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Sharper wasnt a good fit

H

HardKnockTexan

Rookie
I know everyone loved Jamie Sharper but he was not the style of linebacker that we need running the 3-4. He is a run stuffing linebacker. The Texans need a versatile linebacker, espcially on the inside. Not only do the inside linebackers need to be able to step up and stop the run, but they also are needed in pass coverage. Sharper rarley droped back and this made it easy for teams to identify our pass rush and blitzing schemes. Sharper was good at doing what he does, but that is not what the team needed from his possition. Suposedly this Greenwood guy is fast and works great in coverage and against the run. We know Wong is solid in coverage and being a former inside backer, i believe he will support the run well too. With more speed from our linebackers the Texans will be able to blitz from many different areas, not just their outside backers. The comming month should be interesting. I've been hearing a lot about the Texans going with a reciever or cornerback with the first pick. That would give us Peek, Wong, Greenwood and Babin as our backers. I think that would work. Plenty of speed and a lot of raw talent in Peek and Babin. There's also talk of us moving up to snag DJ... i doubt this would happen, but if it does, would that mean Wong stays at the outside and DJ and Greenwood occupy the middle?? Just some idle thoughts while we wait for the draft... Either way.. it all should be interesting whatever happens
 
I often wondered if people wouldn't mind Wong taking the middle right now, and DJ understudying if we drafted DJ. Not a whole lot of bench time but also not putting the weight entirely on his shoulders right now. Kind of let the hometown hero stuff die down.
 
El Tejano said:
I often wondered if people wouldn't mind Wong taking the middle right now, and DJ understudying if we drafted DJ. Not a whole lot of bench time but also not putting the weight entirely on his shoulders right now. Kind of let the hometown hero stuff die down.
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If we get DJ he will be the starter form day 1 just like Babin abd Dunta were last year.
 
BuffSoldier said:
If we get DJ he will be the starter form day 1 just like Babin abd Dunta were last year.
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I'd have to think so as well. Drafting a guy as high as he'll get drafted with the kind of talent he has should make him a starter day 1.
 
If we draft DJ he will be a starter but he will start on the outside his first year and after a year of playing at NFL speed you start to challenge him in the offseason to make the appropraite calls and cover the right guy. ILB is more a leadership role as well which is why Wong and Greenwood the 2 most experienced LB on the field will most likely patrol the inside. and either Peek and Babin or Babin and DJ will play OLB
 
DJ would never play on the outside for the Texans because he isn't big enough.

In a 3-4, the OLB's are primarily pass rushers and they end up going against offensive tackles. That is why so many OLB's in the 3-4 are former college DE's, because they are the ones who are used to going against offensive tackles. So in a 3-4 the OLB's are bigger than the ILB's.
 
I'm not going to insult Sharper. The fact is that he was a very good linebacker, but he was making too much money for the kind of production he was bringing to the table. I'd like to see the Texans take a wide reciever with the first pick. Of course, if Edwards and Williams are off the board by number 13 you might want to rethink things, but I see the second reciever spot as being one of the three biggest holes on this team (left tackle and tight end being the others). The other positions (OLB, CB) are depth and upgrade kind of concerns. You can cover those with the second and third round selections we have.

I think a part of the problem with the passing game is that the Texans don't have a bonafide second reciever. What they have is a couple of guys that are really good third recievers. A Mike Williams would make opponents respect him enough to single cover Johnson and open up the middle for whatever tight end we have. Therefore, the passing game would open up a split second or two sooner. It's amazing how good protection can look when guys get open a second or two sooner.
 
barzilla said:
The fact is that he was a very good linebacker, but he was making too much money for the kind of production he was bringing to the table.
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I don't buy that. Walker didn't do good this past season and they still gave him more money.
 
pat said:
I don't buy that. Walker didn't do good this past season and they still gave him more money.
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Walker re-signed after the 2003 season and if he doesn't up his play from the 2004 level to the 2002 level then his contract is going to be a huge bust.
 
infantrycak said:
Walker re-signed after the 2003 season and if he doesn't up his play from the 2004 level to the 2002 level then his contract is going to be a huge bust.
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True, Walker will need to step it up this year. 2004 wasn't his best season by a longshot. The one thing I worry about though is that Walker might have a brilliant season doing exactly what the Texans gave him all that money to do and many people would miss it and still consider his new contract a bad move. I want people to take into account what the LB behind Walker gets done when grading him out. Too many of us are going to say "Walker only got three sacks, he's over the hill". That bugs me.

I think he'll be 2002 style G-Funk this year. Payne should be 100% from the get-go, Robaire is going to be much more of a force on the line now that he's had a whole season of 3-4, Babin should be harder to contend with and Peek should be an every down player. The unit is going to get better so naturally Walker should have a great opportunity to be a force again. He'll do it.
 
One of those absolutely no basis for beliefs for the coming season I have is Walker will step up his game significantly from 2004, hopefully all the way to 2002 form. You're right though, if that does happen, Babin will get 8+ sacks and everyone will be on top of him and still think Walker is overpaid if he only gets 5 sacks and lots of uncounted QB pressures. Overall I am expecting significantly better play this year from Babin, Walker, Payne and Smith. That alone should go a long way on D. If Greenwood and Peek can step in full time smoothly....
 
I think everyone would be happy if Walker were to bounce back and get 5 sacks, however if for some reason he doesn't bounce back, look for him to be gone too.
 
HardKnockTexan said:
I know everyone loved Jamie Sharper but he was not the style of linebacker that we need running the 3-4. He is a run stuffing linebacker. The Texans need a versatile linebacker, espcially on the inside. Not only do the inside linebackers need to be able to step up and stop the run, but they also are needed in pass coverage. Sharper rarley droped back and this made it easy for teams to identify our pass rush and blitzing schemes. Sharper was good at doing what he does, but that is not what the team needed from his possition. Suposedly this Greenwood guy is fast and works great in coverage and against the run. We know Wong is solid in coverage and being a former inside backer, i believe he will support the run well too. With more speed from our linebackers the Texans will be able to blitz from many different areas, not just their outside backers. The comming month should be interesting. I've been hearing a lot about the Texans going with a reciever or cornerback with the first pick. That would give us Peek, Wong, Greenwood and Babin as our backers. I think that would work. Plenty of speed and a lot of raw talent in Peek and Babin. There's also talk of us moving up to snag DJ... i doubt this would happen, but if it does, would that mean Wong stays at the outside and DJ and Greenwood occupy the middle?? Just some idle thoughts while we wait for the draft... Either way.. it all should be interesting whatever happens
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You should have said this some time ago if that is what you thought instead of waiting until he was cut.
 
Do you remember how many 3rd and longs were converted against our defense last year? It was very perplexing to me, because I think highly of Glenn, Robinson, Coleman, and Faggins. Perhaps many of those intermediate passes were completed as a result of poor drops by our LB corp.
 
I also remember Favre throwing Sharper for a nice fake. Not saying Sharper sux now or that is why we lost but I do remember that play.
 
dalemurphy said:
Do you remember how many 3rd and longs were converted against our defense last year? It was very perplexing to me, because I think highly of Glenn, Robinson, Coleman, and Faggins. Perhaps many of those intermediate passes were completed as a result of poor drops by our LB corp.
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That's a sore point with me. 3rd and long was no comfort whatsoever last season. It seemed like 3rd and long was easier for the opposing offense to convert than 3rd and short!

That just drove me nuts all year long.
 
It is a big mistake to put DJ as an OLB in teh 3-4. like someone said he would be up against offensive tackles, and with his frame, he will have a hard time just staying healthy.

Funny now that Sharper is gone all of a sudden someone quickly points out that he never fit the scheme. He was only one of the most productive linebackers in recent years playing with a young defense. Face it he is gone and you miss him. Dont make anymore excuses.
 
I'm not saying that Sharper wasnt productive. He's just not right for the 3-4 scheme. Sharper is a good linebacker and will probablly be great wherever he goes.... but in the 3-4, we need more than just a run stuffer. We need speed all over the field, and Sharper wasnt the swiftist of players.
 
>I'm not going to insult Sharper. The fact is that he was a very good linebacker, but he was making too much money for the kind of production he was bringing to the >table. I'd like to see the Texans take a wide reciever with the first pick.

This sounds like a homer "my team is right all the time" kind of response to what was obviously a mistake by the Texans. The Texans have lots and lots of needs and problems. Sharper wasn't the problem. How can you be a problem when you lead the team in tackles? The Texans didn't improve at all by cutting Sharper -- who is now being considered the biggest plum in the free agent pie now, BTW. This move can only hurt the Texans -- no way it will make them any better. As for the acquisition of a WR in the draft, well, that would be another huge, huge mistake. Andre Johnson is fine at WR and the Bradford, Armstrong and Jabbar contingency is fine as well. The WR position isn't the problem -- it's the offensive line that is the big hole. People say that Andre's production fell off at the end and they blamed it on WR #2. Hogwash. The problem was that Carr couldn't get it to ANYBODY when the line collapsed completely and totally on a repeated basis. Jabbar, Armstrong and Bradford are very talented individuals. If the Texans throw away a top draft pick on another WR, they will be destined for another losing season. I'm tired of watching receivers get free only to watch Carr not even get a chance to deliver the ball due to the poor offensive line. People seem to naively think that one player (a WR) will fix everything up. They are wrong. The Texans should throw all their picks at OL and pass rushers to deal with their main problems.
 
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