Duane Brown Will Be Starting LT

[ubecool454]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

That is stunning, really almost too difficult to believe ?
While I've heard many positive comments about Browns upside, and actually
some very good reports about his ability right now to function as a blocker on rushing plays, nowhere have I heard that he's ready to be an NFL passblocker, especially at LT ? Actually just the opposite.

I don't want to hear anywhere that he is a ready LT in the NFL, I want to SEE him be ready to be a LT for time on this team. If Gibbs said this is his guy, I am down with it. No offense Salaam.

[ObsiWan]

Just because D.Brown is getting 1st team reps doesn't mean he will be handed the starting job in Sept. Check this quote from Kubiak...

Passing the torch? Don’t let the practice reps fool you. Just because first-round pick Duane Brown is receiving the majority of snaps with the first-team offense doesn’t mean he was handed the starting job.

Kubiak clarified that following the second practice Friday after Brown lined up at left tackle alongside guard Chester Pitts for most of the day.

“No, we have not made any decisions,” Kubiak said. “We’re lining up, working reps. We have a long way to go before we play, but we think it’s very important that this young man gets every possible rep he can get. Ephraim has seen a few reps in his day. This kid needs all he can get.”

Like others have said, they KNOW what they have in Salaam. They're seeing what they have in D.Brown.

[Goldensilence]

Originally Posted by corrosion

Im not sold on the Center position being sewn up just yet ..... If Chris Myers is such a big deal why would Denver not have a higher value than a 6th rounder on him when its pretty apparent that Tom Nalen is coming to the end of his career after 14 seasons ?... We'll soon find out if the Texans stole something or got what they paid for .

Two years ago this staff made an offer to a team about a player buried on their depth chart at what they felt was a stacked position. We gave up a seventh rounder and signed him to what most people on the board felt was like a larger contract then a 7th rounder deserved. How has Kevin Walter Worked out?

I also thought they like Kuper and doesn't hurt whom they drafted this year in the fourth :
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.ph...contentID=8660

[BattleRedToro]

I don't understand why so many people act shocked and surprised at the idea of Duanne Brown starting at LT on Opening Day.

It seems that for some time now I have read glowing posts about Charles Spencer and his potential at LT, but it seems many of these same people have forgotten that Spencer was a rookie starting LT on Opening Day, and Ephraim Salaam only became the starter after Spencer was injured.

Therefore, it shouldn't come as a surprise if the Texans again start a rookie LT on Opening Day, and Salaam returns to the coaching staff's original intention as the Swing Tackle.

[Texans_Chick]

Originally Posted by BattleRedToro

I don't understand why so many people act shocked and surprised at the idea of Duanne Brown starting at LT on Opening Day.

It seems that for some time now I have read glowing posts about Charles Spencer and his potential at LT, but it seems many of these same people have forgotten that Spencer was a rookie starting LT on Opening Day, and Ephraim Salaam only became the starter after Spencer was injured.

Therefore, it shouldn't come as a surprise if the Texans again start a rookie LT on Opening Day, and Salaam returns to the coaching staff's original intention as the Swing Tackle.

Yeah, and Spencer was a third round pick.

The Texans know what they have in Salaam. They don't want him to get wore out. They don't know what they have in Brown, and he needs a lot of work.

All that being said, it is waaaaaaay to early to say who definitely the starting LT will be for game one of the NFL season.

[TexansFanatic]

Originally Posted by edo783

He shot a 32 on the test, so he isn't a bag of doorknobs and should be able to pick it up, just a question of how soon and how well IMO.

Sorry to split hairs, but he actually scored a 29 out of the 32 questions he managed to answer on the 50 question test. Still an excellent score!

[edo783]

Originally Posted by TexansFanatic

Sorry to split hairs, but he actually scored a 29 out of the 32 questions he managed to answer on the 50 question test. Still an excellent score!

Not spliting hairs here either, but he took it two times. The first he scored 29 and the second 32.

[TexansFanatic]

Originally Posted by edo783

Not spliting hairs here either, but he took it two times. The first he scored 29 and the second 32.

Do you have a link for that?

The Wonderlic scores are typically posted as two numbers separated by a slash. (For instance 29/32 or 17/50.)

I think the common misconception is that the second number represents the second score from a second test, when actually it's the number of questions the test-taker answered and the first number is the number of correct answers.

[Corrosion]

Originally Posted by Goldensilence

Two years ago this staff made an offer to a team about a player buried on their depth chart at what they felt was a stacked position. We gave up a seventh rounder and signed him to what most people on the board felt was like a larger contract then a 7th rounder deserved. How has Kevin Walter Worked out?

I also thought they like Kuper and doesn't hurt whom they drafted this year in the fourth :
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.ph...contentID=8660

I'll agree that the Walter trade has turned out well for the Texans . But when it was made people were scratching their heads over it . Me not being sold on the guy yet as a starter doesnt mean I dont like the deal .... Anytime you can turn a 6th round pick into a starting player its good for your team .... Even if he doesnt start or perform well at least they made an attempt to fix a problem that has plagued this team for quite a while , McKinney wasnt very good at center (better at guard) and Flanagan was a failure from the get go .

As for the Bronco's 4th rounder this year , Lichtensteiger , I think its a pretty solid pick . I wish the Texans had the luxury of picking OL to groom behind a player like Nalen . I really think at this point in the teams development they are still looking for a few pieces that can start right away rather than learn the NFL game .... Casserly and Capers didnt leave Kubiak and Smith much to work with .

[beerlover]

its smart for teams to have developmental players in areas of strength who can either play later of provide future draft picks. right now for the Texans its the QB position. from a position of weakness to one of strength, this is what makes the selection of Brink

[adam]

Originally Posted by Hooston Texan

I would say the worst-case scenario is that Schaub gets hurt because of a missed block by the rookie.

As opposed to Schaub getting hurt because of a missed block by a par (at best) veteran? I would say that if Kubiak and Co. believe in Brown to be a day one starter, then he should be our guy. I shudder at the idea of watching another season of Salaam getting run through like a turnstile, leading to another injury for Schaub.

[Goldensilence]

Originally Posted by corrosion

I'll agree that the Walter trade has turned out well for the Texans . But when it was made people were scratching their heads over it . Me not being sold on the guy yet as a starter doesnt mean I dont like the deal .... Anytime you can turn a 6th round pick into a starting player its good for your team .... Even if he doesnt start or perform well at least they made an attempt to fix a problem that has plagued this team for quite a while , McKinney wasnt very good at center (better at guard) and Flanagan was a failure from the get go .

As for the Bronco's 4th rounder this year , Lichtensteiger , I think its a pretty solid pick . I wish the Texans had the luxury of picking OL to groom behind a player like Nalen . I really think at this point in the teams development they are still looking for a few pieces that can start right away rather than learn the NFL game .... Casserly and Capers didnt leave Kubiak and Smith much to work with .

Also think Eslinger will be a much better backup option then we have had in the past. Totally agree on the McKinney take.

I think Myer looks a lot better then what we've had in the past at Center. My thought is they were looking at options for center when guys like Hadnot were brought in and deceided to take a flyer on him and see if they'd match. I think Denver liked their options enough to not care too much to match.

[CloakNNNdagger]

Originally Posted by TexansFanatic

Do you have a link for that?

The Wonderlic scores are typically posted as two numbers separated by a slash. (For instance 29/32 or 17/50.)

I think the common misconception is that the second number represents the second score from a second test, when actually it's the number of questions the test-taker answered and the first number is the number of correct answers.

Many times the Wonderlic is taken multiple times........this is only one link that demonstrates this............if you note Chris Williams (32/31/37)
and Jeff Otah (28/16/35), they took the exam THREE times.

[Wolf]

The main topic of conversation was the fact that rookie Duane Brown was lining up with the first team instead of Ephraim Salaam. Brown said today that he was told the day after he was drafted that he would be practicing with the first team. He got a crash course in the NFL by lining up constantly against Mario Williams. As everyone should expect (and hope), Williams beat Brown often.

"I just think it's important that he gets every rep he can get for the next five or six weeks before we head into training camp," Kubiak said. "You put him in there right away and he has to see Mario Williams every dang day, so we know he has a long way to go, but we're going to get him the reps to get him there as quick as we can."

Williams, who looked in shape and ready to open the regular season, could be as instrumental in the transition of Brown from college to the NFL as any of the coaches will be. He will challenge Brown each day, which was why the Texans decided to have Brown with the first team instead of the second team.

This also means that the job is Brown's to lose. They are not going to declare him their starter for Week 1 right now, but they don't have to. They didn't draft him in the first round to be a backup. They want him to start — and the sooner the better. It will be big news if in the midst of training camp he is running with the second team.

Salaam refused to talk to the media after either of the practices. That is unusual for the media-savvy 10-year-veteran. He is clearly unhappy with the decision by Gary Kubiak to put him on the second team.

"To me there's competition every where on the football team," Kubiak said. "There's nothing etched in stone. We're just working right now. But as I told Ephraim, I think it's very important. It's my decision to put the kid there and go to work.

"Ephraim is a big part of this team and I'm counting on him being a big part of this team. I know it's hard to swallow. I understand that. But he and I have had a talk. We'll move forward. But I think the kid needs to work, and you don't get it unless you put him in there."

http://blogs.chron.com/gamedaytexans...actice_ev.html

[TexansFanatic]

Originally Posted by CloakNNNdagger

Many times the Wonderlic is taken multiple times........this is only one link that demonstrates this............if you note Chris Williams (32/31/37)
and Jeff Otah (28/16/35), they took the exam THREE times.

Hey Cloak,

I looked at that same page before my previous post. If what you say is true then there are a number of players on that page who made perfect scores and I'm quite certain that's not true. Of particular interest would be one Wallace Gilberry who made a 17 on his first try and then a 50 on his second.....

[mussop]

Originally Posted by Goldensilence

Totally agree on the McKinney take.

Both of you are crazy. McKinney was way better at Center than Guard & our line played best when he wa in the middle.

[Honoring Earl 34]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ail/index.html

Chris of Houston begins his litany of my past failures with that deadly phrase, "Aren't you the same one who...?" OK, I'll be brief -- I gave them a pair of D's in '06 and '07 (but not this year because we've done away with the dreaded letter grades). Ripped them again, this time for their O-line choice, forgetting that Alex Gibbs thrives on coaching these lighter, athletic types. And his summation, which really must be considered: "Do you really know anything of which you speak? It's embarrassing."

I'll give you this -- I might have been too hasty in judging top draft pick, OT Duane Brown. The rest of the board doesn't thrill me. Do me a favor. Check back in December, and let's see how the year goes. If the record is about the same, or worse, you don't need to respond. If there's a real boost, and the rookie class has a big hand in it, remind me in an e-mail and I'll do the full mea culpa number for you, OK? Better take it, you're not gonna get a better deal anywhere.

[edo783]

Originally Posted by TexansFanatic

Do you have a link for that? .

Sorry no. I read it in some artical about Brown and if I remember correctly it had several others in it also. What struck me and made it stick was he wasn't satisfied with a 29 which is a fairly good number, but wanted better. The thing I also remember was that one of the other LTs had scored 32 and that made me wonder if he was trying to beat him. That means he is pretty darn competative if it was that way.

[Wolf]

Originally Posted by edo783

Sorry no. I read it in some artical about Brown and if I remember correctly it had several others in it also. What struck me and made it stick was he wasn't satisfied with a 29 which is a fairly good number, but wanted better. The thing I also remember was that one of the other LTs had scored 32 and that made me wonder if he was trying to beat him. That means he is pretty darn competative if it was that way.

http://potencial.wordpress.com/2008/...derlic-scores/

Jake Long 26
Duane Brown 29/32
Devin Clark 11/29
Roy Schuening 26/45
Steve Justice 19/27
Jeff Otah 28/16/35
John Greco 28/36
Mike McGlynn 19/32
Chad Rinehart 35/42
Kory Lichtensteiger 29/36
Sam Baker 27
Chris Williams 32/31/37
Heath Benedict 28/39
Godser Cherilus 25/50
Brandon Albert 23
Mike Pollak 24/34
Ryan Clady 13

[TexansFanatic]

Originally Posted by Wolf

http://potencial.wordpress.com/2008/...derlic-scores/

Thanks for the link, Wolf, but as I mentioned in my previous post:

I have serious trouble believing that those numbers indicate a second attempt at the test since no fewer than three of those test-takers mentioned in that list achieved a perfect score on their second attempt (if you assume that's what the second number means). Since historically there has been only one (at most two) perfect Wonderlic scores achieved by pre-NFL draftees, I find it virtually impossible to believe that---

Lex Hilliard got a 24 on his first attempt and a perfect score his second try,
Gosder Cherilus got a 25 on his first attempt and a perfect score his second try,
Wallace Gilberry got a 17 on his first attempt and a perfect score his second try.