What would it take for Richard Smith to keep his job?

I know that this probably seems like a moot point, but after listening to Mike Clark all game over at Battle Red Blog, I'm feeling optimistic. So here's the questions: At what point do you decide not to fire Richard Smith?

As ridiculous as it may sound, the Texans are not yet mathematically eliminated from playoff contention yet. If they were to win out, they would finish 9-7, and depending on how other teams did, they would have a chance at making the playoffs.

If the Texans managed to make it into the playoffs after the season they've had, would you be willing to get rid of the DC? Would it matter if our defense had played well over the last few games?

The last two games, whoever has been in charge of the defense seems to have been calling more blitzes. If this keeps up, and we keep winning, we have to rethink our Fire Richard Smith campaign.

Starting at the most ridiculous of scenarios, and working our way back, I'd like to figure out when not firing Richard Smith becomes a viable option.

If the Texans:

• Win the Superbowl = You Cannot Fire Dick Smith
• Go to the Superbowl = You Cannot Fire Dick Smith
• Go to the Playoffs = You Probably Shouldn't Fire Dick Smith
• Finish 9-7 but don't make the playoffs = You Probably Shouldn't Fire Dick Smith
• Finish 8-8 = At this point, it depends on how we've been winning
• Finish 7-9 = Unless we've been pitching shutouts, I think this is when Richard Smith has to go
• Finish 6-10 = Unless the Texans defense looks like a reincarnation of the 85 Bears, I don't care why we've been losing, I want Dick Smith gone.
• Finish 5-11 = If we don't win another game, I can't think of an excuse to keep Dick Smith.

So to recap my little list, playoffs should allow Dick Smith to keep his job. I say this with the assumption that we are winning with the help of our defense, not in spite of it. If we manage to make it to the playoffs, I think it is a safe assumption that our defense has quit playing as horribly as it did throught most of the year. If we win 6 games in a row (including the most recent wins against Cleveland and Jacksonville) I think it will be a sign that our defense is playing much better. At this point, I'm still making the assumption that we're winning with the help of our defense, not in spite of them. Frankly, the only way we make it to this point is if the defense starts playing very well, and our offense plays like they have been.

At 8-8, we need to have been playing very solid defense, and our only loss needs to have come because of mistakes on the offensive side of the ball, not the defense. Any record worse than 8-8, and our defense would have to become dominant, whereas our offense becomes bad and ineffective in order for Dick Smith to have a legitimate argument for keeping his job. I can't really foresee this happening, even with Sage at the helm for the rest of the season, so any record worse than 8-8 is probably going to get pinned on Dick Smith.

Even after an uplifting Monday Night win, I'm only comfortable predicting a win against the Raiders. If we win two more games, it will be a surprise, and anything more than two will be the shock of the century. So a 6-10 season would not be surprising right now, and anything better than that would. Even with a surprise win somewhere in the next four games, I don't think it will be enough.

So, I think that if we win out, we need to keep Dick Smith as the DC, and see if he can continue this metamorphosis. If we don't win out, but the defense suddenly becomes a top ten defense, I think we keep Dick Smith, but have a replacement waiting in the wings (Frank Bush?). Anything outside of those two scenarios, and I think Dick Smith gets the Axe.

What would Dick Smith have to do, if it's even possible, to make you think he had earned a shot at being the DC again next year?