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Wade's vision for our defense, as per our current personnel

nero THE zero

nero THE zero

All Pro
Essentially, he feels this way about our current players:

Antonio Smith -- DE (DT in nickel packages)
Mario Williams -- DE
Shaun Cody -- NT
Earl Mitchell -- NT

Connor Barwin -- OLB (DE in nickel packages)
DeMeco Ryans -- ILB
Brian Cushing -- ILB/OLB
Mark Anderson -- OLB
Tim Jamison -- OLB

Amobi Okoye -- DT in nickel packages

This was probably the most interesting quote from the article, for me:
“Anybody who says the Texans don’t have the players to play on the nose is wrong,” Phillips said. “I’ve only seen them on film, but I think Cody and Mitchell can play on the nose. From what I saw, both of them had good years.

“It helps to have a good player on the nose. Everywhere I’ve gone except Buffalo — where I took Ted Washington with me — they’ve had a player on the roster we turned into a pretty good nose.”
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Also, of note, is that we've probably seen the last starting line-up featuring Amobi Okoye. From the sounds of it, if he makes the roster it will be in a situational role.
 
Does this mean we'll go after Jason Babin in the offseason? Even trade with Amobi for Babin? :stirpot:
 
nero THE zero said:
Essentially, he feels this way about our current players:

Antonio Smith -- DE (DT in nickel packages)
Mario Williams -- DE
Shaun Cody -- NT
Earl Mitchell -- NT *Could play DE in a 3-4 IMO*

Connor Barwin -- OLB (DE in nickel packages)
DeMeco Ryans -- ILB
Brian Cushing -- ILB/OLB
Mark Anderson -- OLB
Tim Jamison -- OLB

Amobi Okoye -- DT in nickel packages
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I have no problem with Cody and or Mitchell playing nose tackle, only if they gain some weight (315-lbs should be good enough). Tim Jamison may have to loose some weight and learn some pass-rushing moves, but he should be a solid OLB as he has a non-stop motor.

I would really like to get rid of Amobi Okoye and trade him to a team looking for a young DT to develop in exchange for draft picks or an unknown player we could develop as an OLB.
 
nero THE zero said:
Essentially, he feels this way about our current players:

Antonio Smith -- DE (DT in nickel packages)
Mario Williams -- DE
Shaun Cody -- NT
Earl Mitchell -- NT

Connor Barwin -- OLB (DE in nickel packages)
DeMeco Ryans -- ILB
Brian Cushing -- ILB/OLB
Mark Anderson -- OLB
Tim Jamison -- OLB

Amobi Okoye -- DT in nickel packages

This was probably the most interesting quote from the article, for me:


Also, of note, is that we've probably seen the last starting line-up featuring Amobi Okoye. From the sounds of it, if he makes the roster it will be in a situational role.
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That looks like a most disappointing defensive front.
 
HuttoKarl said:
That looks like a most disappointing defensive front.
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If you read deeper into the article, we're not STARTING Jamison or Anderson at OLB. Wade says he wants to try them out at OLB. More likely you'll see:

Antonio Smith -- DE (DT in nickel packages)
Mario Williams -- DE
Shaun Cody/Earl Mitchell -- NT
Amobi Okoye -- DT in nickel packages

Connor Barwin -- OLB (DE in nickel packages)
DeMeco Ryans -- ILB
Sharpton/Diles/Adibi -- ILB
Brian Cushing -- OLB

That, to me, looks like a pretty formidable front 7.
 
He says that but im sure he will try and wheel and deal maybe even get some of his players from Dallas and other places plus the Draft
 
Very interesting. I'm excited about all of this, I really am.

Amobi Okoye - I understand he has underwhelmed us from him being the #10 overall pick but he's not a bad player. Having Okoye as a backup (assuming he fits well in the scheme) would be awesome. Despite what many people think, his contract right now is fairly friendly. And I doubt he'll be getting a huge starter caliber contract when he becomes a FA in 2013. So why not have an above average backup???
 
I love the fact that he has an ACTUAL view on our players already, sounds to me like he has a clear plan and knows exactly what's needed to make it work.

Then again I could be horribly wrong, but until we lose another game I'm high on positivity! :)
 
That's a hell of a list in that article of players Wade has coached.

Is it the chicken or the egg?

Did those good players make his system successful,
or did was it his system that was good, and allowed the players to succeed?
 
Why am i suddenly reminded of Gary Kubiak assuring Bob McNair he can turn David Carr into a good quarterback so he can get the job?

The vision i really wanna know about from Wade is how he plans to make our secondary respectible.
 
michaelm said:
That's a hell of a list in that article of players Wade has coached.

Is it the chicken or the egg?

Did those good players make his system successful,
or did was it his system that was good, and allowed the players to succeed?
Click to expand...

Considering everywhere he went to be the DC had one of the worst defenses in the league and in one year turned them all around in a year says its the system
 
michaelm said:
That's a hell of a list in that article of players Wade has coached.

Is it the chicken or the egg?

Did those good players make his system successful,
or did was it his system that was good, and allowed the players to succeed?
Click to expand...

powda said:
Why am i suddenly reminded of Gary Kubiak assuring Bob McNair he can turn David Carr into a good quarterback so he can get the job?

The vision i really wanna know about from Wade is how he plans to make our secondary respectible.
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Carr was NEVER good. We have players on defense that we already KNOW are good (Ryans, Cushing, Williams, Smith, Barwin)

It doesn't matter if it's the chicken or the egg. We have both.
 
DerekLee1 said:
Carr was NEVER good. We have players on defense that we already KNOW are good (Ryans, Cushing, Williams, Smith, Barwin)
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Thats not the point of the analogy. If Kubiak said he couldnt turn Carr into a solid quarterback lots of people feel he wouldnt have gotten the job.

If Wade Phillips said he couldnt make our players work in a 3-4 defense do you think he would've gotten the job?
 
I believe the Texans have good 3-4 personnel at DE, OLB & ILB but, we are woefully inept at NT. Anybody remember how the Oilers defense really solidified once they got Curly Culp at NT? To have a good 3-4 defense you need an above average guy at NT. To have an excellent 3-4 defense you need a great guy at NT. We don't have anyone close to that at this point. I would like to think the team would go out and address the situation either thru free agency or draft or both however, nothing about the teams past FA activity suggests they would be a player for an impact NT or an impact FA at any position. Remember, we still have the same guys running our draft & FA. Here is how we might expect this year's draft to look:

1- Best available TE.
2- Best available TE.
3- Best available TE.
4- OG.
5- Kick Returner.
6- DB.
7- QB.

And I'm only using mild :sarcasm:
 
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powda said:
Thats not the point of the analogy. If Kubiak said he couldnt turn Carr into a solid quarterback lots of people feel he wouldnt have gotten the job.

If Wade Phillips said he couldnt make our players work in a 3-4 defense do you think he would've gotten the job?
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We don't know what was said in the interviews; we can only assume. BUT Wade has experience in the 4-3, 3-4 and 46 defenses. I think if he truly felt we didn't have the personnel for a pure 3-4, he'd be running a 4-3 or hybrid system.
 
Our front 7 played solid for most of the year. At times the defensive line and linebackers were almost dominant (See - Baltimore blitzs, and mike vick getting his a** kicked by our front 7.)

i understand a pass rush helps the pass defense greatly----------but...

At some point we need corners who can cover. Dont try and talk me into another season of Wilson, Pollard, Quin, Allen, and Jackson. I'm not buying...
 
maddogmrb said:
I would like to think the team would go out and address the situation either thru free agency or draft or both however, nothing about the teams past FA activity suggests they would be a player for an impact NT or an impact FA at any position. Remember, we still have the same guys running our draft & FA. Here is how we might expect this year's draft to look:
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McNair did state that he went with the decision of the defensive coaches in stating that our young secondary could get the job done. Whether he was simply throwing the guys under the bus I don't know.

Vinnie said:
Pass rush
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Uh oh...them's fightin' words around here, man! :kitten:
 
With Ryans' health in question and Cushing's GAME in question...they really need to find an answer or two in the draft at LB, specifically ILB. Perhaps Anderson or Jamison can fit the bill to bookend Barwin, I mean there's no sense in not trying but really...Cushing is the guy on the other side of Barwin for me, with Ryans (if healthy) and a pickup in the middle. I'd rather find a big, probably slower, powerful LB to take up some of the space Cody/Mitchell won't than another guy like Barwin or Cushing. Regardless of Cushing's positioning or Ryans' health, another LB MUST be acquired. The point of having 4 LBers on the field is that you have 4 good LBers.

Uh.....
Ryans-We'll see I suppose. Achilles injuries don't sound like skipping through a breezy pasture.
Cushing-We need 400 mg's of juice, STAT!
Barwin-Probably fits the OLB passrusher bill. PROBABLY. Probably? Probably.
Diles? Fart. Adibi? Shart. Sharpton?

If 2/3 of your DL is MW and Antonio, probably doin just fine there. Even if Cody is the NT. Yeah, a big fatass would be nice but LBer is hurting for another guy to show up and be an answer, not a question or a liability to cover.

Speaking of liabilities and cover(age)....what about the secondary? You know....the black, vaccumous, swirling hole we get to watch! Do you resign Pollard's all attitude/no skillz? It's nice when it works and it's ****ing horrendous when it doesn't. How about Wilson? If you bring him back please, PLEASE, somebody get the old man a cane. How about these corners? Are any of them worth anything? Quin is but where does he fit in? McCain I could take or leave Faggins v.2....Molden? Seriously, if you pay this guy, pay ME because at the very least I would get hurt trying knock somebody's head off. Or hell, pay me to knock MOLDEN'S head off, then you'll have a reason to cut him that won't make you feel so bad about drafting him.

JASON ALLEN?!?!?! BWAAAhahahahahaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah...nice of Wade to line up the front 7 for us, whenever you figure out the rubix cube of a secondary we got goin' here put out another article.
 
TheCD said:
McNair did state that he went with the decision of the defensive coaches in stating that our young secondary could get the job done. Whether he was simply throwing the guys under the bus I don't know.



Uh oh...them's fightin' words around here, man! :kitten:
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I think McNair was just being honest. He usually doesn't talk about things like that publicly and has been lambasted for it. This time he did point out whose bright idea it was, but he also owned the responsibility of the decision as a organization. I tend to think discussion internal decisions in detail comes across as throwing someone under the bus, which is why I don't mind them not doing it. I suspect he was tossing the fans a bone on this one, trying to explain why hiring a new DC is sufficient.

I also think McNair and the organization has learned their lesson about going so young and inexperienced, at least in the secondary. McNair has said so and Kubiak even stated that going young in the secondary was a decision he regrets.

Phillips will get personnel, McNair and Kubiak have already stated so. And the Texans already take coach input into personnel decisions. And I am sure Phillips, like the rest of humanity, knows of the horror that was the 2010 Houston Texans secondary.

It's not like they need to replace all 4 starters anyway. At most 3, probably 2 - safety and corner.
 
Malloy said:
I love the fact that he has an ACTUAL view on our players already, sounds to me like he has a clear plan and knows exactly what's needed to make it work.

Then again I could be horribly wrong, but until we lose another game I'm high on positivity! :)
Click to expand...

It's nice to hear tangible answers. he could turn out to be horribly wrong, but it's better than the non-answers we've gotten to questions for 5+ years.

Of course, once Wade gets used to the Houston media, we may get coach speak from him, too.
 
powda said:
Why am i suddenly reminded of Gary Kubiak assuring Bob McNair he can turn David Carr into a good quarterback so he can get the job?

The vision i really wanna know about from Wade is how he plans to make our secondary respectible.
Click to expand...

My thought as well. I hope this is what Gary and Bob meant when they said they would get him whoever he needs to be successful. I'm probably in the minority here but I DO BELIEVE they will do everything in their power to get him the players he wants/needs. I honestly believe 'the lights have come on'. *puts on full body armor* Bob specifically addressed needing to improve the secondary. I WANT TO BELIEVE! Show us Bob! :handshake:
 
maddogmrb said:
I believe the Texans have good 3-4 personnel at DE, OLB & ILB but, we are woefully inept at NT. Anybody remember how the Oilers defense really solidified once they got Curly Culp at NT? To have a good 3-4 defense you need an above average guy at NT. To have an excellent 3-4 defense you need a great guy at NT. We don't have anyone close to that at this point. I would like to think the team would go out and address the situation either thru free agency or draft or both however, nothing about the teams past FA activity suggests they would be a player for an impact NT or an impact FA at any position. Remember, we still have the same guys running our draft & FA. Here is how we might expect this year's draft to look:

1- Best available TE.
2- Best available TE.
3- Best available TE.
4- OG.
5- Kick Returner.
6- DB.
7- QB.

And I'm only using mild :sarcasm:
Click to expand...

See post above keeping in mind that Bob is the cheapest SOB owner to ever own a team (saving SH some keystrokes:kitten:). After all, he did just make Wade the highest paid DC in the league. Must have been a slip of the pen I'm sure.:hurrah:
 
MojoX said:
IPhillips will get personnel, McNair and Kubiak have already stated so. And the Texans already take coach input into personnel decisions. And I am sure Phillips, like the rest of humanity, knows of the horror that was the 2010 Houston Texans secondary.

It's not like they need to replace all 4 starters anyway. At most 3, probably 2 - safety and corner.
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The best thing about hiring him is he played our defense twice this year. He's got a nice grasp as to what was horribly wrong and I'm sure he was in on the offensive meetings where they schemed around our best players (Mario and DeMeco, and I'm sure Anotonio sees a lot of scheming as well). On top of this, I am fairly sure he knows what was so horribly wrong with our secondary since they chewed us up.

Once he starts working with the players he will know exactly where all the problems laid whether it be scheme or personnel. He will also be able to explain to the players exactly why they were carved up.
 
drs23 said:
See post above keeping in mind that Bob is the cheapest SOB owner to ever own a team (saving SH some keystrokes:kitten:). After all, he did just make Wade the highest paid DC in the league. Must have been a slip of the pen I'm sure.:hurrah:
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Do you know the numbers on his contract and comparisons around the league? Just curious really.

However he definitely isn't the cheapest in the league, I think the Bucs fall in that category (and look where that "cheap bastard owner" got them...)
 
TheCD said:
Do you know the numbers on his contract and comparisons around the league? Just curious really.

However he definitely isn't the cheapest in the league, I think the Bucs fall in that category (and look where that "cheap bastard owner" got them...)
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2.1 million over 3 years.
The Houston Texans announced that they have hired former Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips to be their new Defensive Coordinator. Phillips contract is reportedly worth $2.1 million over three years making him the highest paid D-Coordinator in the league.
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http://insidepulse.com/2011/01/06/n...hired-wade-phillips-as-defensive-coordinator/
 
TheCD said:
Do you know the numbers on his contract and comparisons around the league? Just curious really.

However he definitely isn't the cheapest in the league, I think the Bucs fall in that category (and look where that "cheap bastard owner" got them...)
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Don't forget the Patriots... cheap bastards. Now the Skins and Cowboys... now they know how to spend money!


But really, while he hasn't made a habit of doling out record setting contracts, McNair has opened his check book for Johnson, Ryans, Smith, Weaver, Carr, etc. Due to scouting problems, it just hasn't been money well spent.
 
Take this for what its worth, but my dad is close friends with a reporter who has alot of ties with Wade Phillips(not from Houston area), and talking to him, he said that the majority of the front 7 will work for next season, but the real changes need to be made in the secondary. Looks like everyone's jobs are in jeopardy.
 
With all the 3-4 vs 4-3 debate aside, I would really like to know what Wade plans to do about the Safety situation. If it's Pollard/Wilson again, I may very well vomit. I can only hope that we don't neglect any big names/interesting prospects that may make their way into FA. We need a veteran presence in the secondary. Going young was a major flop.
 
burro said:
With all the 3-4 vs 4-3 debate aside, I would really like to know what Wade plans to do about the Safety situation. If it's Pollard/Wilson again, I may very well vomit. I can only hope that we don't neglect any big names/interesting prospects that may make their way into FA. We need a veteran presence in the secondary. Going young was a major flop.
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Who do you have in mind?
 
infantrycak said:
Folks are focused on big names like Champ Bailey (and I wouldn't mind signing him) but Brent Grimes is someone we should make a hard run at. Eric Weddle might top the list of FA FS's.
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Bingo. Weddle would be an immediate improvement over anything that we have now.
 
powda said:
The vision i really wanna know about from Wade is how he plans to make our secondary respectible.
Click to expand...

We need better players in here, I don't know if I want any of those guys even as 2nd stringers.

What I like about the 3-4, especially a Wade Phillips 3-4, is the different looks he gives you. It's the reason Peyton is so unsuccessful against it.

It's like the anti-Bush defense.
 
infantrycak said:
Folks are focused on big names like Champ Bailey (and I wouldn't mind signing him) but Brent Grimes is someone we should make a hard run at. Eric Weddle might top the list of FA FS's.
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I like it, we could stick it to Atlanta a bit as well if we were able to steal Grimes from them. He was probably their best DB all year. Weddle would be great as well.
 
infantrycak said:
Folks are focused on big names like Champ Bailey (and I wouldn't mind signing him) but Brent Grimes is someone we should make a hard run at. Eric Weddle might top the list of FA FS's.
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Glad you mentioned Weddle, he's one of my favorite players to watch and would be an instant upgrade over what we currently have. Man, with this 3-4 I'm actually excited to see what Wade can do. We have an extra LB in Pollard and I can only imagine how well he would do as a blitzer.

We can get Cushing to play OLB in a similar role that he had at USC as the Elephant back which was basically a DE who stood up and played.
 
malloy said:
i love the fact that he has an actual view on our players already, sounds to me like he has a clear plan and knows exactly what's needed to make it work.

Then again i could be horribly wrong, but until we lose another game i'm high on positivity! :)
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+1

qft
 
My gut reaction is that Phillips didn't need to swallow to get the job. He has a good enough resume and a last name that is gold in Houston that says he doesn't have to. He could give an honest, but tactful, assessment of the personnel with out being scared. Phillips was gonna get a job in this league.

My biggest question is do we have too nice of a coaching staff? Players are scared to death of Belichick. They don't always like him, but they respect him and would charge the gates of hell with a bucket if ice water for him. Most examples of successful coaching staffs are that way. Buddy Ryan's players didn't always like him much, but he commanded respect and results. More often than not, he got them.
I say all this to point out that both Phillips and Kubiak are known to be laid back and easy going with players. Who do we have that's gonna grab a face mask and get in the grill of a player that doesn't perform? I don't mean on the practice field. I don't mean benching a player foe a quarter for missing a meeting. I mean during a game when they drop a pass, throw an interception or don't turn their bleeping head around to find the bleeping ball. We need that kind of accountability on this team from the coaching staff.
 
IMO, one of the most telling things that Wade said was that "We will fit the scheme to the players". What a concept.
 
edo783 said:
IMO, one of the most telling things that Wade said was that "We will fit the scheme to the players". What a concept.
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Wait! What? Is this some newfangled concept by those damn young whippersnappers? :foottap:
 
I didn't like Okoye ever since we drafted him. There were still plenty of quality players left in the draft, it was the first round. One of our worst first round picks beside David Carr.
 
Jrod7451 said:
I didn't like Okoye ever since we drafted him. There were still plenty of quality players left in the draft, it was the first round. One of our worst first round picks beside David Carr.
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Won't say I don't like him, but that pick really irked me and I've definitely not changed my mind.
 
DocBar said:
...Buddy Ryan's players didn't always like him much, but he commanded respect and results. More often than not, he got them.
I say all this to point out that both Phillips and Kubiak are known to be laid back and easy going with players. Who do we have that's gonna grab a face mask and get in the grill of a player that doesn't perform? ....
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Not calling you out, but just putting this interesting story out there from today's cronic:

Reeves impressed
"The first time I saw Wade coach was when (the Saints) came out to scrimmage (the Broncos) in Greeley, (Colo.)," Reeves said. "I already knew Bum from coming to Houston to play golf with him and our daughters had become good friends, but I didn't know Wade. I watched him run a drill between his linebackers and our running backs and was really impressed. I followed his career after that.

"He was working in Philadelphia when I needed a coordinator (in Denver), and he did a wonderful job for us. Same thing in Atlanta. He's such a great guy and just real easy to work with. He does an outstanding job of getting coaches to work together.

"I don't know anybody in the business who doesn't like and respect Wade Phillips."

Risking accusations of nepotism, Bum hired Wade when he was only 29 to coach the Oilers' linebackers for him in 1976. A year later, he took charge of a defensive line populated by the likes of future Hall-of-Famer Elvin Bethea, a Super Bowl ring winner in Curley Culp and the famous Smith brothers, Bubba and Tody.

That tough, intimidating bunch earned him his first NFL stripes and proved he had a future.

"When I found out I was moving to the defensive line," Phillips said, "my first thought was, 'Oh boy, now I've got to coach Curley Culp.' Curley hadn't spoken to me once the year before. I don't think he liked me."

But, after standing up to a recalcitrant Tody Smith one afternoon during practice, Wade won those men over. The next day, Tody Smith did what he was supposed to do, Phillips said, "because the other guys talked to him and told him to do it because I was right and it was the right thing for the team."

Bethea remembers Phillips fondly, saying: "Yeah, we were hard on him. Here he was this college kid - I don't think he even had hair on his legs - coming in and telling us what to do. 'Go here, go there. Do this, do that.' He was always coaching his (butt) off. I'd say, 'Wade, relax. Let us play. We'll be fine.' But he earned our respect. He's still my guy. I'm proud of what he's done, and I'm real happy he's coming back to Houston. He'll be good for the Texans.
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