I'm writing you a letter on my blog because...well, after 10 weeks of frustration I just can't hold it in anymore. (That bye week was glorious wasn't it?) I have no way of really reaching you, nor do I truly believe you need to hear what I have to say. So, my anonymous blog is all I need to vent and move on.
I'm positive you don't remember me, but we met back in the spring of 2011. You were watching your son's spring ball game at Colorado State and I was there visiting with a high school football player who was talking with the coaches. You stood silently as you watched the game, I assume to be one of the few you are able to see as a professional football coach. And yet, you didn't mind being interrupted by broncos fans and texans fans and people who really couldn't pinpoint how they knew you, but somehow they did. I was one of the people who interrupted your personal time to ask for a picture, and you kindly obliged. You were a very nice man, and we shared gig 'em's as fellow aggies before I went on my way.
I liked you. I liked you before that interaction as you had finally brought a spark to the Texans, and I liked you more after having met you. I liked you all the way up to yesterday, and I like you still.
But I gotta say - you've made it really, really hard.
I know that, as an average fan, I do not know what it takes to play professional sports, coach professional sports, or run a franchise of any sort - much less at that caliber. But I do know about job performance, and yesterday you had me baffled.
I am a tax accountant and I am quite certain that if I turned in 3 tax returns with the equivalent of a 'pick 6' in each one, I would be demoted in my role at work. I'm pretty sure after 2 I would have been on a performance plan. I don't think I would have had a chance to screw up a 4th. I'm also pretty sure that in my first year on the job if I made a mistake equivalent to one interception, I would not be replaced by someone who had done the former. And yet, that's exactly what happened in our QB position. When schaub was throwing points to the other team we were 'standing by our QB in a tough time' but as Keenum learns the game we abandon him when the heat starts to surmount. Where's the support now?
But back to me. My job is to file tax returns timely. Some are harder than others, and I do some to a better degree of excellence than others. It's the nature of life. But essentially, I have one job. If my success rate were the same as Randy Bullock's, I'm fairly certain I would no longer have a job.
Now, these aren't easy things for me to say. I think Matt Schaub did wonderful things for the Texans organization and I think he had a stellar year in 2011. Unfortunately, midway through last season I turned to my husband and said 'I think Matt hit his peak last week. I think that's it'. I supported him, I rooted for his success, and on October 6th I yelled loudly and proudly as he ran onto the field in San Francisco despite the harrassment by less than friendly fans. I was a Schaub supporter. As I am a Bullock supporter. He's an aggie - how could I not be??
But supporting someone doesn't mean you blindly think they're the best for the job. Maybe Case Keenum wasn't going to win the game yesterday, but when I saw Schaub go on the field my confidence (low as it already was) dwindled more. And maybe Case Keenum could never be a Super Bowl willing franchise quarterback, but I know the only way he has a shot is to have the support of his team and coaches behind him. 100%. Not a pouting Matt schaub on the sidelines (as he was during keenum's first start) and not the threat of losing his job when he's just barely earned it.
When I went to the game in San Francisco my eyes were opened to so many things that viewers at home just aren't able to see. A lot of pouting. A lot of missed reads by Schaub. A lot of predictable play calling. A lot of selfish behavior. A lot of dissention among what was once a tight cohesive team.
To sum it up, our most notable franchise player - who made a choice to stick with Houston when winning was but a distant dream - now says 'I'm in a contract, I don't have a choice' in reference to his status as a Texan.
Really? That's what it's come to? Someone, somewhere along the way, has driven Andre Johnson to feel that way about his ball club. And why?
With talent like Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, Garret Graham and Duane Brown to protect how can we go 2 for 14 on 3rd downs?
With talent like JJ Watt, Antonio Smith, and almost the entire list of starters in the Bulls on Parade how do we possibly let other teams put up so many points? One of our defensive players once said that all we should ever expect of our offense is 14, maybe 17 points. Anything else proves to be a failure on the defense. Well - how did our stellar defense get to this?
Ben Tate said Houston fans are too wishy washy. Well, he can think what he wants. Fortunately for him, he didn't patiently sit through the agonizing years of 2002-2008 (or 2009? 2010?) as many of his fans did. I'm sure there are wishy washy fans, or bandwagon fans as I prefer to call them. All teams have them. They come out of the wood work when times are good and they're so quick to jump ship when the course is lost. I'm sure there are plenty. But let's be clear: voicing disappointment and frustration is not the same as jumping ship. If I (or the thousands of other Texans faithfuls) was going to abandon the Texans I would have a long time ago. I'd have been a patriots fan for their run at glory, then I would have left them the day tom Brady went down. I would have jumped over to the colts with how electrifying Peyton manning was, and now I'd be wearing orange and blue rooting for Peyton to bring the trophy back to the mile high city.
But I'm not. I'm a sucker for my boys in steel blue (though battle red is my favorite if we're talking uniforms). I'm a texans fan through good and bad, but that doesn't mean I have to pretend the bad doesn't eat away at my heart. No, I'm not wishy washy for being angry. I'm not wishy washy for thinking Schaub had not earned his spot back on the field. I'm not wishy washy for thinking it is absurd that Randy Bullock is still our kicker. I'm a passionate fan who loves her team. I'm a passionate fan who loves to see her team win.
I like you, coach. I am not one of the thousands chanting 'fire kubiak'. I'm not even one of the thousands hoping we go 2-14 to secure the #1 draft pick. I still have childlike faith that our boys can put their heads and hearts together and get us to an 8-8 season. But if that doesn't happen, I want you and the rest of the team to know that there is a difference in wishy washy fans and fans who passionately love the game. If we do go 2-14, and thousands get their wish as you are shown the door, and we do secure the #1 draft pick yet again, I will still be a proud Texan fan. No less proud than I was 4 months ago when all the talk was on a texans/falcons Super Bowl. No less proud, but a lot more frustrated.
And coach - should that happen, should it come down to worst case scenario - please, please do what you can before you exit to make a spot in the locker room for Johnny Football. It's the least you could do.
Sincerely,
A fellow aggie, one of your loyal fans, and a Texan fan to the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment