It’s not easy being ‘people’s choice’ QB
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The description of Case Keenum, the former University of Houston superstar, as the people’s choice to quarterback the Texans is an unfortunate refrain.
Keenum, an underdog’s underdog, faces a difficult enough task Sunday afternoon against the Chiefs, who boast one of the NFL’s toughest defenses. No need for him to carry that albatross around his neck into Arrowhead Stadium.
Isn’t it enough that the Texans (2-4) are desperate to end a four-game losing streak that has them so near the bottom of the standings that only three of the 32 teams in the NFL have more losses?
They started from the top; now they’re here. Now is not the time to make such a major move because the people want to see it.
What’s wrong with going with what the people want? Oh, don’t let me count the ways.
A former president once said a government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth. However, many former football
coaches have said, or at least should have said, that a football team of the people, by the people, for the people shall get a head coach fired.
Houston, like most NFL cities, has a history of failed “people’s choice” quarterbacks. The adage about the popularity of backup signal callers conveniently leaves out their general record of futility. Remember these guys?
From Jacky Lee to Gifford Nielsen to Cody Carlson to Bucky Richardson to Sage Rosenfels, Houston professional backups whom fans demanded be handed the reins have generally come up well short of spectacular.
Keenum might be as popular as any reserve quarterback since Richardson, who starred at Texas A&M and was so good in preseason games that the venerable John McClain once wrote that were there such a thing, Richardson would be a unanimous choice for the preseason hall of fame.
Fans at the Astrodome didn’t hesitate to chant “Buc-ky! Buc-ky! Bucky!” when the Oilers’ offense struggled in a season opener, though he was behind Carlson and future Hall of Famer Warren Moon on the depth chart.
The same would have happened in Keenum’s honor last week during the Texans’ embarrassing loss to St. Louis were he in uniform.
But Gary Kubiak’s call to Keenum, who will start because Matt Schaub is injured and T.J. Yates has been terrible off the bench, isn’t to please fans. It is about winning. That it comes against an undefeated team at perhaps the NFL’s loudest stadium should tell you this wasn’t an easy choice.
Overlooked by the big boys at most every step of his playing career because of his size, Keenum wasn’t selected in the 2012 draft more because of a lack of arm strength than his less-than-ideal height (6-1) and weight (205 pounds). Tools questioned
“He showed up in Indy (for the 2012 draft combine) and didn’t have much zip on the ball,” an AFC scout said. “Definitely not an NFL arm. That’s why he wasn’t drafted. A little guy with a weak arm has no chance at this level.”
The scout said Keenum reminded him of former University of Texas quarterback Major Applewhite. He was smart and a gamer but lacked the physical tools to be successful in the NFL.
Keenum wasn’t considered to be particularly athletic. His 40-yard dash time was closer to the first offensive lineman taken than to No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck, who is much bigger (6-4, 240) and has a stronger arm.
But when Keenum joined the Texans as a free agent, he threw the ball much better than he did at Indianapolis. Better than most of the throws he was required to make at UH.
In the Cougars’ offense, he would uncork an NFLlike throw every now and then, but scouts doubted whether he had the arm strength to regularly repeat those. Instilling belief
He has done that enough with the Texans for them to believe he can make plays in a regularseason game.
The movement he showed in preseason and in practice has them thinking that despite his lack of straight-line speed, he can create with plays his feet.
No doubt Keenum would not be getting this chance had Yates shown more growth from two seasons ago, when he led the Texans to their first playoff victory.
Kubiak admits the move to Keenum is about “looking for a spark,” which tells you how desperate his team is six weeks into the season.
It’s not like the Texans are trying to sell tickets or win a PR battle. They need to win games.
The switch to Keenum isn’t about the people. It’s about the team.
If it is the wrong choice, the people won’t point to Keenum nearly as much as they will blame Kubiak.
He made this choice.