Texans head coach Gary Kubiak was the keynote speaker at the University of St. Thomas Champions Club Benefit Luncheon held last Friday.
I didn't make this event but I've heard Kubiak speak several times in similar settings. He's a master of the luncheon keynote as far as I'm concerned and there's never been a time when I haven't wanted to run through the wall for the guy after hearing him deliver one of his patented 'from the gut' 20 minute chalk talks - without notes of course - unless they're well hidden.
While his responses to media questions often seem rehearsed and repetitive (it's the media after all), I'm fairly confident that the Kubiak we see at these luncheons, i.e., raw, passionate and emotional, is the same guy the players see before and after games and in the meeting room.
Many of you have probably seen the clip on NFL Network of Marty Schottenheimer's 'there's a gleam' pre-game fire 'em up speech to his players. When I saw it for the first time (and for the last 50 times) I wondered what the hell he was trying to get across to his guys. I mean I get it, but the blank stares on his players faces seemed to confirm that it wasn't the right time or place to wax intellectual.
With Kubiak, you never have to guess what he means because when he gets into that motivational mode, it pulls on something inside of you. He's not a motivator in the 'now go out there and kick their ass' style of a Jeff Fisher or Rex Ryan. But he gets you to buy in because it seems genuine and coming from the right place.
Which finally brings me to Kubiak's luncheon address last Friday at St. Thomas.
What's shown below is the video of part of the address, provided by the fine folks at houstontexans.com.
The Texans TV feature by Brooke Bentley is a good way for Texans fans to stay connected to their team. Bentley has new features up almost every day and whether it's an interview with Brian Cushing or an inside perspective on a Ray Wright workout, Texans TV is always worth a look.
During his address, Kubiak joked about backing up John Elway and the shared some lessons learned during his time at College Station - lessons that ultimately transcended football to real life.
One of the things I didn't know was the circumstances which led to him forfeit a year of eligibility while at A&M. It was a raw deal for sure, but that old saying about life being 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it certainly applies in this case.
In other news, the Texans completed their first day of organized team activity (OTA) yesterday. There's not much to report other than it's good to see the players come together on the field for the first time in 2009. There are a lot of new faces out there, especially on the defense. Thanks to Brian Cushing for bringing us some southern California weather.
Brooke Bentley provided a good wrap-up of the first day of OTA's here.
The biggest takeaways for me in Bentley's chat comments were these two quotes:
"Travis Johnson does NOT have the nod as the starting D-tackle. In fact, Johnson didn't practice today because of an injury. Watch for Shaun Cody and DelJuan to battle for starting honors."
"Today, new defensive line coach Bill Kollar was all over his unit and he had Amobi running at a high gear. I think Kollar will be riding Amobi hard and it will be interesting to see the results."
It could be a long summer for Amobi. I hope he's up to the challenge.
Comments
Some people are just natural motivators and speakers. Like a lot of talents, it can be learned to an extent, but a lot of it has to do with inner strengths I think.
-DT Strain, Houston Humanist Examiner
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