Studdard, Frye, White

[threetoedpete]

Originally Posted by Insideop

TTP, if we don't trade back and get extra picks, and say we get Stewart (or CB) in the 1st round, I'm thinking there will be some good LT's still out there on the board. Personally, I wouldn't mind them getting that hoss you brought up on another thread, Heath Benedict. He's flying low under the radar now, but come Combine time, he may shoot up the boards and out of range for us.

If we follow this scenario, it still leaves us without a Center or finding one in later rounds, and I think finding a Center this Offseason is as important as getting a LT. Most good Centers are usually gone by the middle of the 3rd round. So to me, it seems that it will be critical this Offseason, to find a way to pickup a 2nd rounder or another 3rd rounder, so we can get that "stud Center" we need and still get a good LT. JMHO!

I don't believe they'll get the trade down deal. The Mocks I'm seeing and agreed they are very early....everyone is going to get healthy if they stand pat...including the Texans. What you are saying posting a move down scenario is saying someone is going to lose their minds over prospect and make us an offer. Or...we move back at a lesser value and keep moving back untill the need and the BPA meet. What you are giving up by doing this is
precieved tallent value. After seeing all three....I don't give a good GD who they select out of Smith of Oklahoma or the two Jenkins. The Jenkins out of South florida is not an Einstien, But he plugs a hole. All three are 4.4 CB guys who support the run and are big enough to paly FS. But what I'm posting is you're not going to get a second (700 point value) to move down this year. Pick any mock you want. Notice the names you see that the draft nicks have slipping into the second.... there is a lot of bloody tallent on this draft board...It's a sellers market. The only weak poition I see is elite DTs. There are rotation guys at Dt all over the board.

Agreed. You don't have to pick one in the first round. All that does is lessen the bust factor. But there are only so many 300 pound guys who have the numbers to attempt to be put out on that island at OLT. I mean the last four weeks the Bills just didn't suddenly get the tallent pills passed around to thier o-lineman. Jason Peters is developing in to a fine young OLT guy.
That was the same time we were arguing in here on whether or not Seth Wand or Pitts should be our starting OLT. Well guess what , while the Texans were sctaching their collective buts, Peters developed into something. Our Peters is out. Hasn't played a down in twenty games and counting. You tell me. Has he developed ? The big question on our plates is how long you can wait ? Or are we going to push all of our chips into the middle of the table on Salaam/Spencer soap opera ? Your QB just got knocked around and has concussion number one on his plate. He has four more in the tank. You tell me how much longer they can wait ? Gotta kid outta Aurburn everyone is going to stay way from with a ten foot pole because of attitude issues. Got the Newberry Kid. Tony Hills of Texas. I mean your correct, the guys are out there. Just gotta nut up and pick them.

They also gotta decide are we staying with the Green Bay power running game ? If they are they gotta find one guy they can trust to get out into space and knock someone down in the dirt. 'Cuase I'm teling you right now we ain't getting that from our gaurds. I mean the money in that system is the Rb-TEs on the screens. And if we don't have anyone blocking on the screens..... Salaam sat on someone and sprung ol' earth worm seacher for a big gain in the Oakland game. I'm sorry , but the Gaurds are MIA on anything that invovels execusion on the edge with movement involved.

But what happens every draft they try to plug several holes and make do with the o-line. Well form my tree it ain't working. Try something else. Our five fingers do not make a fist. They make a wicker basket. And we already lost one QB prospect through the holes and they are working over number two.

Pitts and Weary are getting older. And it's been awhile since you've seen either make a clean block out on the edge or in space. I mean don't tell me how good they are. They are not playing it this season. HC has got to start the young ones. See what we got and what we need. Still say Frye is your center prospect. Bt untill he plays you don't know.

Now why they are being stuborn about Flanagan I don't know. He can't play. They run across weaken DT situations, they'll do ok. They come across the beasts of the league, they'll get their clocks cleaned. that 0-3 in the division is there for a reason. Every game we've run across a tallented healthy big guy in the middle, we've gotten killed.

Every game they don't monkey around with the o-line tells me the guys we have backing up are not NFL propects and we're in trouble. He's doing the same thing with these guys as he did with the back up recievers. They won't know untill the guys get some snaps. Guess what Walter, Davis and Anderson don't suck. They just needed some targets.

Now they draft they draft the CB first or the studly Rb, won't argue that those aren't a need. I really doubt that this HC throws the new RB under the bus. If anything his devotion to Flanagan says he will play it just the oposite way. He stuck on Spencer and Salaam. I've seen nothing yet that says he will suddenly change RBs in the middle of the new RBs new contract. Have you ? Now if we're talking cratlidge...that's something else. But I haven't seen that posted anywhere yet. Have you ?

But I'm telling you we're not going to catch the Colts if they don't improve the tallent on the o-line. I'm not and Edgar Casey. I've watched it pluged and patched for five years and it hasn't worked yet. And it won't work in '08 either. they gotta draft some o-lineman. The higher the better in my book.

[threetoedpete]

One more thingy. There are only so many 300 pound guys who can kick slide and pick up an elite speed rusher. You're looking for guys very low in regaurds to forty times and cone drills. Doesn't mean they can play, means there is an indication of a tallent level there that meets the position needs. Guy's putting up 5.3's or poor cone drill times, that there tihingy is a RT/gaurd prospect. You look it up. There are only so many of those guys on the board who meet the position requirments every year.

[Couch Potatoe]

So at what point do the Texans bite the bullet and draft a stud LT? Year after year we keep talking about how poor I oline is and yet they keep putting a bandaid on the problem.

So what's more important on your oline a stud LT or bruising center? If we could draft another LT (I get tired of hearing that) and get one more season from McKinney at center, would that solidify our line for one season?

Isn't it easier to pick up a corner, LB, &/or safety in free agency vs. a LT or center without breaking the bank?

[Insideop]

Originally Posted by barrett

Are ya'll not paying attention?!? This kid is gonna be great! I think there is some truth to the fact that his playbook knowledge may be limited, not to mention that Flannigan has his spot in Kubiak's eye. But Flannigan is 86 years old... and SUCKS! McKinney will be back next year and White will be competing for that job. I guarantee it!

I think you need to pay attention! First off, I said if White is the answer at Center, that's great! But, my whole point is, do we want to go into next season with White and 2 very old and oft injured backups? You even stated in your post that "Flanagan is 86 years old... and SUCKS!" And, can you guarantee that McKinney will be back next year or even be at 100%?

All I'm saying is we need to start grooming a young "stud" Center now so we can have somebody ready to go when White goes down and Flanagan and McKinney can no longer play (Which may be next season!). It usually takes several years for a Center to develop into a good player. JMHO!

[Spike]

Originally Posted by badboy

Wait, wait, wait. No one has said Spencer will be back next year let alone this year. They are hopeful he will return next season, but that injury may keep him from being an effective LT if he can play at all. We seem to keep forgetting he has basically 2 games NFL experience. Sure he looked good those few plays, but do we risk Carr, er Schaub? White may win starter by end of this season but again nothing has shown that as a "gimme". I did not see last game but some said Flannagan played well. As most of you know, I am not his fan, but White has not shown much so far. I can not see LT not being addressed during draft, even if we knew C.S. was going to play LT in 08. I agree we have to pick up another solid LT in Free Agency (but who?) and imo 1st round. I have see some info that Baker may drop into 10-14 area.

I don't disagree with anything you have said, my point is that - given the opportunity - we could have some missing peices of the puzzle. Sure, Flannagan may have had a better game against the Raiders, but do we really think he is the long term answer? Flannagan may have the edge against White today, but we need to get White more snaps to determine what the up-side will be. Maybe Spencer won't ever be an effective LT, but maybe he can be pushed over to guard?

IMO, I would rather see us shuffle things around and take some chances to determine if we can fill some holes - rather than just hoping that we can fix this problem solely through the draft and free agency.