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    Beyond the Boxscore

    Coach challenges the Texans' manhood after Tom Brady snubs and champ schoolsthem

    Chris Baldwin
    Dec 11, 2012 | 6:04 am
    • Gary Kubiak wasn't happy during the game. And he laid down the law to hisplayers in the postgame.
      Photo by Michelle Watson/CultureMapSnap
    • Tom Brady had a championship look from the coin toss.
      Photo by Michelle Watson/CultureMapSnap

    FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — With their Monday Night dreams in shambles all around them, with Tom Brady having all but declared them championship amateurs, the Houston Texans find themselves facing a Gary Kubiak they've never quite seen before.

    Their usually ultra-positive coach isn't just pissed. He's questioning what they're made of, their very manhood.

    "Kubiak came in and challenged us as men," Texans safety Danieal Manning says. "He knows what this team can be. We all know what type of talent we have and how this is unacceptable.

    "He put it all out there. He put a mirror on us and we saw what he saw and we didn't like it."

    Kubiak calls for the Texans to be more Patriot like, to play and prepare with the relentless, merciless intensity New England shows in bulldozing their national stage visions 42-14.

     

    " It was an ass whipping," veteran wide receiver Andre Johnson says. 

    "He told us, 'You seen what it takes to be a championship team,' " defensive end Antonio Smith says. "You've seen it up close. Now, are you going to do it? Are you going to commit?' "

    If this isn't Kubiak shoving all his chips to the center of the table Jim Fassel style, it's as close as he's liable to ever come. Kubiak is not one for public proclamations. He abhors drawing attention to himself. In fact, Manning admits that the coach asks his players to not talk much about his postgame talk to the team right after he delivers it.

    It's a rant that clearly hit a nerve though. They'll be a lot of energy spent dissecting the Texans play calling after this one and Kubiak himself says, "It's obviously not good when you get beat like that" when questioned in his postgame press conference.

    But the Texans' season will not hinge on whether Kubiak keeps throwing and puts the one player he can't afford to lose (Matt Schaub) at risk down 28 points in the fourth quarter. It's going to come down to how an extremely talented, but still somewhat immature team responds to his manhood challenge.

    Kubiak goes out of character to make sure the Texans find theirs in time.

    "Not quite like that before," Manning says when asked if Kubiak's ever delivered a similar, unmistakable, direct challenge to the entire team.

    The coach knows the now 11-2 Texans are at the telling point in their season. Sure, they'll never be taken seriously nationally again until they beat a team like the Patriots in the playoffs. But that's not Kubiak's concern. Not right now.

     

      The Texans may as well have soiled themselves. Who knew you could get intimidated in the coin toss? 

    Not with Andrew Luck and a Colts team that somehow keeps pulling out close games coming into Reliant Stadium with a 9-4 record on Sunday. Not with the Texans clinging to a one-game lead over the Patriots (10-3) for homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. A one-game lead that suddenly seems like a 10-game deficit.

    "It sure doesn't feel like we have a better record than the Patriots right now," Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips says. "But that's the reality of it."

    One that is in danger of being completely wiped out if this mushrooms into a few bad weeks. Smith mentions how easily one loss can grow into two and three, and then a first-round playoff departure, if you're not mentally strong. The veterans on this team have been there before. They've experienced an NFL season death spiral.

    Kubiak's challenge is geared to swat down any chance of that.

     Tom Brady's Cold-Blooded Grip

    Brady and Patriots leave no doubt who is better geared for a big game challenge at this point. These Patriots of Bill Belichick and Brady seize the night like a championship prizefighter. They're Michael Jordan smelling fear, a bull seeing red, Charlie Sheen at a strip club.

    And the incredible honed-in focus begins in the pregame handshakes.

     

      "Kubiak came in and challenged us as men," Texans safety Danieal Manning says. "He knows what this team can be." 

    "I could sense it from the coin toss," Smith says of a routine led by Brady (of course). "It was business. Straight up business. They'd barely look at you. They'd shake your hand firmly, but they wouldn't look you in the eye. They were letting us know it was on."

    And the Texans . . . well, they may as well have soiled themselves. Who knew you could get intimidated in the coin toss?

    Houston commits an inexcusable illegal formation penalty on the very first offensive play of the game. "First play of the game we line up wrong," Kubiak says. "That's really concerning. You know what you're fixing to do on the first play of the game for days and you line up wrong . . ."

    The Texans are only getting started with the comedy roll of errors too. On the Patriots' third touchdown (in their first three possessions), tight end Aaron Hernandez goes completely uncovered. He splits out wide near the goal line . . . and no Texans follow.

    You'll never see an NFL team score with less resistance than this.

    Phillips stands in the middle of the locker room and largely blames himself when asked about the defensive meltdown. But he allows, "we had someone who was supposed to be there" on the Hernandez no-defense touchdown.

    There are clown car acts better coordinated than this Texans' Monday Night Football display.

    "It was an ass whipping," veteran wide receiver Andre Johnson says.

    The crowd mocked them. And you can bet that the Patriots are chuckling about them behind closed doors.

    And yet, Kubiak knows it does not have to be the beginning of the end. Or the moment that everyone ends up remembering about Houston's season of Super promise. It will take weeks and weeks — and a push deep into January to do it — but the Texans do have the ability to grab a redo.

    So the coach breaks from his usual script and gets on his team in an otherwise quiet locker room in New England.

    What type of men are you?, Kubiak essentially asks/demands.

    We'll all find out soon enough.

    unspecified
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    Premier Japanese women's wrestling league performs in Houston this weekend

    Jef Rouner
    Jul 9, 2025 | 12:30 pm
    Two Japanese women wrestlers compete in a ring. One is stomping in the other with both feet.
    Photo courtesy of Tokyo Joshi
    Hard-hitting women's wrestling for two nights in Houston

    For the first time ever, one of Japan's premier women's wrestling promotions, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, will be touring Texas, with a two-night stay in Houston this week.

    "Bringing TJPW to Texas reflects Tokyo Story’s broader strategy," a Tokyo Story representative writes in an email. "As a Japan-inspired toy and event company, we see major Southwest cities — especially in Texas — as prime for the growth of Asian pop culture. Houston, Dallas, and others are becoming more diverse, culturally curious, and open to new entertainment formats. This isn’t a one-off stop — it’s part of a long-term push to bring Japan’s creativity to cities with eager audiences. And we are making TJPW Live an annual event!"

    The events happen on Thursday, July 10 and Friday, July 11 at POST Houston (401 Franklin). Tickets are available at TokyoStoryUSA.com.

    TJPW split off from DDT Wrestling in 2012 as a sister promotion (or "league") that ran alongside its male counterpart before becoming its own entity in 2015. In that time, they've launched the career of international superstars like Yuka Sakazaki and Mina Shirakawa (both currently signed to All Elite Wrestling in America), as well as hosting non-Japanese guest grapplers like Thunder Rosa.

    The fighting is excellent and often brutal, but TJPW is also known for its playfulness. Matches embrace anime-like absurdity, such as having a wrestler work in a giant panda mascot costume. The promoters are hoping to one day partner with Texas truck stop icon Buc-ee's for a more mascot shenanigans. Many of the women also perform in J-pop girl groups on of their wrestling duties.

    On Night 1, strike specialist Miyu Yamashita will take on Maki Itoh, known for her flamboyant style and high risk maneuvers. Night 2 will feature much of the local guest talent, such as Houston's own Kaylia Capri (Reality of Wrestling) vs Yuki Arai in a singles bout, and Austin's Vert Vixen teaming with reigning TJPW tag champ Hyper Misao. Other Texans slated to appear ar Maya World, Alejandra Quintanilla, and Billie Starkz.

    The last decade has seen a marked rise in the quality and prestige of women's wrestling in America, with WWE hosting all-women Royal Rumbles and stars like Rhea Ripley and "Timeless" Toni Storm becoming household names. Most major promotions now feature robust line-ups of Japanese women wrestlers, with some like Asuka and Iyo Sky becoming world champions.

    For Japan, women's wrestling has a more consistent history of legitimacy going back decades, and the talent pool there is vast. TJPW branching out into Texas tours gives them a chance to showcase their wrestlers in the land that spawned legends like The Undertaker, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and the Von Erich Family.

    "The response has been overwhelmingly positive," said the TJPW spokesperson. "Many who had never experienced joshi (women’s) wrestling before are discovering how entertaining, emotional, and uniquely captivating it is. Since announcing the Texas shows, we’ve received a flood of enthusiastic messages — not just from wrestling fans, but from people drawn to the theatricality, comedy, and creativity of TJPW. We've also heard from fans in other states asking us to bring the tour to their cities."

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