I don't hate Frank Bush, I just think Kubiak's insistance on hanging with is favorites is sometimes counterproductive. I was using NOLA and Grg Williams because I love the defenses he brings. To be fair to Bush, he seems to be getting the defense better prepared to play, especially now that Cushing is coming on like he is. Bush will have to have the defense on their "A" game again this weekend against Mike Singletary"s 49ers.

We played the Raiders and looked impressive. Then we allowed the Cards to score the most points they had all season, with most of it coming in the 1st half. I believe Bush saw what his players were able to digest and do best. Against the Bengals, we were able to contain Cedric Benson. By the 3rd quarter, the Bengals had given up on the run and were trying to catch up through the air.

I'm taking our progress with a grain of salt. The key in my mind was the addition of Bernard Pollard and playing more man coverage. Bush started having more confidence in blitzing Cushing and Ryans too. Amobi Okoye has been getting better penetration. If Mario were 100% healthy, I think we'd have more sacks and more turnovers. I'm somewhat dissapointed we didn't trade for Dorsey, but I don't know what the asking price was.

I like the blitzing too, but I am dissappointed that Mario hasn't gotten anymore sacks than he has.

In light of resent articles, what do you think of this mixture?

GM - Floyd Reese - currently with the Pats


HC - Bill Cowher TV

OC - Kyle Shanahan, IMO Kyle want to be his own man, not daddy's son.
DC - Jim Haslett current HC of Florida Tuskers of UFL

Looks good, but if you get a guy like Cowher (which I'd love), then he is going to want to pick his own guys at the coordinator spots and maybe even GM.

If we can pay a player like Dunta Robinson 10 million a year then we can surely pay a coach like Cowher 10 million a year.

Haslett used to work with Cowher. Most of the OC guys Cowher worked with are now HCs or secure in their position types.

I also thought about Russ Grimm Asst HC Arizona, and one of Cowher's top guys. And I also thought about Brian Schottenheimer, Bill's former boss' son.

My belief is that Kubiak needs only one more win this season to hold his job.

Rick Smith is very unlikely to get canned along with Kubiak, if it happens.

If a HC change were to occur, unless it is a Cowher or Shanahan, we will definatley lose AJ.

Throwing around the names of 3-4 def minded coaches could mean another 2-3 years of bad def, and our def is just now showing some real signs of life.

Even if Kubes finishes 6-10 this year gimme one more year to see what shakes out. The OC/DC changes we have endured are not very congruent to a stable team.

Everyone is overreacting IMO. Even the best teams and coaches lose games. I would rather have a secure FO and team than another few years of turmoil. For every Sean Peyton there are 5 coaches that dont make it. NO would not be the same team without Brees at all, NE got lucky that a 7th round pick that had little exp turned into a star, and there has only been one and will only ever be one Peyton Manning. The point is most teams take time to build and very little time to destroy.

Cowher is a special coach, there are not 4-5 coaches like him sitting one the waiting list every year waiting to be picked up as the HC for some NFL team. Take the McDonalds feed me now, fast, and screw the consequences attitude, but me I will take the steady improvement route.

You cannot take a teams total win loss record and apply it towards the outcome of a game. The saying "any given Sunday" is real. Comparing the W/L records of teams without comparing the matchups, momentum, and cirumstances is like comparing the Superbowl winning Raiders to the shell of a team they are now.

By recent articles, I assume one of them might be the blog from Jason La Canfora at the NFL Network.

http://blogs.nfl.com/2009/11/23/bill...-coaching-job/

I always figured that the big name guys would be interested in this job and the Cowher article confirms it.

Think about it. Lots of reasons why a coach would be interested.

1. As a head coach what better situation to come into then a very talented team that has underachieved. You don't have to work a miracle to go 10-6 or 11-5 with this bunch next year (they wouldn't have needed one this year, just a kicker and the ability to score on 1st and 1 and we are sitting at 9-1). So you are likely to come out looking good when the team sees the inevitable bump in win total.

2. For a defensive coach especially it is appealing because if you can get a little defensive improvement (which every Defensive coach thinks they can), the offense is already largely in place.

3. You are working for an owner who has been EXTREMELY patient with his first two coaches. You don't have to fear the quick hook. He is also the opposite of meddlesome like you'd have to deal with in Dallas.

4. You are in a manageable cap situation with no missing draft picks in the future.

5. The owner will spend to the max.

6. You get great fan support with a gauranteed sellout every week, but without the negativity and willingness to turn on you that you find in most football towns.

7. Softball local media that will never go after you as long as you give them there "insider" morsels.

Honestly, I don't know of a job that will be open that would be easier to succeed in then this one. If McNair will pony up, we should have our pick of coaches.

All very valid points but I think it would be disingenuous to state the positives of being a HC in Houston without recognizing any downside.
(1) Houston remains in the hinterlands of NFL franchises. Arguably a big-name coach like Cowher could change that, but even a Bill Parcells said the limelight the Cowboys offered him was a reason to take the job. Houston offers none of that kind of visibility.
(2) Lots of people just don't like the weather here. I know because I don't like the weather here for 'bout 6 months of the year, every year. And being an NFL HC is a 12-month a year job, you live there. It's a reality
whether one likes it or not or is willing to admit it. On the other hand some people like the heat & humidity of the places in the Sun Belt like Houston, Miami, & Tampa. A guy like Cowher can pick and choose when and where he works, but I'm thinkin he's a 4-seasons kinda guy ?
(3) The Texans are stuck in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL and it ain't easy getting by the competition to win the division crown, the least difficult way to going deep into the playoffs. And say what you want about Peytons age, but I'm thinkin he's gonna play forever.

Yeah but what a story for the HOF if Cowher could lead the Texans out of the Hintherlands of the NFL into a legit SB contender?

Seems that would be appealing for a person of Cowher's ego and stature.

I just feel like Cowher will give this team TESTICLES. At this point, that's what I want.

My wise list is like this

Bill Cowher
Jeff Fisher if he is fired
Mike Holmgren
Steve Mariucci
Marty Schottenheimer
Greg Williams
Jim Fassel
Mike Mularkey
Mike Heimerdinger
Jim Harbaugh
Cam Cameron
Ron Meeks
Mike Tice
Kevin Gilbride


Dream Teams?

HC Bill Cowher
Asst HC / OC Mike Mularkey
DC Jim Haslett


or

HC Mike Holmgren
OC Jim Zorn
DC Ted Cottrell


3-4 defense

Smith - Hampton FA signing - Williams
Cushing - Ryans-Diles -Barwin

I'll pass on Holmgren...don't really know why though. Maybe I'm underestimating him.

And I definitely don't want Schottenheimer. That guy is an epic fail in the playoffs. Yes, I know we've never been, but I don't want our next perpetual "cycle" to be "get in the playoffs and lose every time". Marty Ball is brutal.

We have the players... all we need now is an elite coaching staff. I want Bill Cowher here.

Weird suggestion, but how about Shanahan? Would Gary accept a demotion to offensive coordinator/ Asst. Head Coach? It gives us a coach who has been to the promise land, with Elway I know, but it keeps the Texans from totally retooling. There are questions about would Mike come here after getting rid of Gary which is why I think it needs to be a mutual deal between Gary, Mike, and Bob McNair. I have never heard of such a thing, but who knows it could work. Heck, in a few years Mike could turn the reigns back over to an older, wiser Kubiak who would have a new perspective on being a head coach.

Blast away. ;)

Actually I have thought about this alot and think its a viable option. If we cant get Cowher. JMO.

Mike is a good game manager and Kubiack was a good OC. If they could work together (and I dont see why not) It would be an improvement over the situation right now. I also beleive Kubiak will be a good head coach one day. Who knows a step back under his mentor for a couple of years might be what makes the light go on. There are several benefits to this and its not in anyway a step backwards.

I don't think that would sit well with Gary. I know that would not sit well if that happened to me. Shanny was a disaster his last few years in Denver and made alot of bad draft decisions.

But that's why we keep Rick Smith in charge of personnel.

2008- Ryan Clady and Eddie Royal in the 1st and 2nd.
2007- Jarvis Moss seems to be a bust.
2006- Culter, Scheffler, Marshall, and Dumervil with the first four picks rivals our '06 draft.
2005- Darrent Williams (R.I.P.) was becoming a good corner, not to mention the awesome Chris Myers.
2004- DJ Williams at linebacker.
2000-2003 had some misses. Foster ('03) was traded to Detroit for Dre Bly along with Tatum Bell (picked in '04). Ashley Lelie in the '02 draft, but they did pick Portis in round 2.

I am not sure who was controlling every personnel decision during that time but it seems that talent was not an issue by the end of his tenure. He was a little stubborn about making defensive changes but I can't see him coming here and blowing things up on that side of the ball as we have invested more on defense than Denver did. Yes there were the Maurice Clarett head scratchers from time to time but every team will make missteps. If Gary and Mike accept I think it could work for us.

I like Cowher, though my first choice would always be Tony Dungy but he will not come back to coaching I think, but would we have a small step back during the transistion as he changes the team? Now if you can guarantee me that is what it will take to make this team a Super Bowl contender, then great, let's take our medicine and do it, but of course there are no such guarantees.

I think one off season of focusing on mainly fixing the running game to protect leads and open up the play action passing game even more and we are in playoffs, meaning getting a big back (Gerhart, Dwyer or the like) and a couple of interior linemen or a tackle and slide one of our current tackles inside. I want a nasty running attack that would take pressure off of Schaub, not have issues on short yardage, and keep our defense on the sidelines.

This team is headed in the right direction talent wise so I am not convinced many personnel changes are the answer and I think Cowher might bring that as his system will be totally different I presume, maybe he works with what we have but I have my doubts. I guess my concern is more about learning a new system as we do have good talent already and that would surely be something that attracts Cowher, or any coach for that matter.

There is no way in hell Kubiak would accept a demotion from his current team. That is unheard of and he would become the laughingstock of the league. More so than he already is, I mean.

Holmgren or Cowher would want full control IMO. Shanny rode Elway and Holmgren did it in two places with different QB's, same as Gruden.

Gruden might be a fit with the offense that is already in place, and he ran a 4-3, same with Holmgren.

I think if Mr. McNair does make a change, it has to be a change that has some sizzle with the steak. I do think Kubes does have a chance to save his job though. I am not yet writing him off, he has done a good job getting us to this point. Is this his ceiling? I do not know. This team will be in close games down the stretch, that is what they do. If they do show improvement, and do close some of the better teams out (NE, MIA, JAX) then I think Gary can save his job.

Mr. McNair is in a tough spot. If he is thinking of making a change, he would almost have to go behind Gary's back if this team rallies. If he decides to make the change, he has to upgrade, and not get another coordinator with the way this fan base is. If the team goes to 9-7, Gary is safe IMO.

These last 5 games will be interesting.

Working as an assistant where you used to be head coach? That is wack.

Signed,
Dave Campo



...ok, yes, this proves chuck's point.

on a more serious note, the more likely scenario might be hiring daddy shan and keeping baby shan as his OC. not likely, just more likely than Kubiak accepting a demotion.

I pretty much agree with all this. 9-7 and I think he stays. I am not anxious to replace the coach at this point.... I can't help feeling that one more draft and one more year of experience on this young team might get them over the hump. But if they play like knuckleheads down the stretch, Kubiak will probably be gone. They are so close....

McNair will most likely wait till the end of the season so any crying and whining now about the coach won't do any good. I think it may be evident at the end of the season which way he will go.

I predicted 9-7 preseason so it's still quite doable...

It is just so hard to change culture. This team is a team that doesn't win big football games. They find a way to lose far more than they find a way to win. Changing that identity and culture is very tough. I doubt it comes from within. These players have been what they are year after year now. Without a big change somewhere I doubt they ever shake it. Make a list of all of our best players and tell me which one has been a winner in the NFL at any point in there career.

So if none of our players, our head coach, either coordinator, or our GM has ever been a winner in their current role, than how do we change the culture by simply getting another year deeper into this identity.

To me the most likely place for that change to take place is a new head coach. And honestly we need one who is either a big enough personality or a proven enough winner to erase the culture of mediocrity around here. But if Kubiak stays does anyone really believe we are contenders next year for a superbowl? The best we can hope for with him is enough talent that we go 11-5 even after giving away 3-4 games next year.

It is clearly time for a change unless our goal is to hit the high end of mediocre.

Very well put.

McNair clearly wants to keep Kubiak and not go thru the drama, the whole transition thing again. And I suspect he also likes Kubiak personally. But Kubiak may not give him the option to keep him in the end if things do really tank from here on out.
And I can't help but think this season set up real well and Kubiak just didn't
take advantage of it, starting with the 3 homes games in September and Kubiak not even having the team ready to play the season opener in Reliant vs the Jets.
Then he had the easy NFC West (next year its the NFC East !) with both of that divisions west coast teams playing here instead of us having to travel
west with the big time difference and all.
And the injury situation wasn't that bad really. OK we lost our guards and OD,
but Schaub and AJ have both been healthy all year as has the defense for the
most part.

Your assessment is generally fine, but those injuries ARE awful. Owen Daniels is Schaub's big-time security blanket. We had no idea what to do on third-and-manageable decisions. OL injury is killer too because it destroyed whatever run game we "had'.

I loved what you said, but I think the chances of going to those levels under any conditions are very remote. First and foremost, we don't have a "We are going to win this game" quarterback. Mr Schaub gives good stats but we do need a QB that refuses to lose! I don't know if a coach can fix that, I think you are just born with it.

Here are Schaub's situational stats for this year -

http://www.nfl.com/players/mattschau...86&season=2009

While his overall numbers have been good, his numbers in crunchtime are somewhat worrisome. For instance, while his overall rating is a very respectable 97.7, check out this breakdown -

First half - 102.1
Second half - 93.3
Last 2 minutes of half - 78.9

With regard to point situations, his two worst ratings are when the Texans are either tied or leading by 1-8 points.

Finally, his worst quarter is the 4th quarter (83.1) and this drops even further in the 4th quarter of close games (within 7 points) to 76.7.

In short, these numbers seem to support my growing opinion that he plays his worst when the game is on the line (while it's pure speculation, his body language also suggests to me that he doesn't terribly enjoy playing in close, physical football games). I honestly don't know if rising to the occasion and getting better at crunch time is something one can learn or whether it is something that's just in you.

Props for providing stats to backup to what was just my observation. Others on this board point to his QB rating and say what a good boy he is and a top 5 quarterback. I don't think so and IMO he never will be.

I think there are a precious few QBs who really raise there team and are most responsible for their winning (Brady, Brees, Manning). Outside of those 3, I think you have a dozen or so guys who are situationally good (meaning they are good in the right spot), and a bunch of guys who are just not very good. You can win on any level with those situationally good guys if everything else is in line. Schaub is clearly one of those guys. We can win with him.

But it is a clear problem that not one key guy on our team (including Schaub) has won in this league. That is the biggest reason why I think we need a new coach. If your team is full of guys who have never been there, then you better have a coach who has not only been there, but who can make these guys believe in it.

Ive seen only one game where the team didnt fold on a close game.... That was the road win against the Tennesse Titans. I thought that was a different Texans team. I saw intensity that i hadnt seen from this team before.

Was E.Wilson on any of those Superbowl teams for the Pats? As a matter of fact he was on two of them 04'-05'. Not to mention AVERAGE JOE "Antoine Smith". If Cato June would've stuck around (who incidentally is with the Bears.) there would be another. I agree, definitely not enough.

I would even venture to ask how many draft picks come from winning programs? Maybe I should check that out. I wonder if that has anything to do with Andre Johnson and Brian Cushing's never quit mentalities. Was Alabama good when Demeco was there? I watch, but I am not a die hard college guy.

Bill Parcells was fond of saying "you are what your record says you are".
With that in mind, Kubiak/Texans are currently in the AFC South celler (tied with the Titans) with a record of 5-6 and they have a 1-4 record
within the South, worst in the division.

No. He was gone before Saban was hired. He was coached by Franchione and David Shula.

DeMeco went on to become the SEC's Defensive Player of the Year for his performance in 2005. Later on, Ryans attributed much of his college success to his defensive coordinator at Alabama, Joe Kines. He was named the 2006 Cotton Bowl defensive MVP in their 13-10 win over Texas Tech.
http://www.bhamwiki.com/w/DeMeco_Ryans
*******************************************
Looks like Ryans and his team were good enough for him to be named the defensive player of the year in the countrys best football conference and the MVP in his teams victory in the Cotton Bowl when he was playing in college.

It just seemed to me like Cushing immediately came in with a winner's mentality. If he could throw the ball he would be out there. Of course he made a few rookie mistakes (not many) but he drive and desire has been unparalleled. The only two people that I have seen with that consistent drive have been Andre and Demeco. I was just curious as to whether that could be attributed to their college programs success and prestige.

We need some players to come in here and rub off a winning mentality, instead of us rubbing off a losing mentality on everyone we get.

I wanna see a fire in Barwin's eyes. I want Quin to accept nothing less than a big hit or an interception; no arm tackle drag downs. I think Okam could be the future of this team if he had a drive; an intensity.

All of that boils down to coaching and motivation, of which we have neither.

I did not say he wasn't great, I said his teams where considered average.

Demeco broke a dry spell at Bama when he became Bama's only All American in 6 years.

Shula went 10-2 in 2005, but his other years he was 4-9, 6-6, and 6-7.

Saban was brought in to change the atmosphere, and he has.

Saban going to Bama and the change that followed could be something like the Texans might get with the right coach and change of culture. Shula was a very good recruiter (almost got Tebow, many of these current Bama players are his) and had a good offensive mind. But he was not a good game manager and adjustment maker. He took over an organization in shambles after Franchione left for A&M and mired in NCAA penalties. He took a bad team and made them competitive and respectable. Saban took them to the next level. Saban brought a sense of discipline and was a true head coach, not to mention even better recruiter. Cowher might be analogous to Saban going to Bama- a tough defensive minded coach who's reputation precedes him. Whatever the Texans (McNair) do it must be the right move.