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ESPN: Schaub doesn't solve all of Houston's problems

Texans34Life

I BLEED TEXANS!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=chadiha_jeff&id=2939302

1. Who is going to help Matt Schaub?

I realize the Houston Texans love their new quarterback. I also understand that he has a nice target in Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson.

But one of the big questions surrounding the Texans -- aside from the annual concerns about their shaky offensive line -- has to be the uncertainty in the rest of their passing attack. I keep hearing that wide receiver Kevin Walter is supposed to be the man who takes the pressure off Johnson and becomes a reliable weapon for the Texans.

In fact, one team source says that coaches compare him favorably to former Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, a key cog in Denver's success in the late 1990s, when current Texans coach Gary Kubiak was Denver's offensive coordinator.

Now there are obvious similarities. McCaffrey bounced around as a reserve receiver early in his career before blossoming in Denver, while Walter is now in his second year in Houston after being a backup in Cincinnati for three years. Like McCaffrey, Walter also is a sturdy possession receiver with excellent size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds). But I'm skeptical of how this will play out. The Texans have spent the last four years trying to find a decent complement to Johnson and the best they could do was an over-the-hill Eric Moulds. I don't see Walter changing that pattern this season.
 

Goldensilence

hipster elite
I guess No one wants to mention how much a decent rushing attack will help. I'm not saying Ahman Green is an end all but he brings a legit presence in the backfield that will help on play action. I think that'll help keep teams honest on coverage as for who'll help AJ...TC will help deceide that.

Also no mention of Owen Daneils who could develop more and Putzer as well over the middle.
 

Texan_Bill

Hall of Fame
I guess No one wants to mention how much a decent rushing attack will help. I'm not saying Ahman Green is an end all but he brings a legit presence in the backfield that will help on play action. I think that'll help keep teams honest on coverage as for who'll help AJ...TC will help deceide that.

Also no mention of Owen Daneils who could develop more and Putzer as well over the middle.
I agree with you here Silence, and he's also a legit threat catching balls out of the backfield.

So, in the passing game the #2 is a ? mark, but you still have AJ, OD and AG.... Not too bad and not all is lost. I would prefer having a legit #2 and maybe Walters fits the role.... TBD.
 
I guess No one wants to mention how much a decent rushing attack will help. I'm not saying Ahman Green is an end all but he brings a legit presence in the backfield that will help on play action. I think that'll help keep teams honest on coverage as for who'll help AJ...TC will help deceide that.

Also no mention of Owen Daneils who could develop more and Putzer as well over the middle.
Agreed. This is supposed to be a run-first offense. Green/Dayne destroying the defensive line is supposed to open up the pass offense, and should do it well. I don't think the Texans are looking at all for three great receivers. They have AJ to throw to, but safety valves (great term) in Daniels and Walter. Green is a catching running back, too, which reminds me of the years when DD ran and caught for the Texans.

However, the problem Matt Schaub does not solve is the left tackle. If the left tackle cannot prevent the defense from bullrushing into the Texans' backfield, all this is useless. Also, the Texans have huge gaps in the defensive secondary, which Matt can't do much with. Sure, a good offense eats up the clock, but I expect most of that offensive clock-eating to be done on the legs of running backs.
 

Specnatz

Hall of Fame
I am just happy the article did not bash the Texans. It only just asked the same questions we have all asked.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
ESPN: Schaub doesn't solve all of Houston's problems
What I don't get is whoever said that Schaub was supposed to solve all of our problems? :um:

These writers like to strawman a lot. They make up situations to respond to, but anyone with any sense knows that the Texans FO has always maintained that Schaub is just another piece of a much larger puzzle. Nobody has ever said he was Superman or the Second Coming.

As far as doubting unproven players, a sixth grader in her first writing class could ask those questions. Not a whole lot of deep journalism going on in these articles. I suppose that would require some work.
 
R

real

Guest
What I don't get is whoever said that Schaub was supposed to solve all of our problems? :um:

These writers like to strawman a lot. They make up situations to respond to, but anyone with any sense knows that the Texans FO has always maintained that Schaub is just another piece of a much larger puzzle. Nobody has ever said he was Superman or the Second Coming.

As far as doubting unproven players, a sixth grader in her first writing class could ask those questions. Not a whole lot of deep journalism going on in these articles. I suppose that would require some work.
My thoughts exactly.
 

Overalls

All Pro
One thing I don't think we can underestimate is the "Vonta Factor". We now have a FB that can block for Green and pick up the blitz for Schaub. If, as we are hearing, Schaub thinks though his progressions and reads defenses faster than our former qb and we can give him just a second longer to throw, we could be looking at a #2 WR picking up good yards. Do we really have to say that every game player "W" will get the 2nd most yards than AJ. Why can't we just hope that one game it is player "W" and the next it is player "J" or player "D". Just go with the hot hand of the game. We all know that our former qb rarely looked past AJ. I think Schaub will and that one or more of our "unproven" WRs will have a chance to step up.

Right now, my money is on Jones, but I expect someone to have more yards than Molds did last season.
 
What I don't get is whoever said that Schaub was supposed to solve all of our problems? :um:

These writers like to strawman a lot. They make up situations to respond to, but anyone with any sense knows that the Texans FO has always maintained that Schaub is just another piece of a much larger puzzle. Nobody has ever said he was Superman or the Second Coming.

As far as doubting unproven players, a sixth grader in her first writing class could ask those questions. Not a whole lot of deep journalism going on in these articles. I suppose that would require some work.
The front office has always maintained the stance that Schaub is just another piece in the fix, but on the other hand, many fans have made it abundantly clear that Schaub will fix all the offensive woes. Maybe the writer just has his audience confused, cause if he was talking to fans rather than the front office, I'd have to agree with his basic argument.
 

The Pencil Neck

Hall of Fame
However, the problem Matt Schaub does not solve is the left tackle. If the left tackle cannot prevent the defense from bullrushing into the Texans' backfield, all this is useless.
A little bit of a tangent here, but I was watching the Colts/Chefs playoff game with Black playing against Freeney. I had seen another Chefs game from earlier in the season where Black looked fine but in this game against the Colts, Black was getting taken to SCHOOL by Freeney. The one play that really sticks out was one where Freeney saw that they were going to chip him with the back (don't remember if it was LJ) so instead of going with the speed rush, Freeney bullrushed Black and just totally manhandled him.

I really can't see Black taking the LT spot away from Salaam if that game is any indication. And personally I'm not so sure that Spencer's going to be able to make it back, either. Schaub is supposed to be great at reading defenses and getting the ball out quickly and he's going to have to be.
 
A little bit of a tangent here, but I was watching the Colts/Chefs playoff game with Black playing against Freeney. I had seen another Chefs game from earlier in the season where Black looked fine but in this game against the Colts, Black was getting taken to SCHOOL by Freeney. The one play that really sticks out was one where Freeney saw that they were going to chip him with the back (don't remember if it was LJ) so instead of going with the speed rush, Freeney bullrushed Black and just totally manhandled him.

I really can't see Black taking the LT spot away from Salaam if that game is any indication. And personally I'm not so sure that Spencer's going to be able to make it back, either. Schaub is supposed to be great at reading defenses and getting the ball out quickly and he's going to have to be.
I'm not convinced Black will usurp Salaam either. Where I get nervous is that I feel that yet again the Texans' season will teeter on the legs of the left tackle, and once again it is still one of the weakest areas on the whole team. However, to be more to point, I think Matt will be much more adept at getting the ball out before the bullrush. My worry is how many hits will it take to slow down his reads and make him itchy to get the ball out. I suspect this is the core of everything that Kubiak/Shanahan is doing with Matt, but we won't have a glance until September, which can't come soon enough...
 

maddogmrb

Rookie
KW may actually be okay and I think our skill positions are the strength of our offense. The prob has been and still is the oline for which there has been significant little done to improve it. A major reason Carr never looked beyond AJ is that he was being clobbered before he could progress thru his checks. I expect the oline to be better this season but, still not significantly better and WE NEED it to be significantly better. If Spencer isn't back, it may be a long year for Schaub as he becomes familiar with the taste of NFL turfs.
 

BattleRedToro

Thread Killer
Also, let's not forget about poor play from the Center position. I have heard alot of talk about how McKinney will likely return to the role of the starting Center, as if he would be an upgrade. I vividly remember watching his Ole' form of pass blocking when he played Center before, and I don't know why anyone would think he would pass block any differently this time around.
 

BigBull17

Hall of Fame
I honestly think oline play could suprise people this year. they looked more and more dominant toward the end of last year, but Carr looked like a Gremlin. On top of that, you add a LT from a play off team for depth. We could have reason to smile here in Houston. Just my:twocents:
 

BobTx1950

Practice Squad
Doesnt matter who 2 nd reciever is QB gona be sacked Offensive Line got holes so wide you can drive 2 trucks thru it . :d: :d: :d: :d: :fans: :fans:
 

Joe Texan

Inducted 04
1st Down, set hike, run to the sidelines and step out then throw the ball away.
2nd Down Set hike, step back and sack myself

3rd down, set hike and hand off for a gain of 2.

I am sorry but I do not think our QB has any of these actions planned so we are way past being better off.

He is a leader, takes control of the huddle, and takes responsability for his mistakes.

I doubt he will be throwing a tantrum on the feild, if he is mad he will get under someones skin. This season looks good from all angles and it appears we have addressed as much as we could this off season. Rome was not built in a day or 5 years so I am betting on improvement. Anything over 6 wins is just that but no matter what I bleed battle red.
 

Texans_Chick

Utopian Dreamer
Also, let's not forget about poor play from the Center position. I have heard alot of talk about how McKinney will likely return to the role of the starting Center, as if he would be an upgrade. I vividly remember watching his Ole' form of pass blocking when he played Center before, and I don't know why anyone would think he would pass block any differently this time around.
I had a minor chat in Zierlein's blog about this. He says that he hears that Flanagan has the edge over McKinney at center. He also shares my concerns about Sherman as talent evaluator of the offensive line. (The Hodgdon center experiment immediately comes to mind. Or acquiring Bedell over Wand, after everyone on the line thought that Wand would be coming back to the team. Or resisting giving playing time to Winston until he was forced to. Etc.)

It would be nice for the team if Flanagan were actually better than McKinney at center because McKinney can play more positions competently. However, if McKinney is better than Flanagan at center, we need the best play at center we can get no matter who can play more positions. Last year, my eyeballs tell me that Flanagan was being pushed around a lot, but I can't say if my eyes deceived.

As an aside, I think the best thing the coaching staff has going this year over last year, and something that Kubiak has mentioned is that he knows the players better. It's easier to design an offense and defense that suits your players when you have a better idea of what those players can and cannot do.
 
R

real

Guest
I had a minor chat in Zierlein's blog about this. He says that he hears that Flanagan has the edge over McKinney at center. He also shares my concerns about Sherman as talent evaluator of the offensive line. (The Hodgdon center experiment immediately comes to mind. Or acquiring Bedell over Wand, after everyone on the line thought that Wand would be coming back to the team. Or resisting giving playing time to Winston until he was forced to. Etc.)

It would be nice for the team if Flanagan were actually better than McKinney at center because McKinney can play more positions competently. However, if McKinney is better than Flanagan at center, we need the best play at center we can get no matter who can play more positions. Last year, my eyeballs tell me that Flanagan was being pushed around a lot, but I can't say if my eyes deceived.

As an aside, I think the best thing the coaching staff has going this year over last year, and something that Kubiak has mentioned is that he knows the players better. It's easier to design an offense and defense that suits your players when you have a better idea of what those players can and cannot do.
WoW....

I 100% agree with this post and Sherman's eye for talent among the line...

I have a few gripes with some of his moves too...
 

BattleRedToro

Thread Killer
I had a minor chat in Zierlein's blog about this. He says that he hears that Flanagan has the edge over McKinney at center. He also shares my concerns about Sherman as talent evaluator of the offensive line. (The Hodgdon center experiment immediately comes to mind. Or acquiring Bedell over Wand, after everyone on the line thought that Wand would be coming back to the team. Or resisting giving playing time to Winston until he was forced to. Etc.)

It would be nice for the team if Flanagan were actually better than McKinney at center because McKinney can play more positions competently. However, if McKinney is better than Flanagan at center, we need the best play at center we can get no matter who can play more positions. Last year, my eyeballs tell me that Flanagan was being pushed around a lot, but I can't say if my eyes deceived.

As an aside, I think the best thing the coaching staff has going this year over last year, and something that Kubiak has mentioned is that he knows the players better. It's easier to design an offense and defense that suits your players when you have a better idea of what those players can and cannot do.
WoW....

I 100% agree with this post and Sherman's eye for talent among the line...

I have a few gripes with some of his moves too...
I too agree about Sherman's talent evaluation. I believe Coach Sherman is a very good teacher of Offensive Lines but unfortunately not a very good evaluator of Offensive Linemen. That is where I felt like they should have consulted Alex Gibbs. He is probably the best evaluator of Offensive Linemen, ever.
 
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