Texans Work out FS Ward

[Vinny]

seems they are still looking at every FS prospect out there.

Texans | Team works out B. Ward
Fri, 19 Oct 2007 07:15:15 -0700

Steve Corkran, of MediaNews, reports the Houston Texans worked out free-agent FS B.J. Ward (Raiders).


http://www.nfl.com/players/b.j.ward/...s?id=WAR063446

[TexanSam]

What happened to Will Demps? Has he played any?

[Texans_Chick]

A free agent safety who played for a team that the Texans are going to play.

They should work everyone with a pulse out at safety, btw.

[Errant Hothy]

Here's what I know about BJ Ward:
















Anybody wish to add anything?

[Buffi2]

According to here that is about all there is to know.

Undrafted, been in the NFL 2 years, went to Florida State, born in Dallas.

Played for Baltimore in 05 and then with Oakland this year - haven't a clue where he was last year. At home on the sofa, perhaps. Has a grand total of 2 tackles this year.

Why do I think this isn't much of an improvement over what we have now - unless he is one of Smith's little pearls just sitting out there waiting for the right time/the right team.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by Texans_Chick

A free agent safety who played for a team that the Texans are going to play.

They should work everyone with a pulse out at safety, btw.

he's a hell of a special teamer. He is the all time leading kick blocker at Florida State with 7. Nobody else in the long history of that team has more than 2. He is 6'3 and has prototype size at FS...once played WR for Florida State early in his career also....so he is a good athlete.

[Errant Hothy]

Originally Posted by Vinny

he's a hell of a special teamer. He is the all time leading kick blocker at Florida State with 7. Nobody else in the long history of that team has more than 2. He is 6'3 and has prototype size at FS...once played WR for Florida State early in his career also....so he is a good athlete.

hmmm. I'm a little interested, mainly due to his special teams potential and the fact that Richard Smith is invovled.

[TEXANS84]

So a week before the Colts game we work out one of their cut players, then the week before the Titans game we work out Woolfolk (formerly from the Titans).

Hmm...interesting pattern.

[STEEL BLUE TEXANS]

Here are some comments I found on a Ravens message board about BJ Ward. Seems like he was a guy the fans were fairly high on at the beginning due to his physical abilities, but between his migraine problems and the mental breakdowns on the field, he eventually wore out his welcome.

I also found some short video clips of him from a past training camp.

How about BJ Ward though...Played some hell of a D yesterday, I think he played himself on the team.

Yeah I like Ward's physical style.

I am equally happy that they kept Ward. He just seems like a playmaking safety and he could developed into a very good player.

The day's biggest surprise on the 53-man roster: rookie safety B.J. Ward. Ward, who played at Florida State, was signed on Aug. 8, one week into training camp. But he immediately earned notice for a series of hard hits in team drills and he was credited with eight tackles during the preseason, along with one forced fumble.

Demps has been and will continue to be a liability in pass coverage. I don't like to see any player get hurt, but at least this will give us a good long look at B.J. Ward for the future. Demps is one of many guys I would like to see the Ravens let walk in the offseason.

Demps is an over-achiever who is better against the run....no doubt !!! But the fact that he was a long shot to even be where he is makes it sad for him to be out for the season. Yes, the bright side is we do get a look at BJ Ward....but we lost experience and leadership nonetheless.

WARD OF THE STATE: Owner Steve Bisciotti observed practice Wednesday morning, and he got quite an eyeful.

It's not clear whether or not safety BJ Ward was attempting to impress the boss, but his high-energy, high-contact technique certainly got him noticed and reminded some of no-holds-barred days gone by before late-1970s rules changes began the eventual elimination of most, if not all, defensive contact. Old-timers might remember Hardy Brown, the San Francisco 49ers cornerback of the 1950s who led with his shoulder on almost every tackle. He could easily knock cold any player whose chin came in contact with his shoulder.

Ward employed some Brown-type techniques on tight ends Quinn Sypniewski and Daniel Wilcox, as well as wideouts Brian Bratton and Devard Darling. However, there seemed to be confusion about which practice periods allowed hitting and which did not. As a result, the second-year safety got a series of stern rebukes from Billick, secondary coach Mark Carrier, linebacker Ray Lewis and defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.

"It's tough," Billick said. "We move 'em in and out of what we call 'thud', which is live without tackling into a live period, and to get them to adjust to their circumstances, it's hard to get them to turn it up and crank it down.

"But there's a reason for it. Can you bring yourself under control and adapt to changes to what's going on in a game? It's tough, you're hot and tired and you're banging a guy live one play and you have to change the other way."

At one point, Ward reportedly attempted to throw a punch at Wilcox, but missed before being separated from him. Ward took off his jersey, pads and helmet and sat out the rest of the practice before apologizing to Billick.

WARD OF THE STATE: Owner Steve Bisciotti observed practice Wednesday morning, and he got quite an eyeful.

It's not clear whether or not safety BJ Ward was attempting to impress the boss, but his high-energy, high-contact technique certainly got him noticed and reminded some of no-holds-barred days gone by before late-1970s rules changes began the eventual elimination of most, if not all, defensive contact. Old-timers might remember Hardy Brown, the San Francisco 49ers cornerback of the 1950s who led with his shoulder on almost every tackle. He could easily knock cold any player whose chin came in contact with his shoulder.

Ward employed some Brown-type techniques on tight ends Quinn Sypniewski and Daniel Wilcox, as well as wideouts Brian Bratton and Devard Darling. However, there seemed to be confusion about which practice periods allowed hitting and which did not. As a result, the second-year safety got a series of stern rebukes from Billick, secondary coach Mark Carrier, linebacker Ray Lewis and defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.

"It's tough," Billick said. "We move 'em in and out of what we call 'thud', which is live without tackling into a live period, and to get them to adjust to their circumstances, it's hard to get them to turn it up and crank it down.

"But there's a reason for it. Can you bring yourself under control and adapt to changes to what's going on in a game? It's tough, you're hot and tired and you're banging a guy live one play and you have to change the other way."

At one point, Ward reportedly attempted to throw a punch at Wilcox, but missed before being separated from him. Ward took off his jersey, pads and helmet and sat out the rest of the practice before apologizing to Billick.

"I think (BJ) learned some things today that are going to be very important," Billick said. "I don't think he has any mistake in what it was I was saying to him."


http://www.pressboxonline.com/blog.cfm?ID=51

"There's a lot of coaching going on (from the officials), which is good," Billick said. "The veterans are smart enough to listen to what they're telling them, and the officials love the chance to get 15-20 snaps of (wideout/defensive back) one-on-one. "They're getting up to speed as well, so having them here is a real plus." Safety BJ Ward probably doesn't agree. The hard-hitting Florida State product got his comeuppance from his borderline cheap-shot antics earlier in the week when back judge Steratore threw a flag for holding wideout Tres Moses. Moses was going over the middle for a pass when Ward tugged on his jersey and was called for the infraction. Naturally, Ward wasn't happy about the call and was the object of his teammates' razzing and catcalls. Billick piled on by saying, "You can ***** about the taxes, son, but you still have to pay them."

http://www.pressboxonline.com/blog.cfm?ID=56

is BJ ward any good??



He has natural talent, great size and good speed for his position. However, no brains, no respect for authority and a big chip on his shoulder. If Ryan can tame him (our Ryan could not) you might have a very good player; MIGHT.

I believe Ward played a little strong safety for us in 2005 when both Reed and Demps were battling injuries. Ward was known to make a big hit, but was an inconsistent tackler in my opinion, and was not very good in coverage. Ward is still very raw, I consider him a long-shot prospect. Very good athlete though.

Just don't put him on special teams, he is bound to make a bone-headed mistake that will cost your team big time.

He is a big hitter, the problem is, he goes for the big hit all too often which leads to missed tackles, as Cleetz said.

B.J. Ward? Yeah, I remember his special teams penality yards approaching 100 yards worth of personal fouls in 2005.

BJ Ward is very undisciplined, and his skills are extremely raw as a safety (moved to safety his junior year at FSU from runningback, I believe). As a result, he is very bad in coverage. Starting him at safety, much less giving him playing time, will hurt you guys much more then help. He might give you that big hit (which was essentially how he made the team out of training camp), but between his inconsistent tackling and poor coverage skills which will probably give up a big play, it is not worth it. As you guys found out with fellow FSU alum Derrick Gibson (who started over Ward in college, I believe), just having the tools will not get you very far in this league. You guys are much better off with Stuart Schweigert (who I think is a pretty solid player).

http://extremeravens.com/multimedia/...nn_sypniewski/

http://extremeravens.com/multimedia/...37;3a_bj_ward/

http://extremeravens.com/multimedia/...r_another_hit/

http://extremeravens.com/multimedia/...daniel_wilcox/

http://extremeravens.com/multimedia/..._interference/

http://extremeravens.com/multimedia/...es_vs_bj_ward/

[STEEL BLUE TEXANS]

The kid obviously has the physical ability to be a player in the NFL. It's just a matter of if we can coach him up to be a smarter player out on the field. If so, this could turn out to be another good find by Rick Smith.

[CloakNNNdagger]

Originally Posted by Vinny

he's a hell of a special teamer. He is the all time leading kick blocker at Florida State with 7. Nobody else in the long history of that team has more than 2. He is 6'3 and has prototype size at FS...once played WR for Florida State early in his career also....so he is a good athlete.

He was so athletic with the Canes that, you might remember, they always referred to him as "Super Freak."

[badboy]

Originally Posted by Hoth-Boy

Here's what I know about BJ Ward:
















Anybody wish to add anything?

That's what I heard also. By the way, you get props for the way you expressed this information leaving out no details.

[eriadoc]

There was a thread a few weeks ago (maybe as long ago as preseason), where one of the Texans' plays was 3rd out of the top 10 plays of the week. In the video of the top 10, BJ Ward got trucked by some RB going into the end zone, a la Urlacher v. Bettis. Someone even commented in the thread, asking who it was that got trucked. It was Ward.

That doesn't mean anything; I just figured I'd add that tidbit.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by eriadoc

There was a thread a few weeks ago (maybe as long ago as preseason), where one of the Texans' plays was 3rd out of the top 10 plays of the week. In the video of the top 10, BJ Ward got trucked by some RB going into the end zone, a la Urlacher v. Bettis. Someone even commented in the thread, asking who it was that got trucked. It was Ward.

That doesn't mean anything; I just figured I'd add that tidbit.

I think you are referring to Ronnie Brown running over him two or three weeks ago. I would laugh at Ward, but we didn't exactly lay Ronnie out ourselves.

[CloakNNNdagger]

Originally Posted by Buffi2

According to here that is about all there is to know.

Undrafted, been in the NFL 2 years, went to Florida State, born in Dallas.

Played for Baltimore in 05 and then with Oakland this year - haven't a clue where he was last year. At home on the sofa, perhaps. Has a grand total of 2 tackles this year.

Why do I think this isn't much of an improvement over what we have now - unless he is one of Smith's little pearls just sitting out there waiting for the right time/the right team.

At the beginning of the 2006 season, he was IR'ed to sit out the entire season for severe migraine headaches.

[amazingandre]

so we are getting a guy with migraine problems, and a guy who isnt physical...shown possible by ronnie brown....and someone who has 2 tackles in his career??? im pumped......

Originally Posted by STEEL BLUE TEXANS

http://extremeravens.com/multimedia/...es_vs_bj_ward/

Not very balanced in his man coverage....

Looks to be a good athlete though...

[Errant Hothy]

Originally Posted by amazingandre

so we are getting a guy with migraine problems, and a guy who isnt physical...shown possible by ronnie brown....and someone who has 2 tackles in his career??? im pumped......

We've got plenty of safeties who are capable of stepping up and helping stop the run, so I doubt the fact that Ward got trucked by Brown will matter to anybody but us fans (and by the way, how many FS in the NFL would not get run over by Ronnie Brown, espically the way he has been playing of late?).

What we need at the FS is a centerfeilder. Now is Ward that guy, I don't know. He has all the physical meaurements to be succesful. I think his issue may be mental. He was ejected from a game in '05 for making contact with a ref, he also apperantly got a lecture from Billick in '06 after taking a few "cheap shots" at some temamates in camp. I think he might be alot like Peek, all motor and aggression and not able to slow down the game mentally to make the right play. We shall see if he gets signs, which since it has yet to happen I'm becoming to think that Ward didn't impress the staff enought to warrant a signing.

As for the 2 tackles, that's a "meh" to me, I think our secondary recordS to many tackels as it is, but thats another topic.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by Hoth-Boy

As for the 2 tackles, that's a "meh" to me, I think our secondary record to many tackels as it is, but thats another topic.

yep, it is no coincidence that Faggins led the team in tackles last week...in a week the defense was destroyed on the ground.