Official Texans vs. Jaguars Game Thread, 9/28/2009

[barrett]

Originally Posted by mussop

Safety isnt he big issue. Its the DC. We have enough talent on this team to not be giving up 30 plus points to the likes of Jacksonville. Richard Smith's defense was better than this.

No its the safety. And though I'd love a playmaker, I'd settle for a guy who can tackle. Or a guy who can cover. I don't even need both. Just one or the other would be fine.

But somehow for the last 3 years we have put strong safeties on the field who not only can't cover, but they make up for it by not hitting or tackling.

Watch Barber on the last MJD TD run from inside the 10. Barber actually runs by MJD without realizing he has the ball. He literally dismisses him while MJD goes by him at walking speed.

At least Wilson can cover. He may not be able to tackle anyone, and he takes bad angles and is slow, but he has a single football skill. He can play centerfield and has the instincts to make a play within his limited range.

Please tell me what positive football characteristic Barber/Ferguson/Busing/etc has. None can tackle. None can hit. None can cover. None can run. None have any instincts. Not one actual football skill in the lot. And the same can be said for Fred Bennett. He may be a worse tackler than Philip Buchanon. Or maybe it is just that he is about as willing to hit as Buchanon was.

We have one guy in the entire secondary that will tackle and that is our 180 lb CB.

When 1 out of 10 running plays gets to the second level, that is not a scheme issue. It is not a LB/DL issue. It is normal for the NFL. But when 3/4 plays that hit the 2nd level go for TDs, that is a problem.

We might as well line up in a 4-4 and make teams pass to beat us though because our secondary is worthless vs the run.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by barrett

Please tell me what positive football characteristic Barber/Ferguson/Busing/etc has. None can tackle. None can hit. None can cover. None can run. None have any instincts. Not one actual football skill in the lot. And the same can be said for Fred Bennett. He may be a worse tackler than Philip Buchanon. Or maybe it is just that he is about as willing to hit as Buchanon was.

We have one guy in the entire secondary that will tackle and that is our 180 lb CB.

As you surely know you and I are often at football loggerheads, and that's fine with me. I don't want everyone to agree with all of my points and I appreciate being challenged on what I think and see by thoughtful people.

But you and I are on the same page here. The safeties have always been terrible, and Bennett has no discernible upside.

The Houston Texans are an irrelevant NFL franchise and I am completely sick of it and will not support it any longer.

[mussop]

Originally Posted by barrett

No its the safety. And though I'd love a playmaker, I'd settle for a guy who can tackle. Or a guy who can cover. I don't even need both. Just one or the other would be fine.

But somehow for the last 3 years we have put strong safeties on the field who not only can't cover, but they make up for it by not hitting or tackling.

Watch Barber on the last MJD TD run from inside the 10. Barber actually runs by MJD without realizing he has the ball. He literally dismisses him while MJD goes by him at walking speed.

At least Wilson can cover. He may not be able to tackle anyone, and he takes bad angles and is slow, but he has a single football skill. He can play centerfield and has the instincts to make a play within his limited range.

Please tell me what positive football characteristic Barber/Ferguson/Busing/etc has. None can tackle. None can hit. None can cover. None can run. None have any instincts. Not one actual football skill in the lot. And the same can be said for Fred Bennett. He may be a worse tackler than Philip Buchanon. Or maybe it is just that he is about as willing to hit as Buchanon was.

We have one guy in the entire secondary that will tackle and that is our 180 lb CB.

When 1 out of 10 running plays gets to the second level, that is not a scheme issue. It is not a LB/DL issue. It is normal for the NFL. But when 3/4 plays that hit the 2nd level go for TDs, that is a problem.

We might as well line up in a 4-4 and make teams pass to beat us though because our secondary is worthless vs the run.

I agree they suck but how are these safeties any different than they were last year? We obviously need to upgrade that area but what difference will that make if they line up in the wrong spot? There is no way you can lay the entire suckiness of our defense on the safeties. They are part of the problem but there are bigger issues involved. It starts with coaching. Richard Smith didnt have this problem with pretty much the same secondary. That aught to tell you something right there.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by mussop

I agree they suck but how are these safeties any different than they were last year? We obviously need to upgrade that area but what difference will that make if they line up in the wrong spot? There is no way you can lay the entire suckiness of our defense on the safeties. They are part of the problem but there are bigger issues involved. It starts with coaching. Richard Smith didnt have this problem with pretty much the same secondary. That aught to tell you something right there.

I partially agree with you, but partially disagree.

The reason we didn't get beat like this last year is that Bush is running a scheme that asks the Safeties to be more than warm bodies in the running game. With Smith's defense we basically just conceded small and medium gains in an effort to not give up the big play. Now we play upfield on the DL and make actual stops but then give up big runs as well.

Neither approach is right or wrong, they are right or wrong according to personell. And we are playing a style of defense that our personell does not supprt (mainly our entire secondary minus Dunta cannot tackle or hit). This is where I agree with you. Just look at the teams that play aggressive D and who lines up at safety (Polomalu, Reed, Rhodes). And look at the Eagles D that lost Brian Dawkins and kept blitzing.

You will notice in every thread last year calling for Richard Smith's head, I posted about us playing that way because of personell issues. Then you will notice me screaming at the top of my lungs all offseason for a Safety (if not a 1st then something). And you will notice in all of the preseason threads me saying more aggressive is not necessarily better if you give up big plays.

But the truth is no style or scheme works when your players are bad. That is why I would place the blame in this order.
1) Smith/Kubiak for thinking you can play a winning season with these guys.
2) Our Safeties for being terrible
3) And Frank Bush for running a scheme that cannot possible work with these players.