AJ:Schaub says Tate fits Texans mold

[Wolf]

Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub visited with SportsRadio610's morning crew today to talk a little football and promote his involvement in the NFLs Gatorade 2010 'Beat the Heat' program.

Schaub is typically very measured and cliché during his interviews but he offered up some encouraging comments about a couple of Texans rookies that are worth sharing - if nothing else because there's nothing else to talk about during these dry days before training camp.

You can listen to the entire podcast here (approx 8:30) or read the following selected excerpts.

On Ben Tate: "Ben came into OTAs with a little bit of a hamstring so that put him out for a couple of weeks," said Schaub. "But he came back that last week and you could tell he was really still into his (playbook), into the meetings, getting mental reps on the practice field when he was still injured."

"He came in and understood his roles and responsibilities so that's very encouraging because they all can run," said Schaub. "But at this level it's about catching the ball out of the backfield, it's pass protection, it's understanding the bigger picture and all (our running backs) do that, but I think Ben fits our mold and it's going to be exciting once they put the pads on in training camp to see what they can do."

Schaub continued: "From what I've seen on the practice field, he's got some speed to him and probably the thing that went unnoticed more than anything is how fast he is, but he also brings that power style to our backfield to go between the tackles and put his head down."

On the tight ends: "We've got a great group of tight ends," said Schaub. "Owen (Daniels) and Joel (Dreessen), they'll be ready to go. They're pros and they'll be healthy and they'll be there to help us out."

"And James (Casey) really had a great off-season. Coming in last year from his college system where he played tight end and almost every position on the field - he never really got in a three point stance. There was a lot of new stuff that we threw at him. I feel like he really digested it all through the year and then in the off-season really studied hard and I thought he had a great OTA session. I think he's ready to go this season and get more (playing) time."

On 4th round pick Garrett Graham

[Editorial note: The Texans are on their fourth OC in five seasons and there's little debate about this being Gary Kubiak's offense. Generally offensive coordinators come in and bring their system. Not here. But I've been wondering how much of the Texans breakout season offensively last season was due to young whipper-snapper Kyle Shanahan thinking outside the box and challenging Kubiak in schemes and play calling. A major part of last season's success was due to Schaub's experience in the system and him staying healthy, but I wonder if the older and maybe more set-in-his-ways Dennison (I'm out on a limb here) is more of an inside the box guy that won't challenge Kubiak as much as Kyle did, and be more of a ' yes man' - leading to less creativity and more predictability. We'll see.]

http://www.examiner.com/x-778-Housto...exans-Examiner

[Lucky]

But I've been wondering how much of the Texans breakout season offensively last season was due to young whipper-snapper Kyle Shanahan thinking outside the box and challenging Kubiak in schemes and play calling. A major part of last season's success was due to Schaub's experience in the system and him staying healthy, but I wonder if the older and maybe more set-in-his-ways Dennison (I'm out on a limb here) is more of an inside the box guy that won't challenge Kubiak as much as Kyle did, and be more of a ' yes man' - leading to less creativity and more predictability. We'll see.]

Breakout season? The Texans yards per play and rushing average were better in 2008 than 2009. Baby Shanny red zone play calls (if they were really his) were very questionable. Very. With Greg Knapp tutoring Schaub and Dennison ramrodding the running game, I feel much more comfortable with the Texans offense in 2010 than ever before.

[thunderkyss]

I like Matt's comments. Shows he is growing, and he's understanding more about the game, than just QB talk.

I think he is very close to elite status... last year, he started to make things happen. If he can continue to make things happen because of his knowledge of the game...

Guys, good times are about to start rolling in H-Town.

[houstonspartan]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

I like Matt's comments. Shows he is growing, and he's understanding more about the game, than just QB talk.

I think he is very close to elite status... last year, he started to make things happen. If he can continue to make things happen because of his knowledge of the game...

Guys, good times are about to start rolling in H-Town.

Yep. He's not the most athletic qb out there, but he is very, very, very smart. And for a qb, that's half the battle right there.

[valleytexfan]

A great read at the end of June...I need Texans news so this was a great find. Thank you!

[bckey]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

Guys, good times are about to start rolling in H-Town.

Kubiak is going to Washington?

[Hagar]

What I thought was interesting was the picture, which has Brisiel centering the ball to Matt. Things that make you say hmmmmmm.

[aj.]

re: 'breakout'

I was talking about things like Schaub's 4770 yards which is 6th best ever in the NFL, his 29/15 TD-Int ratio, the team's top ten finish in points scored for the first time ever, the Texans ability to put up passing yards by the bushel even though everyone knew they couldn't run the ball .... not the 0.1 yard difference in yards per play between '08 and '09.

I think Kyle and Matt were developing an excellent rapporte and had a good thing going. I think Kyle pushed Kubiak and challenged his comfort zone - something Kubiak needs from time to time. I don't think we'll see the same from Dennison because that's not his deal. Kubiak recently described Dennison as 'an o-line guy' and even though he's smarter than the average bear, he probably wasn't hired to be an out of the box thinker.

But it goes without saying that the Texans success in '10 will be based on the Texans ability to run the ball effectively, balance out the offense and keep Schaub's pass attempts down to something more reasonable. That's something that Dennison should be able to help accomplish.

Knapp? I can't get too excited about a guy that was Kubiak's third choice. Run of the mill OC and if you recall before hiring Knapp the Texans were denied permission to speak to Falcons QB coach Bill Musgrave and Dolphins receivers coach Karl Dorrell.

[Carr Bombed]

Originally Posted by aj.

re: 'breakout'

I was talking about things like Schaub's 4770 yards which is 6th best ever in the NFL, his 29/15 TD-Int ratio, the team's top ten finish in points scored for the first time ever, the Texans ability to put up passing yards by the bushel even though everyone knew they couldn't run the ball .... not the 0.1 yard difference in yards per play between '08 and '09.

I think Kyle and Matt were developing an excellent rapporte and had a good thing going. I think Kyle pushed Kubiak and challenged his comfort zone - something Kubiak needs from time to time. I don't think we'll see the same from Dennison because that's not his deal. Kubiak recently described Dennison as 'an o-line guy' and even though he's smarter than the average bear, he probably wasn't hired to be an out of the box thinker.

But it goes without saying that the Texans success in '10 will be based on the Texans ability to run the ball effectively, balance out the offense and keep Schaub's pass attempts down to something more reasonable. That's something that Dennison should be able to help accomplish.

Knapp? I can't get too excited about a guy that was Kubiak's third choice. Run of the mill OC and if you recall before hiring Knapp the Texans were denied permission to speak to Falcons QB coach Bill Musgrave and Dolphins receivers coach Karl Dorrell.

I think it had more to do with Schaub just staying healthy and taking the next step as a starter...... Jay Cutler threw for over 4500 yards with Rick Dennison as a offensive coordinator. (and just like us, the Broncos were stuck playing around .500 football) Frankly I'd like to throw less and have the ability to run more, so hopefully Dennison helps there.

[Lucky]

Originally Posted by aj.

Knapp? I can't get too excited about a guy that was Kubiak's third choice. Run of the mill OC and if you recall before hiring Knapp the Texans were denied permission to speak to Falcons QB coach Bill Musgrave and Dolphins receivers coach Karl Dorrell.

That doesn't tell me much. FOKs (Friends of Kubiak) will always get preference over coaches who haven't worked with Gary. And Musgrave and Dorrell are FOKs. Knapp turned Jeff Garcia into a Pro Bowl QB, and had Michael Vick functioning as a NFL QB. Like Musgrave, Knapp has worked with Schaub and comes with his blessing. Knapp's lack of success at his previous 2 stops (Oakland & Seattle) has more to due with the ingredients used than anything else.

I would actually propose the opposite of your assertion, seeing Dennison (and Knapp) more likely to challenge Kubiak based upon past experience and success. I would like to think that Dennison would tell Kubiak that he's out of his gourd to try a HB pass in the red zone with a guy who's never thrown a NFL pass in his life. Baby Shanny has a lot of potential. But, a lot to learn. I'll take my chances with Dennison (and Knapp).

[b0ng]

Honestly the only way I see Schaub regressing is if the injury monster pokes his head up again. Our passing game improved drastically just by getting rid of David Carr and has really only gotten better. The run game has been up and down and really you can point to the backs and the O-line for that. I think coaching has a hand in it of course but you can't tell me (yet) that Kyle Shannahan is solely responsible for our explosion of yards through the air. AJ has always been here, but the emergence of KW as being a good #2 and OD being a pretty good TE really opened things up for both Sage and Matt (and I've always thought Sage was only fair, he's just an INT machine). I think if Dennison gets the run game settled down, the passing game will see fewer attempts but our playaction will be way more deadly (which is what our passing game is centered around). Knapp doesn't bother me as a coaching hire as him and Schaup have a history, and I believe his job is more to keep those extremely ill-timed INT's down. I know that Schaub threw almost a 2:1 TD:INT ratio, but some of those INT's came at the worst possible times.

Will we see some playcalls on the offense that'll leave us scratching our heads? Well yeah, I can't think of many coaches not named Peyton Manning (lol) or Bill Belichek who have called perfect seasons on the offense. I like the offensive ingredients on our team (Ben Tate, Dickerson and Graham excluded), and you can say there are relatively few positions where an upgrade is absolutely necessary (Guard positions are the only thing that come to mind for me, some people will point at the Center, but I think if the Guards play better then the Center will also elevate even if the name stays the same). Now the defense, I'm not so nearly as sure about, but we've retained the staff so I can only hope that they do a better job of putting our players in a position to succeed.

[TimeKiller]

I've seen a lot of fluffy praise over Kyle Shanahan lately. Disturbing, not that the guy is lost but he called some flat out stupid plays several times this year. The same play 3 times in a row getting stuffed at the goalline anyone?

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by b0ng

Honestly the only way I see Schaub regressing is if the injury monster pokes his head up again.

I just hope that if the running game gets going folks don't act like Schaub is regressing just because he doesn't have to pass as much.

[dalemurphy]

Originally Posted by Lucky

That doesn't tell me much. FOKs (Friends of Kubiak) will always get preference over coaches who haven't worked with Gary. And Musgrave and Dorrell are FOKs. Knapp turned Jeff Garcia into a Pro Bowl QB, and had Michael Vick functioning as a NFL QB. Like Musgrave, Knapp has worked with Schaub and comes with his blessing. Knapp's lack of success at his previous 2 stops (Oakland & Seattle) has more to due with the ingredients used than anything else.

I would actually propose the opposite of your assertion, seeing Dennison (and Knapp) more likely to challenge Kubiak based upon past experience and success. I would like to think that Dennison would tell Kubiak that he's out of his gourd to try a HB pass in the red zone with a guy who's never thrown a NFL pass in his life. Baby Shanny has a lot of potential. But, a lot to learn. I'll take my chances with Dennison (and Knapp).

I agree. The biggest difference, IMO, will be the change with the Oline coach. Alex Gibbs won't be pushing his dogmatic beliefs down the throat of the offense. That addition by subtraction will make a huge difference in the run game. Good riddance!!

[NitroGSXR]

*I'm just a dude talking out of my rear end*

6th best tells me that he's got a lot of flash. It was an explosion in yards from what he's done in the past. What I'm afraid of is that will always be the highlight of his career. It matters none if he was "on pace" to put up those kind of numbers in the past. I mean... only 5 people have done better in the history of the NFL and many are ready to annoint Schaub into elite company? *sigh* I just wish we had a playoff berth to go along with it last season to at least. I love Schaub but out-throwing Manning's SB-bound team in yards has got to be a fluke. Pattycake schedule anyone? Especially now that we have a new offensive coordinator and quite a few different guys on the field coupled with the toughest schedule in the NFL. I don't know about that now. I guess... show me is my attitude about it right now.

I am not very optimistic because I think we have issues that are out of the player's hands. Out of the top 10 passing teams, I think we're the only ones who didn't make the playoffs outside of the Steelers. Solid clock management will come with wins. Sleepwalking through FA does not bring wins. Imagine Schaub being able to open up the field on the go.

[NitroGSXR]

Originally Posted by dalemurphy

I agree. The biggest difference, IMO, will be the change with the Oline coach. Alex Gibbs won't be pushing his dogmatic beliefs down the throat of the offense. That addition by subtraction will make a huge difference in the run game. Good riddance!!

Dogmatic? C'mon now. We were Gibbs's first failure in 30+ years of coaching. He gave up on the Houston Texans. I think that says more about us than anything else.

[beerlover]

alot of good stuff here & its only June. thanks to AJ who covers all things Texans better than any other news outlet (course I am biasd)

I'll let you guys fight out the pros & cons between coordinators, approaches etc. etc. leave me to focus on Tate & his soon to be close partnership in the backfield to Schaub. First & foremost Tate provides immediate upgrades in pass pro & blocking assingments, you would think any QB loves this type of attitude to keep his QB clean. Second his ability to run inside, pick up tough yardage & help get another set of downs or convert in the Red Zone. Third while not used a whole lot while @ Auburn (53 receptions 336 yards) received ball in non designed routes in traffic with lots of SEC trash around. He actually does have good hands & can pluck the ball & be far more effective than thought for Schaub in this role as well.

I know he's off to a bit of a slow start with his hamstring pull but while in Auburn he was a very durable but not overworked solid RB. The Texans had to pull the trigger on him early in order to address this need & give Schaub half a chance to be even more effective & clean in the pocket. Ben Tate has the prototypical size coveted in the NFL & for players like him who fit into a system will be counted on heavily by mid-season to have an immediate impact.

[IDEXAN]

Originally Posted by Hagar

What I thought was interesting was the picture, which has Brisiel centering the ball to Matt. Things that make you say hmmmmmm.

Did not know Brisiel was in the running for the center position, or even for playing time there in a reserve role ?

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by dalemurphy

I agree. The biggest difference, IMO, will be the change with the Oline coach. Alex Gibbs won't be pushing his dogmatic beliefs down the throat of the offense. That addition by subtraction will make a huge difference in the run game. Good riddance!!

From what I understand, Gibbs was pretty hands off last year. It was like he was here... getting paid... to do nothing.

[El Tejano]

The fact that one of our team leader veterans is giving him props right now is always a good sign to me.