What do you think about the O-line?

I really believe in keeping continuity on the O-line....

That said, I think they can be improved a bit without too much of a disruption. I think when we play teams with really good pass rushes we tend to struggle a bit early in games when the opposing D-line is still fresh.

I like Duane at LT...He struggled against the Colts in the second game but if I'm not mistaken that was his first game back. Winston struggled a lot of times last year and he really struggled against the Colts at their house.

I really like Butler but I don't know if he wants to come back here or what the situation is. He may want to be a starter. I actually think he'd make a better RT than Winston.

One thing I'd really like to see is for them to move Winston to RG and let Butler start at RT. I think that would work out well...It'd also give us some good competition for the LG and C spots. I liked how Meyers and Smith played last year, but good competition is never a bad thing. At the very least we'd have some good depth in Caldwell and Briesel.

But what do you all think that we should do in regards to the O-line? Fine as is? could be improved?

I think all of our line can improve, but I want to keep all of them the same from year to year as much as possible. In my opinion depth is the key right now.

Rey said:

I really believe in keeping continuity on the O-line....

That said, I think they can be improved a bit without too much of a disruption. I think when we play teams with really good pass rushes we tend to struggle a bit early in games when the opposing D-line is still fresh.

I like Duane at LT...He struggled against the Colts in the second game but if I'm not mistaken that was his first game back. Winston struggled a lot of times last year and he really struggled against the Colts at their house.

I really like Butler but I don't know if he wants to come back here or what the situation is. He may want to be a starter. I actually think he'd make a better RT than Winston.

One thing I'd really like to see is for them to move Winston to RG and let Butler start at RT. I think that would work out well...It'd also give us some good competition for the LG and C spots. I liked how Meyers and Smith played last year, but good competition is never a bad thing. At the very least we'd have some good depth in Caldwell and Briesel.

But what do you all think that we should do in regards to the O-line? Fine as is? could be improved?

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You can always and should always continue to strive to improve every year so yes, I think they can improve. More in the pass protection though since they did help pave the way for Foster to rush for over 1,600 yards. But the pass protection was shaky at times last year.

We had a fairly decent offense last year, and I expect we'll improve a tad this year if for no other reason than Tate. The O-line is above average, and will probably still this year be nothing more than above average. But that's good enough if the defense shows up. They do need more debth, but this year's draft was for the defense and needed to be.

Duane Brown - I think he's the best o-lineman on the team. Better as a run blocker than a pass blocker. But, he's good enough to keep Schaub from being killed.

Eric Winston - Somewhat overrated. A good, not great run blocker. Usually, an OK pass blocker. But he seems to have brain cramps and either hesitate or take bad steps a few times a game. And that gets Schaub hit. I don't think he has the leverage to play on the inside at guard, so I don't know where these constant suggestions come from. Winston's just a RT who is not very instinctive.

Wade Smith - Another lineman who's better in the running game than the passing game. Still, a very good fit for the Texans ZBS, and one of Rick Smith's better FA acquisitions.

Mike Brisiel - An overacheiver who gets by with smarts and hustle. I wish you could put Briesel's instincts in Winston's body. A self made player who you try to replace, but can't because his effort and instincts are so good.

Greg Myers - Myers is a finesse blocker who is smart and somewhat athletic. He can be overpowered, and that hurts against the bigger, physical teams. However, the AFC South is loaded with quick DTs. So Myers is a very good matchup inside the division.

Antoine Caldwell - Not as athletic as portrayed coming out of the draft. Not very powerful, either. Caldwell should have been able to beat Brisiel out of a job, by now. Looking like just another guy.

Rashad Butler - Exposed as a RT only during Duane Brown's 4 game suspension. Just not having enough time on the field may be Butler's biggest problem, as he's lacking instincts more than athletic ability. Strictly a backup and not a guy you want in the starting lineup for long.

Kasey Studdard - Is he still on the team? Yikes!

Shelley Smith - From Colorado State. Anything else we need to know?

The Texans have been extraordinary fortunate 2 of the past 3 seasons, injury wise on the o-line. They need a swing tackle, as Butler isn't worth giving much more than a one year contract. Caldwell is an OK backup on the interior. My concerns surround Schaub's propensity to hold on to the ball too long (for this line) rather than looking for a safety valve, and the inability to get a push in the run game against the more physical defensive fronts.

I think the Texans should look in free agency for an upgrade at swing tackle. But, they need to spend so much $$$ on the defensive side, I'm not sure that can happen. Bottom line is that the Texans o-line is good enough to produce points in the regular season, but could struggle in the postseason.
Hopefully, the Texans make the playoffs this season, then prove me
wrong.

Thorn said:

We had a fairly decent offense last year, and I expect we'll improve a tad this year if for no other reason than Tate. The O-line is above average, and will probably still this year be nothing more than above average. But that's good enough if the defense shows up. They do need more debth, but this year's draft was for the defense and needed to be.

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If Tate shows up big time that'll help but the biggest help to this offense will be some turnovers from the defense and not having to go 80+ yards every drive to score a TD. I don't have the stats but they had to have the worst starting position in the league last year.

Lucky said:

Rashad Butler - Exposed as a RT only during Duane Brown's 4 game suspension. Just not having enough time on the field may be Butler's biggest problem, as he's lacking instincts more than athletic ability. Strictly a backup and not a guy you want in the starting lineup for long.

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That's interesting...

I thought Butler did pretty good last year...especially for a guy that hadn't seen any significant game action for pretty much his whole career...Playing out there on an Island against teams best pass rushers...

Maybe his lack of instincts that you noticed has more to do with him not playing much and being a little hesitant/rusty...

nytexan said:

If Tate shows up big time that'll help but the biggest help to this offense will be some turnovers from the defense and not having to go 80+ yards every drive to score a TD. I don't have the stats but they had to have the worst starting position in the league last year.

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The special teams doing a better job of helping us win the field position battle would also have an impact on this. The coverage teams play into this somewhat, but it's the return teams who most need to be improve over last year - and not just marginally, but significantly.

Nice analysis, Lucky.

Eric Winston - Somewhat overrated. A good, not great run blocker. Usually, an OK pass blocker. But he seems to have brain cramps and either hesitate or take bad steps a few times a game. And that gets Schaub hit. I don't think he has the leverage to play on the inside at guard, so I don't know where these constant suggestions come from. Winston's just a RT who is not very instinctive.

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This seems to be his biggest problem. The D man goes one direction and he goes the other for a split second............enough that the the man beats him........or he finds himself at an angle where he loses all leverage. He does not seem to play his size. It would be nice to move him to RG so that he has a semblance of a "safety" on either side in case his brain cramp kicks in.

ChampionTexan said:

The special teams doing a better job of helping us win the field position battle would also have an impact on this. The coverage teams play into this somewhat, but it's the return teams who most need to be improve over last year - and not just marginally, but significantly.

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Because of the new kickoff rules, we won't need a premiere kick returner because most KOs will probably result in a touch back. We need to make sure we have a dang good punt returner. And yes, the coverage team this year needs to take away the red carpet.

If we are not getting better, we're getting worse.

But I don't believe we need to add new people to get better. The majority of the 5 are better, much better at run blocking than pass blocking. Ass such, we need to focus on the running game.

We did a fine job in 2010, but there were a few times when we neede to run, and couldn't.

If the OLine can improve on their performance from 2010, & Ben Tate can add additional explosiveness out of the backfield, I think our run game will keep the "pass rushers" at bay to allow our passing game to be as prolific as ever.

The OL is good enough to win football games but there is always room to improve so maybe look for some decent free agents for depth purposes.