Wells over Norris?

[Co E-Z]

Why was Wells in at fullback? I saw him lead blocking for DD on a sweep play and...SIGH!!! Lets just say he needs some work at hitting a moving target. Did he beat out Norris?

[Vinny]

I'm not sure what is running through the minds of our coaches. Wells isn't a very physical blocker and he does struggle locating his target.

[chuckm]

Wells will eventually be a "numbers casualty" which is unfortunate because he's really grown on me over the last few years ..... unselfishness and special teams intensity is a good thing


*see Jason Bell

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by chuckm

Wells will eventually be a "numbers casualty" which is unfortunate because he's really grown on me over the last few years .....

I dunno....Wells is the hardest runner we've got on the roster inside the
tackles so he's valuable for short yardage/goal line situations and also is a contributing regular on Special Teams, which has easily been our best performing unit this year.

[Runner]

I like Wells too. He has earned his roster spot the past couple of years by doing the things he asked to do. He's been good on special teams, and I thought he filled in well for Davis last year.

[the wonger need food]

Norris is actually considered one of the better run blocking fullbacks in the league.

Wells is brought in for a different look. They probably had a fullback pass (I think there's a fullback pass somewhere in the playbook. Probably on the same page as the tight end pass) called and Carr switched it to the tried and true off-left-tackle audible.

Wells is the most under-utilized and under-rated players on this team... IMO. The guys brings it with heart when he gets playing time.

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

I dunno....Wells is the hardest runner we've got on the roster inside the
tackles so he's valuable for short yardage/goal line situations and also is a contributing regular on Special Teams, which has easily been our best performing unit this year.

Wells has improved dramatically in the last couple of years and I suspect he will beat the numbers games for a while longer because of versatility, but at 250 lbs he still does not run anything close to as hard as DD at 220 lbs in between the tackles--that is part of why DD averages a full yd more between the tackles than Wells.

[mean mark8]

Originally Posted by the wonger need food

... They probably had a fullback pass (I think there's a fullback pass somewhere in the playbook. Probably on the same page as the tight end pass) called and Carr switched it to the tried and true off-left-tackle audible.

Carr cannot audible from a pass to a run, he can only change sides to which a run is called.

We were told in preseason Wells was going to see some time at fullback. Well we've finally seen it. I thought it would be more out of a pro set where the defense couldn't just key on DD for a run and would have to respect the possibility that we may hand it off to Wells. I think for something like this to work, we will actually have to hand the ball to Wells at some point. IMO, his blocking skills did not earn him the position it's his ability to run that did.

I saw that play and Wells pulled a P-Buc whiff....well almost...Pbuc is the only one that whiff so good. Makes you forget Stevens. Anyways. It
s just sill for Wells to lined up as the FB, period. This team has no deception.

[texasguy346]

Originally Posted by SESupergenius

Pbuc is the only one that whiff so good. Makes you forget Stevens.

I don't know if I'd go that far. I don't think I'll ever forget Stevens. I still have fears that the Texans will trade our 2nd and 3rd round picks to McDonalds in exchange for Matt "The Fry Boy" Stevens.

[Ibar_Harry]

Originally Posted by Vinny

I'm not sure what is running through the minds of our coaches. Wells isn't a very physical blocker and he does struggle locating his target.

Vinny you have heard the coaches say time and time again that they reward work ethic. Wells is the darling of the coaching staff because he has worked so hard. He should be rewarded but not at the expense of the team. As hard as he has worked, he doesn't belong on the field if there's a better player playing better at the position. If the person is more skillful he deserves to be on the field. I think that's why you saw us release certain wide receivers and retain Hollings and Bradford. Its all part of the same coaching outlook. Its like T.O., you may not like him, but you don't bench him if you can help it. He's just to big an impact player to be benched even if he hasn't worked out as hard as you would like. This coaching staff really treats this team like its made up of a buch of HS athletes, not adults. That outlook prevades everything they do. No one has any lattitude and allowed to make decisions on the field. The one exception was Wong and he is out for the season.

[thegr8fan]

I am so tired of reading what a workhorse and special teams guy Wells is. I don't see it at all. The guy can't block, runs like a girlscout with the ball, and isn't even that great of a tackler. I am always hearing about how great of a special team player he is and I was watching him the entire game Sunday and I just can't see it. He is on the left side of the 'wedge' formed when Mathis is running the ball, and most of the time he is still looking for someone to block when Mathis runs right by him. There were multiple times when he didn't block anyone at all. Rarely is he in on a tackle on our kickoff's, he just runs downfield and......well occupy's a roster spot.

The guy weighs in at 250 and as a RB runs like he is 180. As a Fullback he is even more of a joke.

why is he at Fullback instead of Norris, who the heck knows. It is just another of the endless list of things that our coaching staff does that makes more than a few people go 'HUH?"

[beerlover]

the Texans are just so loaded at RB/FB they just don't ever get the chance to shine

[SheTexan]

Originally Posted by thegr8fan

why is he at Fullback instead of Norris, who the heck knows. It is just another of the endless list of things that our coaching staff does that makes more than a few people go 'HUH?"

I totally agree. M. Norris is a bull just waiting to get his chance to prove what he can do. I like this guys attitude as well. He's always fired up!

I can't figure out why our coaches are so stuck on Bradford over Armstrong either. Bradford couldn't catch a football thrown by my 6 y/o grandson, he would drop it for sure. Armstrong catches most anything that is catchable!! Plays like he really wants to help this team win a ballgame, not so CB.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by infantrycak

that is part of why DD averages a full yd more between the tackles than Wells.

I dunno about that Cak, isn't that kinda comparing apples to oranges ? I mean DD is the teams regular RB, and even though he's certainly not a burner, he breaks off a few runs for yardage now and then(atleast in past years) to bump up the average. And a lot of times those longer runs origionate inside the tackle, sometimes off tackle. With Wells, he's more apt to find himself at RB ( what few snaps he gets at that position) in short yardage situations.
If its 3rd and 1 and I've decided to run it up the middle, I'm definitely going with Wells.

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

I dunno about that Cak, isn't that kinda comparing apples to oranges ? I mean DD is the teams regular RB, and even though he's certainly not a burner, he breaks off a few runs for yardage now and then(atleast in past years) to bump up the average. And a lot of times those longer runs origionate inside the tackle, sometimes off tackle. With Wells, he's more apt to find himself at RB ( what few snaps he gets at that position) in short yardage situations.
If its 3rd and 1 and I've decided to run it up the middle, I'm definitely going with Wells.

1st, IMO it is plain from watching the two run even just any 5 random runs a piece that DD is a far more physical runner than Wells despite the weight difference. As for DD breaking off long ones, Wells has had his proportionate opportunity to do the same. The Texans have not shown any proclivity to put Wells in for short yardage situations. In 3rd and 2 or less Wells has only been run 8 times since DD joined the team, for a total of 6 yds--.75 ypc. In the same time period DD has been run 26 times in 3rd and 2 or less for 159 yds--6.1 ypc. JMO, but both by eyeballs and stats DD is a harder interior runner.

[Hervoyel]

I think it's like this.

In 2002 Wells didn't get much of anything when he ran. He didn't get many yards and he didn't get much blocking. "Merselis" didn't do any better and he was your average "thousand yard back" (which means not much really).

That's what most people seem to remember out of Wells and he doesn't come in enough to get "warmed up" and really get a feel for the game.

I personally would like to see Wells get a few starts and get allowed to really carry the running game.

Do I think he'll bust loose and go all "Earl Campbell" on us? No, of course not. That is for to laugh. I just think he'll do about what Davis does give or take .3 or so yards per carry. He's not a bad back but then neither is Domanick. They're upper level ordinary and can look really good behind great blocking (which they won't get here anytime soon).

Call it morbid curiosity.

[TheOgre]

Wells is a fan favorite, but I think his days will be numbered under a new regime.

[Hervoyel]

Originally Posted by TheOgre

Wells is a fan favorite, but I think his days will be numbered under a new regime.

Wow. I don't think I've ever seen Jonathan Wells described before as a "fan favorite". I remember when he was only described as "soft" and everyone complained that he fell down the moment anyone touched him.

I kind of like seeing someone call him a fan favorite. It means that he's rehabilitated his image here to the point where he's liked in general and he's productive to the extent that he can be.

[Lucky]

Originally Posted by Hervoyel

Call it morbid curiosity.

Well, it's certainly morbid to want Wells over Davis. He's not half the back DD is.

Wells has the right size and athleticism to play RB. I'm sure that's why a coach at somepoint in Jonathan's life lined him up there. But he doesn't understand how to use his body for leverage. How to turn his body to slip tackles. He doesn't see holes developing. Or have a feel for when to cut back. Or know to keep his feet moving. Wells doesn't own the collection of skills required to be a starting NFL RB. Davis does.

I go back to Wells rookie year, when he ran with some abandon early in the season & preseason. Jonathan had a handful a decent games, considering who was blocking for him. But Wells lost a fumble early in the Colt game at Reliant, and was pulled from the game by Capers (it was his only lost fumble for the season). He's never really been the same since. And Wells wasn't good enough to lose anything.

As a special teamer, Wells seems to be doing his job. He forced a fumble in the Seattle game (Seahags recovered). And he made a couple of good blocks on Mathis returns last Sunday. Wells won't de-cleat a defender. But he does do a good job of position blocking, and what you want to do on a kickoff return is let the defender going full speed take himself out of the play. Wells seems to have found his niche in the NFL, but starting RB it ain't.