Joppru Hurt Again!!

TEXANS84 · May 16, 2005

Friday the 13th passed without incident, but tight end Bennie Joppru's run of bad luck reared its head again just three days later.

Joppru went down Monday during the Texans' first coaching session of 2005. The former second-round pick made a cut on a pass route during a non-contact drill and was helped off the field by the training staff.

"I've seen Bennie out here during our off-season work over the past two months running the same kind of routes," head coach Dom Capers said. "It's just one of those things. He planted his foot to make a cut and the next thing I know he went down. We'll not jump to any conclusions. We'll wait to see what the doctor's diagnosis is and go from there."

Joppru, the 41st overall selection in the 2003 draft, has spent the past two seasons on injured reserve with a groin injury.

"He's probably over the last three years had as tough a luck as anybody. But that's part of this game. It's just unfortunate."

LINK

Texizgreat · May 16, 2005

What does the TE market look like at this Point? :bomb:

Blake · May 16, 2005

Lets wait to hear what the doctors say. But this is something I did not want to talk about.

D-ReK · May 16, 2005

Wow, just wow :brickwall ...

Hervoyel · May 16, 2005

IMO Enough. I just don't see any point in continuing this. Assuming of course that we're talking about an injury similar in scope to what he's dealt with over the past two years.

If it's a "stubbed toe" or something minor then that's entirely different. If he's done something major though I say this has gone on long enough.

Nawzer · May 16, 2005

Wow! I won't say it's all over for Bennie but we sure could've used him. I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed and wait and see what happens, but if he's out again it's a definite blow to our offense.

Hottoddie · May 16, 2005

Texizgreat said:
What does the TE market look like at this Point?

Bubba Franks is still out there. :deadhorse

THEFUTURE · May 16, 2005

its only a sprain, please let it only be a sprain, you think we feel bad as fans that joppru is hurt, think about how bad Bennie feels right now, and has been feeling, this has to be 10 times harder for him than anyone of us, the guy is a football player, and would be a solid one, he just cant seem to get past this problem

LikeABoss · May 16, 2005

Hottoddie said:
Bubba Franks is still out there.

.............................

WWJD · May 16, 2005

He seems to have chronic injury problems. Too bad.

nunusguy · May 16, 2005

"helped off the field by the training staff."
That is not the least bit encouraging. Guys can often limp off the field under their own power with a minor type leg injury. How much bad fortune does one guy have to have before he catchs a stretch of good luck ?

gtexan02 · May 16, 2005

Honestly, if he can hurt himself out of 2 seasons and then do it again on his first practice back, how could he possibly withstand any hits in the nfl? one tackle and he'd shatter like the people in those gatorade commercials. this is ridiculous, lets move on.

Porky · May 16, 2005

Charley Casserly's to do list - May 16th, 2005:

8:00 am - Drop off laundry at cleaners
8:30 - Monster Truck Rally on SpikeTV
9:00 - Surf the web for scantily clad females
11:00 - Play Everquest, and try to level up one
noon - Lunch with Shaune Bagwell. Make request to see advertising
1:30 - Watch TIVO'd version of Desperate Housewives
3:00 - Tony Danza. What else?
4:00 - Challenge David Carr to a duel of "running around in circles" as fast as you can to perpare for the upcoming season
4:30 - Nap
5:00 - go home

New Item for to do list April 22nd, 2006: Get a friggin TE who isn't old, can't block, or doesn't get injured everytime he plays tiddly winks.
:goodnight

gwallaia · May 16, 2005

At least he was'nt popping a wheelie on a motorcycle when the injury happened.

Lucky · May 16, 2005

UFA Tight Ends (Franks is a transition tag FA):
Ken Dilger
Cameron Cleeland
Jay Riemersma
Rickey Dudley

I have no preference. But the Texans need a body at the position. Before you jump on the Texans for not drafting a TE, remember that this was considered an unusually weak TE class. Only 10 TEs were selected, the lowest total since 1980.

titan hater · May 16, 2005

What type of sprain is it? Groin, Knee, Hammy,...? :goodnight

texansfan1974 · May 16, 2005

ALLS I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT BENNIE FLOPPRUS INJURY IS DOH!!!!! :homer:

Joe Texan · May 16, 2005

Little more sucurity for Billy Miller, The tight end with the most touchdown catches in the tight end corps for the texans.

nunusguy · May 16, 2005

Lucky said:
Before you jump on the Texans for not drafting a TE, remember that this was considered an unusually weak TE class. Only 10 TEs were selected, the lowest total since 1980.

Right, but are their really 10 teams that have more issues and uncertainty at
TE than us ? I doubt it.
I dunno...this is the thing that bothers about some of the decisions that Cass
makes - I think over the long term PB is a wise move to replace Glenn, but Glenn probably had another year or two of mileage left. Instead of picking up
PB (or someone like him right now), keep Glenn and use that 2 and 3 this year to get a TE and a top tier center/guard out of the Draft instead of taking only one OL draft pick including TE and that is just a second day pick
at that.

throwANDREtheBALL · May 16, 2005

Why don't we wait for the June 1 cuts..............maybe we'll get lucky ?

And this wouldn't have been such a big deal if we'd signed an all-around tight-end instead of Mark "over the hill" Bruener. What was Casserly thinking ?

He had no way of seeing how injury prone Joppru would be, but, he did know that Bruener couldn't catch..........so what was he thinking ? Why didn't we get a TE that could block and CATCH when we had the chance ?

OH BROTHER!

LikeABoss · May 16, 2005

I know Bubba Franks is in the transition phase, but isn't Green Bay in some kind of salary cap problem? Javon Walker is holding out because he wants a new deal, but didn't Green Bay had to release a good core of veteran players to get under the cap? If we make an offer for Franks, Green Bay probably wouldn't match it, and we wouldn't have to give up any picks because he is not a restricted free agent.

titan hater · May 16, 2005

nunusguy said:
Right, but are their really 10 teams that have more issues and uncertainty at
TE than us ? I doubt it.
I dunno...this is the thing that bothers about some of the decisions that Cass
makes - I think over the long term PB is a wise move to replace Glenn, but Glenn probably had another year or two of mileage left. Instead of picking up
PB (or someone like him right now), keep Glenn and use that 2 and 3 this year to get a TE and a top tier center/guard out of the Draft instead of taking only one OL draft pick including TE and that is just a second day pick
at that.

Good point...What TE would you have picked up? What Guard / Center?

SESupergenius · May 16, 2005

Get use to the "unfortunate events" because they could not have been "forseen". It's going to be a looooooonnnnnggggg season.

nunusguy · May 16, 2005

titan hater said:
Good point...What TE would you have picked up? What Guard / Center?

Somebody like Bass or another elite center/guard in the 2nd round. A guy like Bass is just not a long term replacement for McKinney or Weigert, he is atleast a near term upgrade for McKinney. The 5 th rounder we got is a backup.As far as TEs, I think that 2 or 3 were taking in the 3rd round. I mean this whole thing about Carr's effectiveness and well, health, is predicated on solidifying the TE position as well as the interior of the OL. And as Carr goes, hey, so goes the entire offense.

jacquescas · May 16, 2005

in the 6th round when we picked S Ceandris Brown, we could have easily selected TE Joel Dreessen who was still on the board at that time.

6'4", 260, 4.69 in the 40.

Strengths: Has adequate size and above average speed. Is a tough, competitive and experienced player. Is instinctive. Knows how to get off the LOS as a receiver and will do a good job of finding soft spots in zone coverage. He has excellent hands. Rarely drops a pass he should catch, shows the ability to catch over his head, and plucks the ball well on the run. Is a tough runner after the catch. Gets upfield quickly, has a little bit of burst, and will lower his shoulder and run over some DB's. Is a solid blocker in space. Has good upper body strength and is a tough fist-fighter type that will consistently get in position and work to finish. Also a consistent long-snapper.

Weaknesses: Has some durability concerns after abdominal injury in 2003. Has adequate but not great size. Is a better blocker in space than he is in-line. Lacks ideal lower body strength. Has some trouble matching up against bigger DE's. Doesn't get consistent enough push in the running game and has some trouble sustaining his blocks at times. Has adequate-to-good athletic ability but is not great in either area. Has the speed to stretch the middle of the field but lacks ideal COD skills and run-after-catch elusiveness.

Overall: Dreessen has been a starter since his redshirt freshman season in 2001. As a junior in 2003, he had 29 receptions for 323 yards and three touchdowns despite missing four games because of a severe lower abdominal strain. He returned healthy as a fulltime starter in 2004 and finished his senior season with 43 receptions for 427 yards and three TD's. Dreessen is very much an underrated prospect. He does lack elite size and elite athletic ability but he is at least adequate in both areas. He needs to improve his lower body strength and improve his in-line blocking skills but he has the size and upper body strength to match up in space as a blocker in the NFL. He also is a solid route runner with above average speed and outstanding hands. Dreessen has the potential to develop into a fulltime starter in the NFL and he has the character and work ethic to get the most out of his abilities. His potential to long-snap at the next level will also help him on draft day. There's a good chance that Dreessen will slip to the third round of the upcoming draft. If that's the case, we think he'll wind up becoming a "steal" at that point.

* Player biographies are provided by Scouts Inc.

i mean this guy was still on the board in the 6th round. i dont know why he slipped so far but i'd rather have him cheap than some saftey who might now see the field.

UberDork · May 16, 2005

Sounds to me we almost have to make a push for Franks. We will probably have to overpay, but if Joppru is out, we are in serious trouble at TE. Franks seems like the only viable option at the moment.

Dime · May 16, 2005

:fatladysings: Sigh

Lucky · May 16, 2005

nunusguy said:
...As far as TEs, I think that 2 or 3 were taking in the 3rd round...

There were 2 TEs selected in the 3rd round. The other Alex Smith, out of Stanford, taken 2 picks ahead of the Texans by Tampa at #71. And Kevin Everett out of Miami (FL), taken by the Bills at #86. Everett injured his knee in the post draft rookie camp & is lost for the season.

Meisterman · May 16, 2005

If this is a serious injury....will Charlie finally have to use the "B" word for Bennie Jobdu? :confused:

ccdude730 · May 16, 2005

throwANDREtheBALL said:
Why don't we wait for the June 1 cuts..............maybe we'll get lucky ?

And this wouldn't have been such a big deal if we'd signed an all-around tight-end instead of Mark "over the hill" Bruener. What was Casserly thinking ?

He had no way of seeing how injury prone Joppru would be, but, he did know that Bruener couldn't catch..........so what was he thinking ? Why didn't we get a TE that could block and CATCH when we had the chance ?

OH BROTHER!

we shouldnt have to hope to "get lucky" in order to fix our offense. and i happen to think a good TE would fix a great deal of our problems.

mark bruener wasnt brought in to catch passes, he was brought in to block since our blocking TE the previous season (seth wand) was moving to LT. did you watch preseason when he caught that pass and had to have 5 people to tackle him. or the jets game where he opened that HUGE hole for DD - even though it got called back. he came in for a specific job and i think he did just fine. dont bust his you know what because he didnt make us a top 10 offense.

look at the bright side - at least he knows the whole playbook :rolleyes:

joppru needs to get better and get on the field :hairpull:

edo783 · May 16, 2005

Just said on the ESPN790 show that it was a right knee. No word on severity. Hold your breath.

Fiddy · May 16, 2005

This sucks. Everyone pray.

But more importantly, is Buchanan trying to break Andre Johnson's back?

THEFUTURE · May 16, 2005

edo783 said:
Just said on the ESPN790 show that it was a right knee. No word on severity. Hold your breath.

maybe a knee sprain, or something... as long as nothing is torn im happy, as long as when the season comes around he can compete for some time, and hopefully bust into the starting position

Paragon Blue · May 16, 2005

it looks like AJ is trying to do the worm.

El Tejano · May 16, 2005

Well Capers did say for the past two months he was down here making the same cuts and nothing's happened. Maybe it is something that can take a couple of days or weeks to heal. If it can happen now, and be good the rest of the year then we're okay.

Bayern · May 16, 2005

Haha AJ doing the worm!

Joppru will be fine guys, don't be so negative. He probably just pulled something and they are being extra cautious. :ouch:

Texans Pride · May 16, 2005

I think it is time to say "Thank you for your services" and cut our losses. This guy has been injured every year. It doesn't matter how good of a football player he CAN be when he can't even make it to the preseason!

This is very frustrating! :goodnight

DRIFTAWAY · May 16, 2005

El Tejano said:
Well Capers did say for the past two months he was down here making the same cuts and nothing's happened. Maybe it is something that can take a couple of days or weeks to heal. If it can happen now, and be good the rest of the year then we're okay.

Are we really "okay"? If this guy ever makes it on a practice field let alone a game we still don't know what to expect from him.

keyfro · May 16, 2005

you know no one has mentioned this so i will...this thought entered my head last year at this time when bennie got hurt but i didn't say anything but now three years in a row i will...bennie's injuries are related to that of steriod use...weakened tendons, etc...has anyone else thought of the possibility that joppru might be using roids...the nfl testing policy is hard to surpass but that's when you are on the active roster...bennie never has been...there really isn't a policy in place for non-active players...and why should there be...i think given his injuries maybe it's time to start questioning him about this...he could be using them to try and get back to level with the rest of the competition...i know they said it's his knee...maybe it's just light sprain and no big deal...but if it's his acl or mcl or whatever...we probabaly need to seriously look for another TE

Texas_Thrill · May 16, 2005

I don't think we should have drafted a TE not saying we don't need one but i wasn't crazy about any of them coming out and i think our more pressing need was OL.

As far as bennie goes I think this is just one of those cases where an athletes body wont cooperate and it never will. We just can't count on him.

Fiddy · May 16, 2005

Texans Pride said:
I think it is time to say "Thank you for your services" and cut our losses.

What services has he preformed??? Carrying Billy Miller's pads and helmet is the only thing I can think of...

nunusguy · May 16, 2005

Here's the story out of the Chronicle.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3184586

SESupergenius · May 16, 2005

SNAKEBIT! Joppru Boselli.

Texans | Joppru Injury Update - from www.KFFL.com
Mon, 16 May 2005 17:31:30 -0700

Updating a previous story, ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reports the injured suffered by Houston Texans TE Bennie Joppru (knee) appears to be a torn ACL. If confirmed, Joppru would likely be sidelined for a third straight season. Joppru will undergo an MRI exam Tuesday, May 17.

281 · May 16, 2005

SESupergenius said:
Updating a previous story, ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reports the injured suffered by Houston Texans TE Bennie Joppru (knee) appears to be a torn ACL. If confirmed, Joppru would likely be sidelined for a third straight season. Joppru will undergo an MRI exam Tuesday, May 17.

:brickwall My god... Well, just when I had hope, poof. :brickwall

D-ReK · May 16, 2005

Let's hope Casserly makes a deal for Bubba Franks...He's the best TE left on the market, and it's pretty obvious Joppru is never going to play a down for us...

texan279 · May 16, 2005

How soon can can we get Franks in here? Seriously, Joppru's career could be over before it even started...

Lucky · May 16, 2005

texan279 said:
How soon can can we get Franks in here?...

Franks is a transition tag FA, so he can sign an offer sheet with any team until July 22. The Packers would then have 7 days to match the offer. If they don't match, no compensation is given.

I was all for the Texans pursuing Peter Boulware. Now, I think the cap room would be served on Franks. So I was for the Boulware signing...until I was against it. I now have empathy for John Kerry.

STEEL BLUE TEXANS · May 16, 2005

Please sign Franks. Our TE situation is very depressing now.

TopTexanFan16 · May 16, 2005

hhhmmm that would be an awesome sight.....bubba franks in a texans uniform. this could be a sweet deal but eh im not sure i think it will happen. IMO

LBblitz · May 16, 2005

Lucky said:
So I was for the Boulware signing...until I was against it. I now have empathy for John Kerry.

hahaha

I am for us getting franks now even more than I was before. He has the ability to block and catch :drool:

. He can take a lot of pressure off our WRs like he did in GB(ferguson, walker, and driver flourished with him there). I really wouldnt mind paying a little more for him to make sure we land him.

He could really help our redzone scoring percentage.

Joppru Hurt Again!!

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