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Prediction: Connor Barwin is going to be GREAT!

dalemurphy

dalemurphy

Hall of Fame
“I want to wear guys down. I try to be a high-energy guy. The technique stuff is stuff I need to work at, but I just keep going. It’s like a battle and a competition between me and him every single play. So I just try to battle him every single play and have more energy than him.” ... Connor Barwin, courtesy of HoustonTexans.com.

Kubiak also continues to attempt to subdue his own positive impressions of the guy:

“Like I said yesterday, he’s faster than everybody right now. I try to keep that in perspective because he should be. All these other guys have many days under their legs. He’s very strong for his frame, being a 265-pound guy. I love his work habits. He fits right in with our team.”


His combination of athleticism, strength, intelligence, and work ethic isn't something teams see very often from rookies. This guy is going to be a stud... and, I don't think we're going to have to wait long for it to happen either. One just doesn't often hear a rookie that hasn't even been preached at by his NFL organization ranting on about being "high-energy" every, single play.... not unless it's a guy drafted in the 7th round that is just trying to make a name on special teams.
 
Exciting stuff. But I am going to try and temper my expectations a bit just like Kubiak. Its way early. Lets see it in real play on passing downs. But man, a lightning fast terror on one side... and powerful Mario on the other side...
 
dalemurphy said:
“I want to wear guys down. I try to be a high-energy guy. The technique stuff is stuff I need to work at, but I just keep going. It’s like a battle and a competition between me and him every single play. So I just try to battle him every single play and have more energy than him.” ... Connor Barwin, courtesy of HoustonTexans.com.

Kubiak also continues to attempt to subdue his own positive impressions of the guy:

“Like I said yesterday, he’s faster than everybody right now. I try to keep that in perspective because he should be. All these other guys have many days under their legs. He’s very strong for his frame, being a 265-pound guy. I love his work habits. He fits right in with our team.”


His combination of athleticism, strength, intelligence, and work ethic isn't something teams see very often from rookies. This guy is going to be a stud... and, I don't think we're going to have to wait long for it to happen either. One just doesn't often hear a rookie that hasn't even been preached at by his NFL organization ranting on about being "high-energy" every, single play.... not unless it's a guy drafted in the 7th round that is just trying to make a name on special teams.
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Texans Chic has a video of him boxing on her Chron Blog . Anyone who's ever tried boxing knows it's a heck of a workout and he's making it look easy .
 
mmm.....I'm going to wait until they put the pads on, before I form a opinion on him one way or the other. I do like his attitude though.
 
Barwin is stronger than he looks from what I saw on tapes.
He still has a lot to learn about the game and the techniques.
I'd rather they go slow on him, and that the fans don't expect too much.
Same with Cushing, there are things the Texans do here that he didn't see a whole lot at USC.

At any rate, I believe our D will make a big step forward this year with all the additions, including Antonio Smith and Shaun Cody (some will be surprised that Shaun is pretty decent at getting penetration on the line.)
 
Baring some unfortunate luck, our defense should be at least 5 to 7 spots higher in the ranking list this year. If our offense, at a very minimum, stays the same, the improvement in the defense could get us those three extra wins that will nudge us into the playoffs.

Or am I just being a homer? LOL
 
Thorn said:
Baring some unfortunate luck, our defense should be at least 5 to 7 spots higher in the ranking list this year. If our offense, at a very minimum, stays the same, the improvement in the defense could get us those three extra wins that will nudge us into the playoffs.

Or am I just being a homer? LOL
Click to expand...

No, I think you are on track. If the conditions you mentioned are achieved, then 2-4 additional wins is a reasonable expectation. With a higher probability of 2 than 4.
 
Thorn said:
Baring some unfortunate luck, our defense should be at least 5 to 7 spots higher in the ranking list this year. If our offense, at a very minimum, stays the same, the improvement in the defense could get us those three extra wins that will nudge us into the playoffs.

Or am I just being a homer? LOL
Click to expand...

I'm greedy, I want a top five offense and a top ten defense at least!:fans:
 
Thorn said:
Baring some unfortunate luck, our defense should be at least 5 to 7 spots higher in the ranking list this year. If our offense, at a very minimum, stays the same, the improvement in the defense could get us those three extra wins that will nudge us into the playoffs.

Or am I just being a homer? LOL
Click to expand...

Well, on defense, we should jump more than 5 spots in a lot of categories:

sacks
turnovers
3rd down percentage
QB pressures
the Texan Chick efficiency rating thing that she talks about on her blog
 
Barwin got by in college with a pass rush repertoire of 'run fast and push people out of your way.' It's going to take him years before he develops a full compliment of moves that will make him an effective football player. Right now he's like a pitcher who throws 98 mph fast balls, but doesn't have any breaking pitches. Sure sometimes that's enough to get an out(sack), but he's not going to be a starter, or important reliever until he has a slider, curve ball, or something else for the O-lineman to think about.

He's got the potential to be an Osi, or Little, but don't expect it to be immediate.
 
Goatcheese said:
Barwin got by in college with a pass rush repertoire of 'run fast and push people out of your way.' It's going to take him years before he develops a full compliment of moves that will make him an effective football player. Right now he's like a pitcher who throws 98 mph fast balls, but doesn't have any breaking pitches. Sure sometimes that's enough to get an out(sack), but he's not going to be a starter, or important reliever until he has a slider, curve ball, or something else for the O-lineman to think about.

He's got the potential to be an Osi, or Little, but don't expect it to be immediate.
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I think the key to your baseball analogy here is that a guy with a 98 mph fastball can get outs even when they make mistakes just because of their overpowering stuff---just like I think Barwin will pressure the QB and get sacks because of his sheer athleticism even if his technique isn't perfect.

The level of talent he brings over anyone not named Mario on that line will be a good enough boost to make this line look dominant on 3rd down. If he can hone his technique and perfect his craft then we'll start seeing him on 1st and 2nd down, not to mention in Pro Bowls.
 
Goatcheese said:
Barwin got by in college with a pass rush repertoire of 'run fast and push people out of your way.' It's going to take him years before he develops a full compliment of moves that will make him an effective football player. Right now he's like a pitcher who throws 98 mph fast balls, but doesn't have any breaking pitches. Sure sometimes that's enough to get an out(sack), but he's not going to be a starter, or important reliever until he has a slider, curve ball, or something else for the O-lineman to think about.

He's got the potential to be an Osi, or Little, but don't expect it to be immediate.
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137697775_860c5c8426.jpg


Um ... we're trying to get excited .
 
Goatcheese said:
Barwin got by in college with a pass rush repertoire of 'run fast and push people out of your way.' It's going to take him years before he develops a full compliment of moves that will make him an effective football player. Right now he's like a pitcher who throws 98 mph fast balls, but doesn't have any breaking pitches. Sure sometimes that's enough to get an out(sack), but he's not going to be a starter, or important reliever until he has a slider, curve ball, or something else for the O-lineman to think about.

He's got the potential to be an Osi, or Little, but don't expect it to be immediate.
Click to expand...
Agreed to the bold but I would throw the book at this guy and see what he throws back. I say step on the gas pedal. DROY!!
 
I agree with Dalemurphy on Barwin. I believe he is going to be great! He will surprise a lot of people this year. Dwight Freeney got 13 sacks his rookie season and only started 8 games but played in all 16. I think Barwin can do the same. Being opposite of Mario can only help.
 
dalemurphy said:
His combination of athleticism, strength, intelligence, and work ethic isn't something teams see very often from rookies.
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Honestly, he's got the magical combination. Those are keys to being successful undoubtedly. The only thing he lacks that I'm aware of is experience. Maybe instinct? How can we know at this early stage? I think the things you've highlighted here are absolutely IDEAL for success at this level. More over, I think experience is the LEAST important at this level IF you have a few key extra ingredients like COACHING and perhaps instinct. Does he have that? I don't know yet. Kollar seems to have a long resume. Is it an impressive one? I don't know exactly. From what I've read he has made a name for himself for getting alot out of less than ideal guys with high motors. Maybe he can do even more with a high motor guy who possesses that motor AND
dalemurphy said:
His combination of athleticism, strength, intelligence, and work ethic.
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I would guess that his instincts are very good if he was able to be successful at a new position so quickly.

I think he has the potential to be terrific. I sure would like to hold off getting crazy excited for 43 more days but I don't think I can.
 
I have been saying this since the draft, Barwin is the player I am most excited about. 7 sacks would be on the low end of estimates, I really think double digits are a possibility.
 
rmartin65 said:
I have been saying this since the draft, Barwin is the player I am most excited about. 7 sacks would be on the low end of estimates, I really think double digits are a possibility.
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I think double digits just playing 3rd downs and obvious passing situations is likely.
 
Practice, Combine, College Stats/Plays means nothing to me.

I hope he turns out to be a key part. Only real game snaps will sway me one way or another.
 
In Barwin the Texans got a very talented guy that they have the luxury of bringing along slowly. Mario's rookie season was lackluster because he was injured AND the coaches threw the playbook at him making him play everywhere on the DL all the time. We simply did not have enough talent to gradually ease him into the NFL. That sink or swim approach has caused many players to sink, lucky for us Mario is swimming like Michael Phelps.

Barwin has the luxury of having guys like Mario, Smith, and Bulman on the roster to allow him to gradually ease into the system and only get on the field when its likely he'll be most successful which is in pass rush situations. We got ourselves a high motor edge rusher who will get to pin his ears back and do what he does best...likely with one on one matchups because Mario will be commanding a double team :)
 
My favorite quote from him:

(on what he’s discovered in one day of practice) “That I’m good enough to play at this level. I know that I’m good enough. I always thought I was, but I came out here on day one a really proved it to myself.”

I love the confidence. Seems like a guy with a boat load of athleticism who's really taking this seriously. God-gifted talent + great work ethic usually = huge success, but I'm still taking the stance that he's going to take a couple years to become an impact pass rusher for us.
 
MojoMan said:
No, I think you are on track. If the conditions you mentioned are achieved, then 2-4 additional wins is a reasonable expectation. With a higher probability of 2 than 4.
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sadly, two more games might not get us into the playoffs.

From Barwin, I am hoping he gets double digits sacks. (Not likely, I know).

From the defense, I want a new team record, 37 sacks is the current mark. BTW that was the last year of Capers and we sucked as a team.
 
Fox said:
My favorite quote from him:

(on what he’s discovered in one day of practice) “That I’m good enough to play at this level. I know that I’m good enough. I always thought I was, but I came out here on day one a really proved it to myself.”

I love the confidence. Seems like a guy with a boat load of athleticism who's really taking this seriously. God-gifted talent + great work ethic usually = huge success, but I'm still taking the stance that he's going to take a couple years to become an impact pass rusher for us.
Click to expand...

I would hope not, in the FA era the NFL stands for "Not for long". We dont have the luxury of taking "years" to groom high round draft picks anymore. Not even at the QB position. Coaches will be fired and/or another high pick/high priced FA will take that players place.

Obviously "impact pass rusher" is a bit relative but i'm thinking if Barwin can be a 6-8 sack guy this year, 8-10 next year and a 10+ sack guy in the years to come he's an impact pass rusher for us opposite Super Mario.
 
TheRealJoker said:
Obviously "impact pass rusher" is a bit relative but i'm thinking if Barwin can be a 6-8 sack guy this year, 8-10 next year and a 10+ sack guy in the years to come he's an impact pass rusher for us opposite Super Mario.
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Yea I agree that's a pretty general term. I'd put my projection about a year behind yours; ie. 3-5 year one, 4-8 year two, and 6-10 per year afterwords.
 
dalemurphy said:
“I want to wear guys down. I try to be a high-energy guy. The technique stuff is stuff I need to work at, but I just keep going. It’s like a battle and a competition between me and him every single play. So I just try to battle him every single play and have more energy than him.” ... Connor Barwin, courtesy of HoustonTexans.com.

Kubiak also continues to attempt to subdue his own positive impressions of the guy:

“Like I said yesterday, he’s faster than everybody right now. I try to keep that in perspective because he should be. All these other guys have many days under their legs. He’s very strong for his frame, being a 265-pound guy. I love his work habits. He fits right in with our team.”


His combination of athleticism, strength, intelligence, and work ethic isn't something teams see very often from rookies. This guy is going to be a stud... and, I don't think we're going to have to wait long for it to happen either. One just doesn't often hear a rookie that hasn't even been preached at by his NFL organization ranting on about being "high-energy" every, single play.... not unless it's a guy drafted in the 7th round that is just trying to make a name on special teams.
Click to expand...

This man is wise. I am onboard with this prediction. I have a great feeling about Barwin, he's going to light it up.
 
I tend to be on the conservative side when doling out praise, but I really like Barwin. I believe he will be the heartbeat of the defense by the latter part of the season.

Guys that can play Football and Basketball at that level, and those that can change position over night, and excel, are the type of guys that have no time to bleed.

:lion:
 
Mario 18 sacks AO 7 sacks AS 7 sacks CB 8-9 sacks

This is my prediction for the sacks the front 4 gets.

Barwin- 265 LBS and a 4.47 40 doesn't grow on trees.
 
dalemurphy said:
Well, on defense, we should jump more than 5 spots in a lot of categories:

sacks
turnovers
3rd down percentage
QB pressures
the Texan Chick efficiency rating thing that she talks about on her blog
Click to expand...

TCeff = #Beers/#tailgate parties*points scored/points surrendered?
 
steelbtexan said:
Mario 18 sacks AO 7 sacks AS 7 sacks CB 8-9 sacks

This is my prediction for the sacks the front 4 gets.

Barwin- 265 LBS and a 4.47 40 doesn't grow on trees.
Click to expand...

Mario 12-18, AO 3.5-7.5, AS 6-10, CB 6-10 is reasonable...its tough to judge sacks because sometimes the guy getting the sack isn't the guy who deserved it he just gets lucky cause he's freed up
 
To me, sack #s can be kinda inflated.....as long as we are getting CONSTANT PRESSURE and are CONSISTENTLY forcing bad throws I'll be happy with the Dline.
 
Sacks are great but the defense has to be able to stop the run too. I know Barwin will be used mainly on passing downs but I hope he's good at reading and stopping the run also. :d:
 
dalemurphy said:
Kubiak also continues to attempt to subdue his own positive impressions of the guy:

“Like I said yesterday, he’s faster than everybody right now. I try to keep that in perspective because he should be. All these other guys have many days under their legs.
Click to expand...
Oh and one other little thing Coach, your 30 best players weren't even on the field. Remember they're inside pumping iron, you gave them the week off. So compared to the other rooks and the bench-warmers Barwin looks good. I would hope so !
Lets try to keep things in perspective here guys befor we annoint Barwin as a bona fide Hall-of-fame candidate, OK ? Maybe like wait until the pads go on and he has atleast one live intrasquad scrimmage in August ?
 
nunusguy said:
Oh and one other little thing Coach, your 30 best players weren't even on the field. Remember they're inside pumping iron, you gave them the week off. So compared to the other rooks and the bench-warmers Barwin looks good. I would hope so !
Lets try to keep things in perspective here guys befor we annoint Barwin as a bona fide Hall-of-fame candidate, OK ? Maybe like wait until the pads go on and he has atleast one live intrasquad scrimmage in August ?
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It's a prediction! You can't discredit a prediction by arguing that there isn't enough information to know if it will happen. You can disagree if you'd like. But, you don't really add much by restating the current set of circumstances and then saying the prediction may not come true.

If you want to add something, why don't you explain why you think he won't be a good or great NFL player. Or, even better, start a new thread entitled: "A bucket of cold water and a list of things that may not happen in the future".... That would be a riveting read!
 
It's hard for me to get excited about guys (especially small market school guys who faced lesser competition) until they are in pads, hitting each other.
 
I'm cautiously optimistic :texflag:

seems to have all the tools they we're looking for size (almost 6-4 with excellent wingspan 34") quick hands/feet & explosive first step a trait of exceptional atheltes that have success as NFL DE's.
 
steelbtexan said:
Mario 18 sacks AO 7 sacks AS 7 sacks CB 8-9 sacks

This is my prediction for the sacks the front 4 gets.

Barwin- 265 LBS and a 4.47 40 doesn't grow on trees.
Click to expand...

Thats already 41 sacks, which would alone put us in the top 6 of defenses last year. Not to mention any of the sacks we get from other DL, LBs, DBs, etc. I dont think we become the top sack producing team just like that...
 
Vinny said:
It's hard for me to get excited about guys (especially small market school guys who faced lesser competition) until they are in pads, hitting each other.
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This, plus the fact he's only had 2 practices with the team. Like Kubiak said, he's going to look quicker by having fresh legs.

I know the Koolaid tends to flow a bit more freely during the off-season, but I'll hold off until TC and a couple preseason games for my first glass. Especially on the defensive side of the ball.

:texflag:
 
dalemurphy said:
It's a prediction! You can't discredit a prediction by arguing that there isn't enough information to know if it will happen. You can disagree if you'd like. But, you don't really add much by restating the current set of circumstances and then saying the prediction may not come true.

If you want to add something, why don't you explain why you think he won't be a good or great NFL player. Or, even better, start a new thread entitled: "A bucket of cold water and a list of things that may not happen in the future".... That would be a riveting read!
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Hey, the Barwin pick is my favorite pick in the Texans draft, and as a fan I'm anxious to see how much he can help us ? But what you're doing is what's commonly known as an exercise in wishful thinking, or an expression of hope more than it is a prediction. And if it somehow is a prediction, it certainly isn't a reasoned prediction by any stretch of the imagination. So at the risk of sounding a bit sarcastic, dream on, but I'm gonna have to see atleast a couple of August exhibition games before I'm ready to make any "prediction" about Connor Barwins NFL future.
 
nunusguy said:
Hey, the Barwin pick is my favorite pick in the Texans draft, and as a fan I'm anxious to see how much he can help us ? But what you're doing is what's commonly known as an exercise in wishful thinking, or an expression of hope more than it is a prediction. And if it somehow is a prediction, it certainly isn't a reasoned prediction by any stretch of the imagination. So at the risk of sounding a bit sarcastic, dream on, but I'm gonna have to see atleast a couple of August exhibition games before I'm ready to make any "prediction" about Connor Barwins NFL future.
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You may not agree with my reasoning, but it is based on reasoning. As I said in my initial post, he has a combination of attributes that I believe to be quite rare among NFL rookies. I wish all the draft picks succeed. I have no rooting interest with Barwin over any other Texan. Still, I am singling him out because of what I have seen and heard about him.
 
Thorn said:
Baring some unfortunate luck, our defense should be at least 5 to 7 spots higher in the ranking list this year. If our offense, at a very minimum, stays the same, the improvement in the defense could get us those three extra wins that will nudge us into the playoffs.

Or am I just being a homer? LOL
Click to expand...
You aren't being a homer at all as a matter of fact you must have been reading my mind because I posted almost the samething in another thread recently. The D was ranked 22nd last season I think if they get into the top 10 or 15 and the O stays ranked third as it is or higher as in second or first then Houston would have one hell of a football team. Matt must stay on the on the field as well. Houston has bright things ahead regarding their football team. Gary's rope here as head coach of the Houston Texans isn't long but it isn't short either just like every other coach in the NFL if Houston does not start moving along I hope they do though because I like Gary and would like him to stick around for awhile as head coach. GO TEXANS
 
Good post. Glad to see people starting to have a positive outlook on Barwin instead of dubbing him "Jason Babin 2.0" just for the hell of it.
 
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