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Did the Texans find their ILB?

Doppelganger

Doppelganger

None
A lot of people are unhappy that the Texans did not draft an ILB. Some of them are disappointed with the idea that Brooks Reed may be moving to ILB. Clearly the Texans will sign a couple of vet ILB and let them compete.

However, what if the Texans did find their ILB in the draft...or more accurately as an UDFA?

Now as I say this you may be saying, Ok, Dopp, which one of
Ja'Gared Davis, Kenny Demens, LB, Evan Frierson or, Justin Tuggle are you referring?

What would you say if I told you I was referring to Zac Boren? But Dopp, you might say, he is a FB. True, but he also played very well as a LB for the last 6 games. In 6 games he racked up 50 tackles and averaged 8.2 tackles per game. His best game was 12 tackle effort and 7 solo tackles in an overtime game against Wisconsin. His best game may have been against Michigan where he picked up 9 tackles along with a sack on Denard Robinson.

He may not be the starter right out of the gate, but I could see him becoming that starter next to Cush down the road.
 
No. Its a nice idea, but Boren does not move well enough to play ILB in the NFL. He is FB/ST or bust.
 
Would have to see him play.

That said, I highly doubt he's going to be starting next to Cushing anytime soon if ever.
 
When the Ravens jump in front to nab the ILB you were targeting, you just have to adapt and move on. After Brown was gone, no ILB they liked matched up with the value of that pick.

Just have to hope Cushing and this unit ARE and stay healthy this season and we will be fine.

Texans to find their ILB next off season most likely.
 
Has anyone thought of the possibility of moving Trevardo Williams inside? I know it's a reach, but he seems to have the measurables to play ILB.

6'1" 240-245, runs a 4.5 and is pretty darn strong. I can see it
 
I'm guessing the Texans probably sign a veteran later in the offseason to back up Cushing and Dobbins. They wanted Arthur Brown in the 2nd, but the Ravens traded up to get him.
 
Texans could trade for Joe Mays but his contract makes that seem unlikely.

I do not like the idea of moving Reed to ILB and manning the OLB with rookies and Merc. Its just very risky to assume all 3 ILB will remain healthy all season.
 
HOU-TEX said:
Has anyone thought of the possibility of moving Trevardo Williams inside? I know it's a reach, but he seems to have the measurables to play ILB.

6'1" 240-245, runs a 4.5 and is pretty darn strong. I can see it
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I think his speed off the edge and getting to the qb make him more valuable as an wolb.
 
TexanSam said:
I'm guessing the Texans probably sign a veteran later in the offseason to back up Cushing and Dobbins. They wanted Arthur Brown in the 2nd, but the Ravens traded up to get him.
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I keep seeing this posted about Arthur Brown but nothing to back it up. Does anyone actually know for a fact that the Texans were taking Arthur Brown in the 2nd? They may have had a higher priority on picking a good safety to learn under Reed.
 
bckey said:
I keep seeing this posted about Arthur Brown but nothing to back it up. Does anyone actually know for a fact that the Texans were taking Arthur Brown in the 2nd? They may have had a higher priority on picking a good safety to learn under Reed.
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Ive heard the rumor too, but asking for factual data might be a bit much. Teams dont generally say "Well we really wanted Brown, but settled for Swearinger when Brown went off the board."

Lance Z thought the Texans wanted Brown, and apparently so did Baltimore who paid to jump ahead of the Texans.
 
Tailgate said:
When the Ravens jump in front to nab the ILB you were targeting, you just have to adapt and move on. After Brown was gone, no ILB they liked matched up with the value of that pick.

Just have to hope Cushing and this unit ARE and stay healthy this season and we will be fine.

Texans to find their ILB next off season most likely.
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Yes! The one I would like to see them get is Andrew Jackson from Western Kentucky. Another could be Shane Skov from Stanford. Both were expected to come out this past year but chose to go back to school.

As for which UDFA they could use to fill an ILB spot, I think it could be Kenny Demens from Michigan, but that's just a guess. I just don't have enough knowledge about all the UDFAs to give a good opinion.
 
I don't think we wanted Brown. I think we got the guy we wanted.

We didn't take an ilb anywhere else in the draft, so if they thought ILB was important enough to take in the second round I would imagine they'd have taken another one somewhere else.

I felt better about ILB than I did about the safety depth.

The third safety probably plays more than the second ILB anyways. Texans went cheap with that position last year and I expect them to do the same this year. Probably just get some good depth behind dobbins and just let him start...which I'd be fine with.
 
Doppelganger said:
A lot of people are unhappy that the Texans did not draft an ILB. Some of them are disappointed with the idea that Brooks Reed may be moving to ILB. Clearly the Texans will sign a couple of vet ILB and let them compete.

However, what if the Texans did find their ILB in the draft...or more accurately as an UDFA?

Now as I say this you may be saying, Ok, Dopp, which one of
Ja'Gared Davis, Kenny Demens, LB, Evan Frierson or, Justin Tuggle are you referring?

What would you say if I told you I was referring to Zac Boren? But Dopp, you might say, he is a FB. True, but he also played very well as a LB for the last 6 games. In 6 games he racked up 50 tackles and averaged 8.2 tackles per game. His best game was 12 tackle effort and 7 solo tackles in an overtime game against Wisconsin. His best game may have been against Michigan where he picked up 9 tackles along with a sack on Denard Robinson.

He may not be the starter right out of the gate, but I could see him becoming that starter next to Cush down the road.
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Interesting, DG. I wonder if they'll explore that possibility?

I do think someone will rise from the ranks and fill the void. With Cush next to him(fingers crossed), whoever it is just needs to hold his own. It would be cool if we got a bonus baby out of this group who's more than just a body, though.
 
Everyone mentioned better be ready to play if we go into the season with our current group of NT's. our ILB's are going to get wore down.
 
bckey said:
I keep seeing this posted about Arthur Brown but nothing to back it up. Does anyone actually know for a fact that the Texans were taking Arthur Brown in the 2nd? They may have had a higher priority on picking a good safety to learn under Reed.
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According to Peter King, the Texans were going to take him. Paul Kuharskey quotes it in his AFC South blog on ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/49730/texans-just-missed-on-arthur-brown
The Texans drafted two defensive linemen they are going to turn into strongside linebackers in Sam Montgomery and Trevardo Williams in the third and fourth round.

But Peter King of SI.com says they were ready to go linebacker at No. 57 in the second round until Baltimore jumped ahead of them to take Kansas State’s Arthur Brown.

From King’s Monday Morning Quarterback:
“Baltimore had the 62nd pick overall, late in the second round. In the first round, they'd gotten the safety they liked most, Matt Elam. Now as the picks ticked by, they knew they risked losing the linebacker they liked most at this point, Kansas State's Arthur Brown. So the Ravens dealt the 62nd pick along with fifth- and sixth-round picks to Seattle for the 56th pick. They picked Brown.

"Sources tell me Brown was going to be Houston's pick at 57, and he was a strong consideration for Denver at 58. Brown's a potential captain, the kind of leader the Ravens hope two or three years down the road will start to fill the void left by Ray Lewis. Great trade."
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I still say it is speculation. Alot of talking heads assign Ozzie Newsome some extra sly reason for moving and picking who and when he does. He is one of the best but he could have just made sure the Ravens got who THEY wanted. Just in case Houston or Denver who have needs at ILB lets make sure we get our man type of deal. Leave nothing to chance.

I agree with Rey here:

Rey said:
I don't think we wanted Brown. I think we got the guy we wanted.

We didn't take an ilb anywhere else in the draft, so if they thought ILB was important enough to take in the second round I would imagine they'd have taken another one somewhere else.

I felt better about ILB than I did about the safety depth.

The third safety probably plays more than the second ILB anyways. Texans went cheap with that position last year and I expect them to do the same this year. Probably just get some good depth behind dobbins and just let him start...which I'd be fine with.
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I imagine there will be be a few games where the third safety is basically a starter and will more than likely see more snaps over the course of the year anyways.
 
Rey said:
I imagine there will be be a few games where the third safety is basically a starter and will more than likely see more snaps over the course of the year anyways.
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We are in Dime a LOT. I don't remember the numbers but we play dime with 3 safeties on the field more than any other team.

When you look at it like that, Swearinger is going to be on the field a lot and will be starting some games along with Manning and Reed.

But more importantly, he keeps KEO off the damned field.
 
The Pencil Neck said:
We are in Dime a LOT. I don't remember the numbers but we play dime with 3 safeties on the field more than any other team.

When you look at it like that, Swearinger is going to be on the field a lot and will be starting some games along with Manning and Reed.

But more importantly, he keeps KEO off the damned field.
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Us in dime with that 3rd safety alot was the best way to attack us last year. Teams knew we like to bring 5 or more alot. & up until that GB game when we got exposed for having our safeties so quick to come downhill in run support, we hadn't run it a ton...At least i don't remember us running it alot. In addition to this, our safeties were best as inside the box and weren't exactly know as ball hawks. Enter Ed Reed and his knack for making big plays.

Signing Reed changes that a little. teams won't be so quick to attack our safeties b/c of Reed's ball hawking reputation. Getting Cush back also helps that. I suspect they'll still try though..............until Mr. Reed picks off a few.
 
The Pencil Neck said:
We are in Dime a LOT. I don't remember the numbers but we play dime with 3 safeties on the field more than any other team.

When you look at it like that, Swearinger is going to be on the field a lot and will be starting some games along with Manning and Reed.

But more importantly, he keeps KEO off the damned field.
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Keo didn't see much action; he was in for only 29 defensive snaps.
I don't remember any bad play except for one in which he took a poor angle, but it wasn't his fault the runner broke out to begin with.
Did I miss something?
 
76Texan said:
Keo didn't see much action; he was in for only 29 defensive snaps.
I don't remember any bad play except for one in which he took a poor angle, but it wasn't his fault the runner broke out to begin with.
Did I miss something?
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I felt like he was in for more than that.
 
I'm guessing they like Keo almost strictly for his special teams ability.

They cut Nolan last year and kept Keo. Then when they brought Nolan back he was inserted into the line up over Keo.
 
wolf123 said:
Not Nolan.
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Yes Nolan....Because I even mentioned it last year.

I couldn't understand why they'd cut Nolan, bring him back and play him over Keo, and then cut him again.

They obviously thought Nolan was a better safety, so I think Keo must be hanging around for special teams.
 
I think Dobbins and Cush start this season and then they find that guy to take dobbins spot next off season/draft. Plus i liked Dobbins inside last season every time he has been on the field for us he has played pretty well. EXCEPT in coverage
 
Doppelganger said:
A lot of people are unhappy that the Texans did not draft an ILB. Some of them are disappointed with the idea that Brooks Reed may be moving to ILB. Clearly the Texans will sign a couple of vet ILB and let them compete.

However, what if the Texans did find their ILB in the draft...or more accurately as an UDFA?

Now as I say this you may be saying, Ok, Dopp, which one of
Ja'Gared Davis, Kenny Demens, LB, Evan Frierson or, Justin Tuggle are you referring?

What would you say if I told you I was referring to Zac Boren? But Dopp, you might say, he is a FB. True, but he also played very well as a LB for the last 6 games. In 6 games he racked up 50 tackles and averaged 8.2 tackles per game. His best game was 12 tackle effort and 7 solo tackles in an overtime game against Wisconsin. His best game may have been against Michigan where he picked up 9 tackles along with a sack on Denard Robinson.

He may not be the starter right out of the gate, but I could see him becoming that starter next to Cush down the road.
Click to expand...


No way that's happening just on my first instinct and I would be willing to place a crisp $10 bill with 3 to 1 odds saying it won't happen.

BUT

I like what you did here. If it happens, you bump thread and get repped from here to kingdom come and prove your ultimate prowess of football knowledge.

If it doesn't happen in year one you say wait another season or two.

If it doesn't happen in year two you say "I never said it was going to happen right away".

If it doesn't happen in year three odds are everyone forgets what was ever said and nothing ever comes of it.

I like your style...

On that note, I bet trevardo Williams puts up 10+ sacks in his rookie year.

Well played Dopp, well played...
 
The texans ILB is either a vet that will be cleaning his locker out soon or he is on the roster. We have the people we need to play next to Cush on the roster if we need to, the problem is that last year they weren't playing next to Cush so they were playing next to the guy that was supposed to be playing next to Cush.

Swearinger will play almost as much as anybody we would have taken and in a QB driven league with Wade's defense that position may be more important than the 2nd ILB anyway. As long as he can cover and bring the wood on occasion we will be just fine.

Mike
 
Injuries could very easily prove me wrong, but I'm gonna guess that Sharpton starts the season at ILB along with Cushing.

Granted, he finished the season on IR again last year, but he played in the final seven games of the regular season (starting 5), and perhaps a full offseason to rest, rehab and recovery could have him ready to start the opener.

He's cheap, he's in the last year of his contract, and I think the Texans like what they've seen when he has been on the field. I'm guessing they'd like to give him a chance to either show what he can do when he stays healthy for a prolonged period of time, or to prove beyond a doubt that he won't ever be/stay healthy.
 
HOU-TEX said:
Has anyone thought of the possibility of moving Trevardo Williams inside? I know it's a reach, but he seems to have the measurables to play ILB.

6'1" 240-245, runs a 4.5 and is pretty darn strong. I can see it
Click to expand...

If you read his pre-draft interviews, he claims he can play any linebacker position.

That being said, ILB is very much a experience, instinct position. I think the Texans will play around with some options.

And it would non-surprise if they bring in FA ILBs to look at.
 
I would bet money that we were going to take Arthur Brown in the 2nd but Ozzie Newsone jumped in front of us and now he is a Raven. Ozzie is damn good on draft day. I was so pissed when I saw that he moved one spot in front of us and got Brown.
 
Wouldn't it be something if every team knew who the other team was going to pick. How much time was spent by front offices and analyists just trying to figure out who KC was going to pick with the #1 pick? Why even throw Denver's name out there if you are sure the Texans were going to take him? Its all speculation. Ozzie simply makes moves to get who he wants for the Ravens. Its his job to speculate where a player that he has targeted might go. Clearly Ozzie decided Houston or Denver could be possible landing spots for Brown so he moved up and took him. Does not mean Houston was going to take him.
 
Insideop said:
Yes! The one I would like to see them get is Andrew Jackson from Western Kentucky. Another could be Shane Skov from Stanford. Both were expected to come out this past year but chose to go back to school.

As for which UDFA they could use to fill an ILB spot, I think it could be Kenny Demens from Michigan, but that's just a guess. I just don't have enough knowledge about all the UDFAs to give a good opinion.
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I would not be surprised if the Packers cut Desmond Bishop. If they do Smith needs to get him over hear. He missed last year with a torn hamstring but will be ready for OTA's is everything goes to plan. Green bay already have A.J. Hawk and Just resigned Brad Jones. I think they will cut him because I am pretty sure it will save them about 3 million dollars.
 
Just heard on the Radio that some Obscure source is saying that the Texans are interested in Dansby.

He's supposedly talking with the Cardinals after visiting the Bengals and the Bills without coming close to a deal.

But they are saying problem is Dansby wants a multi year deal and the Cardinals have Daryl Washington (suspended for four games), Rookie Kevin Minter and another MLB that they already signed earlier in free agency.

If the Texan have any pennies left at the bottom of the barrel they need to swoop in and make this happen.
 
Rey said:
Just heard on the Radio that some Obscure source is saying that the Texans are interested in Dansby.

He's supposedly talking with the Cardinals after visiting the Bengals and the Bills without coming close to a deal.

But they are saying problem is Dansby wants a multi year deal and the Cardinals have Daryl Washington (suspended for four games), Rookie Kevin Minter and another MLB that they already signed earlier in free agency.

If the Texan have any pennies left at the bottom of the barrel they need to swoop in and make this happen.
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I would be so psyched if we could get Dansby.

Hopefully, he's got a good relationship with the Ninja from their time together with the Cardinals and Antonio will be able to talk him into coming here for a few years.

I would feel so much better.
 
Insideop said:
Yes! The one I would like to see them get is Andrew Jackson from Western Kentucky. Another could be Shane Skov from Stanford. Both were expected to come out this past year but chose to go back to school.

As for which UDFA they could use to fill an ILB spot, I think it could be Kenny Demens from Michigan, but that's just a guess. I just don't have enough knowledge about all the UDFAs to give a good opinion.
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Kenny Demens changed his mind and became a Cardinal.

As far as who our ILB is? Don't know. It could be Sharpton, it could be Dobbins, it could be Brooks Reed, or it could be Javicz Jones. (Guy is a playmaker)

But who knows. We might have that player on our roster or we might not.
 
Brisco_County said:
Just heard about Dansby.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Gambo620/status/332327026948177923

I'm not too familiar with his career. How good of a pickup would that be?
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He would be a very solid pickup nearing the end of his career. He has been a versatile always somehow falling just short of pro bowl level player. He is kind of a ball hawk as an ILB. Arizona franchised him twice and then Miami made him the highest paid ILB when they signed him. He would be great next to Cushing.
 
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