Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Am I supposed to be excited now?

Alright, let's get the Texans' stuff out of the way quickly. Sure, it was nice to get that 600 pound Colt off our back, but let's be honest here; that Indy run defense is one of the worst of all time. Between that defense and Peyton's annual choke-fest, the Colts aren't going anywhere important in January. And yes, that win did diminish Houston's upcoming draft standing, but how much good did tanking the end of least season do us? If you have good management, you can have a good draft no matter whether you're picking first of 31st. Now if only the Texans could procure a good management team...

On, and one other thing: Up until the midway point of this year, I've had David Carr's back from the beginning. I still say Houston did him no favors by providing him with one of the worst O-lines of all time and a dearth of weapons. But he is what he is at this point; like fellow Fresno State alum, Trent Dilfer, at best he is a game-manager, not a playmaker. And unless you possess an all-world defense, that's not going to take you too far in today's NFL. And for anyone who would like to see Houston burn to the ground, here's a suggestion: pray for a Saints-Titans Super Bowl. It's a long-shot, but this city would implode if it had to watch Vince and Reggie lead their teams to the promised land in year one.

I wish I knew how to quit you, David

Some other random NFL notes: I want to hear from you, Cowboy fans. Do you regret the T.O. signing yet? Seriously, am I the only one who thinks Dallas would be a better team right now if they had never signed him in the first place? But as a Cowboy and T.O.-hater, it sure is fun to watch him drag that team down at the first sign of trouble.

Another Cowboy note: I like Tony Romo. Think he has a future in this league. But man, give NFL defensive co-ordinators 4 weeks of game film to look at and all of a sudden quarterbacking a football team doesn't look so simple anymore. I think Romo, Rex Grossman and Phillip Rivers are finding that out the hard way.

And I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Falcons would be a better team if Matt Schaub were their starting QB. I just do not trust Mike Vick. And yes, his defense is average and his receivers blow. But I think it says something when a still-raw Vince Young is already a better pocket passer than 6 year vet, Vick. As a fan of a team that will almost certainly be looking for a QB in the off-season, I'd much rather see the Texans make a run at Matt Schaub as opposed to someone like Jake Plummer. Of course, I'd prefer every other person on the planet not named Ryan Leaf over Plummer. Ah, to be a Texan fan. There's still plenty of room left on the bandwagon, boys.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

The Day the Music Died

Well, it's been almost 48 hours since the day my football soul was ripped out, thrown to the ground and stomped on. So now that I've had a wee bit of time to grieve, I'll try to put Sunday's events in perspective.

This has been the worst season I've ever experienced as a football fan. When I was 5 (and didn't know any better) I cheered for the Cowboys and saw Joe Montana and Dwight Clark turn my super bowl dreams into nightmares. In '93, I witnessed the Oilers fall apart in Orchard Park, New York as an unknown back-up quarterback led the Bills to the greatest comeback ever. But this one takes the cake. Yes, the Texans have doubled their win total from a year ago, but at least last season there was hope. The hope of a number one pick and the accompanying clean slate, star power and excitement. Well, we all know how that turned out. Furthermore, we all knew this day was coming the second Houston announced their deal with not-so-super Mario on draft day eve.

Umm, anyone see Mario Williams?

Watching Vince and Reggie do their thing was no surprise. They're playmakers. That's what they do. And now all of Houston will get to watch them from afar for the next 8-15 years. Meanwhile, we're left with... what exactly? Another top 5 pick? Last year's draft was loaded. It was once in a decade. This year the studs are few and far between. The number one pick will be Brady Quinn, who will go to Oakland and be a bust. Whither the Texans? Troy Smith? Adrian Peterson? An O-lineman NOT named D'Brickashaw? The fact is, Houston still has just as many holes as they possessed as an expansion franchise. We can blame CBS "Insider" Charley Casserly for that. But Coach Kubiak hitched his horse to Mario and in so doing, left the club boring, faceless and the laughing stock/whipping boy of the NFL. The sad thing is that Kubiak is a good coach and the Texans' draft was solid starting with defensive rookie of the year, DeMeco Ryans. But Kubes will forever be remembered as the guy who passed up Vince and Reggie... two guys who would have given Houston the electricity and playmaking ability this club has lacked from day one.

Here's a fun project: Revisit the first 11 picks. Where would Mario go now? Not even top 5. Sure, he's still young and has plenty of time to grow and improve. But will he ever be better than Young, Bush, Leinart, D'Brickashaw, etc? Not bloody likely. I love this game!

Enough Texans' talk. At least I made it through without swearing. That's quite an accomplishment, believe me.

As for the Cowboys, I stil expect them to make their run to the NFC title game, but no further. They're vulnerable to the deep ball??? This is news? I think Santana Moss and every other burner who has torched Dallas would beg to differ. Look, Roy Williams is a linebacker trapped in a safety's body. Great hitter (though not a great tackler), but absolutely pathetic in coverage. Still, in a weak NFC, Dallas is going to have a legitimate shot.

And in the AFC, I still don't trust Marty Schottenheimer come playoff time. No doubt about it, the Chargers are the best team on paper. Their only true weakness is in the secondary, but the pass rush they bring neutralizes that. Yet the January air seems to constrict Marty's throat and I'm not going to trust him until I actually see him lift the Lombardi trophy in the air.

As for AI, I just don't think the Spurs have the pieces to acquire him, Jensen. What would they offer? Ginobili and who else? Besides, I said this before the season started: The Spurs will win it all anyway.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Sorry to subject you to the misery wrought by the Texans.

Monday, December 11, 2006

An Introduction of sorts...

You cried when Phi Slamma Jamma fell flat in Albuquerque. You walked around in a catatonic haze for weeks after Kevin Bass flailed away at yet another Jesse Orosco slider in '86. You morphed into Bobby Knight when the Oilers became the patron saints of choke artists on a wintry January day in Orchard Park, New York. And more recently, you prepared yourself for another decade of suffering after Vince Young turned Reliant Stadium into his own personal playground. Welcome home, Houston fans. This blog's for you. We'll wallow in our misery together while dissecting the triumphs (hopefully) and travails of our hometown teams. And for those who couldn't care less about H-Town, we'll regularly expand our horizons and tackle the national sports scene as well. So in the meantime, make yourself at home, read on and know that your thoughts and opinions are always welcome.