EDITOR'S NOTE:Texans fan Alan J. Burge will continue to write a "Voice of the Fan" column throughout
the 2005 season. His latest installment is below. Alan's views do not necessarily
reflect the views of the organization.
Stick a fork in 'em
So how about those Astros?
Now there's a great idea. Let's load the team on a bus and take them down to a game at Minute Maid so they can see what it's all about. Then again, I wouldn't want to jinx the 'Stros.
How thoroughly and totally disgusted are you with this team right now? How does it feel to be a fan of the worst team in the NFL? Get used to it, because we're only at the quarterpole and we have a long, tortuous path ahead. So much for all the excitement of a new season.
And I get to go to Seattle this weekend. Whoopee.
For me, the sheer futility of it all boiled over late in the in the third quarter and I did something I can't remember ever doing. I left early.
Gasp! Yes, I know, support-your-team-to-the-end Mr. Voice of the Fan, blah blah blah (Yvette). Yes, I've said it a million times how I've always stayed until 0:00. But yesterday felt different and all I can say is that the Texans were successful in breaking me down. Judging from reports, there were about 60,000 others who felt the same way.
The Titans are arguably one of the worst teams in the NFL, they are certainly its youngest, but they wiped the Texans out of Reliant yesterday as if they were on a Music City Miracle reunion tour.
The Texans were out-coached, out-played, out-hustled, and out-desired, and out-everythinged by the Titans yesterday who even with their youth, because of above-average coaching and front-office moves, have a solid foundation for good things to come. What exactly do we have?
Well, we have no passing attack and now with Andre Johnson hurt, a situation that seemingly couldn't get worse probably just did.
We have an offense that put up impressive rushing totals yesterday but went 0 for 13 on third-down conversions. Getting the ball into the end zone continues to be more vexing for the Texans than a search for the Holy Grail.
We have a defense that has made few big plays and forced zero turnovers for the fourth week in a row, and a d-line that has not recorded a sack this season.
We have the weekly seven, which in Houston is not just a lotto game.
We have an organization four years into the process where its finest moment is still the first game it ever played, 52 games ago.
We have a team that is 8-18 at home.
We have loyal and passionate fans whose patience is running very thin.
We have a team that we unknowingly saw peak last season with a 7-9 record.
We have a plan that isn't working and it's time to do something else.
This is an embarrassment of a football team right now and Coach Capers, his staff, and General Manager Charley Casserly are responsible. There are signs everywhere that the coaching staff has lost this team and that talent really is an issue.
Mr. McNair, a major change is desperately needed so now is the time to act – or at least put the wheels in motion. Fans realize that sometimes it's difficult to resolve these types of issues during the season but fans also realize that the problems didn't stop at Chris Palmer.
*You can email Alan Burge at: **ajtexans@yahoo.com*
