Official Texans @ Seahawks Game Thread, 10/29/2017

[barrett]

Originally Posted by chuck

Like I've said before, I want the Texans to make the playoffs because I want Deshaun to have playoff experience, right now. Who knows, maybe one day the ownership and the FO will take a break from antagonizing various persecuted minorities and put together a complete team. In the unlikely event that that ever happens it would be nice that Deshaun didn't go in cold.

It's amazing that these goons drafted JJ and Deshaun. JJ's best days, maybe even all of his playing days, are clearly behind him. Deshaun's are in front of him. Quarterbacks can often play longer than other every down players, so it's possible we'll witness a fifteen year stretch of these idiots wasting yet another Hall of Famer's career.

In the mean time I'm going to enjoy the necking out over the team kneel. Why they didn't all just stand and turn and give that bald freak the finger I don't know. But it is good to see him roasted in the national press.

The kneeling was weird to me. I don't get protesting the anthem to protest your boss. Protesting the anthem is already a stretch to protest local police forces, but protesting the anthem because your boss is a racist is a weird call. I would have turned my back on the owner's box all at once. Or do something to the Texans logo on your shirt. Do something related to the guy in the owner's box who made the comments.

[Keith]

Tough to lose a game when a team has a 4-point lead, a first down, and two minutes left on the clock. Our Houston perspective is of course that the Texans blew this - and no doubt they absolutely did - but that team on the other sideline played their asses off to execute.

O'Brien accepted all of the blame for the offensive playcalling - three straight runs burning off just 11 seconds of clock - but it was far from some of the worst playcalling he's ever made. Running Lamar Miller in the short yardage offense is still a headscratcher, but dropping back Watson to pass is no guaranteed success, and we'd all rail him if it resulted in an incomplete pass.

Tough to blame an offense that scores 38 points. Watson was amazing, but the first two picks were not great decisions. The last hail mary throw to end the game was simply underthrown. Maybe he was tired. Had the pass enough air underneath it, maybe Will Fuller grabs it and who knows what happens.

But the defense was abused. (Literally... Clowney absorbed a chop block.) I'd argue losing Mercilus has been far worse than losing Watt. Pass rush beyond Clowney has been spotty. And playing in Seattle is no joke. Glad the Texans only have to go up there once every eight years. Such an annoying place to play... kinda how I feel when the Astros have to play in Oakland.

Remaining schedule gets easier. If the team can keep focus and composure, no given what with the potential for more casual racism, there could be some fun times ahead this season.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by barrett

The kneeling was weird to me. I don't get protesting the anthem to protest your boss.

That's easy - McNair made it plain that he did not want his players kneeling or sitting, and up until this week they hadn't. But once he went full idiot, kneeling was the tidiest, simplest way for the players to let McNair know that they were protesting HIM and his comments and his attitudes.

Protesting the anthem is already a stretch to protest local police forces...

I'm not trying to change anyone's mind on this but to me it is no stretch at all. Citizens of the United States are meant to receive equal protection under the law. It's in the constitution. It's really not all that ambiguous. It is clear that not everyone receives equal protection under the law, and if someone wants to protest this, making a peaceful protest during the national anthem strikes me as the perfect time to do so, especially if they asume a posture of supplication or submission such as kneeling.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by chuck

That's easy - McNair made it plain that he did not want his players kneeling or sitting, and up until this week they hadn't. But once he went full idiot, kneeling was the tidiest, simplest way for the players to let McNair know that they were protesting HIM and his comments and his attitudes.



I'm not trying to change anyone's mind on this but to me it is no stretch at all. Citizens of the United States are meant to receive equal protection under the law. It's in the constitution. It's really not all that ambiguous. It is clear that not everyone receives equal protection under the law, and if someone wants to protest this, making a peaceful protest during the national anthem strikes me as the perfect time to do so, especially if they asume a posture of supplication or submission such as kneeling.

But the federal government is huge and nameless and faceless. When the anthem protests started the federal government was actively working against local police corruption through the civil rights department, the FBI, and the justice department led by the AG. The federal government is the one who comes in and tries to make it right when local cops violate civil rights and local and state prosecutors allow them to. The federal government is the least racist arm of the government by a mile. The problem with police is shameful but absolutely not a federal problem. The anthem protest was chosen by a guy who beyond doubt is anti-america.

Then this year Trump goes after the players and it goes from 5 guys to 100 protesting, and they all just adopt the anthem as their protest. They aren't even protesting police treatment at this point, they are protesting Donald Trump. They would have been smart to adopt a different protest that was specific to him and would have rallied widespread support compared to an anthem protest. The anthem protest obviously gets fake patriots angry, but they would get angry no matter what form of protest black men chose. But there are also lots of real patriots and military veterans who would be natural allies to a protest that didn't take place during the anthem. It would have been smart to choose such a protest.

[chuck]

I can agree fully or in part with just about everything you say. I'll just add that for me and possibly for some of the protesting players, too, the flag is not symbolic of the federal government but of the entirety of the nation. I see players kneeling not as individuals saying FU Trump or FU McNair or FU police or FU Fifth Circuit US Court of Appeals (?), rather I see a united, positive-minded group of concerned citizens taking a submissive posture to urge that we collectively work to make our society better.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by chuck

I can agree fully or in part with just about everything you say. I'll just add that for me and possibly for some of the protesting players, too, the flag is not symbolic of the federal government but of the entirety of the nation. I see players kneeling not as individuals saying FU Trump or FU McNair or FU police or FU Fifth Circuit US Court of Appeals (?), rather I see a united, positive-minded group of concerned citizens taking a submissive posture to urge that we collectively work to make our society better.

I agree almost all of the protesters see it that way. And I think to many it doesn't matter how perfectly they position their protest, they will still attack the protest because they like their black athletes silent. And I think those who protest are under no obligation to make their protest more palatable to those who disagree.

But I think enough potential allies are turned off by the flag element that a different form of protest would be more effective going forward. And it would expose the hypocrisy of those who claim they only want to protect the flag.