Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 16, 2005 9:26:05 GMT -5
Nov. 15, 2005, 10:32PM
Capers may be nice guy, but so what?
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
The cruelest truth that Texans coach Dom Capers must face — and overcome, if he is to keep his title and team beyond this season — is not that he suddenly has become incapable or ineffective.
He is neither.
Capers is respected in the NFL for his coaching abilities and admired for his integrity as much now as ever.
But in the ultimate of Texans ironies, all the attributes that the organization has hoped to epitomize since its inception — and all the things that Capers has always embodied — ultimately could cost him his job.
Unflinching loyalty
Capers is faithful to a fault. He would rather slice his own throat than that of a good friend or a devoted assistant.
In an NFL world where too many players are in it for the paycheck, too many assistants are loyal only until the next job opening, and too many front-office executives dodge responsibility when things go bad, Capers preaches unity and faith in one another.
That, as much as any fourth-and-2 decision or draft miscalculation, is what has Capers coaching for his professional life over the next seven games.
"You always critique yourself," Capers said Tuesday in response to the charge of failing to change defensive and offensive directions when results said he should have. "Throughout my career, I've always viewed (being loyal) as a strength. But can your strength become your weakness at some point?"
He didn't answer that question. While nice guys might not always finish last, occasionally they do fall to 1-8 and into the hunt for the top pick in the following spring's NFL draft.
The 'right' moves
Too many times over the past two-plus years, Capers has refused to do what was necessary. Instead, he did what he felt was right.
And after progressing steadily during their first three years, the Texans now have faded into a team with the NFL's 29th-ranked defense and 31st-ranked offense.
The defense lacks playmakers. The offense lacks gamebreakers. The quarterback, David Carr, has issues of some sort.
It remains uncertain if those issues are between his ears because of a fragile, hurting offensive line or because of the bland, predictable plays being whispered into his ears by the latest unproductive offensive coordinator.
Capers, as is his style, refuses to point fingers, instead pointing to the possibilities that lie ahead. The offense has been somewhat more efficient of late and the defense has twice had to face the Indianapolis Colts — only the scariest offense in the league — in the past four games.
And while no team in the NFL faced a tougher schedule over the first nine games — those Texans opponents won 67 percent of their games — the final seven games include four 2-7 opponents.
Unwanted results
But this situation may be beyond the point of saving jobs. It may have reached the point of saving face and hoping for the best.
"Obviously the results are not what we want," Capers said. "If we don't win enough over the next seven games, then I should be gone. But I'm always going to be a lot more critical of myself than anyone else. I've been in the game long enough that I think I know what it takes to win. I've studied from a lot of people who know what it takes to win."
His undoing has been doing nothing about those whom he trusted, but failed him.
The three assistants in whom Capers has shown the most faith — defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, former offensive coordinator Chris Palmer and current offensive coordinator Joe Pendry — are most responsible for Capers' job being in jeopardy.
Capers never should have hired Fangio, his old Carolina Panthers friend whose defenses at Indianapolis were ineffective and too complex to consider viable for an expansion franchise that figured to lean heavily on the draft.
Young players and complicated NFL defensive schemes don't mix. Fangio's 3-4 is one that only two Division I NCAA programs (Virginia and Maryland) run as their primary defense, necessitating that a number of young players, such as Jason Babin, switch positions from what they played in college.
Yet Capers believed in Fangio and still does.
"Any time you're in a situation we're in, it's going to bring on a lot of criticism," Capers said. "It's going to bring on a lot of speculation. I think the defense, along with our team ... We did what it took to win the Browns game here. I can say that in the areas it takes to do things to win games, we've done a much better job in the last four games than we've done in the first three."
Consider this: In January, after it became clear Palmer's offense was not working and the offensive line wasn't giving Carr enough protection, Capers told owner Bob McNair that he would "handle" the offensive struggles.
Capers went to Palmer and suggested that Palmer switch to quarterbacks coach to help Carr's progress and that Pendry would take over play-calling duties. Palmer told Capers he could not take that demotion, to just fire him right then and there.
Capers didn't. He couldn't. But after two games this season, he had no choice.
Tough decision
Capers did not talk about the discussions he had with Palmer after last season, but did say "Obviously, I had to make a tough decision. That decision was not based off of just two games. It was based off the end of last year, watching us go through training camp and preseason games and not seeing really the progress."
Capers held on too long to Palmer because of loyalty he felt. He has held on too long with Fangio. His allegiance to Pendry, another assistant with whom Capers worked in Carolina, will not work.
Pendry's style wears on players, and his offense is too stagnant, with no shifts, no movement and no deception that might put defenses on their heels and help Carr.
Blame Capers for this mess, only because he refused to blame others.
john.lopez@chron.com
Capers may be nice guy, but so what?
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
The cruelest truth that Texans coach Dom Capers must face — and overcome, if he is to keep his title and team beyond this season — is not that he suddenly has become incapable or ineffective.
He is neither.
Capers is respected in the NFL for his coaching abilities and admired for his integrity as much now as ever.
But in the ultimate of Texans ironies, all the attributes that the organization has hoped to epitomize since its inception — and all the things that Capers has always embodied — ultimately could cost him his job.
Unflinching loyalty
Capers is faithful to a fault. He would rather slice his own throat than that of a good friend or a devoted assistant.
In an NFL world where too many players are in it for the paycheck, too many assistants are loyal only until the next job opening, and too many front-office executives dodge responsibility when things go bad, Capers preaches unity and faith in one another.
That, as much as any fourth-and-2 decision or draft miscalculation, is what has Capers coaching for his professional life over the next seven games.
"You always critique yourself," Capers said Tuesday in response to the charge of failing to change defensive and offensive directions when results said he should have. "Throughout my career, I've always viewed (being loyal) as a strength. But can your strength become your weakness at some point?"
He didn't answer that question. While nice guys might not always finish last, occasionally they do fall to 1-8 and into the hunt for the top pick in the following spring's NFL draft.
The 'right' moves
Too many times over the past two-plus years, Capers has refused to do what was necessary. Instead, he did what he felt was right.
And after progressing steadily during their first three years, the Texans now have faded into a team with the NFL's 29th-ranked defense and 31st-ranked offense.
The defense lacks playmakers. The offense lacks gamebreakers. The quarterback, David Carr, has issues of some sort.
It remains uncertain if those issues are between his ears because of a fragile, hurting offensive line or because of the bland, predictable plays being whispered into his ears by the latest unproductive offensive coordinator.
Capers, as is his style, refuses to point fingers, instead pointing to the possibilities that lie ahead. The offense has been somewhat more efficient of late and the defense has twice had to face the Indianapolis Colts — only the scariest offense in the league — in the past four games.
And while no team in the NFL faced a tougher schedule over the first nine games — those Texans opponents won 67 percent of their games — the final seven games include four 2-7 opponents.
Unwanted results
But this situation may be beyond the point of saving jobs. It may have reached the point of saving face and hoping for the best.
"Obviously the results are not what we want," Capers said. "If we don't win enough over the next seven games, then I should be gone. But I'm always going to be a lot more critical of myself than anyone else. I've been in the game long enough that I think I know what it takes to win. I've studied from a lot of people who know what it takes to win."
His undoing has been doing nothing about those whom he trusted, but failed him.
The three assistants in whom Capers has shown the most faith — defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, former offensive coordinator Chris Palmer and current offensive coordinator Joe Pendry — are most responsible for Capers' job being in jeopardy.
Capers never should have hired Fangio, his old Carolina Panthers friend whose defenses at Indianapolis were ineffective and too complex to consider viable for an expansion franchise that figured to lean heavily on the draft.
Young players and complicated NFL defensive schemes don't mix. Fangio's 3-4 is one that only two Division I NCAA programs (Virginia and Maryland) run as their primary defense, necessitating that a number of young players, such as Jason Babin, switch positions from what they played in college.
Yet Capers believed in Fangio and still does.
"Any time you're in a situation we're in, it's going to bring on a lot of criticism," Capers said. "It's going to bring on a lot of speculation. I think the defense, along with our team ... We did what it took to win the Browns game here. I can say that in the areas it takes to do things to win games, we've done a much better job in the last four games than we've done in the first three."
Consider this: In January, after it became clear Palmer's offense was not working and the offensive line wasn't giving Carr enough protection, Capers told owner Bob McNair that he would "handle" the offensive struggles.
Capers went to Palmer and suggested that Palmer switch to quarterbacks coach to help Carr's progress and that Pendry would take over play-calling duties. Palmer told Capers he could not take that demotion, to just fire him right then and there.
Capers didn't. He couldn't. But after two games this season, he had no choice.
Tough decision
Capers did not talk about the discussions he had with Palmer after last season, but did say "Obviously, I had to make a tough decision. That decision was not based off of just two games. It was based off the end of last year, watching us go through training camp and preseason games and not seeing really the progress."
Capers held on too long to Palmer because of loyalty he felt. He has held on too long with Fangio. His allegiance to Pendry, another assistant with whom Capers worked in Carolina, will not work.
Pendry's style wears on players, and his offense is too stagnant, with no shifts, no movement and no deception that might put defenses on their heels and help Carr.
Blame Capers for this mess, only because he refused to blame others.
john.lopez@chron.com
