A Denver fan's thoughts on Chris Myers

[TexansFanatic]

Originally Posted by 55Olinesdad

The only thing I would say about this post is that Chris does have a mean streak but it does need to be pulled from him. I have no fear that Gibbs will yank it to the surface and also fill in any gaps in his play. Houston just signed the hardest working player they could ask for.

While I prefer my linemen to have the proverbial mean streak, I think there are currently, and historically have been, quite a few above-average-to-great-linemen without it. I bet if we all think real hard we can all think of a few great ones who didn't have the mean streak. Bruce Matthews comes to mind. A first ballot Hall of Famer, considered one of the greatest if not THE greatest lineman in history. And I could be wrong, but I don't remember seeing Bruce getting into many fights if any. Maybe I saw one fight involving Matthews that is so unremarkable that I can't recall where it was or what caused it. But I think that's a prime example right there of a great lineman without the mean streak. I invite anyone to refute what I've just stated....

[aj.]

When you regularly overpower guys and drive them five yards deep or into the ground, there's really no point in being 'mean.'

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by nero THE zero

But then the realistic side of me looks at his injury history at Virginia.

He had a school record number of starts and had only one injury while in college--from which he came back faster than predicted.

Originally Posted by aj.

If it wasn't an issue, Sage would already be a Viking and the Texans would have two 3rd round picks. And that's not fan worries.

Or, the Texans hadn't signed someone they thought was an adequate backup yet to make up the difference in value between a 3rd and a 2nd.

[DocBar]

From ESPiN Insider:

2007 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc.
Grade: 58 | Key
Alert: None

Comment: Myers plays on special teams and as a backup to starting center Tom Nalen, but he has value because he is a very hard worker who is tough and versatile enough to play any of the three interior line positions. He isnt huge but is big enough to be serviceable in Denver's scheme and also has enough athletic ability to contribute. He is quick off the ball and tenacious. He is more of a wall-off blocker than a killer and will not blow anyone off the ball, especially larger two-gapping defensive tackles. Myers is smart and shows very good recognition skills. He can get to the second level and is capable of finding and striking smaller targets in space. He is technically sound and obviously pays attention to detail and works on his craft. Myers struggles to stone bigger pass rushers and doesn't play with a great power base. He gets his feet too close together at times. He doesn't have a ton of upside, but he is not a major liability on the field and his versatility all but ensures him a roster spot.

[Scooter]

Originally Posted by 55Olinesdad

The only thing I would say about this post is that Chris does have a mean streak but it does need to be pulled from him. I have no fear that Gibbs will yank it to the surface and also fill in any gaps in his play. Houston just signed the hardest working player they could ask for.

this is the first thing i noticed because most of us remember seth wand who was a great natural and physical talent but his knock was lack of motivation and no mean streak to speak of. granted he was as poorly coached as every other C&C texan. this is a problem accross the board on the texans IMO is there isnt the nasty side that you want ... haynesworth immediately comes to mind. when there are shots like that on your quarterback, i expect a scene out of braveheart from your big uglies.

i believe that's going to change and change fast under gibbs ... because if it doesnt the players who fall short probably wont be around long. i'm excited because of the young athletes we seem to have acquired for this coaching staff to mold on the line - namely myers, eslinger, winston and a couple others.

[Goldensilence]

Originally Posted by infantrycak

He had a school record number of starts and had only one injury while in college--from which he came back faster than predicted.



Or, the Texans hadn't signed someone they thought was an adequate backup yet to make up the difference in value between a 3rd and a 2nd.

This was more my thought as well.

Originally Posted by Scooter

this is the first thing i noticed because most of us remember seth wand who was a great natural and physical talent but his knock was lack of motivation and no mean streak to speak of. granted he was as poorly coached as every other C&C texan. this is a problem accross the board on the texans IMO is there isnt the nasty side that you want ... haynesworth immediately comes to mind. when there are shots like that on your quarterback, i expect a scene out of braveheart from your big uglies.

i believe that's going to change and change fast under gibbs ... because if it doesnt the players who fall short probably wont be around long. i'm excited because of the young athletes we seem to have acquired for this coaching staff to mold on the line - namely myers, eslinger, winston and a couple others.

Agreed. That struck me as well that with both those hits I didn't see one of the guys on the line make it a big issue. I hope that changes this year and changes quickly. I think adding someone like Myers at center that won't be a liability for our guards will help a lot. Hell even pre-season I hope this line makes it well known touch our QB and we'll grind you into the dirt. I think Mario, Demeco and crew as well play enforcer on the Defensive side.

One cheap shot last year was bad but two on the line... will be unforgivable to Gibbs.

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by Goldensilence

Agreed. That struck me as well that with both those hits I didn't see one of the guys on the line make it a big issue. I hope that changes this year and changes quickly.

I hear people make this comment repeatedly and wonder what game they were watching (or maybe the camera just cut away). Winston was livid to the point of getting in the face of one of the officials and tossed from the game livid. If he hadn't been restrained by I believe Salaam and Pitts, things would have been ugly. Mango Salsa has a surfeit of mean in him.

[CloakNNNdagger]

Originally Posted by aj.

When you regularly overpower guys and drive them five yards deep or into the ground, there's really no point in being 'mean.'

Originally Posted by 55Olinesdad

The only thing I would say about this post is that Chris does have a mean streak but it does need to be pulled from him. I have no fear that Gibbs will yank it to the surface and also fill in any gaps in his play. Houston just signed the hardest working player they could ask for.

I believe that by the time Gibbs gets through with Meyers, as a fan, you can expect to see him in this light...............





..............while opposing teams will see him in a totally different light

[Goldensilence]

Originally Posted by infantrycak

I hear people make this comment repeatedly and wonder what game they were watching (or maybe the camera just cut away). Winston was livid to the point of getting in the face of one of the officials and tossed from the game livid. If he hadn't been restrained by I believe Salaam and Pitts, things would have been ugly. Mango Salsa has a surfeit of mean in him.

I guess i mean more of once the ball snaps again getting into the face of opposing players. Admittedly about halfway through the season i was unable to watch games due to work and school. So I could be off base.

[DiehardChris]

I promise all of you - the Texans offensive line will be mean and nasty in 2008. Yes, Alex Gibbs will be responsible for some of that, but with the new system - the defensive lineman will HATE us because of the new scheme... there's always a fair amount of extra-cirricular activity after every whistle in the NFL, but there's going to be even more with us running the ZBS.

Also, if Studdard gets into the starting line-up - look out. That dude is hardcore. I love players like that. Hopefully he can stay healthy and get better - having him next to Myers would be quite an excellent young combination.

[nunusguy]

I don't mean to digress from the subject of this thread, but new Coach Gibbs
name keeps resurfacing as the panacea to any and all problems related to our OLine. For example, reservations about Chris Myers's size or being enough
of a hard-ass to consistantly be an effective NFL center ? None what so ever
with Coach Gibbs now in town and ready to lead the OLine.
Is it possible we are asking too much of Coach Gibbs, or are our expectations of what he's going to do for the developement of our OLine and improvement of our rushing attack in general too high ? Unless I'm told different, I'm under the impression that Coach is just a mere mortal ?

[Fox]

He's a mere mortal who has created a league leading rushing attack that is consistently successful at every stop in his NFL career. Success breeds expectations.

[DiehardChris]

I think he'll be everything so many of us are saying he's going to be - but the problem is that it's such a technical system, I'm afraid that the 4 pre-season games won't be enough to really nail down the technique enough to start the year at our highest possible level.

I dunno, but that's my only concern. I know that we already ran a 'form' of the ZBS, but writers and bloggers more up with the system than I am have said that it's still going to be a very significant difference and learning curve.

It's still going to take some good personnel moves as well. We're clearly not set for the future on the line outside of Myers and Winston. I wouldn't expect the ZBS to hit on all cylinders right away.

[Fox]

Originally Posted by DiehardChris

I think he'll be everything so many of us are saying he's going to be - but the problem is that it's such a technical system, I'm afraid that the 4 pre-season games won't be enough to really nail down the technique enough to start the year at our highest possible level.

I dunno, but that's my only concern. I know that we already ran a 'form' of the ZBS, but writers and bloggers more up with the system than I am have said that it's still going to be a very significant difference and learning curve.

It's still going to take some good personnel moves as well. We're clearly not set for the future on the line outside of Myers and Winston. I wouldn't expect the ZBS to hit on all cylinders right away.

I agree with what you're saying, but that is common to all running games. The ground game normally gets progressively better as the season evolves and the players get more experience working together. Obviously we'll have fresh faces, a new OL coach, and a new scheme to boot so that phenomenon will probably be exaggerated even further, but I don't think it will put us too far behind the 8 ball relative to other teams.

[TexansFanatic]

Originally Posted by aj.

When you regularly overpower guys and drive them five yards deep or into the ground, there's really no point in being 'mean.'

Brilliant!

[Scooter]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

I don't mean to digress from the subject of this thread, but new Coach Gibbs
name keeps resurfacing as the panacea to any and all problems related to our OLine. For example, reservations about Chris Myers's size or being enough
of a hard-ass to consistantly be an effective NFL center ? None what so ever
with Coach Gibbs now in town and ready to lead the OLine.
Is it possible we are asking too much of Coach Gibbs, or are our expectations of what he's going to do for the developement of our OLine and improvement of our rushing attack in general too high ? Unless I'm told different, I'm under the impression that Coach is just a mere mortal ?

good question and something that's been concerning me more recently because my expectations alone have become possibly too high atleast in the short term as i'm guessing have many others'. i think most of it's warranted though because gibbs is without question the single best coach to implement arguably the best rushing style offense, and from everything written about him he's the both best and worst guy to play for. he'll get the results he wants one way or another - many times players saying they'd rather chew glass and sign up with gunnery sgt hartman than be on the wrong side of coach gibbs. maybe the expectations are growing wild, but they might still be pretty close. gibbs is one of the main reasons everyone preaches about denver being able to draft second day players with guts and turn them into the best running o-line in the league.

my only concern this year is the personnel. we have a few guys in the mix, and i think a couple of guys will suprise folks by cracking the rotation (eslinger & studdard come to mind) ... but even so, it doesnt matter how hard you squeeze, you cant get lemonade from a tomato (i'm looking at you salaam).

[55Olinesdad]

Originally Posted by DiehardChris

I think he'll be everything so many of us are saying he's going to be - but the problem is that it's such a technical system, I'm afraid that the 4 pre-season games won't be enough to really nail down the technique enough to start the year at our highest possible level.

I dunno, but that's my only concern. I know that we already ran a 'form' of the ZBS, but writers and bloggers more up with the system than I am have said that it's still going to be a very significant difference and learning curve.

It's still going to take some good personnel moves as well. We're clearly not set for the future on the line outside of Myers and Winston. I wouldn't expect the ZBS to hit on all cylinders right away.

Yes its a very technical system and 4 games is not enough to nail it down and be at the highest level........saying that.....

It just continues to improve each and every game as they starters gel together. There is definitly a learning curve but that does not mean it cannot be efficient and help us win games. By the 3rd or 4th game of the season you will see how awesome it gels together. You really will.

[Texan in Japan]

Originally Posted by 55Olinesdad

Yes its a very technical system and 4 games is not enough to nail it down and be at the highest level........saying that.....

It just continues to improve each and every game as they starters gel together. There is definitly a learning curve but that does not mean it cannot be efficient and help us win games. By the 3rd or 4th game of the season you will see how awesome it gels together. You really will.

I really excited to see the competition in camp along the offensive line. I think its going to be fierce.

Your son's experience in the system is going to give us a leg up in hopefully gelling quickly. He's been in the system, now he'll get the ZBS guru to help him refine is game. This is gonna be awesome!

[Pantherstang84]

Originally Posted by Scooter

when there are shots like that on your quarterback, i expect a scene out of braveheart from your big uglies.

Absolutely!!!!!

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by nero THE zero

I don't know that they have a connection. IIRC, Groh was Kubiak's coach in college.

Groh has never been connected to Kubiak. He was Bill Parchells protege.

He run a true WCO offense in college. That is why team look at his team for QBs and WR. Groh is a defensive guy, BTW.