Kubiak on Okoye "he’s the most improved player"

[JayCee]

(on DT Amobi Okoye maturing) “Well, I want to knock on wood, but in all honesty, this camp, I think he’s the most improved player. He’s a pretty dang good player to begin with but what you saw take place here over the course of the last three weeks, you saw a guy go from still having some of his rookie habits, they went away in one week and we haven’t noticed them in the last two. That’s a good thing. It tells me he’s growing up. He’s becoming better. He’s becoming a pro. And if that happens, we’re going to be a better football team. I’ve been very impressed with the player he’s become through OTAs.”

(on if he expects the same improvement as DE Mario Williams made last season) “Well, hopefully we see the same thing. I don’t think it’s fair to compare players. They’re different. But the thing that is very comparable right away is the maturity, I guess I should say, and how he’s handling himself right now. There’s not a lot of distractions going on. He’s just playing ball and he’s got his mind in the right place, and I think that those are good things.”

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/St...?story_id=4362

[ChampionTexan]

Good to hear, and Kubiak's got a history of not BS'ing about this stuff.

FWIW (which admittedly is very little), the Pro Football Weekly 2008 Preview rated the top 30-40 players for each position, and to my surprise, Amobi was the #14 rated DT in the NFL. I say surprised because of the way he hit the wall midway thru the season last year. PFW acknowledged he slowed down, but basically said that he had the talent to put up double-digit sacks.

The Preview's a hard-copy, so I can't link (would be a pay-site anyway).

Two D-Linemen with 10+ sacks would be incredible - especially with one of them being on the interior.

[TexansFanatic]

Originally Posted by ChampionTexan

Two D-Linemen with 10+ sacks would be incredible - especially with one of them being on the interior.

And would make the whole team better. Would lead to more picks in the secondary.

[b0ng]

Originally Posted by ChampionTexan

Good to hear, and Kubiak's got a history of not BS'ing about this stuff.

FWIW (which admittedly is very little), the Pro Football Weekly 2008 Preview rated the top 30-40 players for each position, and to my surprise, Amobi was the #14 rated DT in the NFL. I say surprised because of the way he hit the wall midway thru the season last year. PFW acknowledged he slowed down, but basically said that he had the talent to put up double-digit sacks.

The Preview's a hard-copy, so I can't link (would be a pay-site anyway).

Two D-Linemen with 10+ sacks would be incredible - especially with one of them being on the interior.

If Okoye got 10+ sacks he would be an all-pro DT I think. That number would be wayy too gaudy not to pass up.

Honestly, if Okoye got 7+ sacks this year, that would be the other pass rusher we needed. I wonder how our run defense would look with Amobi doing pass rushing from the DT position.

[DocBar]

Double digit sacks is incredible for interior linemen. I agree that if he gets 7 or so he's had a great year. I hear AW is 100% and looking to make a big splash in the sack total this year. That would be great to see also.

[YoungTexanFan]

Originally Posted by DocBar

Double digit sacks is incredible for interior linemen. I agree that if he gets 7 or so he's had a great year. I hear AW is 100% and looking to make a big splash in the sack total this year. That would be great to see also.

His career high is 5. Define "big splash" for me please.

[Line_Producer]

Originally Posted by YoungTexanFan

His career high is 5. Define "big splash" for me please.

And best line of the day goes to *rips envelope* Young Texans Fan!

[Brandon420tx]

Weaver Cannon Ball!?

Is it, A, a jump into the deep end of the pool, or B, Anthony's new secret special move?

[mexican_texan]

Originally Posted by YoungTexanFan

His career high is 5. Define "big splash" for me please.

6 sacks.

[b0ng]

Originally Posted by YoungTexanFan

His career high is 5. Define "big splash" for me please.

I'll go ahead and say more than 5. Cause a player could never get more sacks than his already highest recorded sack total.

[76Texan]

D-line was the best unit on defense last year.
Each individual player had a different role.

Just like the WR corp.

It is (to me) a mistake to try to find fault in the wrong place.

[Second Honeymoon]

i love hearing this from the Texans camp. If he and Okam could both develop into top DT, we could be set for a decade at DT...find a friend to play opposite Mario at DE and things could get really interesting...

[Dread-Head]

Yeah, yeah. Never mind that shiznit. I want to see Vince "#6 on your Wonderlic" Young and that running back from Indianapolis (who grew up here) get flattened repeatedly. This is the year to resurect the "House of Pain". Teams visiting the Texans this year should feel like convicts being thrown to the gladiators on the floor on the Roman Colluseum. The 08-09 season should mark the beginning of the Texan era.

[b0ng]

Originally Posted by Second Honeymoon

i love hearing this from the Texans camp. If he and Okam could both develop into top DT, we could be set for a decade at DT...find a friend to play opposite Mario at DE and things could get really interesting...

If Okam develops how the staff says he is developing, and Amobi is steadily improving as already quoted, I think that would be more than enough for Mario to break free and wreak havoc.

Also, wouldn't Okam be playing an NT type position as well? Wouldn't he just replace Travis Johnson and maybe TJ could backup Okoye?

EDIT: I hope that Okam develops into a 3-down NT, but for his rookie season, I want him to just be a big stump that can't be moved on running plays. Nothing too fancy.

[Thorn]

Originally Posted by Dread-Head

This is the year to resurect the "House of Pain".

yeah buddy!

[V3rm0nt3r]

Originally Posted by Dread-Head

Yeah, yeah. Never mind that shiznit. I want to see Vince "#6 on your Wonderlic" Young and that running back from Indianapolis (who grew up here) get flattened repeatedly. This is the year to resurect the "House of Pain". Teams visiting the Texans this year should feel like convicts being thrown to the gladiators on the floor on the Roman Colluseum. The 08-09 season should mark the beginning of the Texan era.

Replace those "should's" with "wills" and I'm right there with you.

[Ole Miss Texan]

Originally Posted by b0ng

Honestly, if Okoye got 7+ sacks this year, that would be the other pass rusher we needed. I wonder how our run defense would look with Amobi doing pass rushing from the DT position.

Good point. Also, with Amobi rushing from the middle, it causes the QB to move left or right, more than likely having to throw off the run. I think QB's are more likely to make a mistake when forced in this position. Not to mention their eyes are more likely to not look downfield and start the scrambling process. That's where the sacks for the DE's really come from. I know mario got a lot last year because of this- perfect team play.

[Vinny]

sacks are nice to get from the inside but getting great push, forcing QB's out of the pocket and stopping the run are the most important aspects for the DT's....glad to hear he is improving.

[Nawzer]

We all know that the players make the biggest improvement from year one to year two. So, I'm glad to hear that Okoye is progressing well. Hopefully Okoye will have the kind of impact that Mario did last year.

[SOLIS]

Originally Posted by Vinny

sacks are nice to get from the inside but getting great push, forcing QB's out of the pocket and stopping the run are the most important aspects for the DT's....glad to hear he is improving.

Right on Vin. The way I see it, with Amobi's current build and ability, he's best suited for wreaking havok at the line and forcing the QB out of the pocket and into a mistake. That's why it is imperative that we get contributions from the DE positions. I love me some Mario, and I think that he is God's gift to the position - but this year he needs to show that consistancy he had late in the season, throughout the year. The other DE, be it Weaver or Bulman or whoever, needs to be able to take advantage of his linemates' play to stuff the run or get after the QB. The more experience the front seven has playing together, the better the chemistry, the better the results.