Gary Kubiak scripts the first 15 plays of the game.  Assuming the punts and extra points are not scripted, we had 29 plays in the first half against the Vikes, our starters v. their starters.

The Script generated plays gaining yards of:

1+4+0+0+7+9+0+2+7+3+6+0+0+6+0 for a total of 45 yards including a pick.

Plays after the script (14):

9+7+0+5+11+7+5+1+15+7+4+20+16+1 for a total of 108 including a touchdown and all of our points.

I like the script in the pre-season.  I think the agenda needs to be completed, and all of the boxes checked.  Take emotion out of the coaching side of play calling during the pre-season in favor of getting the team ready for the season.  The game doesn't count.

But when the season starts, looking at the results before and after the scripted plays, I think we're digging ourselves a hole by blindly following the script instead of calling plays based on what's happening on the field.  This is only a one pre-season game sample, and I don't get paid enough to run a larger sample base, but I got the impression last night that the play calls were smarter on the drives after the script was completed.

Going into the draft, Rick Smith positioned us well to draft for talent, not for need.  He said as much both before and after the draft, and I believe thats just how he drafted.  The back to back TE's say it all.

What they (Casey and Hill) also do is send a message to OD.  Quin, McCain, and Nolan also send a message to DRob.  The message is: This is a team.  No one player can hold us hostage.  DRob is attempting that now, and I believe the situation is handled.  If he doesn't show up, we're covered. I would not respond to DRob at all now.

OD has not, and hopefully will not, take the road that DRob is taking now.  But this pick gives the team leverage to try to take care of OD and pay him accordingly without being forced into a losing contract.

I've heard you draft for next year's needs, and thats one of the reasons the back to back TE's is tenable.

The two big things that stick out to me now are: TJ and RB2. 

TJ is still starting, with no hope in sight.  I guess Okam is hope.  But, most likely, TJ is starting DT on day one.  At least now he's a two down guy.

We need a cap casualty for our Slaton backup, or one of our UFA's to prove everyone wrong.  Its not impossible, but I would like our chances more if the FO liked a guy this weekend and took him, vice signing the leftovers.  We don't know if they are happy or extremely disappointed with their RB situation right now.  I think we're in trouble, personally.  I think we need a quality backup to spell Stevie.

We are in a position to win 9 or 10 games this year.  I think our defense is solidified, and I think Bush is gonna bring some pressure, which will help our backfield and get us some turnovers.  But RB scares me if Slaton stubs a toe.

Well, not really.  But that's what I get from this interview.

For me, what stood out were his extreme lack of anything good to say about TJ.  He says he "tries hard."  But the rest is just excuses for his lack of production.

Big Frank gets some love, and could have Kollar's eye for TJ's replacement, hopefully.  Sounds like Smith will replace TJ on passing downs, which begs the early draft DE.

This is a perfect situation for us to take Ayers or Johnson at 15.  He won't have to play on running downs, and he should draw few linemen with Smith coming up the middle and Mario drawing the double team on the right.

I just hope Kollar has some stunts workin', or something other than four dudes running straight ahead hoping for a sack.

Here's an argument in favor of it.

I tend to agree, Kubiak is good for the Texans. He did a lot for this team both after the 0-4 start and at the 3-7 mark.  The problem most people have is how/why did we get to the 0-4 point to begin with.  Ike was a big deal, and I don't think it can be overstated.  And as to the 3-7 mark, its a 3-3 record removing the 0-4 start.

Looking toward a less eventful 2009 and beyond, I think he'll do a lot with a little on offense, which is good. 

The defensive side of the ball troubles me.  His mentor didn't focus on defense, and apparently he's following right in the footsteps of Papa Shan.  I understand he's involved in the offense, and that's where he's focused, but can we get a decent DC and a couple key players on that side of the ball and turn this defense around?

Just like the suggestion I saw in the game-day threads about just onside kicking  every kickoff, since we're gonna let them run down the field at will anyway.  How about we blitz on every down, and move Frenchy to free safety?  This way he can at least LOOK in the right place (the ball), so we're half way to a decent player (if he just uses his arms we'd be all set).

I just watched the season ending press conference by the HC, and there were a couple big points.

1. Non-committal on RS, he said he evaluated players today.  Tonight he has a meeting with McNair, and tomorrow he evaluates the coaching staff.  Maybe new year, new DC? 

Also Gibbs is so old he needs a couple months off.  He's worn out, and he'll evaluate if he wants to come back in mid-February.

2. Kyle called the game yesterday... for the first time all year.  He has called plays, but this was his first NFL game he called from start to finish.  So all praise for Kyle should be withheld until next year (gasp) as this season's stellar offense can only be attributed to Kubiak and Gibbs.

It seems like we are a very inconsistent team.  Or a very consistent team.  We maintain streaks, which is my only case for consistency. 

We are third in the nfl in lowest score margin for the season.  My theory is this is a result of Kubiak's conservative nature.  This is a very good quality, but could lead to a very high fanbase turnover ratio due to cardiac arrest.

We keep games close.  Winning or losing, we keep it close.  We don't have the killer instinct, but we don't get 3 scores down in the 4th quarter very often either. 

At a lower level, our offense reflects this nature as well.  We do very well between the 20's.  Conservative, high percentage play calls.  Great execution.  Problem is, we don't score much from outside the 20 much (conservative doesn't lend itself to big plays) so when we set up with the defense having to cover a smaller area, we throw shorter, conservative passes, and end up with a lot of short field goals.  I may be biased, since I watch us every game, but it seems like we throw to a receiver who is standing in the end zone to receive the ball less often than any team in the league.

Early in the season, the defense reflected this personality trait as well.  We were all screaming to blitz more.  A conservative approach says bend, don't break.  A blitz might break us.  We bent a lot, which makes our pass rush less effective, which makes our secondary less effective.  I think our defense suffers from the same ultra-conservatism that our offense does. 

We know Kubiak is conservative, and the offense and defense suffers nearly identically from this trait, so why did I say that was a good quality?

Look at Kubiak's three years. 6-10, 8-8, 7-7.  Doesn't that fit the mold of bend don't break, and ultra conservative? I think this is good because we won't have a Jags-like season where our gambler coach goes for 55 4th downs and we end up 3-13.  High risk sometimes comes with high reward, but I'd rather be "in it" every year than roll the dice at the beginning of each season. This is not to say I enjoy the mediocrity.  I want us to develop a killer instinct.  I just want to keep the conservatism that keeps us in the games, and learn to play with a lead.

Defense has proven to be the biggest detriment to this whole philosophy.  Hopefully the coaching staff understands this, and retains the "adjustments" that were made half way through this season.  If so, I am happy with the conservative nature as a whole.  I think its our ticket to 10-11 wins next year, and more consistency during the next 3-5 years.

I tend to make snap decisions.  I see something I like, I buy it.  I put some thought into big purchases, but once the decision is made, I go for it.

My emotions this season have been all over the map.  I would have started Rosey some weeks, fired RS after week 4, and ordered a blitz on every play just to make up for the first half of the season, among other things.

If I was a rational observer and not a fan, however, I actually think this team is having a good season.  Not a good week 1-4, not a good game against Indy, but a good season. 

To defend this, take Jacksonville as an example.  Their season is done.  They have also stopped competing.  I have heard the argument that quitting would improve your draft.  I would have a hard time getting behind a team that felt this way.  I think our 2005 team quit for the last few weeks.  I went to the BE-SF game in Nashvegas that year, and they looked like they were playing to lose.  Finishing strong doesn't help THIS season, but it helps every player on the team prepare for NEXT season.

I don't want to follow a quitter, and I don't want Kubiak instilling a who-cares attitude in the players we'll have around next year.

I think a lot of our passing stats that carry us into the top 10 in the league are because of this attitude.  I heard early on that we get a lot of trash touchdowns.  I think that demonstrates from Kubiak on down to the players that this team never quits.  The other team quits, plays 3rd stringers, probably a good decision.  But our first stringers are out there fighting for every score for 60 mins every week, playoffs or not.

It makes me proud to be a Texan fan. 

*I still reserve the right to bitch on a weekly basis.

and why it should trouble us.

Rick Smith was named to the NFL's competition committee, according the to the Chron. One of the co-chairs of said committee is Jeff Fisher.  Putting on my paranoia hat, I have to wonder if Jeff is trying to distract our draft guru for the next few seasons.

I'm sure it won't detract from his primary job, and I hope I'm overreacting, but I want our GM focused on one thing--our personnel, present and future. 

Besides, does our GM have intimate knowledge about the fairness of the game?  I would rather he study tape on more players from all levels, including our own, than spend one day worrying about how the ref's should handle a "tuck" by a QB.

But we're 1 game out of the wildcard hunt.

Our playoffs don't really start now, but we are potentially in control of our own destiny.

We have 0-7 Cincy next, so we should knock off a few of those (9) who are one game ahead or tied.  The flipside of that is only 2 teams are worse, and can't say the same thing. So that puts us 3-4, nearly halfway through the season.

Look at our November schedule, and look at the last two weeks of the year.  Possibly 6-7 wins there. 1/3 in the first three weeks of December, and we win 9.  Is that possible?

Even if 9 wins is a stretch, looking at the standings, 8 may do it this year.  Problem is, we're 0-3 in the division... AGAIN.  That needs to be a focus during the offseason. Just like turnovers was the focus this offseason. How's that workin' out for us?

I'm optimistic, but I really would have liked an easy game this week against an obviously inferior team.  We lack the knockout punch, obviously, but I hope we're holding back that loser attitude that permeated into the first 4 weeks, especially weeks 3 and 4.

So let's not look past Cincy, we can't lose to them.  Lets just go through our reps, get a good lead at the half, then shut it down.  Knowing that you're primed for an upset never works, so lets reverse the psychology and just say they don't belong on the field with us, even if it's their field.

The only not terrible news today

The titans beat the jags. The colts are not dominant.

The division is up for grabs. This could still be our year.

We don't belong on the same field as the Steelers, obviously, but the jury is still out on how we compete with the lower to mid-echelon teams, of which 10-12 are on our schedule.

I think our defensive play calling was slightly better than our offensive play calling.  That either says a lot, or doesn't, and it really doesn't matter when you lose so badly.  Big fumble/recovery/return and we run two vanilla runs??  

Hopefully the players hold their heads high and erase this from their memory quickly, and the co-ordinators do some deep soul searching this week.

So What Does The Division Look Like Now?