]

Sign me up for Schottenheimer.

I wouldn't mind him at all. A very good coach. I think him getting pushed out in SD was a crime. The GM (like many NFL execs) was obsessed with getting his own guys in there and Marty was winning without them so AJ Smith sabotaged him at every step. And with all that he still did a great job, and I think is being proven right in there collapse this year.

My only beef is that Andre Johnson is the one piece we have I would not replace. Because of this I would probably prefer a coach who is known for the passing game.

[coloradodude]

I bet you Schottenheimer would come here and upgrade two guys on the O line and the secondary and win 10 games. He would also add some thunder to our lightening at RB.

[HPF Bob]

We had a defensive-minded head coach and our offense completely sucked. Now we have an offensive-minded coach and our defense has completely sucked. Eventually, we'll find somebody who can coach both sides of the ball.

[coloradodude]

I've looked at this from a few angles and what I see is that we've had a guy who is a proven loser as a head coach. Then we hired a guy with no head coaching experience.

I really had extra high hopes when we hired Alex Gibbs. I figured he could work in areas that Koobs had limited experience in and that would balance things out. I'm either 100% wrong or we just need another two or three years...or mediocre (or less) football.

This reminds me of the time period just before Glanville came to town.

[TheMatrix31]

I personally don't think it's ALL Kubiak's fault. I love Kubiak's "fortitude".

What about Cowher?

[popanot]

The problem with firing Kubiak this year is a lot of teams will be looking for a HC and the field will be lacking good, qualified candidates. The Rams, Raiders, Lions, Browns, Bengals, Seahawks, and 49ers will very likely be looking for a HC, with the Chiefs, Chargers, Colts, Cowpies, Vikings and Jags potentially looking for a HC.

I'd have no problem bringing in Schottenheimer, but they'd probably have to move quick on him with all the potential vacancies. No way Cowher comes here. He'll get a big offer in a location and situation far better than Houston.

[coloradodude]

Screw Cower! I'm so sick of those "special moments" comments on the NFL channel...what about the next season after he finally won a questionable Suberbowl. They won, what, 6 or 7 games? And then he was gone.

Give me somebody with some fortitude! Like this guy...

"Jack Pardee was one of the famed Junction Boys, the 1954 Texas A&M preseason camp held in Junction, Texas, by football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. He was part of the 35 left from the approximately 100 players who went to Junction, Texas."


:eek:

[nunusguy]

Sign me up for Schottenheimer.
I dunno, but I suspect the one way to bring Marty-Ball to H-Town would
be to offer him the HC-GM combo. Would McNair be willing to relinquish that much control to one person ?

[Keith]

How intertwined is Rick Smith to Gary Kubiak? Remember when Smith received his extension (to 2012) over the summer, and I questioned the timing? This was a move largely applauded here and elsewhere, but those of you thinking Kubiak is close to being axed, how do you view Smith?

http://www.inthebullseye.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68

http://www.inthebullseye.com/archive/2008/20080604.html

[popanot]

How intertwined is Rick Smith to Gary Kubiak? Remember when Smith received his extension (to 2012) over the summer, and I questioned the timing? This was a move largely applauded here and elsewhere, but those of you thinking Kubiak is close to being axed, how do you view Smith?I think McNair's objective enough to separate to two from each other. I'm sure it would be tough on Smith if he had to fire Kubiak. If it comes down to it though, I think Smith will do what he has to do and the franchise will move forward. As for Smith, I don't think he's done anything all that great, nor do I think he's done anything all that bad. I'm not real pleased with some of his FA moves (Green, Colvin, and the never-ending stream of ex-Bronco players) and picking Amobi over Willis, but those aren't enough for me to feel he should be fired at this point.

[coloradodude]

I wonder what Sly is thinking about now?

[Mike]

I wonder what Sly is thinking about now?

I file that into my "I could really give a flip about that moron."

[NBT]

I think it is about time for McNair to step in. He is the owner and the heart and soul of this franchise. Whether he should fire Kubiak or not, or whether he should step in and give that young man a stiff talking to about using some different gameplans, both offense, and for sure defense. We are just plain too predicatble on both sides of the ball.

Rick Smith can get along without Kubiak, if that is what it takes. He needs to make sure Bobbie Grier does a better job of evaluating free agents, or just tie a can to his rear end, and send him on his way.

It seems houston's pro teams have to do everything the hard way. The drafting lately has been fine. The FAs have not stood the test of time, and have been way too cost prohibitive for the service they have performed. The on field coaching schemes have been sometimes decent on offense, but always terrible on defense. (I don't think the defensive personnel are as bad as they have looked.)
The defensive coaches should be shook up, and given the word, to put up or get out. Richard Smith more than the rest.

[barrett]

I have no problem with Rick Smith. I think we have enough talent to win now. I mean the Falcons have enough talent to win now. Even without a genius coach to win games with nothing/matt cassell, we could be 5-4 (jags and colts) and fighting for the playoffs if we just didn't make so many dumb gameday moves from the Head Coach on down to the backup QB.

But most damning of all for Kubs is the fact that this team is talented enough to win most of the time at home, but we can't buy a road win. that is a coaching/leadership/attitude issue.

[Big Texas]

I heard Eric Winston on 610 this evening and he was asked who were the vocal leaders of the team and he could come up with nothing.

There you have why this team can not ralley from a deficit

There you have why this defense cant make a game changing 3 and out

There you have why this team cannot seem to force turnovers

There you have why this team looks a pitiful mess and no one on the team seems to care

There you have why a qb has thrown 4 int in a single game and he's still in the game

WE HAVE NO LEADERS ON THIS TEAM. TALENT BUT NO LEADERS. NOBODY WILLING TO MOTIVATE THE TEAM.

[chuck]

I wonder what Sly is thinking about now?

He's thinking that the Giants have a QB that looks really hot in tight, white pants. What do you think he's thinking?

[mussop]

I cant believe anyone reads Jerome Soloman! Talk about a hack! Its to bad his performance isnt judged on the same scale as Kubiacks. He would of been gone along time ago.

[TheMatrix31]

I heard Eric Winston on 610 this evening and he was asked who were the vocal leaders of the team and he could come up with nothing.

There you have why this team can not ralley from a deficit

There you have why this defense cant make a game changing 3 and out

There you have why this team cannot seem to force turnovers

There you have why this team looks a pitiful mess and no one on the team seems to care

There you have why a qb has thrown 4 int in a single game and he's still in the game

WE HAVE NO LEADERS ON THIS TEAM. TALENT BUT NO LEADERS. NOBODY WILLING TO MOTIVATE THE TEAM.

It's a shame, because DeMeco is such a leader on the field football-wise. We could really use him being vocal with the defense, a la Ray Lewis or something.

[papabear]

It seems houston's pro teams have to do everything the hard way. The drafting lately has been fine. The FAs have not stood the test of time, and have been way too cost prohibitive for the service they have performed.

I disagree with this. Green and Reeves are the two FA's they spent money on. Green was a calculated risk. They knew if he could stay healthy he would help this team, but there was a good chance that he would have trouble staying healthy. On the four plays he's been healthy he has looked good. It's easy to say it was a bad decision now and they probably over paid, but they knew what they were getting into and gave it a shot.

Reeves has a big contract for his agent to mouth off about, but it's structured so that we can get out of it relatively pain free cap wise if he's not working.

Guys like Eugen Wilson, Demps, Bentley, etc have all been cheap and filled holes on this team....in some case they have been an upgrade.

[coloradodude]

So I agree with this. Rick Smith is not the problem because he's done a pretty good job with contracts of the free agents. He walked into a salary cap mess...thank you, one Charles "Spend it if yougot it" Casserley.


:rolleyes:

[NBT]

I disagree with this. Green and Reeves are the two FA's they spent money on. Green was a calculated risk. They knew if he could stay healthy he would help this team, but there was a good chance that he would have trouble staying healthy. On the four plays he's been healthy he has looked good. It's easy to say it was a bad decision now and they probably over paid, but they knew what they were getting into and gave it a shot.

Reeves has a big contract for his agent to mouth off about, but it's structured so that we can get out of it relatively pain free cap wise if he's not working.

Guys like Eugen Wilson, Demps, Bentley, etc have all been cheap and filled holes on this team....in some case they have been an upgrade.

Uuuhh......you don't don't go into games in the NFL on a calculated risk. Either they are ready, or they are not ready. And worth the price. No Green and Reeves show how much this franchise is now grasping at straws to find something, anything to hang a hat on.

[NBT]

Yes, Casserly the culprit. BUT he was not here when we picked up some of these woe begone FAs, and their even worse salaries. Bobbie Grier is supposed to be evaluating FA talent, but how much influence have the coaches been having in this process? We still have a personnell problem, as well as a coaching problem.

[barrett]

Reeves has played well. He was signed as a half season replacement for Dunta but I think he has clearly outplayed Bennett as well. And when you look at how CBs are payed in FA, it is a good contract.

Green was a bad move in that it gave us a false sense of security heading into last season that we didn't need a RB. Then we get stuck with Dayne as our feature back.

And nobody can argue about Smith's ability to sign cheap veterans who contribute. Overall he has done a good job. I have no doubt he put enough talent on the field to win games. Like I said if we are talented enough to win 9 of our last 13 home games, we are talented enough.

[papabear]

Uuuhh......you don't don't go into games in the NFL on a calculated risk.

Your cup is either running over its bone dry isn't it? They knew Green was a risk. Smith made one big gamble and it hasn't paid off. It's not like it put us in cap hell. That's not enough for me to get upset about.

Reeves got big money, but I think we can get out of it relatively cheap cap wise.

Other than those two he's done a good job of cleaning up the cap mess leftover from Casserly.

We haven't been spectacular in free agency, but we've gotten guys who can contribute. I would rather take this approach than to go out and spend big money on FA's the way the raiders and 49ers have recently.

[Mike]

I heard Eric Winston on 610 this evening and he was asked who were the vocal leaders of the team and he could come up with nothing.

There you have why this team can not ralley from a deficit

There you have why this defense cant make a game changing 3 and out

There you have why this team cannot seem to force turnovers

There you have why this team looks a pitiful mess and no one on the team seems to care

There you have why a qb has thrown 4 int in a single game and he's still in the game

WE HAVE NO LEADERS ON THIS TEAM. TALENT BUT NO LEADERS. NOBODY WILLING TO MOTIVATE THE TEAM.

I think "vocal" leaders and that term is simply overrated. Actions are what speak louder than words. Put me on the team, and I can be rah, rah, but if you suck, then who will listen? I have heard AJ has spoken up more, as has Demeco and Dunta. Vocal leaders is BS. Sure, Ray Lewis is a vocal leader, but he is a bad ass on the field. Bob sanders, vocal bad ass. We need a bad ass that can play and then back that up with words. It is not something that can be taught, it is within you. It might not be in Mario or AJ to as our best players to be vocal. That is overrated. We need guys who can make plays, not just run their mouth. NFl players should not need a teammate to get on their ass to be motivated. Simply put, the team needs more playmakers on defense.

[Mike]

[QUOTE=Big Texas;5502]
There you have why a qb has thrown 4 int in a single game and he's still in the game QUOTE]

Right (insert sarcasm). Let's put in a QB signed last week against the Ravens. Great idea. :rolleyes:

[dadmg]

I am on board with another year of Kubiak regardless of how the second half turns out. Head coaching changes tend to create more problems than they solve; unless you have an incompetent coach, stability in systems is preferable. I think we've built a very nice offense and have the foundations for what can grow into a dominant defense as the key players mature and some of the positively gaping holes are plugged. I was worried going into this year that fan expectations would doom Kubiak - I think our team continues to move in the right direction, but I didn't think we were near as far along as some here did. Combine that with a rough early schedule and Dunta's injury and I didn't think we had much of a hope of the playoff talk that I was hearing.

But I still think this team is headed in the right direction and that another good draft could push us over the top. If Kubiak is fired, I think we enter another rebuilding period with new philosophies that will likely set back our growth curve. I wasn't much of a Kubiak fan when we hired him; I openly hoped we'd look elsewhere even when it was apparent we had our sights set on him. I was wrong. He's built a dynamic offense up from scratch and we have several young standouts on D, we just need to continue to fill holes on that side of the ball. Kubiak's a solid coach and definitely one I believe we can win with if we keep on this track. I just don't think there will be that much winning this year.

[papabear]

There's only one change that this team can make that will come anywhere close to guaranteeing that we'll be in the playoff hunt. Cut down on turnovers. We're -12 and last in the league.

There are holes on the roster that need to be fixed for sure. You can complain about the defensive scheme too....but a new scheme isn't going to teach Reeves to turn around or keep guys from missing tackles.

Kubiak gets some of the blame for the int's, but most of them were just bonehead throws that an NFL QB should not make.

We can change the head coach, the defensive coordinator, the secondary, three fourths of the D-line.....and none of it will make any difference if we don't quit turning the ball over. I still think Schaub can be "the" guy, but if we have to get a new quarterback to stop turnovers then so be it.

[kravix]

I was looking for a good place to put this, and this seemed the best place atm without starting a new thread.

Kubiak knows how fast HC's can be hired in fired in this leauge, everyone knows from the fans to the waterboys. I doubt he loses his job this year even if the team doesnt win another game, but IMO anything less than a 7-9 season moves him from the hot seat to the fire next year. Mandating a 9+ win 09 season to keep his job. Another 8-8 or better season this year would at least give him another year of buffer.

I have officially jumped on the fire Richard Smith bandwagon, and I would be suprised to see him back next year. That said the biggest reason I believe that he will not lose his job midseason is the turnover margin. Yes the def needs to take away the ball more, yes they need to play better red zone def, and for the love of god they need to play all 60 minutes of the game.

Even so going into last weeks game the def was ranked 17th overall, middle of the pack not great but its been worse. Although the off was ranked 4th (I think that is what I saw) the turnovers should have made them much lower. When the off is turning the ball over that much, with quite a few in our own territory, it is hard for the def to get out there and make that many plays.

How do you fire a man when all you have done most of the year is set him up for failure? High scoring games? How many of those scores are def scores, how many are the def giving up points from a turnover that left the opponent in the red zone, and how many are just the def giving up points like most defs do?

I have said this before and I am going to say it again. Smith cannot be blamed for all of the def issues. Kubiak is the HC and no matter where he spends his time and effort the def is still part of his job. This D has no identity besides getting beat up though, they arent tough and unmovable, they aren fast and swarmig, they loosey goosey tacklers that just happen to be in the right place every 6 plays or so.

It could be the play calling by Smith, piss poor position coaching, bad scheme, bad personel, or just flat our bad coaching all around.

My point is unless the Off stops handing the ball to the opposing team with a kiss and a pat on the butt saying "go ahead and score big fellas we love you", Richard Smith will be the DC of this team until the season ends or right up against it when there is nothing to play for but maybe the pride they finally decided to pull out of their lockers and dust off.

[dadmg]

There's only one change that this team can make that will come anywhere close to guaranteeing that we'll be in the playoff hunt. Cut down on turnovers. We're -12 and last in the league.

...

I still think Schaub can be "the" guy, but if we have to get a new quarterback to stop turnovers then so be it.

I was going to dispute this based on the notion that Sage was skewing our turnover data unduly, but, while Sage is a bit more loose with ball security (he's averaging roughly 3 Fumbles + INTs per game), Schaub's not looking that hot either (roughly 2 fumbles + INTs per game).

The fumbles are especially troubling - pro-rated they're close to Carr-levels when the golden boy was leading the league in fumbles back-to-back years. His INT rate (3.3%) during his time in Houston isn't awful (roughly around Eli Manning and Brett Favre's career levels) but it isn't impressive and really pales to most of the active successful West Coast QBs who tend to have rates in the low 2's (examples: Hasselbeck, Garcia). His yards per attempt rate the past two years has actually been among the best in the league so when he doesn't turn it over, Schaub can be pretty deadly (although this is also one of those categories where having Andre Johnson can come in quite handy) but that's not the issue.

I'm still not looking to replace Schaub; we've got far greater issues on defense that are going to demand our attention and resources. But ball security should be something a quarterback's developed more of by their 5th year in the league. I can live with the interception rate, although I certainly hope it improves, but I'm still disturbed at the fumble rate. Quarterbacks that fumble rarely learn to become non-fumblers - it's usually a career-long issue.

Alright, that was a fun statistical digression. Now time to get back to my never-ending classwork, which is thankfully math-free.

[NBT]

To clear the air, I am not the one saying Rick Smith is doing a bad job. I admire the job he has done so far with the exception of Reeves and Green. I know green was recommended by Sherman before he left. Reeves is on Rick Smith's watch. I don't know how much he was influenced by Kubiak or the defensive coaches, but any Cowboy fan would have told us what a joke he is in coverage. Anthony Weaver is another big mistake, but not attributable to Smith. We are like the cow that keeps stepping on her udder. She doesn't mean to, she just keeps looking for greener grass.

[coloradodude]

My personal opinion.

I saw something on the NFL channel (I think) the other day with Schottenheimer on it. He's done. Looks like he has the beginning stages of Parkinson's.

And on a side note..the inability to make a decision to FIRE a defensive coordinator does not make you a better head coach. If Koobs won't listen to me then he can enjoy the games on Sunday from home with guys like me.

[barrett]

To clear the air, I am not the one saying Rick Smith is doing a bad job. I admire the job he has done so far with the exception of Reeves and Green. I know green was recommended by Sherman before he left. Reeves is on Rick Smith's watch. I don't know how much he was influenced by Kubiak or the defensive coaches, but any Cowboy fan would have told us what a joke he is in coverage. Anthony Weaver is another big mistake, but not attributable to Smith. We are like the cow that keeps stepping on her udder. She doesn't mean to, she just keeps looking for greener grass.


What games are you watching where you think Reeves is a problem. He is not great but he has clearly been our best DB this year.

People watched him struggle in the preseason and set it in their head to scapegoat him. You need to watch what is happening on the field.

[kravix]

Reeves cant get his head around and play the ball all the time, but at least he is usually in position, and when not he is able to revcover. Bennet has been the biggest disapointment this year. He got lit up two weeks in a row, worse than Reeves has all season.

[nunusguy]

Yesterdays game in Indy was another "morale" win for the Texans, as if one anyone still places any value in that kind of victory now that the Texans are in their 7th season.
And all the Kubiak apologists are out saying Kubiak did OK, it's just that he's got a dog DC in Richard Smith. I don't think Smith is the problem near as much
as the personnel on defense and in particular the DLine which can't get any consistant pressure on the QB. And most of the D players were picked by Smith & Kubiak.

[popanot]

I have a BIG problem with Kubiak not calling for Sage to spike the ball on that last play (or Sage not being smart enough to do it himself). They just gained a 1rst down and then run up and run a quick play resulting in the INT. If you have a guy that's known to make dumbass plays/INTS, why not spike it to calm him down and run a set play? The mistakes this team makes - all across the board - is just insane! If one area of the team/coaching isn't f'ing up, another area will surely take up the slack. It's mindbogglingly.

[Joshua]

And, let's not forget that one of the reasons they were out of timeouts is because the defense tried to exchange personnel when Indy didn't, Peyton saw it, ran everyone to the line and caught us with 13 men on the field.

Another glowing example of mediocre coaching. I can point to at least 1-2 of these every game.

[NBT]

......And Feeney got two sacks against our first round pick OLT Mr. Brown.

The defense gave up 302 yds & 3 TDs in the second half. 154 run yds to the NFL's worst rushing team. And on and on!