Report: Tatum Bell visiting Texans

[JWarren14]

Career
47 games
525 attempts
2524 yards
4.8 ypc
68 long
14 TDs
7 Fumbles
5 Lost

Scouts Inc.

Bell has average size but excellent athletic ability. He shows good speed and burst to and through the hole and has to ability to rip off long-gainers. He has above-average in-line run skills and is a one-cut, slashing runner. He is explosive bouncing off-tackle plays to the perimeter and can also explode through the second level. He has just average wiggle in traffic and doesn't create often when blocking breaks down. Bell is not an instinctive ball carrier and has had to learn patience. He isn't physical enough on contact to move the pile but has improved his physicality as a pass-blocker. He is a solid receiver out of the backfield and creates mismatches against most linebackers. Needs to work on his ball security as he has been known to lose concentration at times and put the ball on the ground. Bell a chance to be the featured back in a more run-oriented offense in 2008, but it remains to be seen how well he will bounce back from an injury that ended his 2007 season after just five games.

What do you guys think about giving him a shot? His most productive season was 2006 when he rushed for 1,025 but only 2 TDs. I think he would be a fit but dont know who we would release.

[Hagar]

Originally Posted by JWarren14

Career
47 games
525 attempts
2524 yards
4.8 ypc
68 long
14 TDs
7 Fumbles
5 Lost

Scouts Inc.

What do you guys think about giving him a shot? His most productive season was 2006 when he rushed for 1,025 but only 2 TDs. I think he would be a fit but dont know who we would release.

We'll give him a call after Green gets hurt in the first game.

[Hervoyel]

Originally Posted by JWarren14

Career
47 games
525 attempts
2524 yards
4.8 ypc
68 long
14 TDs
7 Fumbles
5 Lost

Scouts Inc.

What do you guys think about giving him a shot? His most productive season was 2006 when he rushed for 1,025 but only 2 TDs. I think he would be a fit but dont know who we would release.

I'd already have him in for a tryout to gauge what kind of shape he's in. He was in camp with Detroit and they cut him but that doesn't mean anything. When was the last time anyone really believed that the Lions had clue one about personnel?

[ArlingtonTexan]

per profootballtalk.com

RUDI’S CRAZY DAY IN DETROIT
Posted by Mike Florio on September 2, 2008, 9:17 p.m. EDT
A strange thing happened to running back Rudi Johnson when he visited with the Detroit Lions on Monday.

Someone stole his stuff.

Seriously.

Specifically, and as we’re told by a reliable source (i.e., not the person who told Mort that Joey Harrington had agreed to terms with the Ravens on Monday, or the person who told John Clayton that Todd Bouman had agreed to terms with the Ravens on Tuesday), Johnson left his bags outside CEO Matt Millen’s office while he met with team officials and, ultimately, worked out a deal with the team.

So when Johnson came back to get his bags, they were nowhere to be found. Johnson and Millen were stumped.

Enter the eye in the sky.

The team checked the videotapes generated by the team’s in-house surveillance system, and they quickly identified the culprit.

So who might it have been? None other than Tatum Bell, who lost his gig with the Lions after Rudi arrived.

Per the source, Bell took the bags to the house of a female acquaintance. When confronted on the matter, Bell offered up some cockamamie story that he thought the bags belonged to someone he knew. The girl, however, said that she hadn’t seen Bell in several months and he showed up out of the blue and asked her to keep the bags for a while.

Johnson has retrieved the bags, and it’s our understanding that charges won’t be pressed.

Tatum apparently didn’t know that he was being monitored.

Fortunately, the displaced running back wasn’t Najeh Davenport.

[b0ng]

Tatum Bell, you have stolen my heart.

[Hervoyel]

Well I guess my previous post on this thread can be disregarded. He might have experience in this offense but he's also apparently a turd. Scratch one Tatum Bell.

[Kaiser Toro]

I really like this Tatum fella'. He's got charm.

[steelbtexan]

Kinda like O.J. in the old Hertz commercials

GO TATUM GO

[Wolf]

I wished he would have stolen my recording tracks"

signed,
James allen

[Specnatz]

Originally Posted by Hervoyel

Well I guess my previous post on this thread can be disregarded. He might have experience in this offense but he's also apparently a turd. Scratch one Tatum Bell.

Originally Posted by Kaiser Toro

I really like this Tatum fella'. He's got charm.

LOL what in the hell is going through the guys head. If he gets another job in the NFL I will be shocked.

[GlassHalfFull]

Originally Posted by Specnatz

LOL what in the hell is going through the guys head. If he gets another job in the NFL I will be shocked.

Seems like the Cowgirls might want to take a look at him. Or possibly the Bengals.

[Ole Miss Texan]

So I went to check out profootballtalk.com b/c that story of Bell stealing the bags certainly couldn't be true and found this...

BELL TO VISIT THE TEXANS
Posted by Mike Florio on September 3, 2008, 10:21 a.m. EDT
Running back Tatum Bell, whose pilfering of Rudi Johnson’s bags ranks just beneath the Najeh Davenport hamper incident as one of the funniest NFL stories we’ve ever heard, reportedly will visit with the Houston Texans. (Taco Bill has chimed in with his interpretation of Bell’s next career.)

The fit is obvious — Bell previously played in Denver, and the Texans are emulating the Broncos’ attack, with former Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak now the head coach in Houston and former Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs out of retirement to run the same system for the Texans.

The Texans currently have Ahman Green, Chris Taylor, and Steve Slaton at the top of the depth chart. If Bell were to sign, Green could be in trouble, even though he recently reduced his base salary from $3.8 million to $1.8 million.

If he’s smart, Bell won’t leave his stuff laying around where Ahman might see it.

Then again, if Bell were smart, he wouldn’t have bogarted Rudi’s bags.

I think this is a good move. Not sure who I would cut to keep him... or even if I would in the first place, but I suspect they are bringing him in to just take a look at him, his condition, see where his heads at, buy some of Rudi's belongings, and keep him in the back of our head if he's still available during the season. As mentioned, if Green gets injured we're stuck with Taylor and a slightly injured Slaton. Smart move to look.

[gtexan02]

ugh, I would much rather keep Ahman than Tatum Bell. I would rather keep Walker than both of them

[leebigeztx]

If that's true about bell, then that's sad to see. I actually think he's a good 225 carry back. He can break long runs, he's not the toughest runner inside, but he can go at anytime. I still think he will be brought in for a look and signed after the 1st game. Teams do that so they don't have to guarantee the contract.

[beerlover]

what are the odds this thread gets moved back Texanstalk section?

Gibbs coached him, enough said.

[Kaiser Toro]

Former Lions running back Tatum Bell flew to Houston to try out with the Texans. The attraction is that his former line coach with the Denver Broncos, Alex Gibbs , is now an assistant head coach in charge of offense with the Texans.

Here are Bell's final words before leaving the Lions:

"I had a good camp. I was pretty much solid and was consistent but it did not translate in the game for me. ... This is no hard feelings. I am going to go out and work."

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...809030335/1004

[ChampionTexan]

From a performance standpoint, I think he's probably okay, but if healthy (Yeah - I know), I still think Green's better, and if Green's not healthy, I don't think Bell warrants reducing Taylor's role. If he's just depth after Taylor, then I don't think there's anyone on the roster that I would waive to add him.

As far as the luggage stealing thing goes, it's absolutely a character concern if this guy would stoop to doing something like that, but it's even more of an intelligence concern if it even occurred to him that doing something like that would ensure his roster spot with the Lions. Sounds exactly like something George Costanza would do. "Elaine - Steinbrenner's interviewing my replacement, but if you'll stash these suitcases for me, he won't have any clothes, and he can't work if he's naked".

[nero THE zero]

Could this mean bad things for Slaton's turf toe? Or maybe a just-in-case

[texanfan2002114]

Originally Posted by nero THE zero

Could this mean bad things for Slaton's turf toe? Or maybe a just-in-case

Insurance for A.Green. If Green goes down then that means there is no vet. presence in the backfield and I think Gibbs and Kubes like having a vet in the backfield.

[Texecutioner]

Well all the Texans have right now is a banged up Amaan Green who might or might not be ready for the season, and will get hurt at some point even if he is. We have a young Slaton who should be pretty good, but won't be an every down back. Then we have Taylor who will also be at FB as well. Not exactly a running trio to be real excited about.

I wouldn't mind the Texans signing Bell. He played pretty well and had his best season in a RB committee in Denver like two years ago and is obviously familiar with Gibb's system, so I think that he could help the team some.

Personally, if we had Slaton playing well and Tatum Bell playing like he did in Denver two years ago which is certainly possible, I think adding Dayne back to the bunch wouldn't be a bad idea at all because then you have two scat backs that should be able to get you some yards and Ron Dayne for short yardage situations and possibly to punish other team's defenses at the end of games when defenses get a little tired. I would feel a little bit better about our running game with Slaton, Green, and Tatum Bell back there.