Flanagan/Hogdon/Barber/Putzier out

[Overalls]

According to the Chrons article about Z. Thomas coming to town the Texans are prepared to waive two of their three centers

The Texans are placing centers Mike Flanagan and Drew Hodgdon, tight end Jeb Putzier on waivers today.

I realize that Flanagan is nearing the end of his carreer and that Hodgdon hasn't really shown to be a stellar center yet but how can we cut them both and leave ourselves with a banged up Steve Mckinney. Don't get me wrong I think McKinney is the best of the 3. I just wonder what the FO is thinking. Are there a bunch of FA centers out there? Is there some up and comer on the roster I am not thinking about? Are we thinking about drafting a center early in the draft? Just wondering.



http://www.houstontexans.com/news/St...?story_id=4190 (update)

[Texans_Chick]

Originally Posted by Overalls

According to the Chrons article about Z. Thomas coming to town the Texans are prepared to waive two of their three centers




I realize that Flanagan is nearing the end of his carreer and that Hodgdon hasn't really shown to be a stellar center yet but how can we cut them both and leave ourselves with a banged up Steve Mckinney. Don't get me wrong I think McKinney is the best of the 3. I just wonder what the FO is thinking. Are there a bunch of FA centers out there? Is there some up and comer on the roster I am not thinking about? Are we thinking about drafting a center early in the draft? Just wondering.

Flanagan old, hurty, not a ZBS guy, big contract.
Hodgdon smallish, looked bad at center when he played it. They tried to stick him at guard, but it was just an attempt to put him somewhere.

Bob McNair said that the Texans were looking at center when he was interviewed with McClain. The roster is filled with a bunch of guys at center. You get that when there isn't an obvious The Guy for the position.

[Texan_Bill]

Originally Posted by Overalls

According to the Chrons article about Z. Thomas coming to town the Texans are prepared to waive two of their three centers




I realize that Flanagan is nearing the end of his carreer and that Hodgdon hasn't really shown to be a stellar center yet but how can we cut them both and leave ourselves with a banged up Steve Mckinney. Don't get me wrong I think McKinney is the best of the 3. I just wonder what the FO is thinking. Are there a bunch of FA centers out there? Is there some up and comer on the roster I am not thinking about? Are we thinking about drafting a center early in the draft? Just wondering.

Guess they figure between McKinney and Chris White that the Center position is covered.

[TexanSam]

Maybe they're high on Chris White

[Fox]

Not sure if he'll end up making the roster or not, but they signed Greg Eslinger a while back as well right?

[badboy]

Originally Posted by Fox

Not sure if he'll end up making the roster or not, but they signed Greg Eslinger a while back as well right?

Yes and several posters were high on him.

[El Tejano]

Alex Gibbs, Alex Gibbs.

[GP]

So, we still have a media person who's saying Zach Thomas is potentially coming here?

I'll be very angry if Zach Thomas makes this team. I'm a Red Raider fan through-and-through (stop the hissing, by the way) and I think he's a HOFer for sure...but he is another Ahman Green-in-the-making.

No more of these half-baked FA moves which reek of "settling" for a guy who had star power and ability up until the last few years.

I cannot go through a year of "Will Zach be playing this Sunday?" threads.

Like it's been said: You add these sorts of guys as a finishing touch, not when you're depleted and starved for talent.

BTW...I am absolutely OK with us dumping Flanagan and Hogdon. It's two salaries and two roster spots which could be used on Chris White and another guy (McKinney, if able). I was supremely disappointed with Flanagan's contributions. Probably was a great player "in the day," but those days (IMO) are gone. of course, if he were standing here reading this...I'd take back every word--This is one of those "No disrespect to the guy, BUT.." sort of posts.

But as a fan of this team, we need better help than what we got from him.

[Grid]

doesnt worry me too much. Though I have always liked hodgdon and was hoping that, if he didnt make it at center, we would try him in other spots. I remember when we drafted him he seemed like a perfect fit for the ZBS.. if we are willing to release him now it must be for reasons off the field (or so I would assume)

[tulexan]

Originally Posted by Fox

Not sure if he'll end up making the roster or not, but they signed Greg Eslinger a while back as well right?

Eslinger is a zone blocking center too.

[Vinny]

I've never been impressed with Hogdon and didn't think he would make the team last year. I was hoping we would cut Flanagan also.

[painekiller]

Texans center as of right now with the two cuts
Steve McKinney
Chris White
Greg Eslinger a prototypical ZBS center, will need to prove he is over his shoulder injury, was drafted by Denver while Smith was still there.
Chukky Okobi 6-3 305 from Purdue, was the OC of the future for the Steelers until a neck injury forced them to cut him for cap purposes. He was making 2M a year. He is an 8 year vet, could just be camp fodder now.

Also Brisiel played OC in Europe, he could be in the mix.

[badboy]

Could someone keep a running total of how much cap space we add as we make cuts?

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by badboy

Could someone keep a running total of how much cap space we add as we make cuts?

best guy for that is Keith at hpf....he will have the best handle on it amongst all of us as he updates his sheets.

[badboy]

Originally Posted by Vinny

best guy for that is Keith at hpf....he will have the best handle on it amongst all of us as he updates his sheets.

Thanks I read him frequently. Good idea.

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by badboy

Could someone keep a running total of how much cap space we add as we make cuts?

Things can be split up as June 1st cuts (teams can pre-cut two players now and later declare them June 1st cuts) but barring that:

Flanigan--$1 mil in dead money, $1.5 mil in cap space created.
Putzier--$920k in dead money, about $500k in cap space created.

[Ole Miss Texan]

Good news for the rebuilding of our team. Both those guys needed to go and that's what has happened. McKinney/White/Eslinger/Okobi/Briesel ->That's plenty of guys going into camp.

I suspect 2 of those guys will be cut and 1 will be moved to Guard to make room for our 53-man roster. In addition I think we'll be drafting 2 more players for the OL (G and/or T). And then looking at the UDFA/FA's for more competition.

I think the release of these two have nothing to do with Thomas. Whether we get him or not, these guys were costing more than producing and were not part of the future of our team. We can get equal production from other players while costing less.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by Grid

Though I have always liked hodgdon and was hoping that, if he didnt make it at center, we would try him in other spots. I remember when we drafted him he seemed like a perfect fit for the ZBS.. if we are willing to release him now it must be for reasons off the field (or so I would assume)

Actually the Hodgdon cut is the one that surprises me just a little. The others
have been expected.
I thought the addition of coach Gibbs would perhaps give someone like Hodgdon, who appears to be a potential fit in the Gibbs ZBS as a smallish but quick center/guard, a new opportunity to make the roster on a long-term basis. But I'm sure Gibbs must now be making the ultimately calls on the acquisition/retention of OLineman so he apparently he didn't like what he saw in Hodgdon.
Regarding any "off field" issues for Hodgdon, quite the contrary I'd say because its my understanding that he's nothing but a high-character guy ?

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

Actually the Hodgdon cut is the one that surprises me just a little. The others
have been expected.
I thought the addition of coach Gibbs would perhaps give someone like Hodgdon, who appears to be a potential fit in the Gibbs ZBS as a smallish but quick center/guard, a new opportunity to make the roster on a long-term basis. But I'm sure Gibbs must now be making the ultimately calls on the acquisition/retention of OLineman so he apparently he didn't like what he saw in Hodgdon.
Regarding any "off field" issues for Hodgdon, quite the contrary I'd say because its my understanding that he's nothing but a high-character guy ?

He gets pushed around too easily in the little I've seen him play.

I've been told that the Texans are pretty high on Dan Stevenson. He isn't a center but he is an interior lineman with great feet and good size (6'5" 300).

[HOU-TEX]

I know this is kinda old, but do y'all think it was just a coinkadink that Chucky Okobi and Dan Stevenson were signed 4 days after Gibbs was brought on? Or do y'all think Gibbs was the one wanting to bring them in?