Texans Hire Jeff Zgonina

[Señor Stan]

Jeff Zgonina...Rescue Hero!!!

[Doppelganger]

Originally Posted by Bulls on Parade

Why wouldn't you want a J.J. Watt clone in Margus Hunt out of SMU? That's who I hope we land with our first-round pick, trading up if necessary.

Hunt may resemble Watt in terms of size, but he is hardly a clone.

Watt dominated as a DE for Wisconsin. He was an above average run defender and a high motor quality pass rusher. He was considered a fairly polished 3-4 DE prospect and one of the safest picks in the draft. He was projected to be a good (not great) NFL player.

Hunt is extremely raw. He is not the polished product Watt was. While his run defending has improved, he isn't above average like Watt was. His pass rushing is sporadic. Due to lack of experience he tried to bull rush his way to the QB. On some plays, he was great, on others, he was pushed out of the way, mirrored away, or allowed a big run up the middle. He has potential and has made good strides, but he is a high risk high reward player. He is hardly the safest player in the draft like a Watt.

[Texan_Bill]

Originally Posted by HOU-TEX

Some might not think this is thread worthy, but I always liked this dude for some reason. He wasn't the best, but he worked harder than any player I've seen at TC. Plus, dude's built like a dadgum stump.

Why wouldn't it be thread worthy?

I liked the way Jeff played. Wasn't the most talented guy on the field, but there's a reason he was around like what, 15 years? Dude played hard. Worked hard and gave max effort, not taking any plays off. If he coaches like he played, this is a good hire.

[Texan_Bill]

Originally Posted by Señor Stan

Jeff Zgonina...Rescue Hero!!!

Awesomeness!!! Repped, fo sho!!!

[HOU-TEX]

Originally Posted by Texan_Bill

Why wouldn't it be thread worthy?

I liked the way Jeff played. Wasn't the most talented guy on the field, but there's a reason he was around like what, 15 years? Dude played hard. Worked hard and gave max effort, not taking any plays off. If he coaches like he played, this is a good hire.

Eh, I figured most threads these days have to have something to do with bad QB play, bad coaching, Jacoby or Marciano. I normally don't jump on "hater" or "koolaid" bandwagons, so it's gotten a bit boring around here lately.

Jeff played 17 years

[beerlover]

Jeff Zgonina = DT early in the 2013 NFL Draft

[TejasTom]

Should be a good addition.

[thunderkyss]

Did he ever play special teams?

[CloakNNNdagger]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

Did he ever play special teams?

I know he definitely did for the Rams, and I believe he did so on some of the other 7 teams he played for

EDIT: Just found this in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

[SheTexan]

Glad to see him back! I use to chat with his Mom at some of the OOT games I went to. Fantastic lady, and a mom who never missed ONE game her son played. Can't wait for the chance to reconnect!

[eriadoc]

If you play 17 years in the trenches, you are a damn beast. That is impressive by any measure.

[rush2112mn]

8 Teams 17 years 208 games. He played football under Bill Kollar and with Rick Smith.
This guy is a welcome addition to the coaching staff.
He knows what it takes to survive and suceed on and off the field.
I think it is going to be a great addition to the coaching staff.
Anybody with that kind of experience playing in the NFL that long ...he knows what it takes.
He knows how Bill Kollar runs practice and what he expects out his players.
This should work out great.
Welcome Jeff.....

[SheTexan]

Originally Posted by rush2112mn

8 Teams 17 years 208 games. He played football under Bill Kollar and with Rick Smith.
This guy is a welcome addition to the coaching staff.
He knows what it takes to survive and suceed on and off the field.
I think it is going to be a great addition to the coaching staff.
Anybody with that kind of experience playing in the NFL that long ...he knows what it takes.
He knows how Bill Kollar runs practice and what he expects out his players.
This should work out great.
Welcome Jeff.....

Dang!! why did you have to ruin a good thread by mentioning Rick Smith?! J/K maybe!

[Texan_Bill]

Originally Posted by HOU-TEX

Eh, I figured most threads these days have to have something to do with bad QB play, bad coaching, Jacoby or Marciano. I normally don't jump on "hater" or "koolaid" bandwagons, so it's gotten a bit boring around here lately.

Jeff played 17 years

17 years?? Damn Bro'!! That's tenacity, balls and a helluva lotta scrappin', each and every play.....

And YES!! Of course I agree with your point about "most threads these days...haters, koolaid bandwagons", et al. An obvious reason I'm not here nearly as often.

[Carr Bombed]

I'll never forget the game he won (a game we almost choked away) against the Titans. Hairiest knuckles in the pile wins. This guy was a machine and a beast of durability in the NFL. He'll make a GREAT COACH. This guy didn't play here long, but was one of my favorite Texans.. never a star, just a player who scrapped his way out in the NFL for a ungodly unhuman amount of years. You can't do that as a 6th round pick without some secrets/tricks and great work ethic. This guy is a great addition and I bet we'll start seeing success from some of our late round Dlineman we now select.

[TexanSam]

Originally Posted by eriadoc

If you play 17 years in the trenches, you are a damn beast. That is impressive by any measure.

And, from looking at his stats, almost 11 straight years without missing a game. Not quite since he missed 1 or 2 during that stretch, but pretty impressive nonetheless.

http://www.nfl.com/player/jeffzgonina/2503859/profile

[76Texan]

Surely, Zgonina can teach the guys how to stay in shape and to stay hungry.

[Texans_Chick]

I remember him being interviewed at the end of his career.

He basically thought all modern players had it easy.

Talked about the difference between cell phone players and pre-cell phone.

That he came in when there were still pay phones.

Always first guy out to the practice field in the morning. And that Jeff Zgonina rescue hero picture is one of my fave pictures I ever put together for a blog post. (AOL back in the day). His calves were insane. You see him stand next to other dudes and the scale of his calves were nuts.

[CloakNNNdagger]

Originally Posted by Texans_Chick

I remember him being interviewed at the end of his career.

He basically thought all modern players had it easy.

Talked about the difference between cell phone players and pre-cell phone.

That he came in when there were still pay phones.

Always first guy out to the practice field in the morning. And that Jeff Zgonina rescue hero picture is one of my fave pictures I ever put together for a blog post. (AOL back in the day). His calves were insane. You see him stand next to other dudes and the scale of his calves were nuts.

[Goldensilence]

Great hire, dude played well into his late 30's in the trenches and was still pretty productive. You don't play that long without being a sound technician in all phases of the game.

Guy that I think is going to benefit most from this is Crick, whom I thought was a steal last year. Once he gets fully healthy this offseason I really think he's going to be great at the DE rotation with Watt and smith.