Weekend discussion thread.

Friday’s daily.

Thursday’s daily.

Wednesday’s daily.

Tuesday’s daily.

239 comments? Ok.

Where to even begin? I’m not at a loss for words, and I’m going to spill several of them right here. Right now.

What I saw on Sunday was some of the worst, pathetic excuse for a professional “effort” by a “professional” sports organization I have seen, and I have had the grave misfortune of having witnessed quite a number of such efforts in my time on this earth. It shouldn’t be surprising and yet it always is somehow.

You have one shot. One. Week 1 isn’t fatal for top flight teams in pro sports leagues. It is for marginally good-to-bad teams such as the Texans. You have an opportunity to set a tone. And you blow it. Forget win vs loss. You go out on your SHIELD. Period. And it’s all a symptom of the larger illness. Let me explain.

Scared money don’t make money. Cal McNair is in over his head, this much we all agree upon. HE had a chance to set a tone. “Nick, I don’t care who you THINK you can or can’t work with. I appreciate your skill set. I do. I really do. But we’re not hiring Lovie Smith. Nor Josh McCown. We’re throwing every last penny of daddy’s money, if we have to, at Kevin O’Connell because if we’re throwing s*** at a wall to see what sticks then by God we’re damning the torpedos and full steam ahead on a current winner from currently winning teams like the Rams. And if it doesn’t work, it wasn’t for lack of trying. And yes, it also won’t be for lack of spending. BUT, we won’t be accused of pissing away the opportunity here. Get him and get him now. And if you can’t…if you won’t..then hell I will fly to him today and get it done and I’ll pay you to not be here either, for that matter, but he is going to be the HC of this football team and I expect you to give him what he wants and needs.” This is, of course, part and parcel of what you get with an Easterby type opportunist and for that Cal himself is to blame for and all we can do is hope the trance wears off with each losing season that occurs here. Another pipe dream, I suppose. But sometimes you gotta’ wear it and wear it enough to get it all of your system.

Imagine THAT scenario happening. You change this team pretty quickly, or you at least set the tone that the old days are over. No more “reclamation job” guys like O’Brien at Penn State and now Lovie Smith who by all means isn’t terrible (some would argue that and I understand it) but he isn’t GREAT either. He’s safe. He’s liked. I don’t care. Stephen A. Smith gif “I’m here to tell you…(laughing) I don’t care.” I’m guilty as sin of thinking this could work. I lean towards being eternally optimistic about the things I love or am passionate about, BUT…I am also what I like to call a realistic optimist. I won’t forever punt the ball on the realities of what is happening so as to sacrifice truth for the sake of having nice thoughts eternally and for forever.

If the McNair family can’t deliver, get the hell out of the way and pass the torch to a Jim Crane type of owner who CAN. Do us THAT solid, if you can. Embrace your futility, own up to it, say “We love everyone but we know this team deserves a winner and we’re setting out to help that happen by turning it over to someone who CAN.” I know that’s a pipe dream outcome. God I know it is. But it’s what’s right, it’s what’s right if they truly do believe in daddy Bob’s vision to get Houston a winner. I suspect however, that the real aim is to stick with it and pump us all full of sunshine and let us all “awww shucks!” our way through miserable year after miserable year. I do not think their main motivation is making piles of money, though I do say that money is always a factor in people’s decision making and of course a pretty big one when you get into the ownership of a pro sports franchise. I think they’re built of the same stuff most all of us are built of: Nobody LIKES to be seen as a loser, it’s not normal to slink away and being seen as such and then embracing being branded as such–But sometimes you do need to exit, stage right, when it’s obvious that it’s time to do so. Even for wealthy families there still remains the motivation of being on top in both the dollars and the glory of it all that anyone typically wants in life with things they put their hand towards. Thus, it is a stretch to hope for a passing of the torch to a new ownership.

Some might say I am being a hypocrite about what I have said about a certain person who recently went off on the Texans. I will say there is a significant distinction here: I will not ever denigrate the McNair family the way he did via low-brow insults. I will not indict the Texans fans as being “simps” because we’re not simps. We might be predisposed to having too much belief and too much forgiveness and not enough cynicism but overall Texans fans are not hayseed rubes. We’re loyal. We’re trusting. Those who take advantage of that stuff, they’re their own deal and not a one of us deserves to have a fellow “fan” speak derisively of US in the ways he has. So f*** that guy yesterday, today and forever as far as I am concerned.

No, I am like Michael Corleone in Godfather when they laugh at him and say “You’re taking this personally. This isn’t personal, this is business,” and he replies with, “I’m not taking this personally. This is strictly…business.” In fact, it’s business because it IS so very personal. That’s where my head is at. I don’t have to go on sports radio and cry and rant. I don’t have to tweet it out. I don’t have to burn jerseys in parking lots. What I can do is acknowledge right here, and with US who are in this thing together, I can do this HERE and say that until something up top changes we’re all needing to understand that more of the same is in store. I don’t know if Cal can ever grow FULLY. I suppose he’s grown “somewhat” by hiring an actually capable GM (the bar is low, I know) yet still: That’s been a growth, at least. Can he grow to the point that the n-e-x-t HC of this team is someone Cal would be willing to say to Nick something along the lines of what I fantasized him saying to Nick up top? Because he has to. Yes, even at the risk of pissing good ‘ol Saint Nick off to the point of Nick wanting out. Cal’s next move, his next “growth opportunity” has got to be putting his foot down and telling Nick he has an open checkbook and he better have an open arms attitude towards whoever is the very best next HC for this team. Period. End of story. Same thing for QB. Do it. Trade him to QB-starved Indy for an 8th round conditional pick for all I care because that guy doesn’t have the stuff to be the best in this league.

This isn’t personal. It’s strictly business. I mean, hell, it should be business-minded, and when Sgt. McCluskey is having you held up while he breaks your jaw and he’s trying to kill your father and ruin your entire family then you ought to get with the business of dealing out business yourself. You play to win the game. Week in, week out, from snap one of game 1 to the last whistle of the Super Bowl. S*** or get off the pot, there’s a line outside the door.

As I type this, it’s 23-7, 4th quarter with about 4 minutes to play, favor Vikings over Packers with the Vikings on the road with a rookie HC in week 1 of the 2022 NFL regular season. I’m just saying: Would have been pretty cool for us, but oh well. Cousins better than Mills, yes. Maybe KOC was more intrigued with that then this. Still, if Watson has proven anything it’s that you can get to anyone at any time (with enough cash, obviously)–A last Godfather, Part II, line, of course. Go Texans.