TIME TO BE THANKFUL
With Texans entering soft spot on schedule, moment is right for Tyrod Taylor to return
The Houston Texans have activated the following player: Tyrod Taylor, QB.
The news came via a press release Saturday afternoon.
In the two decades long dysfunctional relationship between the Texans and their fans, this qualifies as one of the good days.
The Davis Mills Era has come to an end.
If the rookie from Stanford never again ascends to the starting quarterback position, that wouldn’t be the worst thing. Championship NFL teams need a better signal caller.
Should Mills work his way back to the top spot, that could be good, too. It could mean he has improved tremendously. Could also mean the Texans are still bad, but let’s be positive on this day of celebration.
The Mills’ run was a time during which the Texans went 0-7½,were outscored 220-82 and suffered the most lopsided loss in franchise history.
Mills, whose play fluctuated between somewhat serviceable and terrible, didn’t get to play in an NFL victory.
He led the Texans to losses in all six of his starts. His first appearance was a game in which he entered at the start of the second half after Taylor suffered an injury. The score was tied, but the Texans eventually lost by 10 points.
Only a handful of times in Texans’ history has a quarterback move been a significant upgrade. This is one example of such.
Taylor is by far the better NFL quarterback and gives the Texans a better chance to win. Of course, the Texans are also entering the soft portion of their schedule.
The Texans have a shot at putting together a winning month, just as they did last November. They should give thanks.
They start November at Miami against the Dolphins, who like the Texans are 1-7 with a sevengame losing streak. Then they are guaranteed not to lose — on the field at least — during a bye week.
After a visit to the ex-wife in Nashville, the Texans return home on Nov. 28 to face the 2-6 Jets.
This could be the team’s most fun stretch of the year. Taylor is coming back at just the right time.
A superb team leader and teammate, Taylor will not be out there just to be out there. He wants to win.
After the many tough breaks he has had in his career, out of injury misfortune and sheer bad luck, every opportunity matters.
“Obviously, our record is what it is, and we can’t change that,” Taylor said. “We can only focus on what’s ahead of us.”
“We’ve just got to be better moving forward, and we’re definitely dedicated toward that, committed to doing the things that we need to do day in and day out, and looking forward to Sundays.
“One thing I love about this group of guys is just the fight and competitor and each man. No one has laid down for anyone throughout this season, regardless of the score that’s on the scoreboard. Each game, we’ve fought our tails off, and we’re going to continue to keep doing that.”
While the Texans don’t appear to have much to play for except for draft status — meaning they win by losing — building a winning culture is important. Yes, culture matters.
Whether an organization with Jack Easterby so high up the power pyramid is capable of building a champion culture is up for question, but at least they are talking a good game.
When the Texans traded receiver Randall Cobb this summer, he was so overjoyed that his Green bay teammates said he acted as if he had just been released from prison.
Longtime Texans’ linebacker Whitney Mercilus, who signed with the Packers after being released a couple weeks ago, found the atmosphere with his new organization much to his liking.
While it helped reenergize him that he was leaving the one-win Texans for the one-loss Packers, Mercilus said he also saw something in management that he liked.
“That definitely contributes to it, but also the mentality as far as like from top down,” Mercilus said. “I’m talking about from tippy-top all the way down, everybody’s on the same page and they invest into their players, into people.
“When you’ve got the mentality like that, that you just know you’re being appreciated and they’re doing everything to invest in you and you want to invest back into that. To experience something like that is awesome.”
Mercilus didn’t say the Texans weren’t invested in players, or that the franchise mentality from the top down is poor, or that not everyone is on the same page, but at points during his 10 years in Houston, all have been true.
Mercilus played for Gary Kubiak, Bill O’Brien and David Culley, with his tenure spanning every general manager the team has had except Charley Casserley.
The current regime is new, but has shown little thus far.