Key Factors For the Texans Loss to the Giants

Other than for Tech fans, this was a pathetic weekend for Texas football fans. Out of all of the possible losses, I think Texans fans got it the worst. I'm sure there are plenty of unintelligent over dramatic fans that will freak out all week, turn negative and act like the world is ending. They'll call into the Houston radio stations and complain like the Texans were 0-5. They'll call for Kubiak's job or to see Leinart get the start and will have totally abandoned the band wagon they jumped on a few weeks ago. To these fans, I say, "Shut up! Go be Cowboy fans if you are going to be such babies."

So the Texans lost to the Giants - whooptie do. Don't tell me that you didn't see this coming. I never felt right about this game and the outcome is somewhat close to what I had expected. I might have expected a little bit better of a showing, but I had a feeling the Giants would be a tough team to beat.

Instead of complaining, whining, bitching and moaning - I'll lay down six key factors in why the Texans lost to the Giants.

1. Giants Defense- The Giants defense showed up to play some football. Their game plan was to shut down Foster, force the Texans to pass and don't give Schaub any time. They executed this to perfection in what was one of the better defensive performances I have seen all year. Kudos to the Giants and their staff for doing this so well. (Giants fan, I wouldn't be so quick to give up on Coughlin).

2. Turnover Capitalization - The Texans defense finally caused some turnovers in the second half, but when they did, the offense was unable to score any points to capitalize off of those turnovers. In order to win, you have to be able to turn turnovers into points.

3. Our Fans - The fans at the game were pathetic. At the beginning of the game it seemed like they were into it, but as soon as things went south they started booing the Texans. You want to boo at the end of the game, that's one thing, but when you boo in the middle of a game that complete de-motivates the team you came to see. It's like someone coming to your job and booing at you while you were working hard on a tough project.  How would you react? You'd lose focus, get frustrated and may become completely unmotivated to do the job that the people who are booing at you want you to do. It's no different for the Texans players. On top of executing they normal game plan, they then have to worry about how to get the fans back on their side.

I'm sick of seeing fair-weather fans come out to football games. It's time we learn how to root for a team and stop acting like babies. If you booed at the Texans during the game last night - YOU helped them lose.

4. Secondary - I can't figure out which is worse - the Texans secondary or the Texans secondary coaches. With the talent that the Texans supposedly have on the field, it seems like the coaches are too blame. Regardless of fault, someone is definitely to blame for how pathetic the secondary looks for the Texans week in and week out. People are quick to put blame on Rookie corner back Kareem Jackson, but I think the problem is a little bigger than that.

None of these guys seem to be working as a unit and they run a lot of zone, which those two elements together become a recipe for disaster. To successfully run zone coverage, a safety has to know when to help out a corner over the top and the corner has to know when the safety is going to pick up the receiver who is turning a deep route. If they aren't on the same page, that receiver is going to be left open time and time again. That's is exactly what happened against the Giants. Wilson and Pollard had a HORRIBLE game. They couldn't zone cover if it meant their life.

How can the Texans fix it? Bring in some veteran corners to help out. Stop random blitzing and drop a linebacker into coverage and figure out how to play man-zone rather than just zone. Corners on the wide outs and a safety playing zone over the top.

5. Coaching - The Texans were just plain, old-fashioned out coached. Coughlin and his gang did their jobs, watched tape, spoke to scouts and game planned to learn how to stop the Texans offense and score on the Texans terrible defense. It worked for the Giants. The flip side was the Texans coaching that seemed to have no game plan, couldn't adjust, abandoned the run way to quickly in the third quarter and over all...sucked (for the lack of a better term). I think a high school coach might have been able to coach that game better than Kubiak and staff did. Come on, Gary. I know you are better than that....

6. The Refs - I never like blaming the refs, but the officials for the Texans and Giants were absolutely amateurs. They called an illegal block in the back or a holding on every single punt return. It kept killing any momentum the Texans would get after their defense was finally able to stop Manning. At some point, you just have to let the players play. There is a holding call on every single down in a football game somewhere, but as a ref you just have to decide when it impedes on the game and make the call then...not every time. Go back to ref school you idiots and let the guys play.

Overall I give the Giants an A for this game. They played really, really well on all sides of the ball. Naturally this means the Texans barely don't get an F with a D minus. If they want to be the playoff team that they claim to be, they have better get on their horse. There is a lot of work to do to get this team to the place they are supposed to be...especially the secondary.

Don't get too down though, fellow Texans fans, this is just a bump in the road. They'll bounce back with a win over the over-hyped Chiefs and go into the bye 4-2. The bye week will be the perfect opportunity to learn how to play football right.