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That's right! While we are all pondering tie-breakers, arguing about Coach Kubiak's future with the Texans, or taking a trip with Dicky Justice to the strawberry fields forever; the Houston Texans are preparing to play their first playoff game, EVER! Think about it. A road game at Miami to play another playoff contender, the Miami Dolphins. To stay in the hunt, the Texans have to win. This game is SUDDEN DEATH, folks! The Texans lose and they are out of the playoffs. They have to beat a playoff team to stay in contention. THIS IS THE PLAYOFFS! They win and it doesn't get any easier. They win, they advance to the next meaningful game...a game against the most successful team of this decade, the AFC East Division Champion New England Patriots. If they don't beat the Pats, the Texans are eliminated; SUDDEN DEATH, again! What more can we ask for! This is it! This is it!

THIS IS THE PLAYOFFS! LET'S SEE HOW THIS TEAM RESPONDS!!!!!!!! aaa-aahhh-AAAHHH-AHHHHH!!!!!

We all know the Texans are going to beat the Rams this Sunday. That is a given, isn't it? We only have to ask ourselves, "How many points will the Texans win by?"  The Texans need to win, otherwise all hope is lost for a playoff berth. They are the superior team. They are the healthier team. The Rams have been decimated by injuries. Does anyone even know who Keith Null is? He is the QB who took every first team snap for the Rams in their Wednesday practice. C'mon! Let's rack up the win and then concentrate on sending bad vibes in the direction of the Ravens, Broncos, Jets, Dolphins, Steelers, Jags, and Titans.

Not too soon to speculate, is it? Mike Shanahan is reportedly talking to the the Redskins about taking over that team as head coach. This raises the question that we have all been asking ourselves for some time now here on BRB: "If Mike Shanahan takes another NFL head coaching position, will son and Texans' Offensive Coordinator, Kyle Shanahan follow? Yes, it is all speculation but there are some potential serious implications to what is going on here in Houston. For one, Gary Kubiak is under pressure to deliver the Texans their first winning season. Whether Shanny Jr leaves now, later or never, it could at the very least pose a distraction to this team. If he leaves now, I guess Coach Kubiak will just take over the OC position himself through the end of the season. But, he is trying to do more than win out this season. Wouldn't losing Shanny Jr be a blow to Kubiak's future or will he just go out and find another friend or hire up an existing coach who can take over the OC position and keep the machine rolling?

Everyone is welcome. Anyone interested in showing off your NCAA bowl picking expertise, join this NCAA Bowl Pickem on yahoo fantasy sports:

To get started, go here to register:  http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/bowl/register/joingroup

Group ID# 37229

Password: brbfans

First game kickoff is December 19, so get in and make your picks soon! No entry fee is required. First prize is bragging rights only. Good luck to all of you! Get in and have fun!

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Ha! What do you know? I called all the games correctly this past weekend and you know what that means, right? The Texans are on the Yellow Brick Road to the playoffs, bay-bay!!!! Do you feel it, folks? The Texans moved one step further from getting a Fruitcake this holiday and one step closer to their ultimate goal! I am no soothsayer… just laying out the roadmap that the Texans need to follow to get past the pitfalls along the way to the Emerald City...to their final destination, the NFL Playoffs! And, it’s one step at a time; one W for the good guys and enough L’s for the bad guys. Keep your plans open for the first week of the playoffs. Anything is still possible!

Last Week                        Now                           Final Week

Denver Broncos                   8-4                               8-5                               8-8

Jacksonville Jaguars            7-5                               7-6                               8-8

NY Jets                               6-6                               7-6                               8-8

Miami Dolphins                   6-6                               7-6                               8-8

Baltimore Ravens                 6-6                               7-6                               8-8

Pittsburgh Steelers               6-6                               6-7                               8-8

Tennessee Titans                  5-7                               6-7                               8-8

Houston Texans                     5-7                               6-7                               9-7

Denver Broncos – I said they needed to lose all of their remaining games.  The Broncos are cooperating so far.  They lost the first one against Indy. Next week they face division rival Oakland and we can only hope that the Raiders can pull the upset at Denver. The Broncos are who we thought they would be…even with Brandon Marshal snagging 21 catches in a losing cause….just setting the bar higher for AJ, is all.

Jacksonville Jaguars – I called this one. Miami went to Jacksonville and played well, holding MJD in check for most of the game and getting the W. This week, the Jags host Indy at Jacksonville on Thursday, as Indy looks to extend their unbeaten record to 14 games this season. I’m calling Indy in this one. The Jags are on schedule for loss number two.

NY Jets – The Jets won at Tampa Bay as I called it. Next week they host Atlanta and I have called for the Jets to win this one, too, as they build up hope in their fanbase and set them up for the big collapse in their last two games against Indy and Cincy…so far, so good.

Miami Dolphins – They won, beating the Jags and helping the Texans along the way. But as we know, it’s tough to win two consecutive games against AFC South Division foes. This week, the Phins face the Titans and I am calling for Bud Adams to give us an early gift and pinning an L on the Phins. In return, Bud gets the ultimate fruitcake in the shape of a "Bud-bird" as a show of thanks!

Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens took care of business against the Lions, as predicted. Now, it’s on to the Chicago Bears and Lovie Smith, another coach fighting for his job. This is an upset pick, but I think the Bears are capable of pulling off the upset in the Ravens' home building. The Bears have to dig down deep and Lovie might have to steal a page out of Kubiak's book and deliver an inspirational speech to his troops. Go Bears!

Pittsburgh Steelers – They had already lost their Thursday night game in Cleveland by the time I threw together my previous playoff ditty. We need the Steelers to help the Texans by putting L’s on the Ravens and Dolphins in their last two games, but they need to lose once more, so this is it. A home loss to Green Bay; a team that is used to sub-zero temps and snowflakes flying; is what needs to happen. Coming in at 9-4, the Packers look capable!

Tennessee Titans – The Titans tuned up on St Louis as expected. This week, the Texans are looking for Bud Adams to lend a helping hand and dole out a victory over the Dolphins. I will personally throw a fruitcake "bird" Bud’s way if the Titans can pull this one out for us!

The Texans did what they had to do and they did it in splendid fashion! The defense rose to the occasion and turned in their most complete game of the decade, IMO. This week, the Texans are on the road to St Louis to take on the team that was softened up last week by the Titans. Thanks again, Bud! The Texans know what to do, and that is get a W!

Keep the faith, Houston Texans fans! The Yellow Brick Road goes through land surrounded by lions, tigers and bears,...Andre...scores!!!!

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How can the Texans get into the playoffs?

The Texans are 5-7 and the playoffs sound impossible. Let's all start with the premise that they need to win their remaining games against Seattle, St Louis, Miami and New England, making the Texans 9-7.

The teams they are trying to pass by are the Denver Broncos (8-4), Miami Dolphins (6-6), NY Jets (6-6), Baltimore Ravens (6-6), Pittsburgh Steelers (6-7), Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5), and Tennessee Titans (5-7).

Okay, so they need to finish ahead of all of those teams except one, but I am going to show you a way they can go by all of them. I am assuming that New England, Cincy and San Diego hold on to win their respective Divisions. Indy can’t be caught. Now, let’s look, shall we?

The Denver Broncos (8-4) can not help the Texans, except by losing all of their games and finishing 8-8, because they do not play any of the other wildcard contenders. They have remaining games against Indy, Oakland, Philly, and KC. If they lose all of the games and the Texans win out, the Texans will pass Denver for a wildcard spot. We all knew that the Broncos'  early season success was a fluke, didn't we? One win or loss any other way puts them into a tie and subject to the tie-breaking rules, which are too complicated, therefore we will dispense with them for the purpose of this demonstration. The Broncos finish 8-8.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5) have beaten the Texans twice, giving the Jags the edge in any tie-breaking scenario. The Jags have remaining games against Miami, Indy, New England and resurgent Cleveland. If the Texans win-out, the Jags need to lose three games to finish 8-8 for the Texans to get ahead in the wildcard race. Let’s give them loses to New England, Indy and Miami, but a win against Cleveland. This scenario hurts a little because it gives Miami a win, but I have another way of making up for that, which I hope you will approve of, as you will see a little later…. The Jags finish 8-8.

The NY Jets (6-6) is another team that has beaten the Texans heads-up, so it is important to top them record-wise. The Jets have remaining games against Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Indy, and Cincy.  Again, like the Broncos, the Jets cannot help the Texans except by losing, because they have no games against any wildcard contenders. So, the Jets need to go no better than 2-2 as the Texans win all their games. Losses to Indy and Cincy to end their season would be quite righteous, as their fanbase is getting used to that kind of letdown. We, here in Houston, prefer the mid-season roller-coaster kind of letdown. The Jets finish 8-8.

The Miami Dolphins (6-6) have a remaining game against the Texans, as well as games against Jacksonville, Tennessee and Pittsburgh; all wildcard contenders. The Dolphins need to lose two games while the Texans are winning out. I already counted the loss against the Texans and a win against the Jags. I’m giving them their second loss to the Titans! Why?  Because, we all know how much it would burn Bud Adams’ butt to know that he helped the Houston Texans get into the playoffs, is why!  Would there be a proper or improper way to thank him? A fruitcake in the shape of a "bird" comes to mind. Miami finishes 8-8.

The Baltimore Ravens (6-6) have remaining games against Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Oakland. The Ravens need to lose two as the Texans win out. I am thinking that the Lions and Raiders can't do it. I think we need to rely on Chicago and Pittsburgh somehow summoning up the ability to salvage their team pride and doing the Texans’ dirty work for them. Baltimore finishes 8-8.

The World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers (6-7) are going down faster than the Titanic. Five losses in a row is unprecedented. The Steelers just need to lose one more game while the Texans win out to get the Texans ahead in the final standings. They play Green Bay, Baltimore and Miami. I just gave them wins against the Ravens and Dolphins, so Green Bay, it has to be! Go Packers! The Steelers finish 8-8.

Lastly, the Tennessee Titans (5-7) are deadlocked with the Texans by league and head-to-head records.  The Titans have remaining games against St Louis, Miami, San Diego and Seattle and need to lose one of them. I already gave them a win over Miami, "Thanks Bud!" your fruitcake is on order! Is it a stretch to give them a loss to the Chargers or maybe even a loss to either St Louis or Seattle? Not if you are a true believer, it isn’t! The Titans finish 8-8.

So, there you have it folks! This Texans' season is not over (I have that FanPost already written and ready to go…) and there is still HOPE! I showed you that it is truly possible that this year’s Texans team can still be a playoff team, in fact the No. 1 Wildcard Team, and there is no reason to be thinking about next year’s draft or available free agents. There is still meaningful football to be played this season, and by the Texans! Fumbles, interceptions, misappropriated time-outs, bad red-flag challenges, penalty calls, wild-ass cut blocks, and missed field goals can still go our way! ...Not to mention, the above scenario will fry the NFL's computers while trying to calculate the second wildcard spot!

If it doesn't all happen as schemed, I will have an interesting fruitcake to share with all of you this holiday season….of course, I can always save it until next year!

I have brought this subject up in other blogposts and it seemed to get buried. I think it is a good subject and one that warrants some consideration and perhaps, implementation. That is QB audibles at the line of scrimmage. I have listened to Coach Kubiak address this on his Monday talk show. His current offensive strategy is that he doesn't allow Schaub to audible at the line of scrimmage. I believe it may be time for Kubiak to start to allow this. I believe Matt Schaub can do it. I believe it will benefit the offense. I believe it is where this offense needs to go in it's evolution.

A big part of my reasoning is based on the desire to watch the offense get better, and also because the players in this offense are smart enough to do it.

My best example of where it would be a good thing is the first play of the last game. I'm repeating myself here, but this is my interpretation of what happened. The play was a three-step drop quick out pass to a WR. The blocking scheme for the tackles was a quick one step and cut block, giving Schaub just the time he needs to get off that pass. The snafu came when the Jags CB's played up close on the Texans' WR's. So, what happened is, the WR's were not open when Schaub three-stepped back and he had to move up in the pocket to avoid the DE's who had sidestepped the cut blocks. The result was a game-changing injury to Schaub.

If Schaub had practiced and been given permission to audible out of a play, he would have been able to recognize the Jag's defensive scheme and audible out, calling another play. Now, I am not saying that this is a cure-all for whatever may cause injury to Matt Schaub. I am just saying, I see the possibilities of the benefits of putting a little more control in the offensive play-calling to the guy on the field who sees what is going on when it is happening. There are a lot of teams that do it and the Texans are not one of them. I think Matt Schaub is capable. I would like to see the Texans start to do this. I think Kubiak could go a long way towards getting some success on offense in certain situations and it would also be a move that could save his job.

And, I might add, there is a word called "trust" that I may have thrown around a bit and others may have also. Kubiak needs to get that "trust" factor in his key players.

I’m sure this won’t be a popular subject, but, this is a subject that the Texans, and GM Rick Smith, Owner Bob McNair and current Coach Kubiak will be seriously discussing at the end of this season…after the dust of another disappointing season has settled; and that is, how much is Defensive Team Captain DeMeco Ryans worth? I am of the opinion that his value has depreciated as the season has gone on. His play and his influence on the play of the defense as a whole have diminished.

Ryans has not been THE shining star on this underperforming Texans defense, as we would have expected. Rookie Brian Cushing has been that guy. But Ryans is the captain…,the leader…, and he is supposed to be the "coach-on-the-field"!  This was supposed to be the breakout year for the Texans’ defense, but his lack of leadership has let the team down. Heck, even his own individual play has not been near stellar. Pedestrian, is how I would term his play compared to how he has been built up by the media and the fans. It is time to be realistic. This is a contract negotiation year for Ryans, and while I am not saying that there is anyone on this team standing by ready to take his place as the captain of the defense; I am saying, he is no Patrick Willis, and I’m not talking about the superhero Patrick Willis.  I’m talking about the one who suits up in a Niners uniform every Sunday…Ryans’ counterpart playing for another team, Patrick Willis, who will be comparing contracts with The Captain.

Against Willis’ Niners team, Ryans allowed TE Vernon Davis to have his "welcome to the hall-of-fame" career day with over 100 yards receiving and three TD’s! Did anyone see that play against the Colts last weekend? The Colts are at the 5-yard line and Ryans was playing 5 yards in the end zone at the snap, backpedals as the receiver floats one yard deep into the end zone, and Manning, as surprised as anyone, delivered a lob to the wide open receiver, right in front of the stone statue of Ryans.

How about the now-famous defensive celebration involving half the defensive players on the field after the Dunta-hit, followed by the Colts quicksnap 30-yard pass on the next play as the DeMeco-led defense tried to get back into their formation. Ugh!

I expect more from all the Texans, but I especially expect more from "The Captain!" If there is one player on the field that has to share the blame for the 5-6 record, it is DeMeco Ryans. He better get his act together quickly, because the Jags with Maurice Jones-Drew and David Garrard are just the kind of team that will exploit the middle of the field.

The Jaw! That is what!

This is my picture-story about what is missing from the Texans prolonged march to respectability. I could talk about team discipline; the running game; clutch plays; fit-in or go somewhere else; hard-nosed hitting; hard-nosed blocking wide receivers; not quitting; knowing when and how to take your foot off the accelerator; knowing how to play the refs....

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette December 2007:

Chris Collinsworth - "He just wants to be like an ordinary guy, go somewhere and have a beer and have nobody ask about football."

There may be no way for him to do that, even if he retires to Raleigh, because he and that famous jaw are so well known now. But if that's how he truly feels, he won't coach much longer, at least not before taking a few years off.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06351/746728-66.stm#ixzz0YNEY7zLy

Could Bill Cowher  be ready in 2010? Can he possibly be interested in the Houston Texans? This is not Carolina, where he would want to be. But, this team, this owner and this situation presents in interesting opportunity for Coach Cowher. I am not Bob McNair and he is not reading this, but if I were him, I would be placing a call to the blue hills of Carolina for this guy, this week. It will take a pretty penny to entice Cowher down here over other opportunities. I think it will be money well spent.

Coaching.

Ryan Moats.

Clutch Kicking.

Containment of VY.

Coaching.

I blame this loss more on the coaching than ever before. The pieces are there and the coaches didn't use them right and made moves that befuddle me. I am depressed and I will come out of it, but right now, the coaches let me down. They didn't play to this teams strengths, when they needed it the most. They mismanaged time, as usual. I hate to be critical, but Kubiak continues to be the worst coach I have ever seen, on a consistent basis, totally mismananging the game-clock. Shame on you Coach Kubiak. He has the players who can execute and he totally blows it game after game. I can always go back after these losses and point at the coach for mismanaging the clock. That is his job and his job, only. Coach Kubiak has no game-sense when it comes to the clock.

UGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!