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Texans' DLine going Lean & Mean

I

IDEXAN

Hall of Fame
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Hoping to create a more effective pass rush, the Texans' defensive line will have a new, slimmer look this season.

The Texans ranked 25th in the league in 2009 with just 30 sacks. The four starting defensive lineman — ends Antonio Smith and Mario Williams and tackles Amobi Okoye and Shaun Cody — combined for 151/2 of those sacks.
But reporting to organized team activities this week, each of the four starters had shed a significant amount of weight. All told, they lost a whopping 59 pounds. Leading the way was right tackle Amobi Okoye, who lost 32 pounds by conditioning twice a day in Katy with his younger sister during his time off.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/7011653.html
 
OK...this has me a bit concerned. Is this "we just got more athletic and faster" smaller or "Jason Giambi it musta been something I ate in Japan" smaller.


Amobi losing 32 pounds by working out with his baby sister in Katy...seriously? The official team site has him at 296 and nfl.com at 315. Is he in the 266-285 range. Jeez.
 
I'd say that Okoyes loss of 32 pounds is extreme. What does that put him at,
'bout 275 or lower ? I for sure like lighter and quicker, but if he's this light he might be almost too small to play inside for rushing-defense ?
 
Kubiak said after the first day of OTAs that Amobi had lost about 15 lbs and had weighed in at 286 lbs. Not sure where the writer got 32 lbs. He indicated this was Amobi's initiative because he was more comfortable playing lighter and that they were not going to let him get much if any lighter.
 
infantrycak said:
Kubiak said after the first day of OTAs that Amobi had lost about 15 lbs and had weighed in at 286 lbs. Not sure where the writer got 32 lbs. He indicated this was Amobi's initiative because he was more comfortable playing lighter and that they were not going to let him get much if any lighter.
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He was listed at 315 last year. So almost 30lbs in a year. Personally, I don't think he was ever 315. If he was, it wasn't for long.
 
HOU-TEX said:
He was listed at 315 last year. So almost 30lbs in a year. Personally, I don't think he was ever 315. If he was, it wasn't for long.
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Kinda funny that this was mentioned Sunday . Okoye played in the Senior Bowl at ... i think ... 289 . He was a terror because of his quickness and made his money that week .
 
Honoring Earl 34 said:
Kinda funny that this was mentioned Sunday . Okoye played in the Senior Bowl at ... i think ... 289 . He was a terror because of his quickness and made his money that week .
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Well, I hope it helps him. I think he and Cody were decent against the run most of last season and I wouldn't want to risk a drop in performance in the run game for an extra sack or two.

Hopefully that doesn't happen
 
If Okaye dropping weight means he's trying to become an Antonio Smith clone then I'm for it. As much as I'd like to burn on him for being overweight (315? Not even....) I really admire him for getting slim and trying SOMETHING to live up to his draft stature.
 
HOU-TEX said:
Well, I hope it helps him. I think he and Cody were decent against the run most of last season and I wouldn't want to risk a drop in performance in the run game for an extra sack or two.

Hopefully that doesn't happen
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Deljuan Robinson playing more on run downs wouldn't be a bad thing... Particularly, if a rested and explosive Okoye is rotating in on passing downs.
 
HOU-TEX said:
He was listed at 315 last year. So almost 30lbs in a year. Personally, I don't think he was ever 315. If he was, it wasn't for long.
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Honestly, I can believe that he was 315, because more than anything he seem to have lost quickness and probably wanted improve on getting pushed around. If my memory of his college is correct he lost weight before the season he broke out.
 
I don't believe the 315 lb figure. Doesn't pass the eyeball test. And what figures is the reporter using? If he started at 315 lbs he would need to be 283 now for 32 lbs lost not the 286 lbs reported by Kubiak.
 
Not a huge fan of the small but quick DL philosophy, however if we're gonna do it then we might as well go all-in towards that goal.

Texans try to mimic the Colts in every respect it looks like.
 
Dutchrudder said:
Everything except for that whole 'playoffs' thing... :(
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And dominating the division.

A few years ago someone posted a satire piece on the Texans where they predicted the record and the ystarted with 0-2 because of the Colts.

I said it was all funny and satire except for that, which was true, and got a negative rep for it with the comment "Any Given Sunday"

In retrospect, looks like I was right.


I would LOVE to destroy the Colts twice this year. Theyve domintaed the AFC South, and I'd love to mimic that
 
So it's sounding like he's in the 280s somewhere. Anyway that should make Okoye a handfull at 3-tech on third and long, but he's gonna get his azz shoved around on rushing downs. He already was at the previous, heavier weight, whatever it was.
 
Honoring Earl 34 said:
Kinda funny that this was mentioned Sunday . Okoye played in the Senior Bowl at ... i think ... 289 . He was a terror because of his quickness and made his money that week .
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Yes, but every armchair GM knows that every DT must be at least 315 lbs to be worth a damn.

He always played better at a smaller weight because of his athleticism. That's what made him so good. Then he gets to the NFL where everybody is convinced you must be 300 lbs to play DT. Not true.
 
WolverineFan said:
Yes, but every armchair GM knows that every DT must be at least 315 lbs to be worth a damn.

He always played better at a smaller weight because of his athleticism. That's what made him so good. Then he gets to the NFL where everybody is convinced you must be 300 lbs to play DT. Not true.
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Nah, I don't want Amobi Ok0ye to be 300+ lbs. I'm perfectly OK with him being 286 and I think he'll be a better player because of it. I just happen to think he'd be an even better player if he had a 320 lb. immovable object playing right next to him. The Texans disagree.
 
I would much rather see Okoye at 286 lbs. I think that is his optimal playing weight. 283lbs is way too light. This extra 3 lbs is what is seperating him from stardom and bustville. He'll have just the right amount of strength and speed. At 283 he's much too weak to take on the 310lb O-linemen. He might do okay against the linemen that weigh about 308lbs but that's about it, at best. It's really quite simple. If he plays at 286, he will get at least 6 sacks next season. 283? 2 sacks, at best.

:dangit:
 
Ole Miss Texan said:
I would much rather see Okoye at 286 lbs. I think that is his optimal playing weight. 283lbs is way too light. This extra 3 lbs is what is seperating him from stardom and bustville. He'll have just the right amount of strength and speed. At 283 he's much too weak to take on the 310lb O-linemen. He might do okay against the linemen that weigh about 308lbs but that's about it, at best. It's really quite simple. If he plays at 286, he will get at least 6 sacks next season. 283? 2 sacks, at best.

:dangit:
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I don't agree with your numbers. You are a pound under on every one of them, except the obvious one that is inexplicably a pound over.
 
Lets get Amobi down to the 250 range and let him play a mythical position that keeps him away from the football game.
 
Could Okoye's low stats be due to the scheme we run? I haven't been able to focus in on the Texans defensive line but from what I remember watching one time is that every player on the d-line has a gap that there responsible for and there goal is to keep the linemen off of our linebackers.

Is this true, if not what scheme do we run? Anyway we can implement what the Bucs did and let Okoye run loose like Warren Sapp?
 
I think he needs to eat a quarter pounder. If he eats a Big Mac, he will only get 2 sacks. If he doesn't eat, he will die. If he eats a QPer with cheese, we're going to the Superbowl. make it a diet coke.

If he eats a salad, he will weigh less than Cushing.

WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT, LOL. :)
 
Maybe if he eats a salad, he can play SAM for 4 games and then eat a Big Mac with a nice, fat, run-inducing, prune-juiced, high fructose corn syrupy Dr. Pepper....supersized.

I love those (fart).
 
WolverineFan said:
Yes, but every armchair GM knows that every DT must be at least 315 lbs to be worth a damn.

He always played better at a smaller weight because of his athleticism. That's what made him so good. Then he gets to the NFL where everybody is convinced you must be 300 lbs to play DT. Not true.
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eriadoc said:
Nah, I don't want Amobi Ok0ye to be 300+ lbs. I'm perfectly OK with him being 286 and I think he'll be a better player because of it. I just happen to think he'd be an even better player if he had a 320 lb. immovable object playing right next to him. The Texans disagree.
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He played his entire senior year at 302-305. If anything, you usually go up in the NFL from college. In the NFL, 286 would be better served as a paper weight than an inside DL.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
He played his entire senior year at 302-305. If anything, you usually go up in the NFL from college. In the NFL, 286 would be better served as a paper weight than an inside DL.
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Eh, I don't think I've ever really bought the 300+ claim for him. Regardless, my overriding point was that I think he'd be a better DT as the agile, quick, athletic type if he had a behemoth eating up space next to him. I could be wrong, but nothing the Texans have done yet dissuades me from that opinion.
 
eriadoc said:
Eh, I don't think I've ever really bought the 300+ claim for him. Regardless, my overriding point was that I think he'd be a better DT as the agile, quick, athletic type if he had a behemoth eating up space next to him. I could be wrong, but nothing the Texans have done yet dissuades me from that opinion.
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That would certainly be worth a try..........but Okam is the only behemoth available. I wish he would wake up. Unfortunately, during many plays you're wondering if he's wondering what he should do.:gun:
 
Fact is, based on what i've seen, that in order to maintain effectiveness against the run, you've gotta have that big john henderson type eating space next to your svelte, penetrating DT. Without that, you're expecting a lot out of your linebacking corps. We've got the personnel back there to handle it with 2 probowl linebackers, but those first 4 games with adibi and diles on the field at the same time will be a chore, especially with Dallas' stable of runningbacks, and the Redskins have every back in the league that's running on fumes. No doubt a couple of those guys still have some big games left in them.
 
Earl Mitchell is checking in at 295, and will probably put on some mass to bring him to 305-310. If he refines his skill and is the quick one-gap DT he was drafted to be, does that make Okoye obsolete?
 
jred76 said:
Fact is, based on what i've seen, that in order to maintain effectiveness against the run, you've gotta have that big john henderson type eating space next to your svelte, penetrating DT. Without that, you're expecting a lot out of your linebacking corps. We've got the personnel back there to handle it with 2 probowl linebackers, but those first 4 games with adibi and diles on the field at the same time will be a chore, especially with Dallas' stable of runningbacks, and the Redskins have every back in the league that's running on fumes. No doubt a couple of those guys still have some big games left in them.
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A couple of years ago I looked at a bunch of starting DT's from around the NFL and most of the DT's for 4-3 teams were around the same weight range that ours were at.

Big DT's like Frank Okam were generally back ups on 4-3 teams and a lot of teams that ran the 4-3 didn't have DT's that big at all.

I normally found DT's that big to belong to 3-4 teams.

The fact is, if our line is going to play the kind of defense that Frank Bush wants and the kind of defense that Bill Kollar teaches (which is an up the field gap penetrating style), they need to have energy and mobility.

For those wanting that big huge run plugging DT, I would say that it probably isn't going to happen unless he is a freak of nature. I am saying this based on the style of defense we play.

Also, as a side note, Demeco isn't that small...Zach Diles is pretty stout, and Cushing is nice size as well. When you play the type of defense we play, you definitely have to have LB's that are good at shedding blocks/not getting blocked in the first place.
 
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Rey said:
A couple of years ago I looked at a bunch of starting DT's from around the NFL and most of the DT's for 4-3 teams were around the same weight range that ours were at.

Big DT's like Frank Okam were generally back ups on 4-3 teams and a lot of teams that ran the 4-3 didn't have DT's that big at all.

I normally found DT's that big to belong to 3-4 teams.

The fact is, if our line is going to play the kind of defense that Frank Bush wants and the kind of defense that Bill Kollar teaches (which is an up the field gap penetrating style), they need to have energy and mobility.

For those wanting that big huge run plugging DT, I would say that it probably isn't going to happen unless he is a freak of nature. I am saying this based on the style of defense we play.

Also, as a side note, Demeco isn't that small...Zach Diles is pretty stout, and Cushing is nice size as well. When you play the type of defense we play, you definitely have to have LB's that are good at shedding blocks/not getting blocked in the first place.
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Good points. People tend to underestimate the difficulty of adjusting to the NFL for DT. Who was the last 4-3 DT that came out and made a difference not only as a rookie, but then continued it afterwards?
 
HJam72 said:
I think he needs to eat a quarter pounder. If he eats a Big Mac, he will only get 2 sacks. If he doesn't eat, he will die. If he eats a QPer with cheese, we're going to the Superbowl. make it a diet coke.

If he eats a salad, he will weigh less than Cushing.

WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT, LOL. :)
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ROYAL WITH CHEESE!

royal_w_cheese_1.jpg


or a LA BIG MAC!
 
Ole Miss Texan said:
I would much rather see Okoye at 286 lbs. I think that is his optimal playing weight. 283lbs is way too light. This extra 3 lbs is what is seperating him from stardom and bustville. He'll have just the right amount of strength and speed. At 283 he's much too weak to take on the 310lb O-linemen. He might do okay against the linemen that weigh about 308lbs but that's about it, at best. It's really quite simple. If he plays at 286, he will get at least 6 sacks next season. 283? 2 sacks, at best.

:dangit:
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The Texans are definitely looking for that type of DT. Malcolm Sheppard played in a tough SEC at a similar size, 6'2" 285#. If he translates into an NFL DT at that weight, Malcolm could could be a legitimate consideration in the mix........possibly that "diamond in the rough that everyone looks for.

2009 Season
2009 All-SEC Second Team (Coaches). Sheppard ranks tied for 94th in the nation in tackles for loss (.92) and is tied for 10th in the SEC in tackles for loss. Arkansas' leader in tackles for loss (11.0-39) and is tied for third in sacks (2.5-19), he had multi-tackle games in nine of 12 contests in 2009. Sheppard currently ranks tied for third on Arkansas' career tackles for loss list with 37.0 for 130 yards. Preseason, he was named to the Bednarik, Bronko Nagurski, Lombardi and Outland Trophy Watch Lists and was first-team preseason All-SEC (Birmingham News) and second-team preseason All-SEC (media, coaches).

2008 Season
Started all 12 games at defensive tackle and was named to the All-SEC second team by the coaches and AP. He was also a third-team honoree by Phil Steele. Finished the season as the second-leading tackler on the squad with 68 stops. He also led the team in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (14.5 for a loss of 56 yards). He ranked second in the SEC with 1.33 tackles for loss per game and third in the league in sacks (0.62 per game). Led the Razorbacks in quarterback hurries with 12 and forced fumbles (2).
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This might sound stupid, but what if we put barwin and mario on the ends, and put smith and amobi inside?
 
Grforces said:
This might sound stupid, but what if we put barwin and mario on the ends, and put smith and amobi inside?
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That's usually the front in nickel or passing situations. Certainly not stupid. I guess the question could be, should the Texans start out in a front that has Barwin at RDE and Smith on the inside? Versus pass first teams (like the Colts), I say why not. If the Colts are running the ball, they're doing you a favor. The more pressure Manning sees, the better chances you have to win the game.
 
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