Shawn Barber has no problem being the Democrat nominee for President
May 25, 2007 Gary Kubiak, Injury bug, Jacoby Jones is unheralded, Offensive (punch)Line, Shawn Barber for President
Lost amidst the hub-bub of Keyshawn’s departure was that OTAs1 continue in Houston. (They probably continue in other places as well, but I don’t pretend to care about that.) As the second week of activities comes to a close, Kubes had a couple insights and a bunch of platitudes about many of the new players. From the mundane “Matt speaks the same language that we’re speaking here”2 to the suggestion that the rookies are all pretty much what they were drafted to be, there is nothing in that article that is overly surprising.
Unless, that is, you read deeper meaning into the quotes. Which is what I like to do.
I’ve taken the liberty of bolding the parts of the quote that contain hidden messages, as Coach Gary speaks about rookie WR Jacoby Jones:
Jacoby has been extremely impressive as a returner and as a receiver he’s kind of up and down right now but that’s to be expected[.] He’s been very impressive as a returner.
Now, combine that effusive praise with (a) the fact that Jerome Mathis is injured AGAIN and (b) that Kubiak already basically called Mathis out as needing to be a full-time performer, and you starting to see the (unwritten) writing on the wall. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2007 starting kick and punt returner… Jacoby Jones.
UPDATE: Steph’s protestations aside (see comments), I still think Gary is hinting more about losing Mathis unless things change drastically, rather than trying to get a rise out of Jerome in some sort of motivational ploy. From this story on Texans.com,
It’s critical because we’re at a point [in Mathis'] career where he had a great rookie season, but last year he dressed for two games for us I think and he struggled physically, Kubiak said. [Mathis] has been out here everyday, he’s practiced everyday, he had some issues with tightness today, but our football team is very competitive right now and the good thing is that our football team is going to be tough to make and I think Jerome sees that going on and it’s important that he’s out here (emphasis added)[.]
END OF UPDATE.
Other notes from the world of OTAs, bulletpoint style:
- Coaches Jethro Franklin and Frank Bush are making an impact in camp, apparently by engaging in witty repartee. Think “Tango & Cash meets The Waterboy.” Or “Last Boy Scout, minus the inexplicable horse-riding scene.” I’m rambling.
- Mike Flanagan is healthy, which puts Steve McKinney’s future with the team in question. The guys at Battle Red Blog explain why.
- Shawn Barber has “no problem being a starter, [...] a Pro Bowler, team captain, coach, (general manager) , whatever.” That’s great, Shawn. But, really, we’ll just settle for “productive backup.”
1 Memo to whomever runs the Texans’ website: The plural of OTA is NOT “OTA’s.” Lose the damned apostrophe already.
2 English? Texan? Igpay Atinlay?
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May 25th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Thanks, Matt.
I don’t feel like such a snob anymore. One thing that drives me crazy is improper grammar. Especially in print. For example: someone writes that the Texans lose too much. But instead of using ‘too’ they use ‘to’. I’ll be the last one to say that my grammar is perfect but I have a very strong opinion that when people write for a living, their grammar should be better than mine.
To get back to the point, the writer for the Texans is what I would refer to as unengaged. I’ve read stereo instructions that were more inspired. I honestly believe that we could have a better conversation with Helen Keller. And I don’t know sign language.
Do us all a favor and send the Texans your resume. Not only do you make it fun to read, you also give us excellent factual content. If for no one else but me, thanks for keeping me informed AND entertained.
s.
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May 25th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Here’s some counterpoint, because like cowbell, more counterpoint is always a good thing.
Here’s an alternative view of the Jerome Mathis/Jacoby Jones thingy:
http://www.aolsportsblog.com/2007/05/25/is-jerome-mathis-mr-glass/
I’m not going to pretend to know all the answers, but I’m pretty good at question raising.
It is quite possible that Kubiak is calling Mathis (and Travis Johnson for that matter) out, is because you rag players you want you want to improve that are worth improving. Mathis is a cheap player. I know Kubiak doesn’t want to use a roster spot for just a special teams guy, but for a team that doesn’t have many playmakers, he might be handy to have healthy.
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May 26th, 2007 at 7:07 am
That’s entirely possible. The only reason I am hesitant to think it’s just pop psychology on Kubes’ part is because of the most recent article I linked to. I mean, if it had ONLY been the radio thing, I would be right there with you. When you throw in an article about players with him heaping praise on JJ and simultaneously giving the “yeah, Jerome is upset because he’s hurt again… I know he wants to play… just a matter of him staying on the field,” that sounds less like motivational prodding and more like GK hinting that we shouldn’t be surprised if JJ overtakes Mathis.
Then again, I have been known to be wrong.