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Lets talk about these rookies!

dalemurphy

dalemurphy

Hall of Fame
Even without getting to see Cushing, I think it's clear that this is a pretty amazing draft class. There was a lot to be excited about with these guys.

Connor Barwin - Man, the guy is a great athlete. Clearly, he will be a major asset for us on passing downs. LZ and Harris had some great things to say about him on their postgame podcast at chron.com/sports. He's quick, fast, and explosive and definitely has a nose for making plays- he got his hands on a ball and almost on a couple others. ON his sack, he gave a good swipe at the ball while rapping of Cassel as well. And, if you read his postgame quotes on houstontexans.com, he talks a lot about needing to play faster than he did yesterday and without so much hesitation.

Caldwell - at RG, I he always engaged his man and I didn't seem him get badly beaten once. Also, he was able to move some guys and also was pretty good at executing cuts. In the second quarter (maybe the 3rd) he cut his man to the ground which openned up the lane for a 15 yard run and when the RB (Moats, I think) was tackled, Caldwell was downfield looking to lay another block on a safety... pretty impressive that he cut a man down, got up, and got downfield in time to be part of the play.

Quin/ McCain - It was hard to see much from them on the TV. That being said, it's a good sign that they weren't being thrown on. McCain looked pretty good in run support, I thought.

Anthony Hill - Looked athletic and made some very good blocks in the run game. I noticed a couple plays where he was able to get accross the face of a defender and seal him (hook block?).

James Casey - WOW! steal! great catch and he was amazing on special teams.


It's early but this draft could compete with our '06 draft as the best in franchise history.
 
dalemurphy said:
It's early but this draft could compete with our '06 draft as the best in franchise history.
Click to expand...

Can't disagree with that. I'm really impressed with Barwin and Casey. And we haven't even seen what Cushing can do yet. Hats off to Smith and Kubiac for a good draft. :)
 
So is it OK if we dispense with the Jason Babin comparisons now?

:winky:
 
Marcus said:
So is it OK if we dispense with the Jason Babin comparisons now?

:winky:
Click to expand...

Nope. Talk to me in a real game, when teams are showing real offenses and it means something. Lets not go head over heels for a preseason opener. Didn't everybody here love that jacoby jones after the preseason?
 
Marcus said:
So is it OK if we dispense with the Jason Babin comparisons now?

:winky:
Click to expand...
What are you talking about, they're both white guys and Michigan natives which practically makes them indenticle twins, right ?
Seriously, Babin II was impressive and I even saw enough versatility there to make him a full-time DE at some point in time. But for right now I'll settle for a solid complement to Mario in the nickle and he looked like he's on his way to filling that void on the team based upon the way he got that sack on the
Chiefs starting OLT.
 
Maybe it's because it's been about 8 months since I've seen a Texan make a sack, I thought Barwin was downright glorious on that one play. Little shoulder dip and a head fake to go with it and Albert completely looked to the inside only to get his doors blown off. Guy looks pretty damn fast off the stunt too.

Caldwell looked good for a rookie, we'd be picking him apart more if this was his 7th or 8th preseason game.

Casey had a great 1 hander and solid ST play. I really want to see him and Dreesen compete for that 2nd receiving TE spot. Dreesen also had great play last night but this thread is for rooks.

I couldn't really put my finger on any of the DB's besides Pittman little end of the game INT.
 
dalemurphy said:
Even without getting to see Cushing, I think it's clear that this is a pretty amazing draft class. There was a lot to be excited about with these guys.

Connor Barwin - Man, the guy is a great athlete. Clearly, he will be a major asset for us on passing downs. LZ and Harris had some great things to say about him on their postgame podcast at chron.com/sports. He's quick, fast, and explosive and definitely has a nose for making plays- he got his hands on a ball and almost on a couple others. ON his sack, he gave a good swipe at the ball while rapping of Cassel as well. And, if you read his postgame quotes on houstontexans.com, he talks a lot about needing to play faster than he did yesterday and without so much hesitation.

Caldwell - at RG, I he always engaged his man and I didn't seem him get badly beaten once. Also, he was able to move some guys and also was pretty good at executing cuts. In the second quarter (maybe the 3rd) he cut his man to the ground which openned up the lane for a 15 yard run and when the RB (Moats, I think) was tackled, Caldwell was downfield looking to lay another block on a safety... pretty impressive that he cut a man down, got up, and got downfield in time to be part of the play.

Quin/ McCain - It was hard to see much from them on the TV. That being said, it's a good sign that they weren't being thrown on. McCain looked pretty good in run support, I thought.

Anthony Hill - Looked athletic and made some very good blocks in the run game. I noticed a couple plays where he was able to get accross the face of a defender and seal him (hook block?).

James Casey - WOW! steal! great catch and he was amazing on special teams.


It's early but this draft could compete with our '06 draft as the best in franchise history.
Click to expand...


I was particularly jazzed about that Caldwell play you referred to -- he was all the way down field looking for more guys to hit on that run play, very awesome to see. I can't help but I think our corners looked great but they were covering pretty bad receivers and Dwayne Bowe got his when he was put in the game.
 
Kubiak
(on C Antoine Caldwell) "Inconsistent but, he shows flashes of what we drafted. He played guard and he played center so that makes it difficult on him. We just have to find some consistency in him and what he's doing. It's not a lack of effort; it's just a lot of things going on with him right now learning two spots."
 
76Texan said:
Kubiak
(on C Antoine Caldwell) "Inconsistent but, he shows flashes of what we drafted. He played guard and he played center so that makes it difficult on him. We just have to find some consistency in him and what he's doing. It's not a lack of effort; it's just a lot of things going on with him right now learning two spots."
Click to expand...
It is good that Caldwell is getting time at C/G but I wished he could get reps in games at guard rest of TC. I think Myers will be the starter at center and WHite did not show me a reason not to be the #2. As a rookie, Caldwell probably would do better concentrating on guard only and then both positions later.
 
badboy said:
It is good that Caldwell is getting time at C/G but I wished he could get reps in games at guard rest of TC. I think Myers will be the starter at center and WHite did not show me a reason not to be the #2. As a rookie, Caldwell probably would do better concentrating on guard only and then both positions later.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree with you more!
 
badboy said:
It is good that Caldwell is getting time at C/G but I wished he could get reps in games at guard rest of TC. I think Myers will be the starter at center and WHite did not show me a reason not to be the #2. As a rookie, Caldwell probably would do better concentrating on guard only and then both positions later.
Click to expand...

I disagree, I would concentrate on OC. Why? It's the harder of the two positions mentally. So you accelerating his growth by forcing the tougher position on him. He can handle it, IMO.
 
painekiller said:
I disagree, I would concentrate on OC. Why? It's the harder of the two positions mentally. So you accelerating his growth by forcing the tougher position on him. He can handle it, IMO.
Click to expand...

The coaches seem to agree with you.

I don't see the need for fastracking though.
Unless he is slated to be the backup Center instead of White.

Perhaps, they want to see how fast he can adapt.
They might change course if they decide that it's too much for him.
 
dalemurphy said:
Even without getting to see Cushing, I think it's clear that this is a pretty amazing draft class. There was a lot to be excited about with these guys.

Connor Barwin - Man, the guy is a great athlete. Clearly, he will be a major asset for us on passing downs. LZ and Harris had some great things to say about him on their postgame podcast at chron.com/sports. He's quick, fast, and explosive and definitely has a nose for making plays- he got his hands on a ball and almost on a couple others. ON his sack, he gave a good swipe at the ball while rapping of Cassel as well. And, if you read his postgame quotes on houstontexans.com, he talks a lot about needing to play faster than he did yesterday and without so much hesitation.

Caldwell - at RG, I he always engaged his man and I didn't seem him get badly beaten once. Also, he was able to move some guys and also was pretty good at executing cuts. In the second quarter (maybe the 3rd) he cut his man to the ground which openned up the lane for a 15 yard run and when the RB (Moats, I think) was tackled, Caldwell was downfield looking to lay another block on a safety... pretty impressive that he cut a man down, got up, and got downfield in time to be part of the play.

Quin/ McCain - It was hard to see much from them on the TV. That being said, it's a good sign that they weren't being thrown on. McCain looked pretty good in run support, I thought.

Anthony Hill - Looked athletic and made some very good blocks in the run game. I noticed a couple plays where he was able to get accross the face of a defender and seal him (hook block?).

James Casey - WOW! steal! great catch and he was amazing on special teams.


It's early but this draft could compete with our '06 draft as the best in franchise history.
Click to expand...

IDK. Mario, Ryans, OD, Winston, DA, and Spencer were a pretty good group of players. Sucks about Spencer. It'll take a prety good career by this group to out shine that draft. If you add K. Walter, sice we gave up a pick for him, very good.
 
BigBull17 said:
IDK. Mario, Ryans, OD, Winston, DA, and Spencer were a pretty good group of players. Sucks about Spencer. It'll take a prety good career by this group to out shine that draft. If you add K. Walter, sice we gave up a pick for him, very good.
Click to expand...

'06 WAS a VERY good draft. '09 appears to be a pretty good one, also. Isn't it nice to have a GM and HC on the same page? DC and CC are just a bad dream, fading to black.Her'es to picking 32 in 2010. :shots:
 
I didn't see the Casey catch that everybody is talking about.

Oh well. Maybe he'll make some more plays in the next few games. I'll definitely be watching for it.
 
I had a big poop-eatin' grin on my face after Barwin's sack. Visions of sacks dancing in my head and all. Let's hope we see more of it.

Those who thing this draft could rival 06's draft...I hope we're arguing years from now which year was better. That's a debate I'd love to have on our hands.

FOOTBALL IS HERE, Y'ALL!!!
 
GP said:
I didn't see the Casey catch that everybody is talking about.

Oh well. Maybe he'll make some more plays in the next few games. I'll definitely be watching for it.
Click to expand...
It was spectacular!

GIF worthy. Can anyone make a motion GIF of the catch?
 
DocBar said:
'06 WAS a VERY good draft. '09 appears to be a pretty good one, also. Isn't it nice to have a GM and HC on the same page? DC and CC are just a bad dream, fading to black.Her'es to picking 32 in 2010. :shots:
Click to expand...

I should mention, too, that I think last year's draft will stack up pretty darn nicely also. I am feeling very good about Duane Brown. Obviously Slaton was a home run. Also, we can count 1/2 Matt Schaub and Chris Myers in that draft. I think this board may be raving about Molden in a couple weeks. Okam, all of a sudden, has me excited as well. Xavier Adibi and Dominique Barber could both be starting for an improved defense as well.

It could be that we are one of the most talented and youngest teams in the NFL. My optimism for this season is quickly being replaced by confidence. I may get out of hand with some bold predictions if we don't look bad against the Saints this week... I just need to apologize in advance for raising everyone's expectation levels around here to unprecedented levels! Some of you should probably stopping reading my posts, because I'm about to go HOMER-CRAZY!
 
76Texan said:
The coaches seem to agree with you.

I don't see the need for fastracking though.
Unless he is slated to be the backup Center instead of White.

Perhaps, they want to see how fast he can adapt.
They might change course if they decide that it's too much for him.
Click to expand...

Well, it looks like they have changed course, for now!

Kubiak (on playing C Chris White, G Kasey Studdard and C Antoine Caldwell) "We'll go the same way. Caldwell's got a lot on his plate right now. He played center and guard in the game. We may settle him down a little this week where he just plays guard, let (C Brett) Helms go in and play, but he's got to be able to do those things if he's going to be one of our suiters on game day. Kasey and Chris played very well in the game. They're starting to play like they're starters in this league, and that's good for us."
 
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