SB Nation - Earl Cochran

A Defensive Adventure in 4-3 Under Minor

bigfatdrunk — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:47:10 -0000

Bill Kollar and Frank Bush having a laugh...via www.gonemovies.com.

While the fan club for my previous squishy post was rather....small, it and Jake's post on Bill Kollar really helped me put some things together, so to speak. Let's start with the conclusion: I'm not ready to chug the new system Kool Aid, and I think our defense is still gonna suck ass...just not as much ass. HERESY!!!

(For the record, drawing with a touchpad is hard)

For this post, I'm going to talk a little about our assumed new defense, the 4-3 under, our base personnel and base assignments (expanding just a bit on Riott's fantastic tour de force), and how it compares to last year. I might also use stats. Beer will be drunk. And there was much rejoicing (yay!).

LDE: 2009 - Antonio Smith. 2008 - Whatever sacks of poop we just happened to have lying around (oh, Earl Cochran, why did thou forsake me?). In the base scheme, the LDE is assigned to the strong side 5 gap (outside of the RT), with primary responsibility as a run-stopper. Last year, Smith played in the Cards' chameleon-esque system of 4-3/3-4, and he was highly credited with helping strengthen the Cards D, especially on the run. However, the raw numbers don't bear this out. In fact, Football Outsiders ranks....*gulps*...Anthony Weaver as a better run-stopper than Smith. I still think there'll be a substantial upgrade at LDE thanks to signing Smith, but it's not like we signed Julius Peppers. I'm tempering my expectations for Smith's performance. (Yes, I actually watch the effin' games, not just look at stats. Stats are a handy, non-emotional measuring stick, though far from perfect in a game like football. But they are what they are in this case.).

NT: 2009 - Oh dear Jeebus. 2008 - Former 1st round pick and Rhodes scholar Travis Johnson. Look, Travis plays his little retarded ass off, but he's a horrible fit for this system...or any NFL system, for that matter. He neither has the quickness nor size. In the 4-3 under, the NT is expected to tie up multiple blockers, allowing (effectively) the MLB and WLB to make tackles. The only player on the roster with the potential to remotely fill this role is Frank "Evil Genius" Okam. According to a friend who went to practice yesterday (Saturday), Okam was working out with the first team and was getting quite a bit of feedback, though not necessarily positive reinforcement. Neither is DelJuan Robinson the answer here, though he would be a far better choice than Trent Green's nemesis.

For the record, the girl in the LBD has awesome boobies. (Late note: Wow, super-MILF just walked in. I might need a moment.)

DT: 2009 - Amobi Okoye. 2008 - Amobi Okoye. It's hard to label 2009 a make or break year for Okoye, but it's at least time for him to nut up and do something. Unlike Johnson, Okoye has the speed to become a premier interior pass rusher while still being able to handle the run, his responsibilities in this system. I believe that, if there is one player most likely to take a step forward under Bush, it's Okoye. Penetrate, disrupt, penetrate.

RDE: Mario. Maul quarterbacks. Make Reggie Bust piss his pants. Eat LTs. Teams may be able to exploit Mario's outside pass rush tendencies. He will need to play with more discipline as he is responsible for outside rushing containment, but his role his to kill QBs.

SLB: 2009 - Brian Cushing. 2008 - Zac Diles. Looking at the raw stats, Diles was amazingly efficient at being around the ball last year as he ranked 5th for being in on team plays. Of course, that's largely a function of being toastified by opposing offenses at every possible occasion as he could neither stop the run nor the pass. With the power of hindsight, the first game against the BE-SFs was a horrible harbinger for the rest of his year. Outsourcing to Riott:

The number one reason why more teams don't run a 4-3 Under is the difficulty in finding a player good enough to play the SAM. He needs to be big, strong, fast, and able to cover or rush the passer at any given time. He lines up on the outside edge of the TE at all times, and harasses him off the line, never allowing a free release, staying underneath on routes because you have your safety over the top. He also gets one-on-one matchups on the outside to pass rush. I'll take Brian Cushing versus Dallas Clark, Bo Scaife, or Marcedes Lewis any day of the week. He needs to be a great run defender as well, because he CANNOT be reached, or there is a huge running lane to the strong side.

Let's put it more bluntly: A large measure of our defensive success is reliant upon...a rookie SLB who often played more like a defensive end and had trouble in coverage in college?

Look, this isn't to say that Cushing won't be good. Hell, anything's going to be a massive improvement over Zac Diles. But if there's any defensive position where it's easy to cover pure incompetence, it's SLB. Diles, I believe, proved that last year (remember when his injury was a "big blow?"). Rookies are always a massive wild card, and Cushing is no exception. For our defense to play at at least a moderate level, thus for the Texans to have a decent chance at the playoffs, we are putting a helluva lot of hope on Cushing's allegedly 'roided shoulders.

MLB: 2009 and 2008: DeMeco Ryans. DeMeco's role is to be a traditional, instinctive MLB...which, you know, shouldn't be much of a stretch. Football Outsiders has him ranked as pretty mediocre, and there may be an unfortunate amount of credence to that analysis. Ryans' ankle has given him trouble the past couple of years, but when he's fully healthy, this should be an excellent role for him. With the ankle problems, he has been noticeably slower.

WLB: 2009 - Xavier Adibi or Zac Diles. 2008 - The bones formerly known as Morlon Greenwood. Again outsourced to Riott:

Your weakside linebacker in the 4-3 under needs to be your fastest and best coverage linebacker as he is protected by the defensive lineman in front of him and therefore must be able to get anywhere on the field pretty darn quick. He has control of the backside A (1) gap, and will either shoot the gap on inside runs or scrape over on outside runs. If the play is to his side, he is the primary pursuit to the outside as well. On coverage situations, he generally plays short middle and helps out where he needs to be. Adibi, due to his speed and coverage skills, is a great WLB for the 4-3 Under. He will be allowed to make more plays because he will be harassed significantly less by offensive lineman.

In limited action, Adibi wasn't bad. But after Diles' injury (broken leg), it's imperative Adibi win that battle, as Diles will lose a step or two. More importantly, Adibi has the speed to fly around the field. I've got a feeling about Adibi, but health is a skill, and it's one Adibi has not displayed well.

As for Morlon's collapse from not-badness? I blame Matt. For the record, I also blame Matt for my impotence. Can I use that word here?

CBs: 2009 - Fred Bennett, Jacques Reeves, Dunta Robinson. 2008 - Fred Bennett, Jacques Reeves, Dunta Robinson, Petey Faggins. We don't have a great idea about coverage schemes, but it's likely to be simple with a focus on man coverage. Frenchy was one of the most targeted CBs in football last year, which is understandable as he was the worst CB not named Petey I saw in 2007, but he was solidly average. Twas a nice surprise, to say the least, and if we can get that guy a swivel for his neck, dare I say he might become above-average?

Dunta will likely be in the classic CB1 spot, but I don't think he deserves it. Yes, I should give him a mulligan for last year, but he was simply horrible. Bennett wasn't any better, but something tells me coaching and scheme are also to blame. Aside from Okoye, if there's somebody I expect to jump ahead thanks to the new coaching and scheme, it's Bennett. Overall, CB coverage will be simple.

Ss: 2009 - Nick Ferguson and Eugene Wilson. 2008 - Nick Ferguson and Eugene Wilson (Smoooooooove Will, we hardly knew you). Part 2 of my major pain points on the D. The safeties need to be fairly interchangeable in order to adapt to offensive schemes. As "well" as Wilson played for us last year, it's not entirely fair to have similar expectations for 2009. In many ways, it was a career statistical outlier (see also: Rosenfels 2007), and he really wasn't all that great anyway. As for Nick Ferguson, he was simply horrible, one of the worst safeties in the league, especially against the pass.

In the 4-3 under, both safeties need to be versatile, capable of handling both the run and pass. I have absolutely no faith we have a *safety* on our roster capable of handling these types of assignments.

We do, however, have two CBs who are mighty interesting candidates to do so. On that old, bloodied blog, I fantasized often about sliding Dunta to S, allowing him to use his range. Yes, he is under-sized, and he most certainly wouldn't be worth $10MM/year there, but it's an interesting possibility. The other is Glover Quin. Yes yes, the team wants him at CB and blah blah blah. Whatev. Like Dunta, Glover may not have the ideal size, but I'd prefer to have a couple of ballhawks at S rather than hitters. Maybe it's the whiplash speaking, seeing how we have had such a tendency to give up huge gains at will.

Summary: I'll go into more detail on specific assignments in the next post, but I've been working on this one for over two hours and I need more beer. Anyway, here's how I see things:

No true NT
Relying on a rookie at SLB
Major question mark at WLB
Safeties not reliable in this scheme

This is little different than before the draft. We addressed the issue at SLB, whether I like the pick or not. But we still have major, gaping holes at DT, possibly WLB, and at one, if not both, S positions. On the whole, we are returning eight of 11 starters last year (hopefully just seven). It's realistically unfair to expect substantial changes to our all-around performance, especially seeing how we are returning some really not so good players.

Scheme change or not, our best case scenario is we have the 17th best defense in the league. Best case. Most probable is we are still a mid-20s defense, capable of bipolar performance depending on the competition. It took the first game of last year's pre-season to see exactly how poor the D was. We may not have such insight this year (I hope, above all, we disguise our schemes until Week 1), but we will have a good idea of our talent.

Edit: I meant to, but forgot to mention, that I believe we'll see a ton of rotation throughout the season, especially on the D-line. It's something called depth, a pretty foreign concept around these parts.

Post-Game Breakdown: I Prefer To Focus On 8-4 (Part II)

Tim — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:11:16 -0000

Apologies for the delay in posting the second part of the final PGB of the season (Part I here). Work, prayers getting answered and Riott's arrival (not to mention his subsequent badarsery) kept my plate full last week. We already checked out the offense's performance against Da Bears, with an eye toward output over the 2008 season; now I turn our attention to the defense and special teams:

1. DE--Pretty simple analysis here. Super Mario is a demigod. Potential wrath of the Almighty aside, I think we should all construct statues in Mario's honor.

I'm also bullish on Tim Bulman, Jesse Nading, and Earl Cochran. All of those guys, especially Bulman, looked like they have the ability to be in a rotation at DE in '09. While none of them may be an ideal long-term solution opposite Mario, I hope that at least one, hopefully two, and perhaps all three, is/are brought back next season. If I have to choose between them, give me Bulman, who has the benefit of not coming off an injury and the flexibility to play DT.

Finally, we come to Anthony Weaver. Anthony Weaver, who signed a five (5) year, $26,500,000.00 contract ($12,500,000.00 guaranteed) in March of 2006. Anthony Weaver, who has posted one more sack than a dead man during his three (3) seasons (none since 2006!) in H-Town. I'll leave the cap implications of parting ways with him to Riott. I'll just say this: If Anthony Weaver is a Texan in 2009, it had better be the result of a drastic, Ahman Green-esque restructuring of his contract (suggestion...$200,000.00 for every sack or tackle for loss?). Further, if Weaver starts another game at DE, I'm giving myself a gasoline shampoo/lit match conditioner job. I can't take it anymore.

2. DT--Tim Bulman and/or DelJuan Robinson were your best DTs last week, as well as the entire season. Considering your Houston Texans "boast" two (2) recent first-round picks that "play" defensive tackle, that's rather troubling.

Staying on DelJuan Robinson...he even stepped in and looked solid at DE when Mario went down in the second half against the Bears. Considering his relatively low salary demands, you'd think the Texans would be interested in bringing him back in 2009.

There's no denying that Amobi regressed in his second season of professional football. He showed flashes of promise as the 2008 season wound down, but flashes ain't enough for the tenth overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. He has to get markedly better in '09, or the bust talk will get increasingly loud.

That said, Amobi needs a planetoid DT lining up next to him to be able to do the things Amobi can do. I thought Frank Okam could be that guy, but the coaches, via the fact that Okam was not even active for most of 2008, clearly disagree with me. Whose call was that, I wonder? Kubes? Richard Smith? Jethro Franklin? Two of those guys don't have a say anymore, so it'll be interesting to see if Okam sees more action in 2009 (though I think it's far from certain that Okam makes the team next year). If Okam's not the guy to line up next to Amobi, bringing in a mammoth DT, likely via the draft, has to be one of the top priorities of the offseason.

Remember what I wrote above about Anthony Weaver? Plug in "Travis Johnson," and re-read it. Same thing. Self-immolation all around!

3. Quick anecdote about Jethro Franklin from the final game of the 2008 season...one of my buddies procured seats that were a few rows off the field, right behind the Texans' sideline. As such, I had a vantage point I typically don't have last week. What did I see? I saw Tim Bulman and Super Mario yelling at Jethro at various points throughout the game. Bulman in particular looked pretty hacked off. Of course, this could just be heat of the game interaction between a coach and his players, but I found it to be interesting, as players typically don't shout down their coaches. For his part, Franklin looked completely unfazed; he didn't give off the impression that it was a big deal at all. In fact, maybe that's the relationship he had with his players; I don't know. Still, I remembered those exchanges when the slightly surprising decision to jettison Franklin (who Super Mario had praised at length on several prior occasions) came down on the Eve of New Year's Eve.

4. LB--This is easily the strongest unit of the defense. DeMeco is one of the best in the business. Zac Diles, though undersized, was a tackling machine until he managed to kick himself to the injured reserve in early November. Xaiver Adibi looked fast and sure when he finally stepped in for Morlon Greenwood. Greenwood, meanwhile, looked nothing like the criminally underrated Morlon Greenwood we saw in 2007. If Morlon was a pitcher, we'd say he lost his fastball. If he was a horse, we'd shoot him. While Greenwood may still be capable of contributing in a rotation at LB, I'd be surprised if he was plying his trade in Houston come September 2009.

I'm intrigued about how Smithiak will handle LB in the 2009 NFL Draft. Assuming Diles can come back from his injury, I think a starting troika of him, DeMeco, and Adibi has real potential. I like Kevin Bentley a ton, but there's not a lot of depth after him. If you can get a stud linebacker in the first few rounds, do you take him? It's not nearly the area of need that DL or secondary is, so perhaps not. Then again, we shouldn't delude ourselves into thinking the Texans are so stacked at LB that they should pass on the best player available simply because of the position he plays.

5. CB--I am positively terrified at watching the Dunta Robinson negotiations play out, because there's a very real possibility that Smithiak has a totally different take on what should comprise a long-term contract for Dunta Robinson than Dunta and/or his agent does/do. If not for the injury, Dunta would be getting paid top corner money. Nor should we underestimate the fact that Dunta is the emotional leader of the Houston defense; in that respect, he'd be awfully difficult to replace. Plus, even coming off the injury, Dunta's the best CB on the roster. I think he's going to get his long-term deal. I hope he gets his long-term deal. I'm still scared.

Jacques Reeves is who I thought he was, though I'll admit that his speed is top-notch. Here's hoping that our as-yet-unknown new secondary coach threatens him with bodily injury throughout the offseason in an attempt to get him to turn his freaking head to locate the ball and/or to get his effing hands up. That, or cut him. I'd be good either way.

I have no idea what happened to Fred Bennett this year. I know he's not as bad as he appeared to be. I also know he's nowhere near as bad as Reeves and/or Petey Faggins, both of whom took snaps away from him. How does somebody go from young stalwart to barely getting on the field? Was it entirely Richard Smith's diabolical work? Jon Hoke's? We may never know.

6. S--A true FS is still nowhere to be found on the Houston roster. Generally speaking, I thought Nick Ferguson and Eugene Wilson did yeoman work in '08. Neither's going to Honolulu anytime soon, but they were tremendous in run support and definite upgrades over Will Demps, C.C. Brown, and Brandon Harrison in coverage. I hope both Ferguson and Wilson return to Reliant Park in '09, though I'm equally hopeful that a young safety acquired in the draft pushes one of them to a backup role.

Demps, Brown, and Harrison? Maybe C.C. returns. Maybe. Demps and Harrison seem like surefire goners.

7. K/P--Kris Brown and Matt Turk go nowhere. Might be a good idea to bring in a young punter to push Turk in training camp, but I'd be surprised if someone besides Turk is punting for your Houston Texans in 2009. What can you say about Brown? A golden leg, plus recovering a fumble against Chicago. What else do you want from a kicker?

8. LS--Welcome to the big leagues, Clark Harris. You were better than Bryan Pittman, and you haven't been suspended for violating the league's banned substance policy. No reason Harris shouldn't be the guy snapping to Turk and Brown in '09.

9. Fake Game Balls: Offense--Matt Schaub; Defense--DeMeco Ryans; Special Teams--Kris Brown.

So there you have it. 8-8 doesn't get you to the playoffs (unless you're the Chargers, that is, who surely showed they deserve to be there last night). Time for us to avert our glances to the majesty that is free agency and the draft. One of these years (e.g., 2009), we'll still be talking about Texans football in January. For now, we have to make due with more of the same wait-'til-next-year we know all too well.

"More Weight:" Earl Cochran Placed On Injured Reserve

Tim — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:37:28 -0000

In the latest example that Giles Corey was likely the first fan of your Houston Texans, the Chronicle reports that DE Earl Cochran is done for the year, thanks to a torn ligament in his right big toe. Tip 'o the cap to Chris at Houston Diehards for first bringing this crushing development to my attention in the Comments to this post.

Even though Cochran wasn't starting opposite Super Mario (for reasons I will never understand), this is a sizable loss, if for no other reason than the fact that it guarantees more snaps for The Corpse Formerly Known As Anthony Weaver. In turn, this also means that the Houston pass rush will again be limited to the efforts of Super Mario and Tim Bulman (whenever he's fortunate enough to get onto the field).

A word of warning to Bulman: Be wary of exposing any fingers or toes in the presence of Travis Johnson and/or Anthony Weaver. Now that Cochran's out of the way, you could be next.

Post-Game Breakdown: It's Broke, So Why Aren't They Trying To Fix It?

Tim — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:37:19 -0000

I'd really love the opportunity to gush over your Houston Texans in a PGB. Truly, I would. It's infinitely better than having to make chicken salad out of chicken fecal matter. The Texans, however, apparently do not see fit to give their fans something to cheer about. Instead, we're treated to another week of coach-speak about "going to work," "finding ways to be effective," "playing clean," and the like. At this point, that garbage is simply nauseating muzak in the proverbial Texan fan's elevator. We've heard it too many times for it to be anything but background noise.

Be honest with us, Smithiak. Your charges have won thirty percent (30%) of their games this season. That means they're actually running behind the franchise's abysmal lifetime winning pace. That's like losing a footrace to a blind man with no legs. Your team looks to be a virtual lock to go winless on the road. The offense is capable of putting together very solid efforts that will inevitably collapse when it matters most, primarily due to quarterbacks who have an innate ability to give the opposition the ball at the absolute worst possible time. Thanks to a breathtaking combination of mind-boggling coaching decisions and a secondary that should be accompanied by a Surgeon General's Warning, the defense is a complete and utter joke. If not for Super Mario and DeMeco, the Houston defense wouldn't be good enough to stop a Division III offense. Your best defensive back and team leader is coming off a horrific injury and, while gamely trying to shake the rust off, is still another offseason away from making a tangible difference in the weakest area of your team.

In short, this is a bad football team. We know it. You know it. Let's stop the charade.

That's not to say that all is lost; there's most assuredly a healthy amount of talent on this team in addition to Mario, DeMeco, and Dunta. Andre Johnson is the best wide receiver in football. Owen Daniels is one of the best tight ends in football. Kevin Walter is a fine WR2. Steve Slaton is the kind of explosive threat at RB this team has never had. Jacoby Jones is a weapon in the return game (though hanging onto the ball is still a concern). The offensive line shows flashes of dominance and has improved throughout the season. And Jebus help him, Matt Schaub could be the answer at QB if he (1) is able to stay on the field for more than three consecutive weeks at a time and (2) realizes that the terms of his contract do not require one to two turnovers per game. The cupboard is not bare. There's plenty of work to be done and plenty of talent to be upgraded, but there's enough here to form a foundation from which success can be built.

We know Rome wasn't built in a day, and you did inherit a 2-14 mess. We know that. Yet the same old platitudes do nothing for us. They're grating. They don't show anywhere near the frustration that we're feeling. The frustration you should be feeling. Shake things up, for crying out loud. You know who's not performing. If you don't, go ahead and search BRB, DGDB&D, Houston Diehards, Stephanie Stradley, and/or any other Texans message board or fan site for the following phrases:

"Anthony Weaver"
"Travis Johnson"
"Jacques Reeves"
"Petey Faggins"

You could add Morlon Greenwood to that list, but an injury has made him a non-issue for now. I'd love nothing more than to add any Houston safety to the list as well, but I think the Wilson-Ferguson tandem may be the best option in a bad lot right now.

Play Frank Okam. Play Antwaun Molden. Play Tim Bulman. Play Earl Cochran. Play Fred Bennett (who looked like arse yesterday, but remains a youngster with promise). Keep Xavier Adibi out there, even if Greenwood gets healthy. None of those guys may prove to be the answer at their respective positions. Maybe one of them will, though. Maybe two. Maybe all of them. Try 'em and see. You are a 3-7 football team. Find out which areas need to be targeted with the greatest intensity in the draft (and to a lesser extent, free agency). You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Do it.

Limited chestnuts from the latest loss to Peyton Manning & Co.:

1. See what happens when Steve Slaton gets the ball? As good as he was (and he was awesome), kudos to the OL for run-blocking at the highest level we've seen all year. They were dynamite.

2. Special props to Ahman Green. That second TD was due to a tremendous second effort. I fully expected him to tear an ACL celebrating.

3. If Duane Brown can't figure out how to stop speed rushers off the end, we are in deep trouble. Alex Gibbs, you're our only hope.

4. I get that the plan was to keep Peyton Manning off the field by running the ball. That's a good plan. But something's still wrong when Owen Daniels only has one catch and Andre Johnson only has five (5); I don't think the latter even got a pass thrown his way in the second or third quarters. You have to figure out a way to get the ball into the hands of your playmakers.

5. As echoed by Matt here, there wasn't a single Texans fan whose surname is not "Rosenfels" who did not call that game-ending interception well before it happened. I couldn't even muster any anger about it. Just bleak resignation. Crippler of my soul, thy name is Sage.

6. Super Mario didn't register a sack, but he was thisfreakingclose to sacking Peyton on at least a half-dozen plays that I saw. Yes, Peyton Manning is that good, though you have to give Richard Smith credit for totally disregarding a blatant mismatch.

7. It's 10:17 p.m., and Richard Smith is still gainfully employed as the defensive coordinator of your Houston Texans. What he did in a previous life to deserve this kind of invincibility, I'll never know.

8. The secondary still drains me of my will to live. Nothing new there.

9. What is new, however, is The X-Factor. I've made no bones about the man-crush I have on Adibi; I feel like a proud father right now. Or I would. If I had kids, and one of them was Xavier Adibi. I'm getting light-headed.

10. Another Texans loss, another case of questionable timeout management by the coaching staff. Really would've been nice to have one or two extra timeouts on that last drive, huh? Especially when one of them was burned due to having thirteen (13!) players on the field and therefore avoidable under every circumstance? Oh, Richard Smith...you are evil. What dark force injected you into this earthly plane?

11. Fake Game Balls: Offense--Steve Slaton; Defense--Xavier Adibi; Special Teams--Kris Brown.

Your Houston Texans travel to the Dawg Pound on Sunday. Yup, it's a road game. Yup, we're dead in the water.

Post-Game Breakdown: The Texans Are What We Were Afraid They Were

Tim — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:07:11 -0000

Which is to say, your Houston Texans feature an offense that can consistently score on average to below-average opposition and a defense that cannot consistently stop anyone. Truthfully, the outcome of yesterday's game was reasonably predictable if you weren't wearing battle red glasses and sniffing glue. The Ravens boast a very stout defense, so expecting the man who managed to lose a football game in a fashion none of us would ever again witness if each of us were to live another dozen lifetimes was the height of stupidity. I was and am an idiot. Moreover, expecting a defense that features (1) the worst secondary I've ever seen in the NFL and (2) a defensive coordinator whose head has been called for by even the most patient fan for months to stop anyone, even a team featuring a rookie QB, should be proof positive that I am completely incapable of rational thought.

I'm sick of feeling like this. I'm sick of going to bed irritated on Sunday night. I'm tired of complaining. Most of all, I'm tired of writing about a team that has won thirty-five (35) times in one hundred five (105) games. Rooting for the Texans has become far more of a chore than it should be. The brief flashes of joy drown in the seemingly endless swamp of defeat. Each week brings with it a sense of dread that turns into full-blown depression 67% of the time.

The most galling part, I think, is that there doesn't seem to be any real accountability. If you or I performed at our respective jobs like nearly every Texan player and/or coach does, we'd be fired. Probably not after the first mistake. Probably not even after the second mistake, and perhaps not even the third. But if you successfully completed a task seventeen (17) times out of forty-one (41) opportunities, wouldn't your employer be totally justified in finding someone else to do the job? Wouldn't you question your employer's sanity and/or business savvy if another employee got the job done less than half the time yet was permitted to continue working there without repercussion?

That's not to say that I think Kubes should be canned. I haven't reached that point, though I'm astounded at how the same problems (clock management, challenge calls, odd playcalling, etc.) seem to crop up week after week. At the very least, I'd think even the most devoted Texan fan would have to have some doubt as to whether Kubes is the guy to take this organization to the Super Bowl. The clock hasn't struck midnight for Kubes, but it is ticking.

Richard Smith, on the other hand? I invite anyone to argue why he shouldn't be relieved of his duties. Really...I want to read a defense of his administration and/or strategy. I would like nothing more than to believe that this team doesn't need any coaching changes. Changing coaches at any time is a disruption to some degree, and I'd love to avoid that distraction if possible. Unfortunately, I think we're far past that point and have been past it for several months.

Wow...this PGB really veered off course, didn't it? And it's getting late, so let's hurry through ten (10) quick takes:

1. The best way to sum up Sage's four (4) INT afternoon is this: Sage Rosenfels performed poorly enough to elicit the very real question of whether a dude signed off the street less than a week ago would be an upgrade at QB. Neato.

2. Fifteen (15) designed running plays. Offensive balance is overrated!

3. I'm not a professional football coach, so the notion of why a team would allow its turnover-prone second-string QB to throw on first down at the opponent's one yard line when trailing 7-0 at home in the first quarter is beyond my comprehension.

4. Someone needs to explain when to signal a fair catch and when to let the ball bounce into the end zone for a touchback to Jacoby Jones.

5. It's pretty sad that Duane Brown can give up a safety on a holding penalty in the end zone and I'm still amazed that he didn't get abused more frequently and/or worse than he did.

6. Morlon Greenwood's pass interference penalty in the end zone made me remember Petey Faggins' unbelievable double-penalty on the same play against Atlanta last year. It was that terrible.

7. Every week, it seems like Earl Cochran makes a new and persuasive case for why he should be starting. Yet every week, Anthony Weaver starts at DE. Please tell me why, Lord.

8. Another thing you'll probably never see: A penalty from the punter on a safety kick. Thanks for making us a part of history, Matt Turk.

9. Need a play to summarize the plight of the Houston secondary? Look no further than Eugene Wilson's no-show on Baltimore's first TD. Simply an excellent microcosm for your Houston Texans secondary's play this year.

10. Off to Indianapolis on Sunday. Sneak peek at the next edition of "Three And Out": I'm picking the Colts.

Post-Game Breakdown: Livin' On The Road, My Friend...Sucks

Tim — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 05:18:03 -0000

Better late than never, right? As Baltimore is fast ahead, let's put the latest road loss in the rearview mirror as quickly as possible...

1. The most maddening thing I think I've read all season, courtesy of Jacques "I Make Petey Faggins Look Good" Reeves:

"That’s what I want," Reeves said about quarterbacks trying to pick on him. "It gives me a chance to make plays, so I have no problem with it."

You have got to be kidding me. News flash, Pepe Le Pew: You're awful. Every Sunday, you make me want to go on a killing spree. You make Petey Faggins, widely considered to be the worst defensive back in all of football, look like Deion Sanders. I hate you, Frenchy. The reason teams throw at you is precisely because you do not make plays (Sunday's fluke pick-six aside). They're going to throw at you regardless, so the least you could do is not encourage them to do so. It's akin to dousing yourself in gasoline and then dancing around a campfire. I want to scream right now.

2. There are lots of reasons to think Richard Smith is an incompetent boob. The refusal to blitz. The insistence on playing defensive linemen who are nowhere near as productive as the younger guys below them on the depth chart. The inability to maximize the skills of his personnel. These are all good reasons. But in my opinion, there is no bigger reason to want Smith's head on a platter than his cornerback rotation. I'm willing to be lenient about his use of Dunta Robinson; Dunta's still rounding into shape after a horrific injury and is shaking the rust off (e.g., getting beat for a TD by Sidney Rice). No such benefit of the doubt, however, when it comes to Richard Smith's bizarre use of Fred Bennett and absolute refusal to incorporate Antwaun Molden into the rotation. Bennett was a revelation last year; now he can't even get consistent snaps in front of Jacques Reeves and/or Petey Faggins? I'll make this perfectly clear: I would rather see Fred Bennett wearing his helmet backwards and lined up across from Jerry Rice than be subjected to another second of Reeves or Faggins. Simply put, there's no way Bennett is worse than either of those guys. It's not possible. I have no idea if Molden is an answer at CB, but give me the potential that he is over the known quantity that is the poisonous non-coverage skills of the incumbents any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Again, I want to scream.

3. Hey, Dick Smith: Tim Bulman and Earl Cochran each notched a sack. In light of that success, as well as the fact that they've clearly outplayed the guys ahead of them all season, any chance Bulman and Cochran supplant Travis Johnson and The Corpse Formerly Known As Anthony Weaver as the starters? Or even take snaps away from them? Of course not.

6. I think DeMeco's ankle is really messed up. He's spoiled us since his rookie year, so it blows to have to see him look less than the stellar Pro Bowler we're used to.

7. The last memory I'll have of Zac Diles this season is him biting on that fake and allowing Visanthe Shiancoe to score the winning TD for the Vikings. I hate that.

8. If Owen Daniels isn't in Honolulu in February, there should be an investigation. 11 catches for 133 yards? Tight ends don't put up those kind of numbers.

9. The Vikes neutralized Andre Johnson as well as a team not named the Texans can do it. As opposed to years past, the nice thing is that the Texans have enough other weapons that the offense doesn't completely grind to a halt if 'Dre has a quieter game. The offense may not be as explosive without 'Dre hovering around 100 receiving yards, but guys like OD, K-Dub, and Steve Slaton still give the QB options. That's a treat.

10. Duane Brown and Ephraim Salaam should be ashamed of themselves. I know Jared Allen's a stud and all, but they were outclassed the entire game. As I noted here, one play of Salaam getting pancaked really sticks out in my mind. The fact that Brown has to face another 3-4 defense on Sunday (remember what James Harrison and Joey Porter did to ol' Duane) should have Sage increasing his life insurance policy.

11. Staying on Sage...that pick into double coverage (in the end zone, no less) that effectively ended the game was atrocious. Communication issues aside, there was no excuse for that throw. The worst part about it? Tell me you didn't see it coming. You're lying.

12. The Texans' defense is far too crappy for the offense to be able to turn the ball over at all, much less inside the red zone. It's a chronic problem that doesn't seem to get better at all, and I don't know why. Is it simply execution by the players? Is it coaching? What's the deal?

13. Matt Schaub shouldn't have been out there after he started limping, though I appreciate his toughness. His INT on the wounded duck to Vonta Leach looked to be the result of his inability to put his whole body into the throw. No player ever wants to come out, so that's on Kubes.

14. What's not on Kubes, however, is Schaub's fumbling. It's also a problem that's not going away.

15. Thought the interior of the Houston OL did a very admirable job against the one ton of push that is the Williams Wall. That was unexpected.

16. I'm tired and now much angrier than when I started writing this, so I'm wrapping this up. Fake Game Balls: Offense--Owen Daniels; Defense--Zac Diles; Special Teams--Kris Brown (by default).

Sunday brings the Ike'd out game against Baltimore, and your Houston Texans will be without their starting QB and leading tackler. The only way this could be any more ominous is if it was on the road.

Post-Game Breakdown: One Of These Days, The Texans Will Put Together A Complete Effort

Tim — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:34:02 -0000

Final numbers from the victory over Detroit are here. I suppose I'd have to say that Sunday's win was better than the previous week's win, primarily because the offense looked simply unstoppable for a half against the Lions, while it was much more inconsistent throughout (cough...Schaub...cough) versus Miami. So that's a positive, I guess. On Sunday, after doing a reasonable impersonation of a pro-caliber defense in the first half (albeit one that had the fortune to face an offense led by Dan Orlovsky), Richard Smith's gang (especially the secondary) reverted to its typically awful ways in Half Two. What I want to know is this: When are we going to see a complete, thorough effort from your Houston Texans? Is it too much to ask? Is the defense even capable of providing that kind of performance? Why do I feel like these are rhetorical questions?

Lest I sound like I'm complaining too much, let me make clear that I'm ecstatic about a second win. Winning streaks for our beloved franchise are about as rare as quiet nights at home are for Pacman. I'm not turning my nose up at winning two in a row. The fact remains, however, that you're not going to beat many teams playing like the Texans did in the second half last Sunday. Good teams can afford the occasional lapse like that; struggling teams looking to put something together cannot. To the specifics:

1. I'm starting with the OL this week, and with good reason. Every week, I see the run-blocking improve. At this rate, the Texans are going to have a, dare I say, dominant running game by season's end. The pass-blocking was overwhelmingly good as well; the three (3) sacks surrendered looked to be more of the coverage variety than the smoked-off-the-snap vintage.

2. A bit confused as to the new Duane Brown-Ephraim Salaam rotation. It would have made a lot more sense at the beginning of the season. Now, it strikes me as odd, though there's no doubt that D. Brown has had trouble staying in front of the quicker DEs he's faced so far.

3. Tremendous bounceback game for The Schaub, one red zone fumble before the half aside (which proved to be costly from a momentum standpoint, as the offense stalled for much of the second half and generally looked a bit out of sync). Completing twenty-six (26) out of thirty-one (31) passes isn't something you see every day. Unless you're watching the Horns, of course. Again, I temper my enthusiasm with the caveat that it came at the expense of the Lions, but perhaps The Schaub Train is picking up steam after his dramatic game-winning scamper against the Fins?

4. Andre Johnson could catch the speed of light if he wanted to do so.

5. Owen Daniels finally got off the TD schneid in a big way. He's been so consistently good that I think I'm in danger of taking his excellence for granted.

6. In the Comments below, take a shot at listing all the current RB 1-2 punches in the NFL that you believe are better than Slaton-Green. Not better single RBs, mind you, but better RB tandems. I think you'll be amazed at how short the list is.

7. One more word on Slaton...he's already the second-best running back the franchise has ever had, and he's only six (6) games into his career. That's really exciting and terribly depressing at the same time.

8. If you weren't lucky enough to be at Sunday's game, check out this video someone taped of the defensive starter introductions. If you're pressed for time, fast forward to about 2:15 and watch Dunta's entrance; the team wisely introduced him even though he wasn't starting. I'm not ashamed to say I got a little choked up when I saw him jumping around after emerging from the tunnel. I don't know that we'll ever see anyone so happy to get back to work as Dunta was last Sunday.

9. Speaking of Dunta, he was most assuredly rusty; Mike Furrey had him beat far more often than not. It'll come, though. And it can't come soon enough, because...

10. Petey Faggins remembered he was Petey Faggins and played accordingly. The only, and I mean the ONLY, explanation for why Richard Smith would allow Petey to even get within five (5) yards of Calvin Johnson by himself is a botched lobotomy. It explains everything, really. Our defensive coordinator has been lobotomized and is scheming to reflect that. How else do you explan that Smith finally saw fit to call a couple of blitzes? You know he didn't do that willingly. The icepick did it. The icepick giveth (blitzing), and the icepick taketh away (assigning Petey Faggins to single-handedly hold C. Johnson).

11. Congratulations, Jacques Reeves. You were far from good, but your inadequacy was upstaged by Petey. Clever trick.

12. Will Demps looked really good in run support, though the concerns about the safety play in pass coverage remain.

13. The linebacking play, and specifically that of Zac Diles, seems to be improving each week. Shockingly, it really helps the pass rush when the linebackers are occasionally turned loose to pursue the QB, as evidenced by Diles' sack. Novel idea, I know, and I'm not even lobotomized.

14. Aside from a single long jaunt by Kevin Smith, the front seven did a fine job against the run.

15. Super Mario was held in check rather well by the DET OL; kudos to them. Unfortunately for the Lions, they forgot about BRB favorite Tim Bulman.

16. Speaking of Bulman, note that he notched his first sack mere days after granting us an interview. Coincidence? I think not. Amobi, you know where to find us.

17. Exactly what sort of compromising pictures does Anthony Weaver have that merit him getting snaps, much less starting? What else do Bulman and/or Earl Cochran have to do?

18. Kris Brown has not missed a field goal in nearly ten (10) months.

19. Matt Turk was as responsible for the Texans holding on to win as any single player, with assists by Apostrophe Davis and Antwaun Molden. Three (3) punts downed inside the five yard line? Are you kidding me?

20. Fake Game Balls: Offense--Owen Daniels; Defense--Zac Diles; Special Teams--Matt Turk.

One winless team in the rearview mirror, and another one dead ahead. Don't get complacent, though...Cincinnati has some weapons in the passing game, and they're completely capable of exploiting the horrendous secondary we know and hate begrudgingly tolerate. It won't be easy.