After reading your whole anti Schaub post, consider me skeptical if you'll be very happy if we win next win.
I read several Texan forums and a lot of people don't like Schaub or Kubiak. I can't help but wonder how many of those people have ever strapped on pads and taken snaps, or walked the sidelines as a coach, head coach, or coordinator.
Originally Posted by DEAR_JOHN
Football Fans are Fickle (with a capital "F"). That is another way of saying "the grass is always greener on the other side."
The Texans have met my expectations thus far. In many ways, you could say they have exceded my expectations. If you would have told me prior to the season that we would be 6-3 at this point in the season despite the fact that (1) Mario was hurt early and is out for the season, (2) Foster would miss 4-5 games entirely and (3) Dre would also miss 4-5 games entirely. I would have said "no way in hell the Texans would be 6-3."
Not only have they done so, they have done so impressively, winning 4 of the 6 by 10 or more points! They have been forced to overcome a lot of obstacles and have played the most consistent football in their short history! Of course, that is not saying much! Yet for many it still is not enough, the team should be better. Schaub should be better as if we cannot settle for anything less than the very best!
After 9 games, the defense is playing much better than I expected. Cushing and Joseph are playing at an All Pro level. While Kareen Jackson was a total bust in 2010, he is now playing at a much more consistent level. He is not where he needs to be but at least we are seeing there is hope for his future! The MVP for the Defense has been Wade Phillips.
Offensively, they seem to have improved their consistency on their performances of the past few years. We all knew they were capable of doing good things offensively but something was missing. The one thing that is most impressive about this years offense is that they have improved despite the fact that Dre and Foster have both missed significiant playing time. The MVP for the offense has been the Offensive Line!
Which brings us to the Team MVP for the first 9 games of the 2011 season. I would have to say it has been Matt Schaub. I know the detractors are going to pile on but I say "give it your best shot, cuz you ain't gettin' no cherry!" Schaub has held things together despite the offense only having their two most explosive weapons playing on the same field for 1 quarter this year! He has not been flashy but he has carried out the offensive game plan fairly well, with a minimum number of mistakes! His QB rating is in the mid 90's and his yards per pass attempt has consisitently been among the best in the NFL this year. All things considered, I can't ask for much more than that!
Schaub has a quarterback rating in the mid 90's which is just a tad below what is considered to be the ratings needed to qualify for upper tier quarterback status! If the running game is clicking, which normally seems to be the case, he is content to hand the ball off. I won't give him an A+ for the first 9 games of the season but he deserves an A- for holding things together! The most overlooked benenfit of having a healthy Schaub on the field is what we would do without him. We have proved we can win without Dre and Foster. We have not proven we can win without Schaub. Had we lost our QB to injury early in the year, I suspect our record would be closer to 3-6 than 6-3!
Prior to the season, I was hoping for a 10-6 Texan's season and a playoff appearance. I am going to up the ante a little to 11-5, with an outside possibility of ending the season 12-4. They have proved to me they can play with the top tier AFC teams despite the fact they have had significant injuries to both their offense and defense. I am not predicting a Texan Super Bowl appearance, although it would not surprise me if they end up being the AFC representative next January! As an aside, I feel Baltimore, Pittsburgh and NE are the teams to beat in the AFC. My prediction is Green Bay will return to the SB and beat Baltimore!
Baltimore? YIKES!!!!! They have another one of those awful 2nd tier quarterbacks leading them! Shit, I have seen it all now!!!!!!
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!