Rookie diary: James Casey

[Wolf]

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tight end James Casey, drafted in the fifth round (152nd overall) this April, is a former minor league baseball player who joined the Texans as a 24-year-old rookie from Rice. He has been chronicling his rookie season with weekly diary entries for HoustonTexans.com.

I mentioned last time that it would be a lot easier if we were winning games to do this diary. Then we came out and played against Seattle like we did, and it is; it's a lot easier to do this.

We played really, really well that first half. I think Coach (Gary) Kubiak said it might be one of the most explosive first halves of offense he's been around, and he's been around a lot of really good offenses, so that meant a lot coming from him.

It was great to come out there and play well against Seattle and get back on track at 6-7. We're still in contention, I guess; there's still a possibility of the playoffs. But we've got to have some stuff happen for us. That Indianapolis win over Jacksonville really helped us out last night.

But again, everything's so much better when you win. I realized this in the NFL early on: When you're winning, everything's better and everybody's happy, and when you're losing, nothing's good. It's really tough. So it feels good this week to be coming off a win.

Unfortunately, during the win, we lost Anthony Hill for the season. He tore his ACL early on in the game when he was on offense. Anthony and I have become really good friends since we got here because we were drafted together and we've been going through the exact same thing. He's a great guy, and my thoughts and prayers are definitely with him. I'm hoping he has a speedy recovery and comes back really soon.

That's got to be terrible to be going through something like that right now, but I know he's a strong guy and he'll bounce back really fast. He's already had his ACL torn once, so he already knows about all of the recovery and everything that goes with how long it takes to get back and everything you've got to do.

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/St...?story_id=5936

[Wolf]

.I heard how the Rams just completely cancelled practice on a Thursday. That's wild, because Thursdays in the NFL, at least from what we go through and I think a lot of the other teams do, are really when you've got your game plan in. That's the day that you go out and you really show your team that you're ready to play and you grind out all the small stuff you need to get ready for the game, and then Friday you kind of go a little bit easier to make sure you're fresh for Sunday.

So Thursday is a big day in the NFL, and to see that they didn't practice at all is crazy. But I guess when you've got the swine flu issue like they've got, it's best maybe not to spread it around your whole team because then you might be hurt even worse. By the time the game comes around, you might get more and more guys sick. So I'm sure they're going to make it up another way, whether it's practicing more on Friday or watching more film, but one thing's for sure--they're probably going to be fresh for Sunday with that extra day of rest, so that could be an advantage for them.

from the link

[BSofA04]

Would be great to see Casey take away the starting TE position from Dressen. Joel has been mediocre since taking over for Owen Daniels and had two inexcusable drops today. I'm sure his athleticism could only help our passing game.

[HOU-TEX]

When Dreessen had his first dropped I turned to my son and said, "where the heck is Casey?" The wife yells from painting in the kitchen, "he's on the bench, who knows why". I couldn't help but chuckle because she was right. Casey catches practically everything thrown his way, but he hardly plays?! Two TE's go down and he still hardly ever sees the field?

I like Dreessen, but:

Casey's faster than Dreessen, he's got better hands than Dreessen and from what I've seen, he runs crisper routes than Dreessen. So, WTF?!

[rmartin65]

I am starting to think (actually have been for a while, but did not feel like typing it) that Kubes does not like playing young players. Think about it; when has he given significant playing time to a rookie right off the bat? Only his 1st round picks. Never mind that great teams are playing mid round picks, the Texans wont start a young player unless they are forced.

Barwin should be getting more playing time. Fear the stache.

McCain should see more time, as should Quinn.

Why the hell is Caldwelll not starting?

Casey should be getting time too.

Last year was the same. Slaton was the best back in pre-season, but Green got the first couple starts. And, well, the rest of the picks (excluding Brown) were not very good. I guess I see his point there.

Now, back when he first became coach, young players got the chance to play. Ryans, Daniels, Spencer, Winston, all got time.

Am I the only one that notices this?

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by rmartin65

I am starting to think (actually have been for a while, but did not feel like typing it) that Kubes does not like playing young players. Think about it; when has he given significant playing time to a rookie right off the bat? Only his 1st round picks. Never mind that great teams are playing mid round picks, the Texans wont start a young player unless they are forced.

Barwin should be getting more playing time. Fear the stache.

McCain should see more time, as should Quinn.

Why the hell is Caldwelll not starting?

Casey should be getting time too.

Last year was the same. Slaton was the best back in pre-season, but Green got the first couple starts. And, well, the rest of the picks (excluding Brown) were not very good. I guess I see his point there.

Now, back when he first became coach, young players got the chance to play. Ryans, Daniels, Spencer, Winston, all got time.

Am I the only one that notices this?

yeah, its become common - practice like you play BS.

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by rmartin65

I am starting to think (actually have been for a while, but did not feel like typing it) that Kubes does not like playing young players. Think about it; when has he given significant playing time to a rookie right off the bat? Only his 1st round picks. Never mind that great teams are playing mid round picks, the Texans wont start a young player unless they are forced.

I am not seeing it. First off, as you build a team it should get harder and harder for rookies to immediately break into the starting lineup. 2006 everyone but the 7th rounder started game 1. 2007 the top three picks, which keep in mind did not include a 2nd rounder, all started or got significant playing time quickly. 2008 two of the top three, again without a 2nd rounder, started almost the entire season and the third was a special teams star and starting to get regular playing time prior to injury. 2009 one didn't make the team, one is on IR, 2 start and 3 are situational players. I'd like to see Casey on the field more but I think the answer is more likely they are concerned about blocking rather than youth.

[Texan_Bill]

Originally Posted by rmartin65

Now, back when he first became coach, young players got the chance to play. Ryans, Daniels, Spencer, Winston, all got time.

Am I the only one that notices this?

Ryans > Greenwood and injured Wong
Daniels > Bruener
Spencer > Salaam
Winston > Wade


Pigeon > all

[BSofA04]

Originally Posted by HOU-TEX

Casey's faster than Dreessen, he's got better hands than Dreessen and from what I've seen, he runs crisper routes than Dreessen. So, WTF?!

I think it's worth the risk, especially since Dreessen has a bum shoulder. You figure since it's hurt, he would stop trying to catch the football off it and use his hands!

It's been noted that Casey's blocking leaves much to be desired, but our run game is crap anyways so as long as we're passing 40 times a game, might as well have your best pass catching tight end available.