LORK 88
07-17-2009, 03:46 PM
1) Kevin Walter, WR (2006)
In 2006, Houston signed Kevin Walter to a contract of 4 years, $6.4 million dollars. At the time, it was actually an offer sheet because he was a restricted free agent with Cincinnati. As expected, the Bengals didn’t match and received our 7th round pick in return. Little did we know that this meager signing would end up as one of the best moves in franchise history. In fact, the move seemed a bit questionable at the time, especially when coach Kubiak compared him to the great Ed McCaffrey. While he wasn’t an immediate impact that season, Kevin Walter went on to collect 125 receptions for 1,699 yards and 12 TDs as he solidified himself as a reliable target for Schaub and rid us of a need for a #2 WR after many failures (Jabar Gaffney, Eric Moulds, Corey Bradford). It’s a bit ironic that amidst all the monster contracts that players get in FA that Houston’s best FA signing was a RFA player who was riding the bench and got a contract averaging around $1.6 million a season but that’s exactly what makes it so great.
2) Kris Brown, K (2002)
Oh yes, Kris Brown was signed as a RFA from the Pittsburgh Steelers after only spending 3 years with the Steelers. We tend to forget where he came from and how he got here as we do with most kickers because he’s been such a mainstay with the team. It’s challenging to find a solid kicker that stays with a team for most of their career, and it’s even more amazing that we got him in FA without having to run the risk that so many teams take in the draft. He stepped right in and has been the kicker without question for the past 7 seasons. Admittedly Brown has had his ups and downs during his tenure with the Texans, but he’s been a solid kicker overall and has been clutch the past two seasons like the 57 yard game winner and the field goal to give Houston its first ever win over the Colts. Kickers rarely get respect, but Brown has earned his spot as one of our top FA signings.
3) Vonta Leach, FB (2006)
Leach was supposed to be nothing more than a temporary midseason pickup to fill the roster while touted free agent pickup Jameel Cook recovered from an injury. Although he had spent little time at the position (he played LB in college), his hard-nose style of football fit well at the position, but he showed enough versatility to be able to catch passes out of the backfield. It was a rare find with some luck, but Leach was exactly what Houston wanted. Subsequently, Leach stole a good amount of playing time from Cook towards the end of the year and recorded a few starts for the team. He ended up getting re-signed in 2007 to a 4 year, $8 million dollar contract that allowed us to release Cook before the start of the 2008 season. Since then, he’s been a beneficial asset to Houston’s running game, paving the way for the likes of Steve Slaton and even was named a Pro Bowl alternate last season.
4) Steve McKinney, C (2002)
We may remember the Steve McKinney at the end of his career most vividly, but when he was signed he was the only legitimate starter on the offensive line we had and easily the best. What makes the signing unique is that he was signed during the 2001 offseason and was Houston’s first ever UFA signing. During his first years in Houston, McKinney was the league of the linemen and one of the few bright spots. While the rest of the O Line helped David Carr become one of the most sacked QBs, McKinney gave up less that 10 sacks in three years combined and was penalized only 8 times in those three years. However, McKinney did slowly start to decline from 2005 on and an ACL tear in 2007 spelled the end of his time in Houston. For what it’s worth, McKinney did everything he was asked and more during his time in Houston, and was one of the key players on offense early on. It’s scary to think what would of happened to Carr had McKinney not been there from the beginning.
5) Kailee Wong, LB (2002)
During the first few years in Houston, it was safe to say its defense was more dominant than it’s offense (quite the opposite than as we know it today). It’s the same defense that beat the Pittsburgh Steelers when the offense netted less than 50 yards. There were stars like Aaron Glenn, Gary Walker, and Jamie Sharper but one of the other lesser known stars was Kailee Wong. Outside of Jeff Posey’s one season with Houston Wong was the mainstay at OLB in the 3-4 defense and one of the few players that generated a pass rush consistently. He wasn’t a tackling machine like Foreman and Sharper were (not like they left many tackles to be made anyways), but Wong was able to come up with big plays in the form of sacks or plays in coverage. Wong did manage to stay with the Texans much longer than the Sharper and Foreman but not by much. Regardless, he was a top player for us on defense and helped give us a great group of linebackers for the first few years of the franchise.
Other Notables: Gary Walker, Eugene Wilson, Jeff Posey, Jay Foreman, Billy Miller
In 2006, Houston signed Kevin Walter to a contract of 4 years, $6.4 million dollars. At the time, it was actually an offer sheet because he was a restricted free agent with Cincinnati. As expected, the Bengals didn’t match and received our 7th round pick in return. Little did we know that this meager signing would end up as one of the best moves in franchise history. In fact, the move seemed a bit questionable at the time, especially when coach Kubiak compared him to the great Ed McCaffrey. While he wasn’t an immediate impact that season, Kevin Walter went on to collect 125 receptions for 1,699 yards and 12 TDs as he solidified himself as a reliable target for Schaub and rid us of a need for a #2 WR after many failures (Jabar Gaffney, Eric Moulds, Corey Bradford). It’s a bit ironic that amidst all the monster contracts that players get in FA that Houston’s best FA signing was a RFA player who was riding the bench and got a contract averaging around $1.6 million a season but that’s exactly what makes it so great.
2) Kris Brown, K (2002)
Oh yes, Kris Brown was signed as a RFA from the Pittsburgh Steelers after only spending 3 years with the Steelers. We tend to forget where he came from and how he got here as we do with most kickers because he’s been such a mainstay with the team. It’s challenging to find a solid kicker that stays with a team for most of their career, and it’s even more amazing that we got him in FA without having to run the risk that so many teams take in the draft. He stepped right in and has been the kicker without question for the past 7 seasons. Admittedly Brown has had his ups and downs during his tenure with the Texans, but he’s been a solid kicker overall and has been clutch the past two seasons like the 57 yard game winner and the field goal to give Houston its first ever win over the Colts. Kickers rarely get respect, but Brown has earned his spot as one of our top FA signings.
3) Vonta Leach, FB (2006)
Leach was supposed to be nothing more than a temporary midseason pickup to fill the roster while touted free agent pickup Jameel Cook recovered from an injury. Although he had spent little time at the position (he played LB in college), his hard-nose style of football fit well at the position, but he showed enough versatility to be able to catch passes out of the backfield. It was a rare find with some luck, but Leach was exactly what Houston wanted. Subsequently, Leach stole a good amount of playing time from Cook towards the end of the year and recorded a few starts for the team. He ended up getting re-signed in 2007 to a 4 year, $8 million dollar contract that allowed us to release Cook before the start of the 2008 season. Since then, he’s been a beneficial asset to Houston’s running game, paving the way for the likes of Steve Slaton and even was named a Pro Bowl alternate last season.
4) Steve McKinney, C (2002)
We may remember the Steve McKinney at the end of his career most vividly, but when he was signed he was the only legitimate starter on the offensive line we had and easily the best. What makes the signing unique is that he was signed during the 2001 offseason and was Houston’s first ever UFA signing. During his first years in Houston, McKinney was the league of the linemen and one of the few bright spots. While the rest of the O Line helped David Carr become one of the most sacked QBs, McKinney gave up less that 10 sacks in three years combined and was penalized only 8 times in those three years. However, McKinney did slowly start to decline from 2005 on and an ACL tear in 2007 spelled the end of his time in Houston. For what it’s worth, McKinney did everything he was asked and more during his time in Houston, and was one of the key players on offense early on. It’s scary to think what would of happened to Carr had McKinney not been there from the beginning.
5) Kailee Wong, LB (2002)
During the first few years in Houston, it was safe to say its defense was more dominant than it’s offense (quite the opposite than as we know it today). It’s the same defense that beat the Pittsburgh Steelers when the offense netted less than 50 yards. There were stars like Aaron Glenn, Gary Walker, and Jamie Sharper but one of the other lesser known stars was Kailee Wong. Outside of Jeff Posey’s one season with Houston Wong was the mainstay at OLB in the 3-4 defense and one of the few players that generated a pass rush consistently. He wasn’t a tackling machine like Foreman and Sharper were (not like they left many tackles to be made anyways), but Wong was able to come up with big plays in the form of sacks or plays in coverage. Wong did manage to stay with the Texans much longer than the Sharper and Foreman but not by much. Regardless, he was a top player for us on defense and helped give us a great group of linebackers for the first few years of the franchise.
Other Notables: Gary Walker, Eugene Wilson, Jeff Posey, Jay Foreman, Billy Miller