"Are we REALLY playoff material yet?!"

[Corrosion]

Originally Posted by Texans_Chick

No telling. Shanahan Sr. says it takes about 3 years for a QB to get adjusted to the Denver style offense--that means Sage is in year 3 and Matt is in year 2 (with a WCO background).

One thing to add to your 8-8 horribles is that not only did they have the injuries, and the bad turnover ratio, but they had the 30th ranked offense in the league (depending on whose stats you look at). If they can get their turnovers just average and their defense average and Andre is Andre, you never know.

There were times last year that they looked like they could crush anyone in the league. And of course, times last year where it looked like nothing could go right.

They need luck and to make their own luck.

They need to survive the first month of the season. Road games against hard teams are not the easiest way to build confidence, but then again, who inked in a decisive win against the Panthers on the road last year?

I dunno where you get your stats ..... But according to NFL.com (as well as Fox and CBS) the Texans were ranked 14th in total offense (333.6ypg), 11th in passing offense (234.4ypg) and 22nd in rushing offense (99.4 ypg). Thats a pretty far cry from 30th .....


Rushing
http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorysta...ue&Submit=Find

Passing
http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorysta...ue&Submit=Find

Total
http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorysta...ue&Submit=Find

As for the tunrover margin , they were Minus 13 for the season . which ranked 31st out of the 32 teams . That included 21 Int's and 17 fumbles lost (a total of 26 fumbles).

Last season they were above the curve in total yardage , they just didnt finish drives well or protect the ball . If the Texans can improve upon last years turnover ratio and score TD's in the red zone rather than settling for FG's .... They have a legit shot at winning 10-11 games and making the play-offs . If its more of the same .... we'll see another 7-9 to 9-7 season.

[Silver Oak]

a lot have mentioned keeping our injuries to a minimum, but with a key injury to another divisional opponent player (Manning, vy, Garrard), that could be enough to make a wild card possible.

[maddogmrb]

There's so many "ifs" on this team. Personally, I believe we are another year away but, the potential is there and "if" the stars align themselves........ It should be a very interesting year & alot of it will hinge on the confidence the players have in their coaches and their beliefs in themselves, too!

[D-ReK]

From a simple analytical standpoint, we are a team on the rise that improved itself this offseason. We were 8-8 last year, so we should improve upon that and be closer to the playoffs. Our two biggest weaknesses last season were in the running game and the secondary, so we brought in Alex Gibbs and Ray Rhodes to coach up our weaknesses along with adding Slaton, Brown, and Molden. The only aspect where we may be weaker is in the KR/PR game, where Andre Davis will have to prove that he's not a one year wonder. Other than that, we should be good.

Our passing game should be improved with another season in the system for Shaub, a healthy AJ, a maturing Jones, and the always solid first down machine that is Kevin Walter. Here's another area where Davis will have to prove that last year was no fluke. Daniels and Dreessen are very good receiving TEs, and should both improve as well.

Our line should be much improved with the additions of Alex Gibbs, Duane Brown (who should be starting at LT by the bye week), and Chris Myers, the hopeful return of Chris Spencer, the continued excellent play of Winston, and most importantly, dropping the power zone scheme for a pure zone scheme.

The defensive line should be improved with Mario and Amobi growing and becoming better players. Okoye hit a rookie wall, but should be better conditioned this season, meaning his play from the beginning of last season should be able to be replicated through most of this next season. Consistency is a hard thing to accomplish for a young DL, but if we can achieve it, we should be fine here. Weaver needs to give this team more or he will be gone after next season.

Our LB corps got better by adding Adibi, Thompson, and Bentley. Sam LB was a bit of a black hole last season, and either Thompson, Bentley, or Diles should be an upgrade over Clark. Demeco played through an injury at the end of last season that curtailed his season, but he should be back to his old form. Adibi and Greenwood should have a healthy battle for the starting Will LB job.

All in all, we are better across the board. The only starter that we may need to worry about having a drop in production is Salaam, due to his age. We had a very quiet, productive offseason. Don't expect us to be pegged to be anywhere but last in our division by the pundits, but that will work in our advantage. In the immortal words of Steve Smith last season, "These guys ain't that good. We should run over their asses like it's high school". Let's hope more players take that attitude towards us.

[Imatexanfan]

What really surprised me was the Texans also added some meat to the middle of their D-Line by selecting Frank Okam out of UT in the 5th round. I was lukewarm about taking Okam, as I felt like a pass rusher would have made more sense.

However, considering how the Texans fared against the run in '07, having a 6'4", 325-pounder manning the nose next to Okoye isn't a bad idea either. It'll be difficult for teams to isolate Okoye on running downs with Okam over the center and filling the gap between C and guard. Big Frank will be another factor that will make teams have to choose carefully who of the Texans front four to double team.

Its just a few questions that I still have but, who will make the most impact? Who will make the most contribution for the Texans success this season? Do you think Kubiak and Smith down yet?!

[D-ReK]

Originally Posted by Imatexanfan

What really surprised me was the Texans also added some meat to the middle of their D-Line by selecting Frank Okam out of UT in the 5th round. I was lukewarm about taking Okam, as I felt like a pass rusher would have made more sense.

However, considering how the Texans fared against the run in '07, having a 6'4", 325-pounder manning the nose next to Okoye isn't a bad idea either. It'll be difficult for teams to isolate Okoye on running downs with Okam over the center and filling the gap between C and guard. Big Frank will be another factor that will make teams have to choose carefully who of the Texans front four to double team.

Its just a few questions that I still have but, who will make the most impact? Who will make the most contribution for the Texans success this season? Do you think Kubiak and Smith down yet?!

I meant to touch on Okam but was pressed for time. At 6'4" and 347 pounds, he gives us something that we didn't have on the DL before. His size, strength, and run-stuffing ability give us an added dimension to our front 7. I don't think he'll be a starter, but he should be great in a rotation and grow into the starting DT spot next to Okoye. Without Okam, our DT rotation is a slew of one gap penetrator types, but Okam can tie up blockers and leave Amobi and Demeco free to make plays. It's the same reason that the Ravens took Ngata a couple of years back. Travis Johnson played valiantly in this role, but it's not his strong suit. He was billed as the type of DT who will disrupt plays in the backfield, yet he's given the job to tie up multiple OL. Hopefully he can rotate to Okoye's position a few plays a game and give him a rest. The residual effect of the Okam pick is pretty amazing.

To answer your questions, it's very hard to pinpoint one player who will have the greatest impact on a team. On offense, I would have to say it would be Andre Johnson. Our offense was night and day without him last year. On defense, a lot is riding on Mario and Demeco since the play level from them to the potential backups is so dramatic. In terms of new players, I see either Slaton or Brown (if he can stay healthy...unlikely) making the most impact on the offense and on defense, as much as I'd like to say it will be Thompson or Bentley, I'm looking for Reeves to make the biggest impact on our defense. Whether that's positive or negative remains to be seen.

[GuerillaBlack]

Okam is at 325 now I think. He shrunk a lot after the combine.

[D-ReK]

Originally Posted by GuerillaBlack

Okam is at 325 now I think. He shrunk a lot after the combine.

Then he needs to put some weight back on. Rick Smith refers to him playing at 335 in college as an asset.

What you have here is a big football player. He brings a size and dimension that we don’t have with our defensive line. This guy is 6-4 ½. I think at the combine he was 347 pounds and I think he played at 335. So that’s a size you are looking for, especially in our league where you have to stop the run. We think he has that type of ability. Plus, the size of this man; he is also a very good athlete.

(on weight concerns of Okam) “No, when you see this guy with his shirt off, you will see him when he comes in here that he looks good. He was a little heavy at the combine, but like I said he was down to 335. He’s a big man. He’s got long legs, about 34 inch arm length. He probably has the biggest hands in the combine which is very important for defensive guys to be able to grab onto people and get rid of them - size 11 hands, so for most things, he got all those measurables that you look for. The thing that excites us most about this kid is his size and athletic ability.

(on how Texans will utilize Okam) “When you look at us on our inside at our defensive tackle position, you have Travis Johnson, who had a great year, and you have Amobi Okoye, who is a three technique, and behind him, you got (Anthony) Maddox. We’re really a little bit under sized inside. We’re excited about this guy because he has the athletic ability that he can play either position. Whatever the position may be, that’s going to work its way out in time. We were excited because coming into the draft, we were looking for a bigger inside player. I know everybody reads and talks about us getting another pass rusher, everybody in the country would like that. But at this particular time in the draft, we were fortunate to get this big man.

Based off of this, if he has dropped the pounds, he needs to put them back on. If he's at 325, he's just a pinch bigger than Travis Johnson. If he can play at 335 and still display good athletic ability, which according to Smith, he can, then he needs to.

[Imatexanfan]

The other way to look at the drafts is we have 1 player who has exhibited pro-bowl caliber play. That's a 7% success rate! Will there be more in time? I'm sure there will, there is some talent in that group, and I believe a true desire to improve. But there is always more than one way to measure success. I mean with all those great draftees the Oilers took? They brought us how many Superbowls?

This years number one pick? It can be argued that he is either "versatile" by the fact of the positions he has played, or that he had to be moved around because he has yet to excel at any position he has played. Giving up 8.5 sacs in college, that would probably double in NFL terms. He is a work in progress, and I hope for the best under the tutelage of Gibbs. Gibbs really gives a player his best chance at success. The running back? I have high hopes for this guy. I think we took him in the right place, and I believe he is more talented than his number show. What about the poker strategy in the draft?

Sitting at 18 there are still at least five highly coveted players still on the board. Otah, Jenkens, Mendenhall, Flowers, and Talib. We got Jerry Jones turning green, and sitting by a puke bucket for fear of losing Jenkins. He has a fist full of draft choices, and has stated publicly he is in a trading mood. We hold a full house and we trade for a pair. Could we have done better? I think so. I believe every player we picked up is a developmental player. They may very well prove to be good or great players in time. Is that going to help us rise above mediocrity this season? Probably not.

We have a tough schedule this season, and we are expecting better results than last year, playing against teams that actually picked impact players. I love the Texans, I hope for the best, but I don't like spoon fed pablum from a spin doctor either.Does anyone know why we added a fifth QB (other than being another Kubs pet project)?! I mean seriously.

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by D-ReK

Based off of this, if he has dropped the pounds, he needs to put them back on. If he's at 325, he's just a pinch bigger than Travis Johnson. If he can play at 335 and still display good athletic ability, which according to Smith, he can, then he needs to.

He is listed on the roster at 322lbs. Plus or minus 10 lbs on guys that big is almost irrelevant.

[Texans_Chick]

Originally Posted by corrosion

I dunno where you get your stats ..... But according to NFL.com (as well as Fox and CBS) the Texans were ranked 14th in total offense (333.6ypg), 11th in passing offense (234.4ypg) and 22nd in rushing offense (99.4 ypg). Thats a pretty far cry from 30th .....


Rushing
http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorysta...ue&Submit=Find

Passing
http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorysta...ue&Submit=Find

Total
http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorysta...ue&Submit=Find

As for the tunrover margin , they were Minus 13 for the season . which ranked 31st out of the 32 teams . That included 21 Int's and 17 fumbles lost (a total of 26 fumbles).

Last season they were above the curve in total yardage , they just didnt finish drives well or protect the ball . If the Texans can improve upon last years turnover ratio and score TD's in the red zone rather than settling for FG's .... They have a legit shot at winning 10-11 games and making the play-offs . If its more of the same .... we'll see another 7-9 to 9-7 season.

I was ***** girl. My brain said 30th ranked DEFENSE.

Defense.

The defense stunk.

Read my mind.

[GuerillaBlack]

I just don't want to see him that big. With what happened to Heath Benedict just before the draft, I want players to watch their weight. A guy like Mario is a lot of muscle, but Okam is a guy with more fat.

[ATXtexanfan]

no one questioned okam's talent, only his motor, surley being around mario, okoye, TJ, etc will fire him up. i think he will be the steal of the draft if he brings it.

[D-ReK]

Originally Posted by Imatexanfan

The other way to look at the drafts is we have 1 player who has exhibited pro-bowl caliber play. That's a 7% success rate! Will there be more in time? I'm sure there will, there is some talent in that group, and I believe a true desire to improve. But there is always more than one way to measure success. I mean with all those great draftees the Oilers took? They brought us how many Superbowls?

I'm going to assume you meant in our past three drafts (2006-2008). Based off of this, we have had two draftees play at a Pro Bowl csliber, Williams and Ryans. Williams was snubbed, and the world keeps spinning. Out of that draft, Winston has flashed the ability to play at a Pro Bowl level, as well as Daniels, but he will probably not make it due to the lack of depth at TE in the AFC. Okoye should mature into a Pro Bowl player as well, but he's likely a couple of years away. Let's not forget, however, that he was only 19 when we drafted him. Also, Fred Bennett has been garnering some lofty praise and KC Joyner said he could make a Pro Bowl with more snaps under his belt. Our drafts have been lambasted by pundits, but the players have been producing. I see no reason why this won't carry over to this draft.

Originally Posted by Imatexanfan

This years number one pick? It can be argued that he is either "versatile" by the fact of the positions he has played, or that he had to be moved around because he has yet to excel at any position he has played. Giving up 8.5 sacs in college, that would probably double in NFL terms. He is a work in progress, and I hope for the best under the tutelage of Gibbs. Gibbs really gives a player his best chance at success. The running back? I have high hopes for this guy. I think we took him in the right place, and I believe he is more talented than his number show. What about the poker strategy in the draft?

From what I've gathered, Brown basically outgrew TE and was moved to RT where he stayed because Brandon Fyre was entrenched at LT. When Fyre was drafted by us, VT moved him to LT, where he was up and down. 8.5 sacks is a very deceptive stat, though, as most Texan fans will know. Remeber that we shaved 20+ sacks over one offseason by getting rid of Carr. It's unclear how many of those 8.5 sacks are Brown's fault. He is admittedly a work in progress, but Gibbs had him hand selected, so I'll trust in the man with 20+ years of NFL experience until further notice.

Originally Posted by Imatexanfan

Sitting at 18 there are still at least five highly coveted players still on the board. Otah, Jenkens, Mendenhall, Flowers, and Talib. We got Jerry Jones turning green, and sitting by a puke bucket for fear of losing Jenkins. He has a fist full of draft choices, and has stated publicly he is in a trading mood. We hold a full house and we trade for a pair. Could we have done better? I think so. I believe every player we picked up is a developmental player. They may very well prove to be good or great players in time. Is that going to help us rise above mediocrity this season? Probably not.

Firstly, Flowers wasn't that highly coveted. If he was, he would have been picked before the 35th selection. Also, if Jones was so deadset on taking Jenkins, why wouldn't he have taken him at 22, the pick he used on Felix Jones? You think we could have done better in a trade, and that's fine. The fact is that the phone rang, and Rick Smith decided that dropping to 26 was the best place for us so that we could still get Brown. He was the target, and if we would have dropped down further than that, we would have lost him, since the Chargers and 49ers were both interested in him.

Originally Posted by Imatexanfan

We have a tough schedule this season, and we are expecting better results than last year, playing against teams that actually picked impact players. I love the Texans, I hope for the best, but I don't like spoon fed pablum from a spin doctor either.Does anyone know why we added a fifth QB (other than being another Kubs pet project)?! I mean seriously.

Everyone has a tough schedule every season. I know "any given Sunday" is a cliche, but it's true. We lost to the Falcons and almost lost to the Dolphins last year. There are no easy wins in the NFL. Besides that, one impact player will not turn a franchise player around overnight. Focusing on the drafts in our division, the Colts didn't draft any "impact" players. The Jags traded up for Harvey, which is a move that I would be pissed about if I were a Jag fan. He was very off and on in college. Groves was a good prospect, and actually scares me more than Harvey. The Titans took Chris freaking Johnson in the first and had a lackluster draft after that. We improved our team more in the draft than any other team in our division. Does that add 6 wins to our record? Of course not.

[Drew_Smoke]

This can go either way. I am betting on progress....hoping at least.


Now if y'all will excuse me I see a busty blonde on the right of my screen calling my name. "Without Rejection" is what I need...lol

[YoungTexanFan]

Okam and Adibi will be the class of this draft and I look for them to both earn their way into the rotation early in the year. Okam will be an unheareled guy who just frees our LB's up, which will bode well for the slightly undersized Adibi.

[ubecool454]

We were playoff material last year if not for the injuries to some our key players Missing Andre Johnson for half the season was a killer and Green being banged up most of the season, Schaub etc. If we stay healthy we can finish no worse than second in the division.

[TexanSam]

Originally Posted by YoungTexanFan

Okam and Adibi will be the class of this draft and I look for them to both earn their way into the rotation early in the year. Okam will be an unheareled guy who just frees our LB's up, which will bode well for the slightly undersized Adibi.

Hopefully Okam also helps Okoye out at DT to allow him to become more of a pass rushing force.

[ubecool454]

Originally Posted by YoungTexanFan

Okam and Adibi will be the class of this draft and I look for them to both earn their way into the rotation early in the year. Okam will be an unheareled guy who just frees our LB's up, which will bode well for the slightly undersized Adibi.

How is Adibi undersized?..Adibi, Greenwood, Diles and Bentley are all the same size.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by ATXtexanfan

no one questioned okam's talent, only his motor, surley being around mario, okoye, TJ, etc will fire him up. i think he will be the steal of the draft if he brings it.

Don't forget Demeco & Dunta(though I'm not a Dunta Fan, I do agree he is one of the true leaders on this team)

Our Defense is going to be exciting to watch this year.

I've got my fingers crossed on Okam. If he can be what we think he can be, and Xavier Adibi tries to keep up with 'Meco, we're going to have a defense that will be talked about around the league.

Now, wheter we're "play-off material" or not.... it never stopped Tennessee, so why should we worry about it?