SB Nation User Blog: JMay

Keep Kubiak

JMay — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:24:28 -0000

Many people are calling for Kubiak's head, but let's remember where he brought us from:

2005: 30th in offense, 253. yards a game, the year before he was hired.
31st in defense, 364 yards given up a game
2008: 3rd in offense, 383 yards a game.
22nd in defense, 337 yards a game
2009: 8th in offense, 372 yards a game (before today)
17th in defense, 334 yards a game

Now, for those of you who thought we should be a playoff contender last year, you are delusional. The Texans had a long way to go and when they drafted Amobi Okoye, they admitted that. They still needed three years at that point. This is the third year and we could have expected at least a playoff drive this year. We made it to the twelfth week, which isn't good enough, I admit. But the season has had a lot of close, heart wrenching losses. Many people say that's on the coach. But Kubiak didn't fumble on the one. Kubiak didn't miss two kicks that could have sent us into overtime. That's not on the coach. The mistakes we've made and the inconsistency comes with the territory of a young team (the previous said mess ups being veterans not withstanding). In fact, we have the youngest starting line up in the NFL. BY FAR

My biggest point is that building a winning team, when you start with nothing, takes patience. Despite what you might think, the Texans are building something. Progressing. Canning Kubiak would set us back at least three years. Building a new system, getting players that fit that system, etc. A new coach would find out what Kubiak and Texans fans have come to realize: we are a young team without depth (see injuries to mediocre players costing us because we then turn to inferior players, ie Busing). With expectations that come before realism.

Here's my charge and my claim: give Kubiak one more season.

If you don't, we MIGHT make the playoffs next year. But we won't have a winning foundation. And we won't make it the next year. So, one playoff trip in two years and ensuing mediocrity, or perpetual mediocrity might be a better description.

If you do keep Kubiak, I see playoffs in at least 4 out of the next 5 years.

If he doesn't make it next year, can his ass.

JMay

BESF Halloween

JMay — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:37:10 -0000

For Halloween, my girlfriend Elizabeth and I went to a theme party. While theme parties are usually as lame as NFL announcing, this one was pretty damn good: go as your favorite alcoholic drink. So, Elizabeth went as a Vodka Collins. I already had my costume, so ignored the drink theme, but I think Kenny Powers fit in every bit as well as he would have in Methopatamia.

Let's go fuck the Tits up with some truth!

Awesome Texans Cornerbacks

JMay — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:32:19 -0000

Depressing article by Solomon:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/6696037.html

If I woulda told you that 7 games into the season, Brian Cushing would have more interceptions than all of our cornerbacks combined, would you have:

A) Thought it a joke and laughed me off the site.

B) Cried.

C) Started contemplating next year's top ten draft pick.

D) Told Rick Smith he should've paid Dunta more than 23 mil guaranteed?

Note 1: I didn't include drinking massive amounts of alcohol as I assumed that was included in all four of the above.

Note 2: Would the fact that the Texans lead the league in fumbles recovered have kept you off the ledge.? Or again, would you have laughed me off the site at the thought? Especially when I told you that Cushing was also the biggest factor in that stat?

Bitch, Bitch, Bitch

JMay — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:21:41 -0000

It's a win. Sure it's the Raiders, but it's a win. Quit yer bitchin' commenters.

www www www www www ww ww www www www www www www www www www www www www wwww wwww www www www www www www www www www www www www www www www www www www www www www www www www www www

The offense was running the clock out in the second half. Settle down. No, it's not a testament to how we've turned things around because it's the Raiders, but our offense is not our worry. Quit yer bitchin'.

Eric Winston on the defense/draft

JMay — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:35:11 -0000

If you haven't checked out Winston's website (ericwinston73.com), it's worth a look. Nothing grounbreaking yet but he's pretty honest and not just spittin' out athlete cliches.

First, he tells a story about shotgunning beers for every Olineman taken above him in the 06 draft.

Also, he chimed in on Cushing and how it will affect our defense:

"From Bush's comments, it looks like we will run more "under" defense than we have in the past. That looks like a nose to the strong side, a 5 technique and a Sam on the line of scrimmage. The reason I think this is because Bush made reference to Cushing excelling at jamming TEs at the LOS."

Seeing a lot of this would lessen the concerns of Cushing's coverage ability or being a two down backer for sure. Mario, Amobe, Smith, Barwin, Cushing. Hmmm. I like.

Draft Randoms

JMay — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:41:52 -0000

--ESPN averaged grades from 9 sources and the Texans were 8th in the league, 1st in the division with just over a B (3.11). Barwin, Caldwell, and Casey the consensus favorites. Cushing seems to be solidly liked.

--Cushing also was a really good baseball player growing up (better than football his dad said). Now, I know you don't have to be a stud athlete to play baseball, but maybe the "manufactured athlete" knock is simply because he is huge and not necessarily because of natural athleticsm.

--Cushing Part II: though I was slightly in favor of Matthews (if had to choose between the two), wouldn't he have provided more of the same as we have--a guy all over the field who doesn't necessarily lay the wood? It's nice to have someone hit can be an intimidator in there because that's sorely missing in the run game. And he hammers QBs based on highlights.

--Glover Quin: 40 3/4" vertical and squats 500?!!!

--James Casey is nicknamed Thor. That's pretty bad ass and should be fun to yell.

Three 2nd Rounders Please

JMay — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:48:32 -0000

The more I look at it, the players who fill our needs AND are likely to have good value are all in the second and third rounds. Barring Jenkins falling to us, I'm thinking more and more that I don't just want to trade down flipping 1 and 2s but trade all the way down in the first, picking up an extra 2 or even to early in the second to pick up that extra 2 if necessary (or enough extra picks to package to trade up into the second again) (obviously need takers. But this is my dream, not yours).

Then I'd look at taking three out of these positions. I'll leave the specifics on which players to the Texans who have proven trustworthy, but again it really seems like the value is to be had here.

NT Ron Brace I guess would be the only one I'd really like to see. LZ says Hood questionable against the run and run defense is what I want addressed here. I'm buying the theory that says our poor pass rush is in a good deal caused by lots of 2nd and 5s and 3rd and 2s.

C Just like our DL, our OL suffers in the middle. Everyone knows this is where you win tight games and they are our weakest spots. Hmmmm . . . Three top centers of great value in the second, would really like to see one of them taken in any scenario. Wood, Unger, Mack

Safety Either SS/FS (In fact, I wouldn't be too upset if they took both in this scenario). I don't get those that say we are fine at FS but also say we need a linebacker because diles or adibi aren't up to it. They are both at least as good as Wilson was but have more upside. Injury concerns, sure, but that means we need depth not a stud. Smith, Delmas, Moore, Chung, etc, etc.

OLB Even with the above stated, I'm not saying if best available value was here, we couldn't use one. Laurinaitis (in the trade late in irst scenario) is intriguing. We had him visit. LZ (I think, may have been someone else) mentions somewhere we would look at him at a Will. This strikes me as a textbook Smithiak move, going with someone not on everyone's radar (for them). Also, Sintim.

Conspicous by their absence:

DE -- Specialist one down player doesn't warrant a pick this high when we have the three down holes above.

RB -- Ditto the above with a RB looking at 7-10 carries.

Both of these can be found in 4/5.

So go get me a 2nd round DT, C, and S. Or at least three second round picks.

BJ Raji tests positive

JMay — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:16:58 -0000

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/04/02/raji/index.html

Most likely for pot since he has a history. This doesn't drop him to 15, but does it drop him to 10-12, where we might actually look into trading up? I'd give up an extra fourth in a heartbeat. Maybe a third.

The more and more I read and reflect, such a big aspect of our weak pash rush is not getting into pass rushing situations. How many times did we see second and five, 3rd and 1; second and 6, third and two type drives against us? Plug up the gaping hole in the middle and you automatically have more pass rushing opportunities and thus more success.