Texans fans should be proud and upset at the same time

After a 20-13 loss to the Ravens today, the Houston Texans wrapped up the best season in team history after winning the AFC South title for the first time in team history, winning the team's first ever playoff game and making it two games away from playing in the Super Bowl. Yet, today's loss seems to should leave a bitter taste in your mouth if your a Texans fans. For the record, I am not trying to bash the Texans on losing today, I am simply pointing out why fans have the right to be frustrated and proud at the same time of their hometown team.

Let's point out the negatives first. If you watched this game from start to finish, you realized that the Texans SHOULD have won this game today. However, as in any sports, mistakes will cost you games and that's what did the Texans in today. When a friend of mine asked me the other day in my opinion what would it take for the Texans to win I said a few things had to happen: Texans needed to rush for 140 yards (they gained 131), the defense needed to stop Ray Rice from making big runs (he had 60 yards on 21 carries), you had to win the turnover battle and T.J. Yates could not have too many mistakes. As I predicted to my friend I said I thought the Ravens would win but I think it would be close and I was right on the nose with my predictions. 1 fumble and 3 interceptions did the Texans in today plain and simple. Jacoby Jones, who in all likelihood played his final game as a Texan, got the moment of the game shifted after his inexplicable attempt to return a punt that turned into a fumble and a gimme touchdown for the Ravens. But like I said before, if you watched the entire game, you can't put all the blame on him even though he is an easy scapegoat to do so. After the Ravens kicked a field goal that made it 10-3 late in the 1st quarter, the very next possession for the Texans, rookie T.J. Yates threw an interception that turned into a Ravens touchdown after it set Baltimore up in prime position to score. At that point, the Texans were doing absolutely nothing on offense and in my mind I thought the route was on for Baltimore. But the Texans would jump on the back of Arian Foster and Andre Johnson on the offensive side of the ball and climb back in the game.

But after the Texans would come out of the locker room from halftime, the game was theirs to take and the offense didn't, or should I say T.J. Yates didn't. If your reading this your probably thinking, how can you bash a 5th round rookie, that was the third string QB, who never thought in is wildest mind that he would be in this game when the season started? And your right I shouldn't, but I have a problem with this theory to an extent. If T.J. Yates wasn't capable of being in the game, then why was he instead of Jake Delhomme? The answer to that is because Gary Kubiak knows what he has in Yates and sees him everyday at practice and knew it was the best option for the Texans to possibly win, and I get that. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve a hint of criticism? Here's the deal to me, the person that cost the Texans a trip to the AFC Championship game was T.J. Yates plain and simple. He is a professional; he earned his way into the league and rookie or not he made terrible decisions today that hurt his team and I bet nobody feels worse about it then he does. He tried to force too many passes today when he didn't need to especially in the 4th quarter. Yates was capable of taking the Texans down to score the game-tying touchdown after the 2 minute warning but he blew it. He had to take his team 36 yards down the field and he blew it by trying to force a pass on 1st down that he didn't need to that was intercepted and then again trying to throw a ball into the end zone with :20 seconds left on 4th down from midfield instead of trying to pick up a first down and keep any hopes of their chances to tie the game up alive. But I get it, he is a rookie and he made rookie mistakes, but is that truly an acceptable excuse for fans that truly get football? I will come back to that later.

Now to the positives and why Texans fans around should be proud. Once Matt Schaub, Mario Williams, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson went down due to injuries all throughout the season, this team was resilient and stepped up when they needed to. In many eyes that exceeded expectations because of these injuries and they brought playoff football back to Houston in nearly 20 years. The team all around won over the city of Houston and the buzz about this team is something this town hasn't seen since the Astros made the World Series in 2005. The scary part about this, not for the city of Houston but for the NFL, is that this team has the potential to be good for a very long time. Obviously there will be moves made, people let go, draft picks made and with what GM Rick Smith did this off season, the future looks bright for the Texans. The best news overall was that DC Wade Phillips decided to comeback to the Texans next year to keep on improving what is one of the top 3 defenses in the NFL right now. If you were to look at all the teams in the AFC the day after the Super Bowl, the Houston Texans has to be the one of the favorites to make the Super Bowl along with the Patriots. The worst part about the entire situation is that you can begin to play the what if game if Matt Schaub were in at QB instead of Yates. In my honest opinion, if Schaub didn't get hurt, the Texans probably would have finished 13-3 or 12-4 and would have been playing the Ravens at Reliant instead of on the road. If you don't believe me go read some local media members tweets during the day and see if you agree with them. They could have easily finished with the best record in the AFC and could most likely be looking at a trip to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl and with the Packers and Saints both losing in this round, one could only think the chances of them winning it could have been if he was in. But injuries happen and you have to play on and that's what they did all season and they did that very well.

Now let me go back to the point about Yates and him being a rookie. If you don't agree with me and you have a Twitter account, look up former Houston Texans cornerback Marcus Coleman on there and see his thoughts from the game and his insight as well. As Coleman said in a tweet, "Real talk, the rookie card does not apply. This situation was no newer to him than to the rest of the team who's never been in the playoffs." The fact is he is dead right. This was new to everyone on the team for the most part and he played poorly. The defense known as #BullsonParade did everything to win the game and the group as a whole deserved a win the way they played; so did Arian Foster and Andre Johnson, but it just wasn't the case. Again I'm not bashing Yates, I just pose a question to people that read this, are you satisfied that the Texans got to where they did, or did you want more? If you say more, your thinking the logic I am. To me, if your a team it is championship or bust and you have to have those expectations as players. As fans, we have a better understand of how are team may be in a season but if we know our team as a chance to win a championship, we should want it as bad as the players on team does. That's why I think this loss today is not only upsetting to the players of the Texans but the fans of the Texans as well. When I read a friend of mine's tweet today after the game, he put this into perspective better than any expert. He said that winning 10 games next year is not a foregone conclusion and repeat success is very hard in the NFL, which is very true. The best analogy I can think of with this is Dan Marino. Hall of Fame QB that goes to a Super Bowl in his second year in the league, then never makes it back again. The truth of the matter is the Texans had an opportunity to give themselves and the city of Houston a chance at the Super Bowl and they blew it. I do expect the Texans to be back and better next year, but the problem is we have to wait for next year.

To make this clear once again, I am not bashing T.J. Yates for losing the game, I am being a realistic observer of what happened in this game today. Yates did something this year that not many QB's in the history of the NFL have been asked to do and he did a commendable job at it. Was he great? No. Was he good enough? Absolutely. The future is bright for Yates with a lot of room to grow and will be a solid No. 2 QB next year behind Matt Schaub. Yates will have his time to shine once again and compete for a starting job in a few years, but again that time is down the road or unless Schaub becomes brittle again. In 2002, Houston officially got football, but in 2011/12, big time football returned to Houston. Be proud Texans fans, we all deserve it, but if your still a little pissed and feel like this game is hard to swallow, it is ok because it is. See you at Reliant in September.

Why Tim Tebow is the best thing for football and what he is really doing for fans

Many things in the sports world get me very opinionated, the BCS, steroids in baseball, NFL/NBA lockouts; but now, the one thing that has me so fired up, it is making me have to share my thoughts with the world is the coverage of Tim Tebow. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, or many sports websites, Tim Tebow has been one of the main focuses that people have been looking at since he was drafted in April of 2010. But the problem is not Tim Tebow, the problem is the media and the hell storm that it has caused for people to become sick of this man for no good reason

I have two problems with this Tim Tebow saga; the football side and the spiritual side of the story.

Let's start with the football side.

First of all let me get it out there, I am a Tim Tebow fan. I became a fan of Tebow's whenever I was in high school and I saw a documentary of him on ESPN and I thought to myself this guy is a machine. However, I don't believe for one second he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. I do believe though, he is one of the best football players in the NFL. Let's see his track record: 2 National Championships at Florida, a Heisman Trophy (when his team didn't even play for the National Title), SEC Player of the Year, Maxwell Award winner and the list goes on and on in his college days. Then Tebow was picked in the first round in 2010 by the Broncos, which nobody thought would truly happen, but then Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels thought he might be good in the system that they ran. In his rookie year, Tebow would play sparingly but would have a couple of starts at the end of the season due to the fact the Broncos were out of the playoff run and Tebow would lead his team to a few victories.

But when it came to this season, many questions were out there about who would lead the team, Tebow or Kyle Orton. Orton got the nod and was 1-4 and then "Tebow Time" it was. Tebow would go 7-1 in his first 8 starts and completely turn the season around for Denver, while Orton was eventually released.
Once it was announced that Tebow would become the starter, it was as though Watergate had broke out again and that is all the media wanted to talk about. Then he won. And he won some more. Eventually it seemed ESPN turned into a 24/7 Tim Tebow channel, but the sad thing is what was the only thing they could talk about? How bad he was and how "lucky" he was getting. Many commentators were right by a few things as the Broncos defense hardily get enough credit, if not any because of Tebow. Their running game, which ended the season as the No.1 run team in the NFL, didn't get much buzz because of Tebow. But was it Tim Tebow's fault. Absolutely not. The media kept feeding us Tim Tebow like we hadn't eaten in a week and the nation got sick of it and so did everyone in the media. But for what? For one guy winning a football game?

Now let's get to the spiritual side.

First off let me say this: I am a Christian. I believe in God and I do believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins. But I am not here to turn this into a spiritual debate. The main reason why the media is/has had such a field day with Tim Tebow is because of who he is; a spoken out Christian believer. If this was ANY OTHER Joe Schmo quarterback coming out of Florida or Texas or Alabama, the media wouldn't care as much. But because Tim Tebow has been upfront about who he is and what he believes, the media is trying to blow him up to watch him fail. And while the media is blowing up "Tebowmania," fans across the country are getting sick of Tebow; and that is the real shame. Fans are getting sick that an average quarterback is getting so much attention because of who he is, rather than how he plays, and I can see that argument and I do believe it is fair.

But the problem now that lots of people have because of Tebow is the comparison with him and God; and that is starting a huge uproar. As a Christian you are thought that God is perfect and that we should live our lives through Him and give all the praise and glory to Him in victory and defeat. The problem with this started back when EA Sports put him on the cover of the NCAA 11' video game and had to take off the Bible verse that was on his eye black because it was "too controversial." It got worse as soon as Tebow was drafted and before he threw one pass his jersey was the number one selling jersey in the NFL. It became comical when Tebow started pulling out 4th quarter comebacks when he started off games worse than a 7th grade "B" team QB could. But after he rallied Denver against teams like the Dolphins, the Jets, and the Bears, people began to label him as the "2nd coming," mostly all in fun. Even Saturday Night Live had a nice skit about Tebow's success (or luck has some think) he had pulling out 4th quarter comebacks. Media outlets began to pose the question is God behind these victories because Tebow is a strong believer and fans whether Christian or not started getting tired of hearing about this and it is a valid grip, but to a small extent.

Here is my ultimate opinion after seeing Tebow have his best game of his career in his first playoff game ever, a 29-23 overtime victory over the Steelers in which he threw 3 touchdowns and threw for 316 yards (remember that stat):

If you don't like the Tim Tebow story, if you are sick of hearing about how terrible he is or how much of a winner he is or the fact that he is the next Messiah, then turn off the television or radio, delete your Facebook and Twitter account and go live in the 19th century time period. Because guess what, that is the only way you will get rid of this guy. This is a new age that we live in where we revolve around the media to get all the information in our lives in the fastest way possible because nobody can live without it.

If this were the 1950's, Tebow would be the face of America. He would be the "All-American Boy" that every parent would want their son's to grow up to be and their daughter's to marry. But the fact is he is still that same guy, but everyone loses that in hindsight. Everyone is tired and pissed off about hearing about Tim Tebow or seeing pictures of people "Tebowing" or people getting Broncos jersey's made with the #15 and Jesus at the top. Even now with Tebow throwing for 316 yards last night, the comparison to John 3:16 is out there being either a strong coincidence or a true sign from God. My question is, would you rather hear more about the Penn State scandal? Would you rather hear about Ryan Braun getting caught using PED's last baseball season? The reason I say no is because, in our country we have to deal with terrible news everyday; frankly the news is the most depressing thing I have ever seen. Whether it is a political issue or an economy issue, there is nothing that to put your finger around most of the time in the news as something that is uplifting. But in this case, you have Tim Tebow to get around.

Tim Tebow is not Jesus Christ reincarnated, nor has he said he was. He is a believer and is doing what he believes is God's work by giving all the glory to Him and by trying to teach what it is God wants people to learn. What the Tebow-haters and media members that are trying to tear down Tebow because he is an average quarterback that gets too much television time, is that he is doing more for our country now then people could imagine. For one, he is making people talk about him, and with that talk comes a talk around religion. Whether someone is a Christian, a Muslim, or an Atheist, he can get you to express what you believe in and why; and that is the best thing that is coming out of this. It's not to try and get people to side one way or another, it is to get people to talk about it, and that is what this country is missing. Too many people don't go to church (myself included) for many reasons and one is the way lots of churches teach things these days. But the case with Tebow, if he can get you to talk about him, then pose the question to another person what they believe in and why, isn't that doing God's work?

The Denver Broncos are more than just Tim Tebow; the NFL is more than just Tim Tebow. But the thing is Tim Tebow is hopefully starting a trend in the right direction for people to see what is right in sports. Does God and football go together? Technically no, but how many guys do you see pray after they score a touchdown? Or how many guys do you see pray before they take the mound to pitch during a baseball game or do the cross symbol before they step up to the plate to bat? Many. Spiritualness and sports go hand and hand and everyone is guilty of it, because in everyone's right mind they can't say they haven't prayed someone miss a kick or hit a home run during a given game.

There are way too many negative stories involved around sports than there are good ones and that needs to be fixed. Whether you are a Christian or whether you are a non-believer or whatever you are, the Tebow saga should be something that you see and be thankful you see something that is good with sports for a change. The most important thing that can come out of this is it teaches the younger generation that is following my generation and see what Tebow is doing and follow in his footsteps. I'm not preaching they have to be a Christian and be a believer in Christ, but to do what is right in this world and stay away from the bad. Tebow isn't going anywhere for a long time folks, so I suggest you sit down and buckle up for the ride, or I suggest stop watching sports and get rid of your Facebook's and Twitter's, because this story is going to be around for a very long time; and in the end your going to thank him for it.

Ok, I will get off my soap box now and go buy a Tebow jersey.