2013 Houston Texans Thread

That's pretty funny stuff LUSportsFan! The normal joke is, at least Houston didn't lose, is old. I'm still hoping Case Keenum is the starter going forward but I'm afraid Kubiak is going with Matt Schaub. In truth, Schaub has been pretty good he just couldn't stay healthy. This year he's been healthy but not very good. Here's hoping he can turn it around following the bye week.

In today's press conference Gary Kubiak said that Case Keenum will be the starting quarterback this coming Sunday vs Indianapolis. When asked about the status of Matt Schaub Kubiak said his health in terms of his ankle that caused him to miss the game in Week 7 vs Kansas City was "fine". Earlier in the day Ian Rappaport of NFL media reported that Schaub has torn ligaments in his ankle but he was going to play through that injury. NFL.com is reporting another source said that Schaub's ankle might not be 'right' for the rest of the season. Either way I'm sure this a very popular decision to the Houston Texans fans considering Keenum did a pretty good job despite the loss to KC.

It's a little too early in the week for the Texans to say whether or not Arian Foster and Ben Tate will be available this week. Both are saying they expect to play but for Foster nursing a hamstring and Tate cracked ribs THEY don't know if they can play as yet.

In the mean time Houston has signed 3 RBs to fill the depth chart for this week. Besides Foster and Tate ailing the Texans released Cierre Wood so the cupboard was pretty bare in the RB department. Houston signed Deji Karim and Dennis Johnson and they elevated Ray Graham off the practice squad. Both Karim and Johnson were in training camp with the Texans and both were among the final cut downs so Houston could get down to the final 53. Both did a good job which made their cuts more difficult. Johnson was in a neck and neck battle with Wood, who ended up making the final roster, because in the final two preseason games Johnson fumbled a couple of times and it cost him a job. Karim was a free agent and Johnson was on the Cleveland Browns practice squad. All three of the newest members of the Houston RB club are familiar with the system and it won't take long for them to get up to speed.

Deji Karim is an NFL veteran and I would guess that if Foster and Tate can't go against the Colts Karim would get the start. Johnson could also be used as a kick or punt returner which adds to his value to the team.

The Texans are off today so more news will surely begin to flow again beginning Wednesday. Fantasy players will need to get on top of this because if Foster and Tate can't go Karim will be a hot pickup off the waiver wire.

it will be a hot time in the old H town tomorrow night. The Texans fresh off their much needed bye week with a quarterback that is the universal (Except for Matt Schaub and family) choice of the people of Houston to lead the team into the second half of the season makes for an electric atmosphere going into a division game against division leader Indianapolis (them again!) fresh off an emotional win over the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos. All this and they are the only game in town, or in the nation, on Sunday Night Football. Wow.

Keenum, Case Keenum will take his martini shaken, not stirred. Make no mistake, he will be the man in the spot light as he makes his first NFL start in his home town and where he made his bones in college at U of H finishing his career as the all time passing leader in NCAA history. I've been in Reliant Stadium and it's freaking loud but the noise could eclipse the Guinness World record set in Seattle earlier this season. To say Keenum is a popular choice in Houston is to exhibit a gift of understatement that is nearly unmatched.

If Keenum is to take advantage of the hometown crowd he can't start slowly. Get down the field and score, especially if it's a TD, and get the crowd amped up and rattle the normally unflappable Andrew Luck. Run the ball and importantly pass the ball effectively. Get 'Dre, DeAndre and Garrett involved. Let Deji Karim and Dennis Johnson get their chances and ride Ben Tate as long as his ribs can stand it.

I'm saying this team will ride a wave of emotion and purpose and put a little smack down on the Colts. Final Score---Texans 31 Colts 20.

Does it seem sometimes that God is conspiring against the Texans? I mean, after all, Case Keenum fever was in full bloom in Houston and Keenum was delivering driving the Texans to an 18 point half time lead. Then the head coach and offensive play caller is stricken with an as yet unknown malady and he is taken to the hospital as a precaution which means he won't be on the field to see this apparent win through. From then the bottom fell out from under the Houston Texans. The offense could only muster a paltry 3 points on offense while giving up 24 points to the hated Colts. Words cannot express the feeling felt by all Texans fans after the final gun went off. Only Dallas fans can relate as they gave away a similar game a week ago to Detroit.

Fortunately, at least for now, Gary Kubiak is stable and doing well in the hospital as doctors try to figure out what happened to him. Some are guessing that it was exhaustion while ESPN is reporting that doctors gave him drugs normally given to someone who has a stroke. I hope I speak for all when I say no matter what I hope he recovers completely and is back on the job soon.

You would have to say that Keenum is an improvement over Schaub and except for a totally blown call on a third down pass to Andre Johnson that was, IMO, wrongly overturned, or if Randy Bullock had made the three field goals he missed Keenum's debut would have had the storybook ending it deserved. I'm not one to call for a man to lose his job but considering the troubles he's had so far this season GM Rick Smith has got to be considering an alternative kicker who may not currently have a job. Bullock has been as close to awful as it gets and at 2-6 Houston as a whole has to be feeling pretty awful too.

Texans notes:

 

> No official word as yet about what the cause was of Gary Kubiak's collapse as he was leaving the field for halftime Sunday night. He is still in the hospital as doctors try to determine what exactly befell Kubiak. Ian Rappaport of the NFL Network reported yesterday that Kubiak suffered a mini stroke called TIA (Transient Iscemic Attack) and he was given, according ESPN's Adam Schefter, medication to break up blood clots associated with a stroke. As I said, no OFFICIAL word has come out about Kubiak's condition. Many speculate it was a combination of stress, fatigue and dehydration that could have been contributing factors in the incident.

 

> How good was Andre Johnson Sunday? This good: his 229 receiving yards gave him 12, 067 career receiving yards which makes him tied with Torrey Holt as the second fastest player to reach 12,000 yards in just 146 games; The 100+ yards he gained gives him 47 100+ games tying him for sixth place with Holt and Michael Irvin; His three touchdown receptions is a franchise high for a single game; The 62 yard bomb Johnson caught in the opening moments of the 1st quarter was the first TD pass for Johnson since early last year; Johnson has now caught at least one pass in 109 consecutive games he's played in. It is worth noting he should have had ten catches for about 245 yards but the refs wrongly overturned the catch (IMO) costing Houston a big first down in the 4th quarter.

 

> Did you guys see that LT Duane Brown owned Colts LB Robert Mathis? Brown flat dominated Mathis from start to finish. It was a heckuva performance against one of the best speed rushers in the NFL.

 

> Ben Tate did a nice job but I don't think the Texans ran the ball enough, or maybe it wasn't effective enough. Either way I believe the Texans missed Arian Foster and with his back acting up again and who knows how long Houston will have to make due without him.

 

> I think whoever calls plays this Sunday needs to grow a pair and be a little more aggressive and Case Keenum needs a few plays where he gets some short quick routes to throw to. Keenum tends to hold the ball a bit too long. That's my only gripe. He needs to get the ball out quicker most of the time and that will make him more effective on the deep routes and the scrambles. All in all, I'm happy for the change and the question is, can he consistantly be the guy we saw against the Chiefs and Colts? Only time will tell but so far so good. Forget the nay-sayers on the Blitz.

It turns out that Greg Rosenthal's report that Gary Kubiak had a mini-stroke or Transient Iscemic Attack was correct. Mr Rosenthal had some good information apparently. One question, did Rosenthal violate Kubiak's HIPAA law rights? Or at very least did the guy to told Rosenthal about Kubiak violate the HIPAA law? I'm just saying. Kubiak is now home from the hospital and not even Greg Rosenthal knows exactly when he'll return to work.

 

It's official, Wade Phillips was officially named interim head coach until Gary Kubiak can return to work.

 

Arian Foster is still aching in his back. He was all but eliminated from training camp with back issues so it'll be Ben Tate and his cracked ribs toting the rock this week. I would expect Deji Karim to be activated this week.

Surprisingly, the Texans have decided to stick with Randy Bullock as their place kicker despite his missing 3 field goals in last Sunday's loss to Indianapolis. Earlier this week the Texans hosted tryouts to former Texans kickers Shane Graham and Neil Rackers as well as veteran NFL and CFL place kicker Justin Medlock. If Bullock makes the three attempts he missed on his 1/4 night vs the Colts it is pretty certain Houston would have broken out of their slump and beaten the division leader all in one fell swoop. You would think Bullock is on a very short leash in terms of his job security going forward. Teams don't like to give up on draft picks and Bullock was a 5th rounder last year who missed all of his rookie season due to an injury and they are giving the ex-Texas A&M star every chance to right the ship.

 

Gary Kubiak will miss the trip to Arizona this week as he recovers from the TIA he suffered at half time of last Sunday's game. Offensive coordinator, Rick Dennison, will call the plays this week. Dennison took over after Kubiak went down last week and the Texans could only manage 3 second half points against the Colts as Houston blew an 18 point half time lead to Indianapolis. Dennison will continue to work in the press box and call the plays down to quarterbacks coach Karl Dorrell on the sideline who will relay the calls to Case Keenum.

 

Gary Kubiak is home recuperating but he's still keeping in contact with the Texans. It is not certain when he can return to work but he's still keeping tabs on the team. He is hoping to make a visit to the Texans practice facility this week. Right now doctors want Kubes to stay home and relax and NOT think about football but that's like asking squirrels not to collect nuts for the winter.

This week Case Keenum gets another crack at ending Houston's losing streak. Arizona is beatable even at home. We will see how much of a difference having a new play caller, OC Rick Dennison, and we'll see how much Gary Kubiak's visit to the Texans practice Friday inspires the team. It should certainly answers the questions they probably had about whether he's really doing okay.

Keenum likely won't have Andre Johnson to lean on as much as he has because I'll bet a dollar to a donut that Patrick Peterson will be shadowing Johnson all over the field Sunday. DeAndre Hopkins, Garrett Graham and the rest of the receiving corp will need to step up and make their presence known. If the defense can put pressure on Carson Palmer it could be a long day for the Cards offense. Palmer ain't Andrew Luck. They will need to put the clamps on Andre Ellington and Rashard Mendenhall and force Palmer to beat them and I believe Palmer can't do that. Go Texans. Go Case Keenum.

 

Sleeper pick - Garrett Graham. The Cardinals have given up more fantasy points to tight ends in 2013. Graham can be the difference for the Texans this week.

Question is...

 

Do I want to torture myself watching the Texans today? Based on the first 15 seconds of the game, I may end up with an elevated blood pressure...not starting off very well. :(

 

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The ineptitude of the Texans offense perplexes me. In the first half the Texans look good but in the second half they look like crap. They scored 17 of their points in the first half and had an oh-by-the-way score in the fourth quarter but it looked like the Arizona did the same thing Indianapolis did and that's just blitz the crap out of Houston and they didn't have an answer last week and they didn't have an answer this week. It's incredible that even four man rushes seem to devastate the O-line. Houston won't go anywhere until they learn how to deal with pressure up front. The only thing Dallas and Houston have in common is a lack of a way to counter pressure which frustrates the crap out of me. Houston, in my mind is now mathematically eliminated from any playoff hopes. This may not be literally true but it's sure clear they aren't going anywhere this season.

If Andre Johnson got a vote in who will be Houston's starting QB going forward I'd bet a lot of money he pick Case Keenum. Johnson hadn't caught a TD pass all season until Case Keenum took over the reins against Indianapolis and then he caught 3 TD passes in a heartbreaking loss to the Colts. Johnson got his fourth TD pass last week despite tight coverage by Arizona ace CB Patrick Peterson. Fantasy owners are happy too because despite his being acknowledged at one of the top 5 WRs in the NFL Johnson was a fantasy bust because Matt Schaub didn't target him in the red zone or, like Keenum did against the Colts, from the Texans red zone with long passes. Keenum has been a revelation and the only person not surprised is head coach Gary Kubiak who waited with baited breath hoping Keenum would not get drafted so Houston could snap him up as an undrafted free agent. In his 1-1/2 years on the Texans Case has already leapfrogged TJ Yates and Matt Schaub and he could actually become that franchise QB for the Texans a la Tony Romo. You get the comparisons right? An guy who rose up after not being drafted to take control of the QB position for the next ten years. I'm rooting for the guy. Houston could certainly do worse. Now, I don't want to jump the gun and anoint Keenum too soon but so far so good. Now, the OC needs to figure out a way to beat the blitzes that have ruined the second halfs of the past two games. But, the Texans face a pretty bad Oakland Raider team who fought with the NY Giants on who was going to do more to lose their game last Sunday and Oakland won that battle losing a horrible game by both teams. Keenum should get his first win this week and it will be about damn time.

The Texans made two big roster moves on Tuesday. One sort of expected and one that holds some controversy. Arian Foster was put on IR as he recovers from the back injury that has plagued him since training camp. Foster actually may need surgery to repair his back and if he decides to go that way he can do it now that his season is officially over.

Ed Reed was signed this off season with the Texans knowing he was coming off hip surgery. Reed hasn't been his old self but without off season workouts and no training camp I think he was due a little leeway. Many people feel that comments Reed made about the Texans players and coaches being outplayed and outcoahed was the reason for his release. Reed was signed after Houston let Glover Quin leave Houston via free agency and it was thought by many that a Reed for Quin deal was a bad trade because of Reed's age and health. Houston's pass defense has certainly been less than adequet this season and poor safety play is part of that. Reed's may have called a spade a spade in his critism of his team but being right doesn't mean you can piss off the boss. If rumors are true that seems to be just why Reed lost his job.

What else? I'll tell you what else. Punter Shane Lechler has been in the hospital the past 3 days battling the flu. He is expected to play against his old team, the Oakland Raiders, this week but if he can't go Gary Kubiak said K Randy Bullock can fill in for Lechler punting and Matt Schaub would take up the slack as holder for Bullock on place kicks.

 

Arian Foster underwent successful back surgery in California to repair a herniated disc. Foster sought several opinions and also tried to rehab the back but he elected to have season ending surgery this week. There was no sense is risking a very serious injury to Foster by rehabbing it and playing through back pain all season since Houston is all but mathmatically elimintated from the playoffs. Personally, I think their crazy to risk Ben Tate and his cracked ribs at this point but you know players want to play.

 

Kareem Jackson and Joe Mays will both be game time decisions this week facing the Raiders. Jackson left the game in Arizona with a chest contusion and he has missed practice so far this week. Mays could miss the game because a knee that he's had issues with of late swelled up on him and caused him to miss practice the past two days. He could be back at practice today. If Jackson is unable to go Brice McCain will fill in. If Mays isn't able to play then newly signed LB Jeff Tarpinian will play as he did last week against the Cardinals.

Never mind that Gary Kubiak was coming back from the 'mini stroke' that caused him to miss the past week and a half. Never mind that he had to coach from the top of the stadium in the coach's booth. Never mind everything. There are only 2 things that you need to know. The Texans lost their 8th game in row to the lowly Oakland Raiders by a score of 28-23 and the other thing is you could have seen the end of the Gary Kubiak era in Houston. Especially after the sideline blowup between Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub. Johnson left the sideline before the game was even over. For a guy like Johnson who NEVER makes a fuss that scene yesterday spoke volumes. This was supposed to be the week Houston finally got off the schnide playing a very winnable game against a supposedly 'weak' Raiders team garnering Case Keenum's first win as pro.

Wade Phillips' defense got burned for 24 points under the leadership of a guy who few, outside of his parents, ever heard of. I guess ex-Penn State QB Matt McGloin isn't that anonymous but really, this kid should not have lit up the Houston defense like he did. I realize Houston helped him out with short fields as a result of Texans turnovers but he tossed 3--that's 3--TD passes against a veteran defense. The losing streak has as much to do with poor defense as an MIA offense.

The disheartening thing was the Texans offense mailed it in for the 4th week in a row, some may say for the 8th week, in the second half of the game. Scoring 17 of their 23 points in the first half and failing miserably in 3 trips to the red zone in the second half including a potential game winning drive at the end of the game that ended in a WTF pass in Andre Johnson's direction on 4th down at the seven yard line. The futility wasn't Case Keenum's futility. He was relieved of the responsibility in the second half by Kubiak who said he wanted Schaub in the game to handle the game in ways he felt Keenum could not. He did move the team between the 20's but the red zone was as foreign to him yesterday as it has been the rest of the season. The sight of Mr Texan Andre Johnson walking off the field alone at the end of the game to the chorus of boos raining down Reliant Stadium was the moving picture of a team who has hit rock bottom. Jacksonville shows more heart and guts than this Texans team does. The past 3 years has seen our team climb out of a decade long muck to be considered one of the best teams in the NFL. Some even predicted Houston was a genuine, dyed in the wool Super Bowl contender. How far this team has fallen was on full display about 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Even as much as team owner, Bob McNair, who has a deep and abiding man-crush on Gary Kubiak, had to have cringed listening to the boos inside HIS building. It really seems this is a no-win situation under Kubiak who I do credit for building a talent laden team. He just never seemed to be able to get over the hump and some of that wasn't his fault. The Texans best shot was 2 years ago when Schaub, who was on a good roll, was lost for the season and TJ Yates took the team into the playoffs only to lose to the Ravens on the road in the divisional round. It looked like Kubiak wasn't going to get the chance to try again to bring a championship to Houston, it looked like he was a guy who had worn out his welcome.

In another WTF moment at the Texans headquarters Gary Kubiak announced this week that Case Keenum will be the starting quarterback against the Jacksonville Jaguars this week. Stating that he had every confidence in Keenum had to have people scratching their heads over that statement. If he had every confidence in Keenum why did he pull Keenum off the field in the second half against the Raiders? Very strange.

 

The Texans got JJ Watt back to practice today after missing practice yesterday due to a "sore back". The quotes are from Texans.com com and I'm not sure what they are inferring with the quotation marks. Maybe yesterday was just a veteran's day off type of thing to give Watt a little extra recouperation time. This is pretty common and Watt probably wasn't the only one with a "sore back".

 

Rookie tight end Ryan Griffin is cleared and back at practice after sitting out the past week due to a concussion he suffered the game prior to the Raiders contest. Griffin has done some nice things for Houston this season and his absence last week limited the Texans two tight end formations and their run game. He's excited to be back on the field now after having to watch the Raiders game from the locker room.

Andre Johnson responded to ESPN about his thoughts about the Texans after they lost to division rival Jacksonville by saying, "We suck." The Texans probably hit rock bottom last week in the loss to Oakland but now the Texans are tied with Jacksonville and Atlanta at 2-9 for the worst record in the NFL. This team is a disaster and between the Falcons and the Texans, based on preseason expectations, they have to be the biggest disappointments in the NFL so far. This is bad enough that Gary Kubiak may actually be in danger of losing his job. There really isn't any more to be said because, unlike the Astros, the Texans aren't in the infancy of rebuilding the franchise but maybe it should be. It may be time to let Kubiak go because the hemoriging won't stop. No matter what they do Houston can't do anything right. I think Kubiak has done a good job and the team, from a talent perspective, is worlds better than they were when he took over but it really is looking like he may have lost the team. The overall talent on the team is better than what we've seen all season and the only common thing is the coaching staff. Offense and defense. Wade Phillips isn't getting a pass here either. It is time for a change. Kubiak haters feel it's way past time.

If you've never gotten to see the New England Patriots in person this is your chance. The Pats come to H town to take their turn beating up the hapless Texans this Sunday. Unless a pure D miracle happens the Patriots will cruise past the floundering Texans team. I am serious about taking the opportunity to see New England, Tom Brady and company, in person. Texans fans will see how a well run organization operates. That's mean and I'm sorry but it's all I got for this team at this time. Even though the Texans may not be enjoying this Thanksgiving so much I hope you and yours have a very safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Does anyone agree that Wade Phillips' defense has more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese? The Patriots don't even play their best running back because he fumbles too much and the defense can't hold a lead to preserve their first victory in 2 and half months. This team is to be commended for their effort. The offense showed a little spark but I'm convinced Gary Kubiak either cannot or will not make adjustments at halftime. If Houston only had to play on half of ball they'd be 10-2 instead of 2-10.

Personnally, I didn't give Houston much of a chance against New England but I was pleasently surprised at just how close they made the game. The Patriots defense showed Houston how to preserve a win by pressuring Case Keenum and picking him off to end hopes of a last minute comeback. Despite how I think Houston got better talent-wise under Gary Kubiak I am firmly convinced that a total turnover in the coaching staff is needed. I understand that the loss of Arian Foster and Brian Cushing are big losses but there is no way Houston should be 2-10 with the talent still on this team.

It's hard to believe that Houston has gone from AFC South champion to cellar dweller in one year. Now, they play Jacksonville who just beat them a couple of weeks ago and are bringing in a 3 game winning streak. This time they play in Florida and I am not holding my breathe in anticipation of a Houston win.

Okay, I feel a little better about the Fowler trade. Why? Because of the following article from Astros.com talks at length at why THEY feel good about the deal. Now the skeptic in me worries about the possibility that this is just the official web site trying to put a positive spin on the deal. I hate being skeptical but these are, after all, the Astros. Check this out and decide for yourself but you know, at least for now, I'll agree with Big T and applaud the trade.

You look at the Houston Texans bench in the final two minutes of the Thursday night game vs Jacksonville and it looked to me like a team that was whooped. Trailing 14-7 to division rival Jacksonville and seemingly on the move with Case Keenum dinking and dunking the team down the field he threw an incredibly bad pass to Andre Johnson severely under throwing the the pass which was picked off. ending any threat Houston had of tying up the game going into half time. Then DJ Swearinger behaved like a huge ass hat taunting a Jaguars player giving them a first down when Houston should have had a 3-and-out defensive stand allowing Jacksonville to add to their lead before half time. It seemed clear that Gary Kubiak has lost his team. It must have because owner Bob McNair decided to fire Kubiak on the plane ride back to Houston last night.

 

"We felt that a change was needed at the head coach position and Gary Kubiak is no longer the head coach," Texans chairman and CEO Bob McNair said Friday.

Wade Phillips will be the interim head coach, and the rest of the coaching staff will be evaluated.

"To have this string of losses that we sustained is just totally unacceptable and it

It's official. Wade Phillips' hat is in the ring to become the Texans next head coach. I sincerely hope Wade doesn't get the job. No offense to Wade but his head coaching track record isn't nearly a good as his record as a defensive coordinator and to be honest his defense hasn't been all that great this season. I'm not sure who I want to be head coach at this point but I do know I don't want Phillips.

It's official. Wade Phillips' hat is in the ring to become the Texans next head coach. I sincerely hope Wade doesn't get the job. No offense to Wade but his head coaching track record isn't nearly a good as his record as a defensive coordinator and to be honest his defense hasn't been all that great this season. I'm not sure who I want to be head coach at this point but I do know I don't want Phillips.

 

Out of curiosity I looked up the stats on http://www.NFL.com/stats/team.

 

Given the miserable record, I was surprised to see how well the Texans ranked overall.

 

#3 Total Defense

#2 Passing Defense

#21 Rushing Defense

 

Total defense statistics probably don't tell whole story. It would be interesting to see a ranking of starting short field possesions the teams had to defend. It would be useful to check the statistics by quarter also. The Texans lost a lead so many times in the second half this year.

 

Here's the ranking of my other team, the Dallas Cowboys:

 

#32 Total Defense (out of 32)

#32 Passing Defense

#28 Rushing Defense

 

 

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I'm curious how the Cowboys and Texans rank in terms of points allowed. To me, this is the stat that matters most. The other rankings don't mean much to me because they can change with one or two bad weeks. In the Texans case they have given up a lot of points and their offense hasn't scored all that much. The Texans defense hasn't exactly held up their end in terms of denying the opposing team points. In the Cowboys corner it's obvious they aren't very good. The overall talent on the defensive side of the ball is not good. Dallas is going to have to do something drastic to upgrade the talent on that side of the ball.

I agree about points allowed. I was looking for that. I'll see if I can find something. That gets back to the bend, but don't break scenario.

 

There are a few other things I'd like to dig into.

 

1. Offense doesn't help the situation - In light of all the pick sixes that Schaub threw this year, it would be interesting to compare the other team's scores based on points given up by Offense vs Defense. The Texans' offense didn't help matters this year. He threw pick sixes in multiple games so he definitely was not helping the cause!!

2. Comparison of defensive penalties and when committed - I'd also like to look at penalties at critical times either keeping the other guys drives alive or putting the defense in a tough spot. I know it happens all the time, but it would be interesting to see if there is a situational trend that negates the other numbers.

3. Comparison of performance based on opponent...Are the numbers skewed - Another thing would be to look at performance compared by opponent. May not find anything there since the Texans weren't even able to defeat Jacksonville in two tries this year.

4. How they compare in big plays given up - They could look great most of the time, but it means nothing if they give up too many big plays.

 

Sounds like I have a project on my hands. :)

 

There are a lot of reasons for a poor season. I'm struggling to find reasons for the collapse this year and even last year's late season collapse. I know one of the factors last year was injuries to key players. I think the injury bug was in play this year also, but that's part of the game. In many cases a good, well coached team can play its way through injuries.