Competition - Casserly's Draft Stategy

It is my sense that Casserly's draft (and trade) strategy has been to create significant competition at different positions. The Philip Buchanon trade clearly has created significant competition for starting spots and playing time at cornerback, and apparently a fair amount of tension as well. However, it should be noted that this situation was not unique - it was replicated at defensive tackle, with the selection of Travis Johnson, who will push Gary Walker hard for his spot; at running back, where 3rd round pick Verand Morency will compete with Dominick Davis, Jonathan Wells, and Tony Hollings for not just rank or playing time, but the bottom man probably gets waived from the team. The wide receiver position also appears to be full up, with Andre Johson, Gaffney, Armstrong, Starling, Bradford and Sloan Thomas now competing with Jerome Mathis for what will be probably a maximum of 5 spots. The other draft picks will compete for backup spots, none of which are occupied by "sloutches." Also, it should be noted that the Texans currently have 17 linebackers on the roster, including 7th round pick Kenneth Pettway

Aaron Glenn may be upset that his job has been put up for grabs, but Casserly has now applied this new approach to a number of different positions on both offense and defense. It seem to be Casserly's intention to motivate players to step up to the next level through increased competition, which should make all of the competing players, and the team, better.

This policy and practice is not unique in the NFL, but it does appear to be new to the Texans, who are graduating from the franchisal adolescence before our very eyes.

I feel so proud for them.

It is sad when you can't just pay some of these guys millions and expect them to play their all out best. I believe you are right about the competition. Play or lose your starting job and maybe even get cut.

I don't think it is about competition. I think it is about speed and youth. I expect Aaron Glenn to get cut after June 1st (saves on the cap hit for this season). I think Glenn returns to the Jets after that.

Are you some kind of genius???? Imagine Glenn at the age of 33 having to compete for a spot! Bahhaha utter retardness...Gary walker having to compete for a spot at age 32/33 with a total sack record of 7 for 3 years! Man you must be genuis. Another revelation is the fact you state that dominick davis
probably the single most effective player on offense competing for a job? Also, can you imagine outside of bradford that rookie recievers drafted By houston should have to compete! Man you are a man of wisdom. 17 linebackers and still the worse defense in the nfl can you imagine these guys having to compete? hahahahah dont give up your day job man
The only genius you share is with private gump

TheOgre said:

I don't think it is about competition. I think it is about speed and youth. I expect Aaron Glenn to get cut after June 1st (saves on the cap hit for this season). I think Glenn returns to the Jets after that.

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Why would we cut some1 to make cap room that we arent going to use? Glenn's mentoring of our young CB's and ability to play in nickel is worth what he is supposed to make this year.

I see a team trend and I think that is the direction they are going. They could spend the money to sign FA's that are cut or still out there after June 1.

Dont forget Drew Hodgdon(sp?) challenging McKinney, Pitts, and Wiegert. or C.C. Brown challenging Earl or Coleman or both.. and Simmons as well.

TheOgre said:

I see a team trend and I think that is the direction they are going. They could spend the money to sign FA's that are cut or still out there after June 1.

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CC already said hes not gonna sign any big name FA's.

I never said it would be just 1 FA player. He might replace Glenn with a few other discount players for depth upgrades.

Why else would they grant Glenn the ability to "look for a trade" unless they are going to pull a Sharper? If they cut him after June 1, they can have the money count against this season OR next. They get that flexibility.

prob cause Glenn thinks he is gonna lose his starting role and wants to see if a team will let him play his last year in the league as a starter instead of a Nickelback.

Also, if we dont pick up any big name FA's we dont need the cap room cause we already have like 8 mil in cap room at the moment I believe (not sure on exact #).

MojoMan said:

It is my sense that Casserly's draft (and trade) strategy has been to create significant competition at different positions.

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Congrats, you have a very good imagination.
But what Cass is doing is what he and other GMs are paid to do, constantly wage war against the cap and bring in new blood for the future. It's just that
simple.

Davis37 said:

Why would we cut some1 to make cap room that we arent going to use? Glenn's mentoring of our young CB's and ability to play in nickel is worth what he is supposed to make this year.

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I totally agree with you. There is a nasty story that says Glenn has been given permission to seek a trade. That means he will probably be cut June 1st.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3150476


http://www.houstonprofootball.com/

Same Story,
Second Verse?

Here's a ballad about the Texans adding speed and youth to a position anchored by a respected veteran and original Texans, then telling said veteran to seek a trade. If you think we're rehashing the Jamie Sharper story, think again. This sad lyric is about cornerback Aaron Glenn.

The Texans have told Glenn to seek a trade days after acquiring cornerback Phillip Buchanon from the Raiders in exchange for a pair of draft picks. According to unnamed sources talking to KTRK-TV, KRIV-TV, and the Houston Chronicle, Glenn, 32, expressed frustration regarding the trade before the weekend.

It is not known whether the team first approached Glenn to structure the remaining salaries on the contract extension signed in 2002. Glenn, who became the second-highest paid player on the team after quarterback David Carr once Sharper left, is scheduled to make base salaries of $4 million in 2005, $4.25 million in 2006, and $5.5 million in 2007.

Should the Texans and Glenn fail to find a trading partner and release Glenn before June 1, they will assume the remaining $3.5 million in unamortized bonus money as dead space on the salary cap. That figure would lessen to just $1.16 million this year (and $2.33 million in 2006) if Glenn were released on or after June 1.

Glenn's situation overshadows a very interesting first day of the draft on Saturday. After a trade down of three spots with the Saints, the Texans drafted Florida State defensive lineman Travis Johnson 16th overall. The team agreed to take a third round pick in 2006 as compensation for making the deal.

Much of that cap room will be gone after we sign our rookies.

Hey I'm not happy about it. I would prefer to keep Glenn too. I just think they are going to get rid of him before training camp. I hate to see it, because he has been one of my favorite players on the team (even though he is an Ag). In 2002, he single-handedly beat the Steelers, which happens to be my 32nd favorite team. I'll remember that win forever because of how bizarre the stats were. We were outgained something like 350 to 47 yet won 24-6, LOL.

Davis37 said:

Why would we cut some1 to make cap room that we arent going to use? Glenn's mentoring of our young CB's and ability to play in nickel is worth what he is supposed to make this year.

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Why don't we go ahead and pay our position coaches 4 million per year if this "mentoring" issue is such a big deal. Our defense never ranked that high in the three years here, and I'm happy that we are destroying and rebuilding. Glenn is a servicable player, but he is getting up there in age.

Glenn is important because it gives us THREE quality DBs.. allowing us to mismatch on the slot receiver.

he is also important because WE ARE LOSING ALL OUR VETERAN LEADERS!

And.. he is ALSO important because we are now going to have a cocky and very young Robinson on one side.. and a VERY cocky and young Buchanan on the other. Looks like a recipe for disaster to me.

Glenn gives us 4 quality CB's. Don't forget Faggins is a good corner to come in for the nickel and dime packages.

Man do I love our moves. We get rid of our leading tackler/leader of the defense and the leader of our secondary. Maybe next we can get rid of Andre Johnson.

How about a second wide reciever, maybe a pass rusher, maybe a run stuffer, maybe a LT, maybe a safety. Nope, instead we downgrade this offseason, and have more holes than when we started.

ComstockLode said:

Man do I love our moves. We get rid of our leading tackler/leader of the defense and the leader of our secondary. Maybe next we can get rid of Andre Johnson.

How about a second wide reciever, maybe a pass rusher, maybe a run stuffer, maybe a LT, maybe a safety. Nope, instead we downgrade this offseason, and have more holes than when we started.

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*lol* I understand your fustration with the draft. I stopped letting the draft that CC conducts to affect me personally.

What I'm not getting is that if the Texas gave up just three touchdowns in their last four games and went 13 quarters without surrendering one, then our defense was a solid unit at the end of the year. Now we are lost both our starting ILB's and are fixing to lose our star CB and we are supposed to be better? It's going to be a long, long season.

We seem to have a lot of rumor and conjecture indicating that we are losing Aaron Glenn on June 1st. Like so many other things we hear, I am not convinced at all that this is necessarily correct. It is a good idea to have competition at certain spots, as it raises the standards for everyone's performance. I am surprised that some of you find this to be such a far fetched idea.

As it stands right now, we are well below the salary cap. If we are not planning to sign any additional free agents, then there is no need for us to do anything else as far as cuts until next year. If we are considering signifcant free agent signings after June 1st, why not just keep the guys we already have, such as Aaron Glenn. I do not see the logic in cutting him June 1st, unless he is disgruntled and really wants to go. If that is the thought, then I am with Charley Casserly - Let him try to work out an arrangement that is Win-Win for everyone. If he can, we should cooperate.

You have to have a vision for the future. Knowing when to get rid of the veterans who cost more than they are worth at the present time is job nobody wants, but a successful team makes those decisions. The difference is how the changes are broadcast to the rest of the world.

SESupergenius said:

What I'm not getting is that if the Texas gave up just three touchdowns in their last four games and went 13 quarters without surrendering one, then our defense was a solid unit at the end of the year. Now we are lost both our starting ILB's and are fixing to lose our star CB and we are supposed to be better? It's going to be a long, long season.

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i think they rationalize that we were better inspite of some of those players. i tend to agree. foreman never was that good. sharper and glenn each had their worst years as texans. although i would hate to see glenn go, he is probably my favorite texan, i think hes past his prime.

ComstockLode said:

Man do I love our moves. We get rid of our leading tackler/leader of the defense and the leader of our secondary. Maybe next we can get rid of Andre Johnson.

How about a second wide reciever, maybe a pass rusher, maybe a run stuffer, maybe a LT, maybe a safety. Nope, instead we downgrade this offseason, and have more holes than when we started.

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Seems I recall a quote from Sharper last season bemoaning the lack of a leader on the team, someone to "show him direction". Leaders do not look/ask for a leader, they take the lead.
Apparently you are a passionate Texan fan who hates to see our original players leave. I think we all feel a little sad about losing our 'firstborn' so to speak, the players who took us from no team to our team, the Texans. Keep in mind that these original players were selected by Casserly and Capers to form our team, and now these same two men are selecting players to replace them. We must trust Cass and Capers to continue building a team we can be proud of.
There just might be a second wide reciever, maybe a pass rusher, maybe a run stuffer, maybe a LT, maybe a safety in the group we now have or the group we drafted today. Consider the fact that Cass and Doms jobs depend on it.

Just my two cents

cac:

markbeth said:

...glenn each had their worst years as texans. although i would hate to see glenn go, he is probably my favorite texan, i think hes past his prime.

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Not calling you out, but he hasn't been too shabby 2 out of 3 with the Texans. Looks like he tends to hover in the same stat area with a few spikes thrown in. Glenn stats

John McClain was on 610 AM this morning. He said that wherever he went around the league, other teams thought Sharper was serviceable but not a playmaker. I think that is why he is gone. How many times have you seen Foreman or Sharper in the backfield? We need that. Is Greenwood able to do that? Time will tell.

We are going to have to take a step back to move forward.
Signing a player like Greenwood is not an upgrade at the position, it's just a younger version. Greenwood has never been a playmaker, he's just been a tackler, not a difference maker. It will now take him time to get acclimated with these players and Caper's defense. If Wong moves over, that will be his 3rd position, but hopefully he can do better this year. The writing was on the wall when he started practicing there last year.

As for Peek, that is a huge gamble to name him the starter when he has such durability problems. I was shocked when we didn't pick up an ILB this year in the draft, we've never drafted one.

Unless Wong and/or Wand really impress us next season, I think we will look at OLT and ILB early in next year's draft. I know there are some great OT's that are projected in the draft next year. I wouldn't be surprised if we had to trade up to get one (assuming we end up around 9-7).