Every-Thing Sports
Texans organization and fans need to get it together!
Jan 8, 2019, 7:04 am
It's time for a change Kirby Drive. Houston Texans/Facebook
Saturday evening, the Texans were eliminated in spectacular fashion at home. What's that? You don't think a 21-7 loss at home to the division rival Colts after winning the AFC South constitutes as "spectacular fashion?" THAT is exactly what I'm talking about!
I get so sick and tired of the "well that was good enough" mentality from some fans. It makes me sick. The organization isn't any better. As a matter of fact, they tend to feed into the foolishness with making a big deal of the division title banners and Bill O'Brien's infamous line "we went 9-7 and won the AFC South two years in a row."
That's a mediocre, happy to be average, participation trophy, progression of the wussification of America type of mindset. If that's OK with you, so be it. But that should NOT be the mentality of this organization. The fact that they held on to guys like Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith as long as they did before making a change was a sign that they prefer the devil they know rather than the one they don't.
But enough of the history lesson. We all know what this organization has done in its past. It's time to focus on the future. More specifically, it's time to focus on this offseason, which is currently under way.
First up is help in the coaching ranks. O'Brien has proven that he can't handle being head coach, play caller, and overseer. He needs someone to take the load off and help develop Deshaun Watson, as well as call plays. I made my case for Adam Gase already.But if he gets a head coaching job, I'd prefer they get an offensive coordinator that maybe has head coaching experience, or is an up and comer with new ideas and/or philosophies, Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel is an old and he should've been replaced a long time ago. Right now, there are several former defensive coordinators and former head coaches that can fill that void.
General manager Brian Gaine did a good job last year in the draft. Free agency was another deal. With a first rounder this year, as well as two seconds, he should be able to find help along the offensive line, corner, running back, and wide receiver. He's also going to have a good amount of cap room to spend. Now is the time to prove your worth and either find good value, or hit a homerun or two and find the right guys to fill some of those positions I previously listed.
A couple other key components to furthering the success and expectations of this team comes from the media and fans. Too often the media lets this team make it by not asking the tough questions or holding them accountable. This mainly comes from those that are quite friendly with those on Kirby. Gow Media hasn't been treated as friendly by that organization. Even if we were, it wouldn't change how most, if not all, of us would cover this team. If the fans started to show their displeasure with the product by not spending, it would make the organization pay closer attention to the fan response. Sadly, the six years this city spent without an NFL franchise has conditioned most of the fan base to fall in line with whatever the organization spits out for fear of losing them the way Bud Adams took the Oilers, and their history, to Tennessee.
I'm not hating on this organization. As a matter of fact, it brings me great joy to see them succeed rather than fail as miserably as they have. I get more from the Texans having a measure of success than wallowing in their pity. But something has to change. This organization has been mired in mediocrity for far too long. "We went 9-7 and won the AFC South two years in a row" should be a thing of the past. I long for the day when "we lost a Super Bowl, but the last two we won lessens the sting" is ore of a thing. I'm not saying I should be a team executive either. I just want more and better for this team and this city dammit!
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.