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Rick Smith is still an amatuer

Texecutioner

Texecutioner

Hall of Fame
47-49 is the record since Rick Smith has been the GM here.

Last season we finally had the only break out season they've ever had under Rick Smith and it took year 6 years just to do that. Now finally when the Texans are actually looked at as real contenders assuming they were going to try and get better in the off season, not only are they not trying to fill holes like so many other previous off seasons where Smithiak failed to go after talented players, but we're not even standing pat. We're freaking losing some really important players that we need.

Now before you Smithiak apologists try bringing up the one off season where they actually did use free agency wisely, just look at how much it helped last season with Joseph and Manning in the secondary.

Now how in the hell were the Texans going to go into this season in this kind of cap hell without realizing it last season to where they could have made some moves to avoid this kind of situation???

How in the hell did Rick Smith not see this coming before?? Why in the hell did we even keep MARIO WILLIAMS just to have him for one season, knowing we weren't going to be able to afford what he would demand?? Why would you not have traded him knowing that? If our cap situation was going to be this bad, there is no way in hell the Texans management couldn't have known that this would end up being unfeasible to re-sign Mario. So, instead he walks and we get nothing for him.

If you're not getting better in this league, you're getting worse. That's how it always is for the most part, and we're actually losing assets on this team right when we finally have a team that can be true contenders. This is amateurish GM stuff from Rick Smith as usual. He has obviously mismanaged this cap big time, and the Texans could very well likely end up wasting another season of Andre Johnson's career where he might not see the playoffs again. Our window is open right now, and we should be jumping in!!

Get Rick Smith out of here already, and find a real GM that can and will go out and get players to fill holes, and a guy that knows how to manage our cap situation. This is ridiculous.
 
Almost everyone on the team with the exemption of Wade Phillips has a losing record. It's amazing.
 
Kimmy said:
Almost everyone on the team with the exemption of Wade Phillips has a losing record. It's amazing.
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It amazes me at how people not only don't care, but will continue to defend this clown. What the hell has Rick Smith ever done?? He has been here going on 7 years now and hasn't had a single team go after him for his services, he has one true winning season to hang his hat on that didn't come until year 6, and he had never been a GM before he even got here.

Why is it that people want to keep this guy around?? What the hell is his strength?
 
I am feeling pretty bad here we go from the best offseason of the Texans history to what is looking like the worst.
:toropalm:
 
Kimmy said:
Almost everyone on the team with the exemption of Wade Phillips has a losing record. It's amazing.
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AF has to be in the Wade Phillips club. And Rackers?

Well, pretty much everyone we signed last year, or the year before who are still around.

We've got a few winning guys around now! :)
 
I say let it play out. We've never complained about our offense since Smithiak has been here. I think Dennison, Kubiak and Smith must know what they're doing here, and figure they can coach up replacements. WE may not think so, but THEY do. You have to replace age with youth to stay competitive. We're in the worst division in football. Our other division rivals didn't get better, so we should easily still be atop the division, even with the losses. When our younger line is just as dominant, you guys will all be talking about how genius the moves were.
 
It seems that if the Texans are good at one thing it is identifying o-line talent. That being said, I don't think Rick Smith entered the off season saying to himself, "Well, next season we will be without 3/5 of our current o line".
 
SW H-TOWN said:
It seems that if the Texans are good at one thing it is identifying o-line talent. That being said, I don't think Rick Smith entered the off season saying to himself, "Well, next season we will be without 3/5 of our current o line".
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Yup. I'm not going to give up on this crew because of the cap biting them in the ass. Just won't. **** happens in that business.
 
SW H-TOWN said:
It seems that if the Texans are good at one thing it is identifying o-line talent. That being said, I don't think Rick Smith entered the off season saying to himself, "Well, next season we will be without 3/5 of our current o line".
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Well i hope he has thought about it....
 
This squad has done some good work at scouting for OL talent, so I'll cut them some slack. If we get a break and get Myers back, the Texans would still have 4 of 5...lets call them "constants" in the offensive line.
 
Texecutioner said:
Why in the hell did we even keep MARIO WILLIAMS just to have him for one season, knowing we weren't going to be able to afford what he would demand?? Why would you not have traded him knowing that? If our cap situation was going to be this bad, there is no way in hell the Texans management couldn't have known that this would end up being unfeasible to re-sign Mario. So, instead he walks and we get nothing for him.
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Because no team is going to trade anything substantial for a player on the final year of his contract when there is no guarantee he will re-sign with that team. Because trading players in the final year of their deal to a team they don't want to go to is bad business and doesn't help attract free agents to your team if you don't treat your players right that work hard for you.
 
DerekLee1 said:
I say let it play out.
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You're right. And we have no choice. Smith is going anywhere, anytime soon. If he deserved the boot (and he did), it was after the 2010 season. Yeah, it doesn't look good now. But Ozzie Newsome loses a big name player seemingly every year. It's how you replace those defections that's the measure of a GM. Let's see what Ricky is made of.
 
SW H-TOWN said:
It seems that if the Texans are good at one thing it is identifying o-line talent. That being said, I don't think Rick Smith entered the off season saying to himself, "Well, next season we will be without 3/5 of our current o line".
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Which is THE PROBLEM!!

That's his JOB!


That's what a GM is supposed to do is to manage the cap situation and have his financial experts crunch the numbers constantly. You're supposed to plan ahead, scheme for the future, and problem solve with your cap situation at all times. This guy has never been good at acquiring players around the league and selling this franchise to free agents, and now he has let this cap go straight to hell obviously.
 
Lucky said:
You're right. And we have no choice. Smith is going anywhere, anytime soon. If he deserved the boot (and he did), it was after the 2010 season. Yeah, it doesn't look good now. But Ozzie Newsome loses a big name player seemingly every year. It's how you replace those defections that's the measure of a GM. Let's see what Ricky is made of.
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Look at the Steelers. Gave Ike and Kemoeatu all that money, and now in cap hell. Same thing with them and BAL. Losing quality. PIT had to cut Smith and Farrior; two constants on the D...and ALMOST cut Hampton.
 
Lucky said:
You're right. And we have no choice. Smith is going anywhere, anytime soon. If he deserved the boot (and he did), it was after the 2010 season. Yeah, it doesn't look good now. But Ozzie Newsome loses a big name player seemingly every year. It's how you replace those defections that's the measure of a GM. Let's see what Ricky is made of.
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Did you just compare a superbowl winning GM to Rick Smith?
 
redwhiteblue said:
Because no team is going to trade anything substantial for a player on the final year of his contract when there is no guarantee he will re-sign with that team. Because trading players in the final year of their deal to a team they don't want to go to is bad business and doesn't help attract free agents to your team if you don't treat your players right that work hard for you.
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According to you ha??

You trade a guy somewhere where he wants to go. You do your best to make something happen by presenting ideas until you can find something that works.

Anything would have been better than doing nothing. Mario had question marks about him going into last season any way as to whether or not if he could play in Wade's system.

To say that it would have been impossible to trade Mario is completely wrong.

Difficult due to the contract situation?? Yes, I agree, but impossible and unfeasible?? Not at all.
 
Texecutioner said:
You trade a guy somewhere where he wants to go. You do your best to make something happen by presenting ideas until you can find something that works.
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If you only trade him where he wants to go you have no leverage. This isn't basketball, this is football. There is a reason there are hardly any trades in the final year of players contracts or at the trade deadline.
 
Texecutioner said:
Which is THE PROBLEM!!

That's his JOB!


That's what a GM is supposed to do is to manage the cap situation and have his financial experts crunch the numbers constantly. You're supposed to plan ahead, scheme for the future, and problem solve with your cap situation at all times. This guy has never been good at acquiring players around the league and selling this franchise to free agents, and now he has let this cap go straight to hell obviously.
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Yep, if he lets all of our UFA hit the market again in 2013 I will loose all faith in Rick Smith.
 
redwhiteblue said:
we have no idea what the cap is at right now. every report is conflicting. Just wait and see what happens.
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Rick Smith has been an amatuer GM since he got here. Things haven't changed, and if you think that the Texans may have this huge surprise brewing that is going to make this drastic impact that makes them look like these magical deal makers under the microscope, you're kidding yourself. Rick Smith has never done anything to warrant that kind of confidence.

There are way to many holes on this team now for us to just fix them easily. At first, it was just a #2 WR, CB, and a S. Hell, now we can't even focus on any of that, because we've potentially got a broken O line again.
 
TEXANRED said:
Did you just compare a superbowl winning GM to Rick Smith?
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Actually, Newsome didn't become Ravens GM until the 2002 season, two seasons removed from their Super Bowl victory. What I'm comparing is the opportunity to prove himself, as Newsome has done. The Ravens were in cap hell in 2002, yet bounced back nicely thanks to Ozzie's stewardship.
 
Texecutioner said:
Rick Smith has been an amatuer GM since he got here. Things haven't changed, and if you think that the Texans may have this huge surprise brewing that is going to make this drastic impact that makes them look like these magical deal makers under the microscope, you're kidding yourself.
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I don't think there is a huge surprise brewing and I hope there isn't. The front office is making tough decisions about who to keep and not tie up the franchise locking up players now instead of looking ahead.
 
redwhiteblue said:
we have no idea what the cap is at right now. every report is conflicting. Just wait and see what happens.
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Winston, Brisiel, soon to be Myers, Mario, Vickers.

Loosing 3 of 5 starting linemen are bad mmmmkay?
images-4.jpg
 
redwhiteblue said:
If you only trade him where he wants to go you have no leverage. This isn't basketball, this is football. There is a reason there are hardly any trades in the final year of players contracts or at the trade deadline.
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Your entire basis that we couldn't have traded him is because you say so. Sorry, but it's just lip service for Rick Smith here. Mario was a valuable commodity. The fact that he's the highest paid player in the entire league in NFL history proves that beyond a doubt. And yes, teams will trade to get "one year rentals" at times. And yes, the Texans could have traded Mario to a team that potentially could have extended him especially if they had some decent assets to deal with.

For the last two years, I've been constantly mentioning the Patriots over and over, because they've desperately needed an upgrade at DE since letting go of Seymour, and every off season they have an abundance of picks. That's just one suitor right there.

A trade where Houston got the smaller end of the deal would still be better than walking away with nothing.

You seem to forget that the cap is horrible right now, so there is no way in hell that our team's management shouldn't have realized that signing Mario was going to be "unfeasible" by this year's off season. DALE MURPHY TALKED ABOUT IT AND WARNED EVERY FAN ON THIS SITE FOR OVER A YEAR, and everyone that threw jabs at him for pointing out the obvious now have pie on their face.
 
TEXANRED said:
Winston, Brisiel, soon to be Myers, Mario, Vickers.

Loosing 3 of 5 starting linemen are bad mmmmkay?
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I am not going to comment on Myers because nothing has happened yet, but would you rather lose Winston and Brisiel, or Duane Brown? I would rather have Brown.
 
redwhiteblue said:
I am not going to comment on Myers because nothing has happened yet, but would you rather lose Winston and Brisiel, or Duane Brown? I would rather have Brown.
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Same.

No one knows what the cap is and what the Texans plans are. We can't judge Smith's 2012 season right now based on not even a week of Free Agency.

If we could then I guess the Eagles had the best FA last year, everyone crowned them kings at the time and it didn't work out like that.
 
Texecutioner said:
Your entire basis that we couldn't have traded him is because you say so.
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How is that different from saying that Williams could have been traded? No, carrying a $17 million cap hit is pretty hard to deal with in a trade. And why would Mario want to give up a shot at free agency? Like it or not, there were real reasons that kept Williams from being dealt in the abbreviated 2011 offseason. Not the least of was that the Texans were trying to get to the playoffs for the 1st time in team history.
 
redwhiteblue said:
I am not going to comment on Myers because nothing has happened yet, but would you rather lose Winston and Brisiel, or Duane Brown? I would rather have Brown.
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Barring horrendous play or serious injury Barwin and Brown better be locked up before free agency starts next year, NO EXCUSES.
 
Texecutioner said:
Your entire basis that we couldn't have traded him is because you say so.

For the last two years, I've been constantly mentioning the Patriots over and over, because they've desperately needed an upgrade at DE since letting go of Seymour, and every off season they have an abundance of picks. That's just one suitor right there.
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Your entire basis for trading him and getting something valuable in return is because YOU so say so. Please offer some examples of players of Mario's caliber that were traded in the final year of their contract for substantial returns.
 
Lucky said:
Actually, Newsome didn't become Ravens GM until the 2002 season, two seasons removed from their Super Bowl victory. What I'm comparing is the opportunity to prove himself, as Newsome has done. The Ravens were in cap hell in 2002, yet bounced back nicely thanks to Ozzie's stewardship.
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I thought that he was there in when they won. Guess not. But even so Newsome did not put them in cap hell, Smith did.

Also IMO if you haven't proven yourself after six years of being on the job what you get is what you have.
 
Texecutioner said:
Rick Smith has been an amatuer GM since he got here. Things haven't changed, and if you think that the Texans may have this huge surprise brewing that is going to make this drastic impact that makes them look like these magical deal makers under the microscope, you're kidding yourself. Rick Smith has never done anything to warrant that kind of confidence.

There are way to many holes on this team now for us to just fix them easily. At first, it was just a #2 WR, CB, and a S. Hell, now we can't even focus on any of that, because we've potentially got a broken O line again.
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Did you miss last year?

Texans drafted JJ Watt and Brooks Reed, not only that signed JJo after giving up on the Nnamdi sweepstakes and then Manning.

Our needs are not set yet but Safety is not a need, it may be a want. Quinn and Manning did just fine last season. Oh and so did our #2 CBs, Texans had one of the best passing defense of all teams last season.

I think our needs will be interior linemen because of the loss of Briesel and still #2 WR and the FA has not played out yet and it will take some time compared to last year which was a accelerated FA period.
 
redwhiteblue said:
Your entire basis for trading him and getting something valuable in return is because YOU so say so. Please offer some examples of players of Mario's caliber that were traded in the final year of their contract for substantial returns.
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Wasn't Herschel Walker and Jared Allen both traded in their final years?
 
redwhiteblue said:
Exactly. Let's see our new offensive line in action before we throw stones.
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Exactly what I was hoping for. Going from having the best Oline in the league to "Hey guys they just need time to gel."

I know who you are, you are Matt Schaub's doctor and you are hoping to put in a new pool for next summer aren't you?
 
Lucky said:
How is that different from saying that Williams could have been traded? No, carrying a $17 million cap hit is pretty hard to deal with in a trade. And why would Mario want to give up a shot at free agency? Like it or not, there were real reasons that kept Williams from being dealt in the abbreviated 2011 offseason. Not the least of was that the Texans were trying to get to the playoffs for the 1st time in team history.
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Look, my entire reason for this thread is not about Mario. Mario is just one sticking point. The fact is that management should have known that Mario was a goner after last season though when you consider how bad our cap situation is right now, and how much money he just got. Keeping him last season was the same thing as another team trading for him for a one year rental. You're telling me that there wouldn't have been some teams that might have tried to offer something for Mario even for a one year rental?? Sorry, but I'm not buying that.

I don't see how you could excuse Rick Smith with what is going on right now. We were supposed to be trying to get those final pieces to really contend next season. We were finally so close. Hell, you've been very critical of Smithiak for years in here Lucky, so I don't see how one year of success can make your confidence grow so much in Rick Smith man. Remember, it was Wade that slid in here and finally "convinced" Smithiak to go out and get players in free agency to fill holes. Before that, these guys wouldn't do anything hardly. Before that, it was always that same old tired line of "we're building through the draft." They are letting this team go right back to having a ton of holes to fill man. Have you forgotten that we're 47-49 under Smithiak all together?? Seeing the way that this off season is unfolding and melting away for us man, it just reaks of that same "average" mentality that Smithiak has brought here.
 
TEXANRED said:
I thought that he was there in when they won. Guess not. But even so Newsome did not put them in cap hell, Smith did.
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Newsome was the Ravens pro personnel director in 2000.

Why do teams get into "cap hell"? Because they have a lot of talented players that deserve compensation. I'm not sure how that's an indictment on the GM. Though I think Smith gets too much credit for finding the talent. He's more of a facilitator.
 
Texecutioner said:
I don't see how you could excuse Rick Smith with what is going on right now. We were supposed to be trying to get those final pieces to really contend next season. We were finally so close. Hell, you've been very critical of Smithiak for years in here Lucky, so I don't see how one year of success can make your confidence grow so much in Rick Smith man.
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I'm not giving Smith excuses. I'm calling it like I see it. And I've criticized Smith because the Texans failed to put a winning product on the field. And if the Texans don't win, I will return to the criticism I deem appropriate.

What I'm not going to do is critique a work before it's completed. I don't know what Smith, Kubiak, and McNair have in store. I don't know how they will answer the challenges. I do believe that every year is a year that a organization should try to win a championship (which is why "building a team to win for the long term" is bogus). That should have been the mentality in 2011, which is why trading Mario would have been foolish. I think the Texans should do everything they can to win in 2012. What "everything" entails is subject to interpretation. They can't grow the salary cap. They can't force players to take hometown discounts. Bottom line is, as always, find a way to win. I don't care if it takes endangering future salary caps or starting a 5th round pick at QB. Just win.
 
redwhiteblue said:
Your entire basis for trading him and getting something valuable in return is because YOU so say so. Please offer some examples of players of Mario's caliber that were traded in the final year of their contract for substantial returns.
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I don't have to offer you anything. You strategize to get out ahead and to improve your team. If you know that there is no way financially that you'll be able to keep a player in the next off season, then you at least "try" to trade him to get valuable pieces. Hell, the Texans had just come off of a 6-10 season with one of the worst HC's in the league coming back, so don't act like they were some SB bound type of team before last season to where there was just no way that they could have gotten rid of Mario.

But again, we are getting off track by just discussing Mario. The fact that the Texans were in this kind of cap hell just doesn't add up. We should have found a way to move pieces around earlier to avoid this to some degree.
 
Did everyone forget Next Man Up? The reason why the Texans made the playoffs last year? It's not like we have all new players coming in. We have been paying Butler, Caldwell and Graham for 3 years, they know the team and the system and it is their time to step up. Why did we keep them on the team for 3 years if we weren't hoping they would one day move up to starter?
 
redwhiteblue said:
Did everyone forget Next Man Up? The reason why the Texans made the playoffs last year? It's not like we have all new players coming in. We have been paying Butler, Caldwell and Graham for 3 years, they know the team and the system and it is their time to step up. Why did we keep them on the team for 3 years if we weren't hoping they would one day move up to starter?
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I fell you with the next man up but continuity is very important with the o line, especially when you are running a zone blocking scheme. That is why people are freaking out. If we loose Myers that will not be good. The bad news is that the dumb ass Raiders just overpaid for Brisel...driving up the price for Myers. Not good for a team with our current cap situation.
 
This is why you do not let every single one of you UFA hit the free market. I'm going to flip if this happens again next year.
 
Say Watt said:
Wow. This team is falling apart right before our eyes.
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LOL. Falling apart? Hardly. Duane Brown. Matt Schaub. Andre Johnson. Owen Daniels. Arian Foster. Ben Tate. Antonio Smith. JJ Watt. Brian Cushing. DeMeco Ryans. Jonathan Joseph. Danieal Manning. Connor Barwin. Brooks Reed.

You think you can't win with a core of those guys? Psshhht. Please. These guys are all superstars at their positions. They'll fill holes with drafting, good coaching, and free agents on the cheap.

I was worried yesterday. I'm feeling ok about it now. It just has to play out. You can't mortgage the future for right now. Especially when you're still able to win RIGHT NOW with what you have.
 
I'm going to have to agree with Tex on this one. I am stunned, and flabbergasted at how we have bungled the salary cap. The GM's job has ONE focus: manage the salary cap. That's IT. Period.

Seasoned GM's are able to look a few years out, and manage the best way they can. Rick decided to go ALL IN last year, which is fine, but, look at what it's gotten us.

So, we re-sign Arian (which I thought was a great idea), then we break up his O-Line?

WTF??????
 
DerekLee1 said:
LOL. Falling apart? Hardly. Duane Brown. Matt Schaub. Andre Johnson. Owen Daniels. Arian Foster. Ben Tate. Antonio Smith. JJ Watt. Brian Cushing. DeMeco Ryans. Jonathan Joseph. Danieal Manning. Connor Barwin. Brooks Reed.

You think you can't win with a core of those guys? Psshhht. Please. These guys are all superstars at their positions. They'll fill holes with drafting, good coaching, and free agents on the cheap.

I was worried yesterday. I'm feeling ok about it now. It just has to play out. You can't mortgage the future for right now. Especially when you're still able to win RIGHT NOW with what you have.
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O-Line.
O-Line.
O-Line.

In case I'm not clear: 0-Line.
 
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