Cool. Where are your seats? Where do you tailgate? Do you still have that first ticket? I managed to lose mine. That's really the only regret I have about my tenure as a season ticket holder other than not dropping them sooner.

Fwiw,
Been to atleast one game at Reliant every year.

First Oiler game saw at Astrodome in 1971.

Quite a few Texans open practices also.

Nose bleeds. 621. Yep, still have both first tickets, pre and reg season. They were plastic, so they've survived.... Our parking is in Orange, and our tailgating is sporadic. Getting too old to handle those Mondays.

I have zero regrets in hanging on to my tickets. Its good entertainment. Since we're high, its "only" about a grand per year.

Bleacher report has a list of their top 9 candidates
http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles...kubiak/page/10

Kevin Sumlin - offense
Darrell Bennell - offense
Ken Whisenhut- offense
Pete Carmichael - offense
Luvie Smith - defense
Mike Zimmer - defense
Ray Horton - defense
David Cutcliff - offense
David Shaw - offense

No O'Brien, even in these early stages is surprising.

Then ESPN has a top 5 list
http://www.silverandblackpride.com/2...ant-texans-job

John Gruden - offense 95-81
Luvie Smith - defense 81-63
Mike Shanahan - offense 170-134
Kevin Whisenhut - offense 45-51
Tom Cable - offense 17-27

I think I've seen every game on TV since the beginning. Maybe overslept a couple of times back in the early days....

Never been to the stadium, probably will never go. Today's ticket prices are just too crazy for me. Getting in and getting out of the stadium area seems like a big hassle.......

Went to plenty of Oiler games back in the day. I still got an old Oilers vs. Chargers program from the 60's ..... Lance Alworth was still with the Chargers at the time...

Fwiw, Sumlin has no NFL experience. O'Brien is the most intriguing to me and he did interview with the Eagles and Browns last year before Penn State sweetened his deal. I wonder if that came with a hefty buyout provision?

Here's a scenario that crossed my mind: McNair goes with a "proven winner" who has connections with the front office and whose offense is basically already in place -- Mike Shanahan. And he gives Snyder draft choice compensation to let Shanahan out of his contract, even though he may be about to be fired and even though he has had one winning season in his last six.

That headhunting firm is the same one Texas used in its athletic director search and A&M is using in its president search.

Ok, last list I found, 10 names from Chron

Luvie Smith
Wade phillips
Ken Whisenhunt
Jack DelRio
Darrell Bezell
Gus Malzahn
Bill O'Brien
Todd Bowles
Pete Carmichael
David Shaw
Greg Roman

So lots of possibilities. See what happens.

In case anyone's forgotten, Sumlin signed a six-year extension with A&M a week or so ago. I doubt he's available.

Del Rio interviewed for the USC job and he has already coached at Jacksonville so the guy already knows what it is like to coach a crap franchise. He's not my first choice he'll be a popular name this off-season.

I don't have a problem with Del Rio. I know a lot people do. I remember he's not afraid to use trickeration - seemed like he always had a card up his sleeve when the Texans played the Jags.

Him + an innovative offensive coordinator could work.....

Also, he doesn't carry the already-been-to-the-Super bowl curse...

Actually.....it was reported this morning that he has not signed anything yet. Could be semantics, might not. Doesn't fit the NFL exp. McNair spoke of, but who knows how much of that was BS.

I wouldn't have a problem with Del Rio as long as he doesn't bring an ax with him.:D

Wish we were 2-3 in our last 5 games, but yea the Colts do seem to be fading at the worst time of the year: sounds a lot like the '12 Texans doesn't it ?
And I'm with you about the Richardson pick, that decision was a real puzzler ? Too many good backs out there and too many to become available in future Drafts
to expend a first-round pick on.
Nevertheless, as the only team in the whole division which is not only set but in really good shape at QB with one of the best young signal-callers in the league, I definitely believe they have a leg-up on the competition. Having a QB now and for a long-time into the future is not everything in this league, but it's a substantial and more important necessary part of everything needed to succeed.

I agree the Colts are in a better place than us due to Luck. In fact, I would rather have Luck than any NFL player going forward. But potential HCs are not going to turn down this job to hid from the Colts anymore than they would turn down the Titans job to hide from JJ Watt. Watt and Luck are great players but those teams are not some kind of unstoppable juggernauts that would make guys say no to jobs. And like I pointed out, the Colts GM appears to be on his way to wasting Luck almost as well as we have wasted Watt thus far.

Yep, I still have my season tickets.

As for the thread topic... if Lovie is just going to bring in his cover-2 defense, I wouldn't be thrilled. Sorta like Kubiak trotting out the good ol' WCO.

Even worse in my opinion. I really think they destroyed the Cover 2/Tampa 2 with the new rules on hitting over the middle. You can no longer design a defense around daring teams to attack the seam with their TEs and slot guys.

I think there is going to be some new way invented to stop the spread offenses now that you can't beat up the receivers. The Seattle method of physical corners grabbing and tugging at receivers seems to be the new way but if the refs call defensive holding a lot, that isn't going to work. The other method is stampeding the quarterback but you aren't allowed to hit the QB anymore either. Makes it really tough to design an effective defense.

Seattle is basically doing what NE did for their first superbowl when they just mugged the WRs and made the greatest show on turf disappear. That resulted in rules changes and an emphasis on calling defensive holding.

Seattle appears to be counting on the fact that the refs just can't call it every play. Plus if you mug them early in the route it is only worth 5 yards. Kind of like their team strategy that if the backup takes the same steroids as the starter the suspension won't hurt the team.

I watched the 49ers game in between delays in the Broncos game (which were numerous) and I couldn't believe how much grabbing and yanking the Seahawks were doing without getting flagged. Davis and Crabtree, etc. were just getting grabbed like naked Playboy models on an an Indian rail car. I was saying "no wonder their defense is so highly-rated. They get away with holding on every snap." But let Kareem Jackson try that, or McCain or Swearinger? No chance. Laundry everywhere.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...han-last-name/
*****
OK, so is this just totally ridiculous, that is considering young Shanny as the Texans' new HC ? He obviously has a history with the owner and the GM so he's a known quantity, and this would certainly be very controversial and probably on balance quite unpopular but could it be a savvy move ?
If you think both Kubiak and his system (WCO/ZB) were the problem, you wouldn't go for this deal, but if the owner is sincere and believes there's a lot of pieces already in place, maybe retention of the current offense with a new and a different guy running it plus a new QB would be the answer ?

McNair said he wanted someone with NFL experience and head coaching experience. Baby Shan has never been a head coach so I don't think he's in the running unless genetics count.

Little Shanahan might be looking for a job soon.... I suppose one scenario is the Texans hiring a defensive-minded head coach and maybe looking his (Kyle's) way for the new offensive coordinator... No need to overhaul the offense with him....

There's a chance Tom Coughlin could become available this offseason. He has AFC South experience, Super Bowl experience, knows how to build a killer pass rush but his teams often start slow and sometimes don't recover. Interested?

I would do backflips if McNair had enough sense to hire Tom Coughlin.

@AdamSchefter: Two less HC candidate for NFL: Just as Kevin Sumlin plans to stay at Texas A & M, David Shaw plans to do the same at Stanford, per sources.

@caplannfl: CBS Sports has a report that O'Brien has been approached by the Texans and Vikings.

After this week, hard to make a case for Wade Phillips. The Texans' stinkbomb wasn't any better with Phillips at the helm than it was under Kubiak.

They've interviewed Lovie, so at the very least they're Rooney Rule-compliant. The Texans can't talk to any current NFL assistants (other than Wade and anyone else on their own staff) until either their seasons have ended or during the designated windows during the playoffs.

The Texans reportedly will be talking to Bill O'Brien soon.

This might be the best guy from what I hear.... offensive guy, worked with Brady/Belichick, went in and did a good job in a tough situation at Penn State....

If Wade is still around, bringing in a defensive-minded HC might cause friction between the two.... For example, would Lovie or Del Rio get along with Wade OK?..... Dunno.....:confused:

O'Brien is my favorite as well. He exceeded expectations at Penn State given the roster he had to work with, which was depleted by scholarship reductions and the defections that occurred when the NCAA let Penn State players transfer without having to sit out a year. His track record of working with QBs is also very attractive -- not only Brady, but he helped build McCloin from a walk-on to a guy who is getting a look as a potential NFL starter and has done a nice job with their freshman QB this year.

I don't see Wade sticking around if Lovie gets the job. Lovie's a 4-3 guy who, from what I read, likes to play things pretty straight-up with not a lot of blitzing. Wade runs an aggressive 3-4 and likes to keep opponents guessing as to where the pressure is going to come from. My biggest concern about Lovie, though, is the way his offenses struggled and how he went through multiple coordinators. Reminds me of the offenses of the Capers era around here.

O'Brien is a New England guy, and I'm not talking about the Pats. He's also Ivy League education wise, so I see him likely staying in his native area where he's probably more comfortable with the culture and climate as opposed to Texas if he gets an NFL head coaching opportunity up there which is very possible.
I'm sure we could do much worse than Lovie, but I kinda prefer another guy like him but with an offensive and not defensive background - Ken Whisenhunt.
However we are gonna have to wait for the Chargers to finish their season before we talk to him and I'm afraid that also includes the POs it they make it to post season.

ESPN is reporting that Texans and O'Brien are working on a deal to make him the next hc of the Texans.

Three head coaches just got the axe - Mike Shanahan in Washington, Leslie Frazier in Minnesota and Rob Chudzinski in Cleveland. The week is still young. I've got to believe the DC for the Bears is in hot water too after yesterday's meltdowns.

I don't think anyone needs to worry about Shanahan coming here because he'd want to be the GM too and I don't think McNair is willing to do that.

Mortensen keeps pushing Bill O'Brien as being any day now.

Interesting nugget....
@AdamSchefter: Vanderbilt HC James Franklin, who interviewed for Texans HC job two weeks ago, has gotten requests to interview with Redskins and Browns.