Coming off their first-ever playoff appearance and postseason victory in franchise history in 2011, the Houston Texans clearly have even higher hopes for the upcoming season.
Photo Credit: Bill Baptist/HoustonTexans.com
Coach Gary Kubiak lamented in the team’s inability to retain a few of its key veteran leaders from its strong 2006 draft class in Mario Williams (signed with Buffalo), DeMeco Ryans (traded to the Eagles) and Eric Winston (surprisingly released before signing with Chiefs) back in March.
Things continued to look bleak for Texans fans until the tail-end of April, when Houston made several smart moves in the 2012 NFL Draft and then released Jacoby Jones (who later took his talents to Baltimore) within the same week.
However, Kubiak didn’t have many great things to say about his team following Wednesday’s minicamp performance.
“I’m trying to push them a little bit and they look like they are saving a little bit for the last day, tomorrow, and you can’t have that,” Kubiak said, in comments distributed by the Texans’ PR staff, per ProFootballTalk.com. “We didn’t have a very good day. We’ve got to come back tomorrow. That’s football, but we wouldn’t have won today, that’s for sure.”
“We just weren’t very sharp on both sides of the ball and I tried to let them know what is going to be expected of them a month from now,” Kubiak continued. ”We have to send a message and get it sent here quick. Today wasn’t good enough.”
Kubiak’s sentiments could be a breath of fresh air for many fans, as he has had a history of appearing somewhat soft when times have been tough. In addition, it’s important for coaches to set the tone for the young players with so many veteran leaders inevitably less involved during this time of year.
If they get the message, things could be looking even better than expected entering September. The team is already being considered by many pundits to be the top team in the AFC heading into the 2012 season.
Verse of This Piece: “Doing right brings freedom to honest people, but those who are not trustworthy will be caught in their own desires.” —Proverbs 11:6
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