Texans hire Special Teams Asst Coach

[barrett]

I think a new DC was forced on him. He is overly loyal even when it is clear a guy can't get the job done (but so is McNair who would be the guy supposedly doing the forcing, so it is hard to say). Once the change was mandated I bet he was on board with Phillips.

But I seriously doubt an Assistant ST coordinator was forced on him. It is far too small a role to butt heads over. Especially when the general thinking is that Marciano is kept on due to the relationship with McNair and his special needs son. I believe Marciano predates Kubiak and is not a "Kubiak" guy he would be fighting to protect either way.

And I am not specifically giving him "credit" for Foster here or saying he addressed the RB position quickly. I am saying that when he fixed the position it was definitely not with a mandated fix "force-fed" from above (your original position).

Maybe Phillips was forced on him once upon a time (or forced on McNair who hates change just as much), but this team in general and this offense in particular is a Kubiak group for better or worse.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by barrett

But I seriously doubt an Assistant ST coordinator was forced on him.

It's obviously the reverse. Even if Kubiak believes Marciano is performing poorly (and after his apparent evaluations of past DCs who knows what he might think) he realizes that he can't fire him. So he does the next best thing, diluting Marciano's input the only way he can.

[WMH]

IMO, ST are a function of injury luck and depth. If you don't deplete your depth with the injury bug, you'll likely have a decent year on ST.

Baltimore was the first team in the last 5 years that won with a top tier ST unit.

From ProFootball Outsiders:
Our rank in ().
'13 Bmore - 1st (32)
'12 NYG - 15th (13)
'11 GB - 26th (23)
'10 NOLA - 28th (7)
'09 PIT - 23rd (17)

Joe M didn't get dumb overnight, he plays the hand he's dealt.
Solomon had a decent point in the Chronic today, do you think Joe M really wanted Poesy covering kicks?

Need outstanding QB play + decent defensive effort to win. ST is probably 4th or 5th on the list.

[barrett]

But our team had very solid depth even after the injuries. Additionally, 34 teams have a built in ST coverage advantage due to carrying additional LBs. Not to mention things like Holliday doing nothing for 6 games here and then being great in Denver. Or Jacoby Jones not learning how to catch a punt in 5 seasons here Or JJ only being used on punt returns and not KR when the superbowl clearly shows he can do that too.

The ST problems in Houston go far beyond personell.

And I agree with Chuck. This hire looks far more like Kubiak and Smith doing what they can to work around McNairs friend Joe.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by WMH

Solomon had a decent point in the Chronic today, do you think Joe M really wanted Poesy covering kicks?

WRs cover kicks all the time in the NFL. Rosters are limited and backups have to play on special teams. Some WRs excel on coverage -- Matthew Slater, Kassim Osgood, and Sean Morey have made pro bowls as special teamers (non-returners) in recent years. Steve Tasker made a career of it. Posey is 6-1, 206, and can run; he has the tools to cover kicks.

[WMH]

Originally Posted by Warren

WRs cover kicks all the time in the NFL. Rosters are limited and backups have to play on special teams. Some WRs excel on coverage -- Matthew Slater, Kassim Osgood, and Sean Morey have made pro bowls as special teamers (non-returners) in recent years. Steve Tasker made a career of it. Posey is 6-1, 206, and can run; he has the tools to cover kicks.

Having the tools and being able to do it are 2 different things.

And when your starting LBs are James and Ruud, I would call that depth issues, as who's behind them picking up ST duties?

I'm not saying he's a ST genius, but its not like we have been a disaster on teams since inception. IMO, ST coaches have a crappy job, as they are given leftovers and held accountable. Of course, its a crappy job I'd love to have.....

[barrett]

Originally Posted by WMH

Having the tools and being able to do it are 2 different things.

And when your starting LBs are James and Ruud, I would call that depth issues, as who's behind them picking up ST duties?

I'm not saying he's a ST genius, but its not like we have been a disaster on teams since inception. IMO, ST coaches have a crappy job, as they are given leftovers and held accountable. Of course, its a crappy job I'd love to have.....

How many games did we play with James and Ruud as our starters? We were just as bad early before the injuries. Not to mention it says something about the level of coaching if we replaced guys like Schaub, AJ, Brisel, Foster, Mario, JJ, and Cushing more effectively than Marciano dealt with losing his backup LBs. He had a ST demon in Braman for all 16 games and plenty of secondary and LB depth around him.

For years we have watched our ST be consistently mediocre and sometimes totally unprepared. From surrendering surprise onside kicks to letting a jaguars up back win a game with a laughable fake punt conversion, our ST have never been good. And like I said Jacoby was held out of KRs for years even though he looks way better there now than as a PR.

A few injuries last year are not stopping Marciano from realizing his coaching prowess.