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Update: Michael Lombardi says Texans are soft, Schaub isn't a good leader
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Update:
At the risk of belaboring this, I thought it was worth mentioning that Lombardi wrote an afterword to the article that prompted this headline. I thought I'd bring it forward here so it's all in one place and because it's not worthy of its own entry.
Lombardi basically made two points in his newest offering. One was to reinforce the point he made earlier that the Texans defense has been terrible (due to a multitude of reasons), which any Texans fan with a pulse would agree. It's been written about only a few hundred times.
But every time Mike goes there, it seems that something new hits the wall that has a hard time sticking. First it was that Matt Schaub isn't a good leader. Most Texans fans, not to mention his teammates and coaches, would probably agree that leadership is among the least of Matt's problems *when healthy.*
Here's the latest:
"The [Texans] win against the Titans late in the [2008] season did not impress me as a solid win, because the Titans had very little to play for in that contest." - Michael Lombardi
To set the record straight, the Titans were playing that day for something called home field advantage throughout the playoffs. They could have wrapped it up against the Texans but they didn't, which increased the risk of losing the advantage altogether with the Steelers and Colts looming on the schedule.
But I guess we shouldn't let the facts get in the way of a good story, huh?
Based on some of his comments, Lombardi doesn't seem to realize that just because some Texans fans disagree with some of the things he's saying, it doesn't mean those fans disagree with all of what he's saying, or agree with Bowen's minority opinion that the Texans will win the AFC South.
I'm still wondering which Texans coach told Lombardi that Schaub wasn't a good leader.
The following is the original entry as it appeared on May 9:
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Michael Lombardi and Matt Bowen appear to be having a slight 'contest' over at the National Football Post about the Texans chances in the AFC South this season.
After reading point and counter-point, I'm left scratching my head over where some of this stuff is coming from.
Bowen says the Texans are going to win the division and that Indy and Tennessee won't be able to "get past them."
I know the Colts are going through a ton of changes and that Tennessee lost Albert Haynesworth, but you'll have to forgive me if I don't totally buy the notion that the Texans are about to close their eyes, click their heels and all of a sudden dominate two teams that they have gone 2-10 against during Gary Kubiak's three year tenure.
The Texans are as soft as their schedule ...
- Michael Lombardi
Lombardi counters with some good arguments, such as the Texans defense being horrible on every level last season, but his strange call-out of Matt Schaub's lack of mental toughness and leadership skills makes me think that he's spending too much time listening to Charley Casserly talk in his sleep during backstage breaks at NFL Network.
Lombardi says that Schaub "isn’t always mentally tough when it comes to leading his team," but doesn't elaborate. He proceeds to talk about his injuries, which are a concern, but the last time I checked, MCL injuries and dislocated shoulders don't have a lot to do with what's between the ears or in your gut.
While we all saw Matt get frustrated at Pittsburgh and Tennessee last year, we also saw him man up as the season progressed, especially in games against Miami, Green Bay, Tennessee and Chicago.
Lombardi also said that Schaub "lacks command and a presence that’s essential in the starting quarterback. He doesn’t have an ability to make the team believe he’s “the man” and will hold the other players accountable."
All I can say to that is "huh?"
While at the top of the list of Schaub concerns is his ability to stay healthy, the last thing on that list is his leadership ability and presence among his teammates. Talk to any of Schaub's teammates and coaches about that one.
Here's what Duane Brown had to say after Schaub bounced back after a rough start against Miami to lead his 0-4 team to a last second win:
(on how surprised he was that QB Matt Schaub bounced back after throwing two interceptions) “I wasn’t surprised. Matt is very poised. In the midst of everything that was going on, he still tried to keep the offense going, keep everybody energized and into the game and he did a great job. My hat goes off to him. I should have kept him cleaner throughout the game, but he came in here and told me to just keep fighting. And that coming from my quarterback meant a lot to me and it really helped me out toward the end.”
Hmmm ... says the Church Lady. Would that be called .....leadership? There's many more quotes where that came from, but at the risk of turning this into Gone with the Wind, we move on.
The spike into the endzone wall after scoring game winning touchdown against the Phins was a turning point for Schaub last season. I think the last time anyone saw a deer in the headlights look from Matt was in the second game of the 2008 season, at Tennessee, when Alex Gibbs' magic dust was still new - and when the rookie Brown was lined up against some guy named VandenBosch.
If the argument is 'you can't lead from the sidelines,' now that's something totally different and gets back to him staying healthy.
I noticed Lombardi failed to mention that this is an option year for Schaub who can earn a big option bonus and three more years on his contract if he plays well.
Aside from the criticism, Lombardi extolled the virtues of the Texans offense, using the word 'prolific' twice to describe it.
I'm guessing that's because he (and everyone else who doesn't watch the team every week) focused on one stat: yards gained.
Yes, it's true that the Texans were 3rd in the NFL in yards gained last year with 382 yards per game, and 5th in the league in time of possession at over 32 minutes per game, but they were also 4th worst in the league in turnovers with a minus 10 margin, and only 17th in the league in scoring despite the yards gained and time of possession.
The Texans offense was also 7th worst in the league in touchdowns scored inside the red zone with a paltry 45.9% of their trips inside the opponents 20 resulting in TDs. The turnovers had a lot to do with that. So did the offensive line performance and the fact that the Texans have no power back option in their arsenal.
Does that make them a 'prolific' offense? No, it makes them a move it between the 20's offense that makes too many mistakes and often times can't finish. But the offense is way closer to where they need to be than the defense. Cutting out the turnovers would take care of most of the offense's problems - as long as their single point failure at running back, Steve Slaton, stays healthy.
The red zone stats were even worse for the Texans defense in 2008. The Texans defense was 4th worst in the league in red zone defense, allowing opponents touchdowns a whopping 63.8% of the time they penetrated the Texans 20 yard line.
For the record, I don't think the Texans will win the AFC South, but I also think there's little basis for an argument that, barring significant injuries, they'll be worse than their 8-8 record last season.
The Texans success in 2009 hinges on, a) the ability of Schaub, Steve Slaton and Andre Johnson to stay healthy, and b) the performance of the defense, and whether Frank Bush and Bill Kollar's 'aggressive style' will be able to deliver Texans fans from years of Richard Smith's 'read and react' misery.
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