Our draft/FA needs to be Defensive....

[DoCt3rJ]

I think the final 4 teams proved that very well, you could have the best offense in NFL history and not make it to the superbowl. I say we draft everything defensive early, also Offensive Line. Late we can get a WR or TE or whatever. Through FA I say our big spender should be a defensive player or a offensive line. The more LB's the better, the more lineman the better, the more corners the better.

[Hottoddie]

We've got to draft a big, strong NT in this draft. He doesn't have to be a great pass rusher. He just needs to be someone that can consistently collapse the pocket & stop the RB's from running up the gut. By collapsing the pocket & controlling the middle, you give your LB's more opportunities to get the sack, force the QB to make a bad throw (interceptions), & stuff the run.

Some options that I'm aware of, are Antaaj Hawthorne, Anthony Bryant, Sione Pouha, Albert Means, & Ronald Fields. With the exception of Hawthorne, we should be able to pick up one of these in the 3rd round or later.

In my opinion, getting a dominant NT will make our 3-4 defense look like a well oiled machine.

Defense wins Championships.

[texansalltheway]

My FA wish List:
*Bold are the players I think we have a shot at

CB Gary Baxter
CB Fred Smoot
CB Ken Lucas
S Jarrod Cooper
S Keon Carpenter
NT Kendrick Clancy
NT Jason Ferguson
DE Cory Sirmon
DE Lance Legree
LB Warrick Holdman
ILB Kendrell Bell
ILB Edgerton Hartwell
OLB John Abraham
OLB Sedrick Hodges

[F-minus67]

I think our team's biggest need is a pass rusher, look at all the successful 3-4 defenses in the NFL. They all have one player who can get to the QB on a consistant basis( Porter, Suggs, McGinest, etc.)

[LikeABoss]

Originally Posted by texansalltheway

My FA wish List:
*Bold are the players I think we have a shot at
OLB Sedrick Hodges

Bruh, I'm originally from Louisiana, but I live in Dallas now and I know all about the Saints organization and their players and I'm telling you, nobody should want this guy on their team because he sucks very horribly.

My

[BornOrange]

Originally Posted by Bottle-O-Bud

It really depends how free agency goes, but with the aquisition of cheatwood, I tend to believe our #13 is Thomas Davis...

I don't think acquiring Cheatwood is going to change the Texans approach to this draft in any way. A player doing well in Canada really has no bearing on if he can do well in the NFL. There is no way that the Texans equate the addition of Cheatwood with a first day draft selection.

[D-ReK]

Originally Posted by BornOrange

I don't think acquiring Cheatwood is going to change the Texans approach to this draft in any way. A player doing well in Canada really has no bearing on if he can do well in the NFL. There is no way that the Texans equate the addition of Cheatwood with a first day draft selection.

Agreed...Usually it takes a year or so for a player to get used to playing in the US after playing in Canada for any amount of time...He has potential, but I don't look for him to be a huge contributor this upcoming season...If we get could production from him, then that's a plus, but chances are he'll only play special teams and get some time as a situational pass rusher...

[wiley2002]

I'm not sure about FA but I do say we should pick up Marcus Spears or the BPA as far as O line goes... ONLY if he's first round material. Let's see what CC does this year. GO TEXANS!!!!

for all the peeps who say we need a defensive player i say phooey, do we want our quarterback to last more than a few seasons...do y'all remember he was sacked 49 times, Yes thats Right 49 TIMES, if he goes down anymore like that he will lose his best asset(not his arm his Hair)

[DoCt3rJ]

Offense needs little work, mostly just maturing. Offensive line, TE, and another WR deep threat is all we need.

[TexansTrueFan]

Originally Posted by Houston Texass

for all the peeps who say we need a defensive player i say phooey, do we want our quarterback to last more than a few seasons...do y'all remember he was sacked 49 times, Yes thats Right 49 TIMES, if he goes down anymore like that he will lose his best asset(not his arm his Hair)

hmmm noe sure that was funny, but we the organization already said there will be no significant changes to the O-Line !

[Apoc6]

Originally Posted by TexansTrueFan

hmmm noe sure that was funny, but we the organization already said there will be no significant changes to the O-Line !

If they do not draft a tackle in the first two rounds or get Walter Jones from Seattle they are relegating us to another morale victory season. We have put most of our offensive weapons in place now lets give them the protection they need to flourish and the sky is the limit.

[ArlingtonTexan]

Originally Posted by Apoc6

If they do not draft a tackle in the first two rounds or get Walter Jones from Seattle they are relegating us to another morale victory season. We have put most of our offensive weapons in place now lets give them the protection they need to flourish and the sky is the limit.

Which of the guys that are available in round 1 or 2 is so talented that he can come in be an upgrade over what's there?

[Apoc6]

I would take either Alex Barron OT or Jammal Brown OT both of tose guy's are a significant improvement over Seth "magic" Wand. IMO but i would also trade down and get a second round and late first. But i am not the GM so just opinion. I heard of a stat or technique called VORP, value over replacement player, i think it is a good measuring tool.
How do you see it?

[ArlingtonTexan]

Originally Posted by Apoc6

I would take either Alex Barron OT or Jammal Brown OT both of tose guy's are a significant improvement over Seth "magic" Wand. IMO but i would also trade down and get a second round and late first. But i am not the GM so just opinion. I heard of a stat or technique called VORP, value over replacement player, i think it is a good measuring tool.
How do you see it?

I don't see any of those guys being any better than WAnd or anyone else THIS YEAR. Maybe overtime, but immediate impact, no.

I am always into techniques and philosphies but I am not familiar with VORP or replacement player. would you mind explaining the concept.

[Apoc6]

Value over replacement player as far as i understand, put simply is the value a new player (be it by F/A or draft) has over an existing player. I respect your opinion but would like to know where it is you see David Carr getting sacked the most from? Dwight Freeney in the Indy game not only sacked DC alot but also put tremendous pressure upon him. Maybe Wand will be better this year but I really don't think so.

[ArlingtonTexan]

Originally Posted by Apoc6

Value over replacement player as far as i understand, put simply is the value a new player (be it by F/A or draft) has over an existing player. I respect your opinion but would like to know where it is you see David Carr getting sacked the most from? Dwight Freeney in the Indy game not only sacked DC alot but also put tremendous pressure upon him. Maybe Wand will be better this year but I really don't think so.

Freeny is bad example to judge anyone...Ogden the LT from the Ravens (consider top 5 if not higher) a week or two later was similair abused by Freeny. Freeny combination of speed, multiple moves and strength are generally too much for any LT to handle by himself.

In the last couple of games the pressure came up the middle. McKinney does not hold hid ground well and Milford Brown(replacing Weigert) while a good run blocker did not hold up against the pass in either of the two or three games he player extensive minutes.

Also, my opinion is that the Texans did all of the changes to the OL in 2004 (adding Wand, changing schemes) with the knowledge that 2004 was not the year they would make a serious push for the playoffs. If Wand is replaced it will be with a veteran. If the texans drop a rookie LT. That would be 3rd LT in 4 years who will be a 1st year starter at the most critical position on the OL. You would almost be guaranting another beating for Carr. A better option is hoping that Wand improves like Pitts did from year 1 to year 2 as a starter and making adjustment in the scheme to help him.

[Wild Bill]

I agree that the immediate answer for O-Line is not by drafting Barron and have him start right away. The best way to address the O-Line, and it needs to be addressed, is through free agency, for immediate results. Not to say we shouldn't draft Barron or E. Brown, because I think we should. The middle of our line is weak which showed in the Cleveland game. I think that the Texans need to make a mad attempt to get W. Jones, if he's not tagged with the franchise tag, or Orlando Brown if he can be had. To draft Baron and E. Brown, if available, and give them a couple of years to mature and eventually replace the current lineman, is a good strategy, IMO. There are several O-Line in this draft that will be solid NFL starters (Barron, J. Brown, E. Brown, Barnes, Baas, etc.) and I think the Texans should pick some of these guys if possible.

However, I'm not the GM, should be, but.....

Being a 3rd year team, we still have several holes to fill in the starting line up and depth for our rotations. As mentioned above, we 'do' need D-Line help, especially at NT. Our defense actually played well down the stretch of the season, but the offense really took a beating because of all the pressure and sacks on Carr. A good and effecient time controlling offense is the best defense. Any defense will get beat if they are on the field for extended periods of time.

[Lucky]

Originally Posted by ArlingtonTexan

I am always into techniques and philosphies but I am not familiar with VORP or replacement player. would you mind explaining the concept.

Here's a description of VORP:

VORP -- (V)alue (O)ver (R)eplacement (P)layer. The number of runs contributed beyond what a replacement-level player would contribute if given the same percentage of team plate appearances.

Looks like a roto baseball stat, but as a philosophy could apply to the NFL.

Say Jammal Brown is X better than Seth Wand. And Mike Williams is Y better than Jabar Gaffney. Whatever is greater between X & Y would give the higher VORP. But since football is a team sport, you'd also have to include some type of value added metric. Jammal Brown may make David Carr improve by X while Mike Williams could make him Y improved. And it would of course need to be extended over time as these rookies sign 5-7 year contracts. How do you quantify this philosophy? I don't know, but if you guys can come up with something, I'd like to see it.

[ArlingtonTexan]

Originally Posted by Lucky

Here's a description of VORP:

Looks like a roto baseball stat, but as a philosophy could apply to the NFL.

Say Jammal Brown is X better than Seth Wand. And Mike Williams is Y better than Jabar Gaffney. Whatever is greater between X & Y would give the higher VORP. But since football is a team sport, you'd also have to include some type of value added metric. Jammal Brown may make David Carr improve by X while Mike Williams could make him Y improved. And it would of course need to be extended over time as these rookies sign 5-7 year contracts. How do you quantify this philosophy? I don't know, but if you guys can come up with something, I'd like to see it.

This seems to put numeric formulas to the more intuitive notion of Best Player Available. In a sense, trying to figure out who is the best player by notion of production, contract and position.