Par For The Course: Texans Blow 17 Point Lead, Again Fall To Colts

At this point, is anyone even really surprised?

Tailgating before the game, almost everyone I talked to had us losing to the Colts that afternoon. So, no pressure, right?

Wrong.

It was a rough day at the office for Texans QB Matt Schaub who had three turnovers.

I don’t care what franchise you are, when you build a 17-0 lead at home, you need to close the game out. Houston came out with guns blazing in front of a stunned home crowd and showed no signs of letting up. They were running the ball well. They were picking up huge chunks of yardage with ease. The defense was getting to Manning, sacking him twice, and even intercepted him twice. Even at the half, it was 20-7 Texans.

But, unlike most fans in the stadium, I wasn’t feeling too confident. Most were acting like the game was over, but after that “Rosencopter” debacle last year, a 17 point lead was scary to me.

Sure enough, the offense was pretty much shut out in the 2^nd half and Matt Schaub had one of his worst performances of the season. This, as most of you know, is a position of zero tolerance from Texans fans. You throw one interception and they’re ready to come to your house with torches and pitchforks. Schaub finished with a fumble and two interceptions, one which was taken to the house for a pick 6. It was an ugly day for Matt after the first quarter, really.

But, unlike most ignorant Texans fans, I can’t pin this one all on Matt Schaub. It was a team effort, much like the opener against The Jets. They also got some of the worst calls I have ever seen in a professional football game from the referees. A phantom pass interference call on Jacques Reeves gave the Colts a 50+ yard gain in the 3^rd quarter. The replay not only shows virtually zero contact from Reeves, but that the ball was uncatchable. Even if untouched, it would have overshot its mark by about 7 or 8 yards. Then there is the seemingly one play per game where someone gets called for roughing the QB by simply sneezing in Peyton Manning’s direction. Don’t get me wrong, Manning is the games best QB. It isn’t even debatable anymore. But don’t give him those kinds of calls. He doesn’t need the extra help.

Coach Kubiak may be reading the want ads instead of the play chart real soon...

As I said last week, Gary Kubiak’s seat has gone from warm to real freakin’ hot. The Bill Cowher talk has lit up the local sports radio lines since Sunday afternoon. And I have to begin to agree. I have never been one of those “In Kubiak I Trust” morons. But I did think he was a decent coach. Now I am wondering if he is simply an Offensive Coordinator only. I still don’t think Bob McNair has the stones to fire Kubiak unless we lose out. But it is obvious that this is the most talented team we have ever had in Houston and again we are going to finish probably .500 or less. AGAIN. If McNair brings him back with an 8-8 record or worse, he is only proving that he is content to settle for mediocrity. Highlights below, as always.

Tags: Bill Cowher, Bob McNair, Indianapolis Colts, Jacques Reeves, Matt Schaub, New York Jets, Peyton Manning, Sage Rosenfels