Don't get me wrong, it won't hurt to replace Schaub, as a matter of fact it would probably help, but replacing him is not going to fix all that is wrong with this team.
The day after the Foxborough massacre v 2.0 there's much hand-wringing and soul-searching being conducted by the Houston Chronicle's terrible trifecta of sports columnists: John McClain, Jerome Solomon & Randy Harvey (mercifully hidden behind the pay wall)
Their analysis takes the easy road, blaming Kubiak and the play-calling, Matt Schaub for just about everything, the Texans toughness, local sports history with only passing mention of the sub-par defense (They gave up 42 & 41 points in two games against the Patriots) and almost no mention of how lacking in talent the team was proven to be in the last half of the season.
In some ways I have a different perspective of the Texans because I'm not a fan. I'm a 49ers fan and all is well in the land Joe Montana built. For the Texans however there are several issues that need to be addressed.
What happened to the defense? I realize that the easy thing to do is look at this Texans team and blame Matt Schaub, and we'll get to him in a moment. But in what world can you be expected to win a playoff game when the defense gives up 41? This entire season has been built around #bullsonparade when really the Texans had a #bullsoncharade defense that came up severely lacking against playoff caliber teams. Outside of JJ Watt there is no pass rush (If the team re-signs Conor Barwin for any money at all you have my permission to scream) the linebackers were worthless without Cushing in the line-up, and the defensive backfield depth chart includes Shiloh Keo. The Texans' d needs a talent infusion and some depth, and despite all of the belief in Wade Phillips they're not going to be very good without it.
Oh that O-line. You can talk all you want about the Texans' anemic (at times) run game and the poor play of their QB (more on that in a minute) but it all starts (and ends) with a very pedestrian offensive line. Before you start screaming "Pro-Bowl" at me realize that the voting for that is a sham. In all the Texans have 2 pro-caliber O-linemen on the roster: Brown and Myers. The remaining rotational players (and yes, I'm including Wade Smith) need to be shuffled down the depth chart immediately. Either through the draft or through free agency the Texans need to totally remake the guys up front. Until they do there's going to be a lot more heartbreak in Texans' fans future than there is now.
Kubiak. Some say he's too conservative, some say he can't make in-game adjustments, some say he's tone-deaf when it comes to how to use the NFL's challenge system. I think all of these apply (somewhat) although he did, finally, muster up a successful challenge on Sunday. The problem with Kubiak is that it seems the modern NFL game has passed him by. In an age where even his mentor, Washington coach Mike Shanahan, has adopted a mobile quarterback Kubiak still seems stuck in an age where an immobile guy with below-average arm-strength can get you to a Superbowl. In today's NFL you either need a mobile quarterback (Kaepernick) or a nimble QB with good arm-strength who, although not a scrambler, can move in the pocket and extend plays (Brady and to a lesser extent Ryan) or a guy who can utilize a strong run game and take a shot deep (That's right, Flacco) Kubiak doesn't seem to get this and he doesn't understand the need to audible. For Kubiak, the script is the key, but when the script gets figured out by opposing teams he doesn't have a plan B, or C, or 1-A for that matter.
OK, Schaub. First off, I like Matt Schaub. He seems like a decent, nice guy who's making the most of his limited tools. That said, he's not fleet of foot, and he's lost all confidence in his ability to throw the deep ball (this doesn't mean that he can't throw the deep ball). Schaub's idea of evading a blitz means to either throw the ball away, or fall down and take a sack. He's the ultimate quarterback for Kubiak's brand of ball. On-schedule? Schaub will (usually) make the play. When the Texans offense gets off-schedule though he's a turnover or badly thrown pass waiting to happen. Maybe, if the Texans get their defense back, he can win you some games behind a strong running game and timely passing, but since that's not looking like it's going to happen the Texans have probably been taken by him as far as they're going to go. He's got a long contract in place, so their best bet is probably to draft someone and have them learn how to QB by carrying a clipboard for a year.
Finally, WR talent. Currently the Texans receiving core is Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels and......nothing. Kevin Walter is a good WR if you want someone who will block for the running game, Keyshawn Johnson is nothing special, and DeVier Posey might be the unluckiest player on the Texans roster. It's time for the Texans to get serious about bringing in some real players to up the talent level in the receiving corps. A first start would be a pair of big, pass-catching tight ends that are being used with great effect throughout the lead. The second step would be to get a slot receiver who runs good routes and is constantly open in the Wes Welker vein (Ryan Swopes?) and a stretch-the-field 2nd receiver who can take some of the deep-field pressure off of Andre (a poor man's Torrey Smith).
Despite all of the holes in talent the Texans were good enough to finish the regular season 12-4. That most of the 12 wins were against bad teams went unnoticed until the 42-14 shellacking in the Foxborough Massacre v1.0. They beat a not-ready-for-prime-time Bengals team before flaming out against that same Patriots team. After the hot start, this season felt like one long march down the road to eventual elimination short of even the NFC Championship game. Texans fans are right to say "wait until next year" but for this to have any steam behind it the team needs to make several personnel upgrades before they even think about addressing the QB situation. Schaub's number 8 at the end of the season may have more closely resembled David Carr's number 8 than say, Troy Aikman's but, it'd be OK if he didn't have to score 42 points against the Patriots to advance.
