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Texans' team report: Athletic LB Cushing a steal

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The Texans bolstered their needy defense, which finished 22nd in the league last season, with their top two picks and five overall. USC LB Brian Cushing and Cincinnati DE Connor Barwin will add athleticism and pass-rush ability to a defense that has struggled to make big plays.

After that, the Texans stuck to their philosophy of taking the best available athlete. They didn't draft a running back to complement Steve Slaton, but they did draft two tight ends: N.C. State's Anthony Hill and Rice's James Casey. Tight end was not an area of major need, but the picks will add versatility and depth to the offense and special teams.

THEN AT THE END

As much as the Texans talked about the need to find a running back to complement Slaton, they did not address it. They will now wait for other teams, possibly the Broncos, to drop some of their extra running backs. They have Chris Brown on the roster, but his durability is a major concern. The Texans will continue to seek a bigger back capable of playing in the zone-blocking scheme and excelling in short-yardage situations.

On defense, the Texans did not add a defensive tackle to bolster the inside of the line. They could still use someone to challenge Travis Johnson and Amobi Okoye for playing time.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=542456


Good read right here on the Texans draft. Hope you guys enjoy. :texflag:
 
Didn't we already add someone to compete with Johnson and Okoye?

How many DT's do people want us to carry?
 
bah007 said:
Didn't we already add someone to compete with Johnson and Okoye?

How many DT's do people want us to carry?
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Yup we got Shaun Cody. So our DT position has Okoye, Johnson, Cody, Robinson and Okam. Smith will move in on passing downs and Bulman can even come in as a DE/DT. On game day I don't see any other DT's being out there. I think we'll add some in for minicamp, OTAs, etc. We've got to have some dudes to take practice reps but I don't think any new people will make the 53 man roster.
 
Ole Miss Texan said:
Yup we got Shaun Cody. So our DT position has Okoye, Johnson, Cody, Robinson and Okam. Smith will move in on passing downs and Bulman can even come in as a DE/DT. On game day I don't see any other DT's being out there. I think we'll add some in for minicamp, OTAs, etc. We've got to have some dudes to take practice reps but I don't think any new people will make the 53 man roster.
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I think Robinson is VASTLY underrated.....
 
bah007 said:
Didn't we already add someone to compete with Johnson and Okoye?

How many DT's do people want us to carry?
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Most people have this fascination with having a pass rushing DT like Okoye and then a monster run stuffer like Raji for instance. I am comfortable with our DT's and feel that if TJ can improve his game and if Cody gets back into his old form then we should be fine on the inside.
 
Thread Title said:
Athletic LB Cushing a steal
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This kind of makes me scratch my head. I support the pick but I don't really see how it's a "steal". Even if he comes out and wins DROY and produces... he was still the 15th pick in the draft and I view that as high (top half). I think a steal was like Demeco in the 2nd.
 
Honoring Earl 34 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cur4TwJcTaI
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After watching the highlights, though he didn't make a ton of plays, there were a few things I really liked:

1. definitely does a good job keeping blockers off of him and working through them.

2. Does an excellent job of sealing the backside of a run play and then pursuing. Very surprising to see a college football player that disciplined, especially on that physically dominate of a team.

3. showed good general awareness of what was happening and flowed well to the play.


I didn't see anything I'd call spectacular but it is rare to see a LB with speed and quickness also be able to handle himself so well at the point of attack.
 
They could still use someone to challenge Travis Johnson and Amobi Okoye for playing time.
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That just pisses me off when you consider both were 1st round picks.
 
Double Barrel said:
That just pisses me off when you consider both were 1st round picks.
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Yeah but at the same time, DT is one of the hardest positions to project in the NFL. It definitely pisses me off, but I still have faith in Okoye. I really believe this season will be his coming out party. I strongly believe the main problem has been Dick Smith's read and react defense. This season, Okoye will get to do what he does best: bust through the line and get to the QB.
 
Ckw5814 said:
Yeah but at the same time, DT is one of the hardest positions to project in the NFL. It definitely pisses me off, but I still have faith in Okoye. I really believe this season will be his coming out party. I strongly believe the main problem has been Dick Smith's read and react defense. This season, Okoye will get to do what he does best: bust through the line and get to the QB.
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I'll say this, also, TJ plays with a lot of energy and tenacity. Particularly in the first half of 2007, he had quite a few moments. I'm not expecting it, but I'd say it is possible that he will appear a much better player under Bush and Kollar... My suspicions are furthered by how Kubiak and company have defended his play the past year. Perhaps they realize he's been asked to do things that don't play to his strengths.

Regardless, all these questions will begin to get answered in about 4 months. UGGH! 4 months! Why does Baseball have to suck now? Don't you remember the good old days when it was a great game.
 
dalemurphy said:
Perhaps they realize he's been asked to do things that don't play to his strengths.
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I think that has been a problem with a lot of our players. Towards the end of both the 07 and 08 seasons when our playoff chances were over, all of a sudden our defense got aggressive and looked a heck of a lot better. I expect us to look like that throughout the entire 09 season, and a lot of guys will likely look a lot better out there.

There is a balance. Obviously, a team has to have an idea of the type of team they want to be. Our big problem was the disconnect between the FO and the defensive coordinator. We were drafting one type of player, and our coordinator apparently wanted another type of player. Instead of fitting his system to the players, he tried to make the players fit the system when they clearly did not. I believe now with Frank Bush there is no longer that disconnect.
 
Both Okoye and TJ were the top ranked DTs coming out of college in 2005 and 2007 . What are the chances of having two bust at the same position that were ranked so high .
 
Honoring Earl 34 said:
Both Okoye and TJ were the top ranked DTs coming out of college in 2005 and 2007 . What are the chances of having two bust at the same position that were ranked so high .
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Neither one of them is a "bust", so I am not really sure what you are talking about here.
 
MojoMan said:
Neither one of them is a "bust", so I am not really sure what you are talking about here.
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Okoye still has a chance to be a good and maybe even great player. TJ has been a slight bust considering where he was drafted.
 
Ckw5814 said:
Okoye still has a chance to be a good and maybe even great player. TJ has been a slight bust considering where he was drafted.
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Even though I havent been, and still am not, a fan of the Okoye pick, I think he has more chance to succeed at this point than Travis Johnson does. Okoye showed some promise his rookie season. I dont think Ive ever seen anything from TJ that I would call "promise."
 
Ole Miss Texan said:
This kind of makes me scratch my head. I support the pick but I don't really see how it's a "steal". Even if he comes out and wins DROY and produces... he was still the 15th pick in the draft and I view that as high (top half). I think a steal was like Demeco in the 2nd.
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I think Schaub is a steal and we drafted him in the second twice!
 
TP writers Brian Allee-Walsh and Mike Triplett discuss the draft one last time
by Brian Allee-Walsh and Mike Triplett, Times-Picayune
Monday April 27, 2009, 11:42 PM

One interesting nugget we were able to pick up: The Saints would have taken Southern California outside linebacker Brian Cushing if Jenkins was off the board. Cushing went with the next pick to Houston. See, everything went according to plan.
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http://www.nola.com/sports/index.ssf/2009/04/tp_writers_brian_alleewalsh_an.html
 
MojoMan said:
Neither one of them is a "bust", so I am not really sure what you are talking about here.
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I'm not sure where the line is crossed that officially makes them busts, but I do know that the middle of our defensive line would make Mr. Whipple want to squeeze them for being so soft.
 
Honoring Earl 34 said:
Just saying they weren't used to their strengths .
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I think this is key here. We should all wait and see how they (Omobi and TJ) respond to our new defensive scheme before we label them bust. I think we all know that our entire DL werent used properly in relation to their strengths. If we truly are going to allow them to "shoot the gaps" then we should find out very quick whether either of them are who we thought they were when we drafted them.
 
Double Barrel said:
That just pisses me off when you consider both were 1st round picks.
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Well lets hope they play up to expectations this year. As was noted earlier this year on the other site Okoye has changed his attitude by getting an early start on working this year and he is 100% healthy. And the second worse 1st rd. draft pick IMO(Babin being #1) is in a contract year. That usually brings something out in the players,especially if they want to stay in the NFL. I really look for Robinson to push Johnson to the sidelines.
 
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