Jon Gruden

R.I.P. Tim Tebow, The NFL Quarterback (April 22, 2010 - April 29, 2013)

Judging by the tsunami level downpour of rain and hail along with the two-hour strobe light of lightning, it was around 3:30 p.m. Houston time on Saturday when the Jets officially decided to release football's former "chosen one," quarterback Tim Tebow. They just chose to announce it publicly on M ... More >>

Geno Smith's Former QB Coach Refutes Scathing Draft Evaluation

Driven largely by back to back classes flush with immediate impact players, expectations have changed for highly drafted rookie quarterbacks in the NFL. Consider that two years ago, six of the top 35 picks were quarterbacks, and already three of them (oddly enough the second three drafted -- Chris ... More >>

Houston Texans Grieving Process 3.0: At Least We're Not This 49er Fan

It's been a couple weeks, but perhaps some of you are still smarting from the Texans' loss to the Ravens ending their two-game playoff run. As I expressed from the day after that game, there are lots of ways to cope with a loss, but to me the best way is taking some semblance of pleasure in the pai ... More >>

ESPN's Jon Gruden Mistakes the First Lady for Lisa Salters (w/ VIDEO)

It's hard to find a reason to stick around and watch a college bowl game where the score is 63-20 in the third quarter, so if you caught the moment that I am about to lay out for you from last night's Orange Bowl, then you are likely a) a family member of a West Virginia Mountaineer football player ... More >>

NFL Tells Teams They Better Stop Diving (w/ VIDEO)

Coming to the NFL​I never played professional (or college...or high school...) football, but as a fan of the game and as someone who covers it as my job, it would seem to me that faking an injury is about the most cowardly thing you can do. I bring this up because in the Monday night game a c ... More >>

Texans 20, Jets 16: Defense Shines, But Backup QB Troubles Remain

Photos by Marco TorresMatt Schaub didn't play much.​In the big picture, the narrative from Monday's preseason opener at Reliant Stadium was a promising one for Gary Kubiak's Texans. First and foremost, there were no major injuries. Secondly, the retooled unit of renowned defensive coordinato ... More >>

More NFL Owner Premature "Celebra-culation" As Lockout Rolls On

​So, the NFL owners ratified the proposed collective bargaining agreement on Thursday afternoon. Instead of following up that approval with a brief, measured statement from commissioner Roger Goodell (an appropriate follow-up since the deal is not done until the players approve it), the owners ... More >>

Doing Time, Wrongly

Finally, a chat with our cover subject.

Cam Newton Flunks Camp Gruden (w/ VIDEO)

Cam Newtown: We got a 36 play, a 37 play, all kinds of plays.​While ESPN has become a bit of a safe haven for literally dozens of retired players and terminated coaches who have no business on television, occasionally they come up with a gem. If you cast the net wide enough, you have to, righ ... More >>

The Jim Harbaugh Situation -- It's Over (3 Winners, 3 Losers)

Jim Harbaugh: All that?​I'll go ahead and say it -- what's the big deal about Jim Harbaugh? Sure, I understand that he took Stanford to never before seen (by Stanford) heights of winning 12 games including a BCS bowl. I understand that he transformed the identity of the team in the process, t ... More >>

Broncos & Tim Tebow 24, Texans 23: If You're Disappointed, You're Not Thinking Big Picture

​In and of itself, Sunday's collapse against Denver is virtually the same story that has played out countless other times over the past two seasons for the Texans. Yet the franchise has never been this close to finally breaking through. In seven days, the nightmare that is 2010 comes to an ... More >>

Dear Mr. Santa: A Houston Sports Fan's List

Dear Mr. Santa...​Dear Mr. Claus: I know it is Christmas Eve, and maybe I'm a bit late with sending this little note to you, but I'm sure that with this newfangled internets thing you'll get it in time. I'm also aware that I might have been a bit naughty, and that I've made a few people an ... More >>

The Year In Battlefight: 25 Thoughts On This Year's Houston Texans

At least the Texans cheerleaders are worth watching​For some reason, there were many people out there who thought the Houston Texans were going to be a good team this year. Playoff good.I didn't read anything about Gary Kubiak getting a brain implant during the off-season, so I could never u ... More >>

Houston Texans - Jobber To The Stars

Just call him Gary "Special Delivery" Kubiak​"You just keep playin', you work hard in this business...keep workin', believe in what you're doin', keep your chin up, and keep pluggin', somethin' good will go our way." -- Gary Kubiak, 11/21/10 (but truth be told, he's said some variation of thi ... More >>

Game Time: Mike Leach, Texans and Grounded Clubs -- Weekend Thoughts

The Whalers can take it out of you​I'm two hours removed from a 5:00 a.m. flight this morning from Boston to Houston, so if this post is even remotely coherent we all have Rich Connelly and his ninja proofreading skills to thank. Because when you go up to Hartford for Whaler Fest 2010, there's no ... More >>

Game Time: The Decade's Five Most Lucrative Miracles

​First, I want to wish everybody out there a very happy holiday, and thank all of you who have read my stuff here on HoustonPress.com since I started up a couple months ago, especially those of you who leave comments (even if you think what you've just read is utter drivel, and you're telling me ... More >>

All I Want For Christmas Is A Football Coach

​Dear Santa Claus:I haven't asked much from you in the past few years. So since I've tried to be a good person, I'm hoping that you'll do me a solid and fulfill my wishes this Christmas. Especially since I'm not asking for Ashley Judd, like in the past, but since I'm asking for something that w ... More >>

25 Things About The Texans-Titans Monday Night Match-Up

​For the second week in a row, it's homecoming week on Monday Night Football. This past Monday, it was the Baltimore Ravens returning to the place from which they came, Cleveland, to play the Browns. This coming Monday, the Tennessee Titans are returning to Houston to take on the Texans.With tha ... More >>

Game Time: Charlie Weis Getting Canned; Business Is About To Pick Up

​I remember my tenth grade Economics teacher Mr. Amstutz telling our class one time about how, whenever there's a recession or a depression, one thing that can "pull the economy out of the dumper is a good ol' fashioned WAR." Keep in mind, this is in 1984, when the United States versus Russia ri ... More >>

Playoffs? Playoffs? We Just Hope The Texans Can Win A Game

​In all of three hours, the hot topic of the 2009 Texans season might have transitioned from whether they can make the playoffs to whether they can lure Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan or Jon Gruden as head coach come January.Remember the Texans' dynamic offense? The league's third-best unit a year ago ... More >>

25 Reasons You Can't Talk Enough About Brett Favre Tonight

​It's always nice when the local pro sports squad gets national TV attention. Tonight, for instance, the Houston Texans are taking on the Minnesota Vikings on ESPN's Monday Night Football. Sure, the game doesn't really count for anything, but it's nice to get a little attention.So I've done a li ... More >>

Can the Houston Texans Get Garcia In This Rosenfels Trade? Jeff Can Come, Too

Photo by gr750 NFL free agency starts today. And since the Houston Texans are trading Sage Rosenfels to the Minnesota Vikings, they find themselves in desperate need of a backup quarterback. And with Matt Schaub as the number one QB, the Texans are going to desperately need a proven backup for tho ... More >>

Can the Houston Texans Get Garcia In This Rosenfels Trade? Jeff Can Come, Too

Photo by gr750 NFL free agency starts today. And since the Houston Texans are trading Sage Rosenfels to the Minnesota Vikings, they find themselves in desperate need of a backup quarterback. And with Matt Schaub as the number one QB, the Texans are going to desperately need a proven backup for tho ... More >>

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Texans Settle Into Mediocrity

Okay, so the Texans beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday to finish their second straight season at 8-8. That's two seasons in a row of mediocrity. Can I have a YAY TEAM! Over at the Chron, Richard Justice thinks the team is heading in the right direction and has turned the corner. He likes how G ... More >>

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Texans Settle Into Mediocrity

Okay, so the Texans beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday to finish their second straight season at 8-8. That's two seasons in a row of mediocrity. Can I have a YAY TEAM! Over at the Chron, Richard Justice thinks the team is heading in the right direction and has turned the corner. He likes how G ... More >>

John Royal's NFL Power Rankings

John Royal’s NFL Season Picks

John Royal's NFL Picks, Week 14: Longest. Season. Ever.

Madonna Shines Ray of Light on Texans

2007 NFL Preview, Take Two

Trading Spaces: Mock Draft Version 4.0