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OK, overall, pleased or no?

badboy

badboy

Hall of Fame
I am one who can enjoy the game and then post weaknesses but over all were you pleased with the Texan team?

I was extremely pleased and can see this team getting better. Offense seemed to hit early which is a change and defense offered me hope it will be much better by game one.
 
I was very pleased with this game. I liked a lot of what I saw.

There are some HUGE issues we need to resolve but I think we've got the coaches to solve them.

Our defense may not be the greatest defense in the world in terms of yardage this year, but it might be pretty good in terms of points and turnovers. And if our defense can get a lot of turnovers, that's going to make our offense that much more potent.
 
I was hoping O would not lose ground but wanting to see defense continue to improve and was pleased with both. I do not want to overlok the quick start by the O.
 
I didn't like how we gave away two big plays for 50 yarders' almost.
- a touchdown on a 4th and long and a deep pass to Morgan, 2nd and 23, where the safeties where just watching him
 
Overall? Very pleased.

Obviously there were some glaring moments that need to be addressed in the film room, like the run d and some long balls given up.

But overall, you've got be feeling good as a Texan fan. For me, it was all about being reaffirmed that our strengths are still our strengths, and to be pleasantly surprised by players who are trying to prove themselves.

And because our offense was firing on all cylinders, and the fact that Tate and Reed left their mark on the field, I can't help but be confident moving forward.
 
Overall I'm happier than last week but still not satisfied. It was good to see the O playing well though I worry a little about the depth of the O-line due to injuries. The defense is a major concern. The secondary has gotten better than last year but that's not hard to do, but still not what I would consider good. The pass rush is better and their are individual players that offer hope for the future (Watt, Reed, etc...) but there are also players that offer legitimate reason for concern (Cushing, Ryans, Mario, Cody, Mitchell, and KJ) One thing is the same as last year though and that's the lack of consistency, you never know which Texans team will show up. We also seem to have more overall team speed than last year but still lack some size and toughness. It should be noted though that we've played 2 of the best O-lines in the NFL 2 weeks in a row. The Jets and the Saints both have great O-lines.


A word of caution to those that are tickled pink by the team, this is preseason and it doesn't mean a thing. All teams are running a vanilla defense. Judge a team and formulate an opinion after week 3 of the regular season. Still the improvement in the team is nice to see.
 
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The Pencil Neck said:
I was very pleased with this game. I liked a lot of what I saw.

There are some HUGE issues we need to resolve but I think we've got the coaches to solve them.

Our defense may not be the greatest defense in the world in terms of yardage this year, but it might be pretty good in terms of points and turnovers. And if our defense can get a lot of turnovers, that's going to make our offense that much more potent.
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The one thing that impresses me is that we have yet to see the defense with all its parts in place .... Both J Jo and Ryans missed todays game and they were still downright nasty.
 
I'm happy with the defensive results so far.

Last season was pure torture watching our secondary getting burned. This season, albeit a few plays, our secondary has improved by being in a position to make plays. Guys are swatting down balls rather than making isolation tackles.

Our front seven is getting good penetration. Hooray sack dance!

I just hope this carries over to the regular season.
 
Wolf6151 said:
Overall I'm happier than last week but still not satisfied. It was good to see the O playing well though I worry a little about the depth of the O-line due to injuries. The defense is a major concern. The secondary has gotten better than last year but that's not hard to do, but still not what I would consider good. The pass rush is better and their are individual players that offer hope for the future (Watt, Reed, etc...) but there are also players that offer legitimate reason for concern (Cushing, Ryans, Mario, Cody, Mitchell, and KJ) One thing is the same as last year though and that's the lack of consistency, you never know which Texans team will show up. We also seem to have more overall team speed than last year but still lack some size and toughness. It should be noted though that we've played 2 of the best O-lines in the NFL 2 weeks in a row. The Jets and the Saints both have great O-lines.


A word of caution to those that are tickled pink by the team, this is preseason and it doesn't mean a thing. All teams are running a vanilla defense. Judge a team and formulate an opinion after week 3 of the regular season. Still the improvement in the team is nice to see.
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So do we put you in the no column?

As for me an emphatic yes. The defense doesn't have to be top 5, middle of the pack will work for the team to be successful. However, they do need to work on the run D. Maybe getting Ryans back in the middle will help.

Overall the defense is attacking the offense and I love it.
 
After our 2nd preseseason game, I am left with the impression that we will have a better offense this year. Which is saying a lot because our offense was pretty darn good last year. I also think our defense will be better, but I can't really judge how much better. The (1st team) defense looked good in spots, then they would bet burned again.

If the Texans can somehow get past their consistant 5-7 start and mid season slump, they could have a shot at the playoffs this year. It really depends on the defense though. If Wade does what he's advertised to do, we might finally see a real football team under those Texan helmets.
 
Overall pleased, especially with our RB's and Brooks Reed, wow!

Matt 'incompletion' Leinart... not so much...
 
Yes!

This is only the second preseason game after an extremely short offseason with no OTA, mini-camps and 2 weeks to learn a new defense.

The defense was improved over last year in the first game and improved again in the second.

While we still may give up some big plays (most teams with very good defenses give up big plays at times) we sure do look a lot better. They don't look to give up after a big play but "suck it up" and make a play the next time.
The pressure on the QB has impoved and we are finally getting coverage sacks and incomplete passes with the pressure. The defense is getting take aways.

While there are still several areas the defense needs to improve - I think we can only get better as the year progresses.

The offense - well we all know we have a good offense. But with a healthy Tate added to the mixture - just wow.

I am glad this second game was against a playoff caliber offense - even though the starters only played the first half. Hopefully it gives the defense the confidence that they can play and play well against the "Big Boys".

:fans:

:koolaid::koolaid::koolaid::koolaid::koolaid:
 
The Pencil Neck said:
I was very pleased with this game. I liked a lot of what I saw.

There are some HUGE issues we need to resolve but I think we've got the coaches to solve them.

Our defense may not be the greatest defense in the world in terms of yardage this year, but it might be pretty good in terms of points and turnovers. And if our defense can get a lot of turnovers, that's going to make our offense that much more potent.
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It's the 2009 Saints team, I'm telling you... So many similarities, including mediocre seasons before the big boom.

Corrosion said:
The one thing that impresses me is that we have yet to see the defense with all its parts in place .... Both J Jo and Ryans missed todays game and they were still downright nasty.
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Very good point there. JJo expected to play next game? I think the improved D play will let the offense and Kubiak become more relaxed and not as if they have to carry the entire team.
 
I'm pleased that the first team played well when they were in the game. I know better than to make much of last night because after all its pre season. We have to remember the Lions had a 4-0 pre season a few years ago and they the preceded to go 0-16 in the regular season.
 
Cautiously optimistic. I was excited to see a decent pass rush. Brees had his timing off on several plays and he missed some short dump passes because of it.

Mario looked better on run defense than last week, but still not sure how he's gonna do with a 2 point stance. Our run defense overall leaves a lot to be desired. The middle seems to be pretty easy to exploit.

I didn't hear Kareem Jackson's name much, he seemed to be better on staying with his guy, but he still buys into too many fakes and doesn't have the speed to recover.

Overall defense caused 3 turnovers which I hope they can do in the real game.

I was hoping Braman would make more plays and squeak onto the team, but he wasn't nearly as good this week as he was last.
 
Wolf6151 said:
A word of caution to those that are tickled pink by the team, this is preseason and it doesn't mean a thing. All teams are running a vanilla defense. Judge a team and formulate an opinion after week 3 of the regular season. Still the improvement in the team is nice to see.
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This sums it up for me.
 
hradhak said:
I didn't hear Kareem Jackson's name much, he seemed to be better on staying with his guy, but he still buys into too many fakes and doesn't have the speed to recover.
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He allowed the Saints rookie WR to just blow by untouched and get deep on Manning. If he's coached to not bump the receiver at the line in cover 2, that's a problem. Looked like a mental lapse to me.

How can you not be happy with the starting offense's execution? And the defensive effort overall? The decision to go/stay small at NT is still questionable. The #2 CB (Jackson or Allen) is very questionable. The special teams are close to disturbing. Next week, Kubiak and Phillips put in an actual game plan and play the starters into the 2nd half. I'd like to see a dominant performance on both sides of the ball versus a mediocre Niners team.
 
Corrosion said:
The one thing that impresses me is that we have yet to see the defense with all its parts in place .... Both J Jo and Ryans missed todays game and they were still downright nasty.
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Hopefully its WP's system and not the players.:spit::brando:

Similar to how Kube's system can make good RBs great and great RBs into league leaders.

Overall, I was very pleased and very entertained!
 
texanscycle.jpg


Im just going to leave this here.....:jogger:
 
Overall, I'm pretty dang happy with how things look. I have concerns, like what it's going to look like with Chris Johnson or MJD running against us, but all in all, I'm cautiously revising my W's and L's to the good.
 
Overall definitely pleased. The Saints and Jets are both SB contenders and we beat both teams - preseason or not you have to be happy with that result.

Quick positives - The combo of Tate and Foster. Wow. Just WOW. These two have a chance (if healthy) to be one of the very best duos of all time. And how in the world did Foster go undrafted again? I mean the moves, vision, change of direction and speed of these two is incredible. I thought Priest Holmes was the cream of the crop of UDFA RBs, but Foster is easily better. He plays like a guy drafted in the top 5, and I know it's one game but Tate looked like a top 10 pick as well. Say what you will about Smithiak, but these two guys are grand slam picks. Still have to be concerned about Tate's durability though.

Schaub was spot on. What a difference having AJ and Foster makes. He was really, really good. Same can be said of AJ minus the one drop.

The 1st team oline was fantastic. A+ to all 5 guys. Granted, NO was very vanilla and we will see the crapola hit the blitz fan in game 3 but still - very good game as a group.

So far at least, the D reminds me a LOT of the 2009 Saints. They will give up some big plays, and more yardage then we will like on the ground...BUT, they will also create some of their own big plays, create many more TOs, sacks, etc. I wouldn't call it a bend but don't break - I would call it a big play defense - sometimes those plays will be our guys, and sometimes those plays will be the other guys. Still, this is a huge improvement.

All I've heard out of camp is Brooks Reed is not doing well. Well, if that's the case I hope he stinks every practice. For the second week in a row, the guy has flashed several times. He is going to wreak havoc for sure.

The not so good -

Ok Leinert is better than DanO. That's damning with faint praise. That's like saying Jimmy Carter is better than Obama. Matt L is Jimmy Carter right now. I was willing to give him a pass last week, but this is twice in a row that he has stunk. All I hear from camp is how good he looks. Yuck. He needs to pick it up in the next two.

OB27 - What's all the excitement about? He's JAG. I would be tempted to keep Slaton and go with 4 because Tate worries me health-wise. That would give us the most talented crop of RBs in the NFL imo, with very good depth. OB27 to the practice squad.

Other than the bat down, didn't see much out of Watt. Mario needs to play with his hand down. All they are doing is dragging out the inevitable. I notice that on pass plays, Reed was playing with his hand down. Why can't Mario do the same. Why do they insist on fitting a round peg into a square hole?

Last big Negative - ST. Joe M. Love the guy personally, but if he doesn't get these guys to play better and soon - he needs to hit the bricks. Both returns and coverage units are terrible. And I would keep the kid punter over the old man as well.

That about covers the high points. All in all, I was thrilled for a Preseason game, but they have much more work to do.
 
Porky said:
I notice that on pass plays, Reed was playing with his hand down. Why can't Mario do the same.
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He does. When the Texans go to a nickel defense, the OLBs move to DE and rush from a 3 point stance.
 
Porky said:
Overall definitely pleased. The Saints and Jets are both SB contenders and we beat both teams - preseason or not you have to be happy with that result.

Quick positives - The combo of Tate and Foster. Wow. Just WOW. These two have a chance (if healthy) to be one of the very best duos of all time. And how in the world did Foster go undrafted again? I mean the moves, vision, change of direction and speed of these two is incredible. I thought Priest Holmes was the cream of the crop of UDFA RBs, but Foster is easily better. He plays like a guy drafted in the top 5, and I know it's one game but Tate looked like a top 10 pick as well. Say what you will about Smithiak, but these two guys are grand slam picks. Still have to be concerned about Tate's durability though.
Schaub was spot on. What a difference having AJ and Foster makes. He was really, really good. Same can be said of AJ minus the one drop.

The 1st team oline was fantastic. A+ to all 5 guys. Granted, NO was very vanilla and we will see the crapola hit the blitz fan in game 3 but still - very good game as a group.

So far at least, the D reminds me a LOT of the 2009 Saints. They will give up some big plays, and more yardage then we will like on the ground...BUT, they will also create some of their own big plays, create many more TOs, sacks, etc. I wouldn't call it a bend but don't break - I would call it a big play defense - sometimes those plays will be our guys, and sometimes those plays will be the other guys. Still, this is a huge improvement.

All I've heard out of camp is Brooks Reed is not doing well. Well, if that's the case I hope he stinks every practice. For the second week in a row, the guy has flashed several times. He is going to wreak havoc for sure.

The not so good -

Ok Leinert is better than DanO. That's damning with faint praise. That's like saying Jimmy Carter is better than Obama. Matt L is Jimmy Carter right now. I was willing to give him a pass last week, but this is twice in a row that he has stunk. All I hear from camp is how good he looks. Yuck. He needs to pick it up in the next two.

OB27 - What's all the excitement about? He's JAG. I would be tempted to keep Slaton and go with 4 because Tate worries me health-wise. That would give us the most talented crop of RBs in the NFL imo, with very good depth. OB27 to the practice squad.

Other than the bat down, didn't see much out of Watt. Mario needs to play with his hand down. All they are doing is dragging out the inevitable. I notice that on pass plays, Reed was playing with his hand down. Why can't Mario do the same. Why do they insist on fitting a round peg into a square hole?

Last big Negative - ST. Joe M. Love the guy personally, but if he doesn't get these guys to play better and soon - he needs to hit the bricks. Both returns and coverage units are terrible. And I would keep the kid punter over the old man as well.

That about covers the high points. All in all, I was thrilled for a Preseason game, but they have much more work to do.
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Great post, Porky. Must spread rep!
For the life of me, I can't figure out all the hubbub over OB27. I'm just not impressed at all. As far as Tate's health, he doesn't have a history of being injury prone. A broken leg w/ lig. damage to his ankle was a freak accident and a tweaked hammy os no big deal, as long as it's dealt with properly, i.e. plenty of rest and rehab. I'm not concerned with his ability to stay healthy and would like to see us stick with three RB's so we can keep a 5th WR.

As far as Mario not putting his hand down like Reed, I would say that's just a case of getting him game-time reps standing up so he can continue to work on his fundamentals at OLB. You really can't replicate game conditions in practice, so why not use the preseason the way it's supposed to be used?

If the O can start out like it did last night and sustain it, watch out, NFL. The Texans will be the real deal!! I'm currently putting us at 10-6 with a shot at winning the division. If Manning can't start the season, the Colts are done.
 
he Texans defeated the Saints 27-14 in a Week 2 preseason game at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

The story of the game for the Texans was a strong showing by the first team offense and a defense that overcame a few troubling reminders of last season by coming up with three takeaways.

A few random notes on the game:

In case you were wondering, Trindon Holliday, Paul Williams, Steve Slaton, Johnathan Joseph, Derrick Ward, Roc Carmichael, Antonio Baker, Jonathan Weeks, Mister Alexander, Cheta Ozougwu, DeMeco Ryans, Antoine Caldwell, Kasey Studdard, Matt Marcorelle, Rashad Butler, Tim Bulman, Damione Lewis were all inactive for this game

Jason Teague and Maurice Rolle were active but did not play

In his post game comments, Texans coach Gary Kubiak said the team came out of the game fairly clean in term of injury which is always a win in the preseason. I recall seeing Earl Mitchell hopping around on what appeared to be a turned ankle in the second half

There were plenty of Saints fans in the stadium as you would expect, but except for the second quarter they weren't able to celebrate. It's always nice to send opposing fans home with their heads hanging. It would be even better if there were Texans fans in those seats

We said this last year but let's say it again. Arian Foster is one special back.
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http://www.examiner.com/houston-texans-in-houston/texans-march-over-saints
 
I am scared out of my freaking mind to get my hopes up! Somehow I wish we had bombed out in preseason and came out looking this good in reg season! My heart tells me to LOVE every minute of it, to plan for good things this year, BUT, my jaded common sense tells me to proceed with caution, lay low, and remember last year!! TODAY my adrenaline rush has been huge, can't read enough about our team! Tomorrow, I just don't know! Feels like a damned roller coaster ride of emotions!!

Bottom line: I've loved this team for 10 years now, and I will keep on believing in the moment! TODAY we have as much chance of getting to the big show as any other team in the NFL! That alone keeps me going, thinking positive, and being able to say YES I am pleased to the "reply to thread" question. I believe WP has some tricks up his sleeve, including Mario's new position, that will put our D close to the top, rather than the bottom. Eternal optimist? Maybe! But today has been a fantastic day, and I'm looking forward to MORE!!
 
I think coming out of that game you have to be happy with the overall effort from both the offense and defense. On defense we did give up yards but whenever they did more than a 3 step drop they were having to rush throws and we seemed like we were altering the launching point instead of having them dictate to us where the pocket would be. Yes, turnovers are kind of a fluke statistically but there were way more plays that had the potential for a turnover than in the last two years, especially at the QB position. I think that we do hold coverage longer (the two long plays not withstanding) and I will take giving up 2 50+ yard plays a game if I can balance it with 2 turnovers. We took care of the ball on offense (Leinart not so much but lets hope he doesn't see the field) and our defense made a lot of progress. I liked how Allen came right back after the big bomb he gave up to Meachum and batted down that slant pass in the endzone. This defense is taking chances and getting burned. We're also coming up big with some of those chances we take. That is leaps and bounds better than last year when we just got burned without taking any chances.

Mike
 
With the O? Yes! With the D? Not yet! With the STs? Ha!

It's not that I'm not optomistic, because I'm leaning that way, I just cant be pleased after two preseason games and under three quarters of 1st-string ball...
 
Although the D has some areas for improvement, I'm pleased that they've been physical. If the Texans D can sustain this kind of physical play throughout the year, we could have a fun year.

:koolaid:...yep, I'm sipping it. :)
 
We're two-and-oh and both wins were over playoff teams. And neither of the opposing two head coaches are the kind that abide losing whether it be a preseason game or not.

So yeah, I'm pleased with what I've seen to date.

...but ask me again in mid-November.
 
Im not happy .... We have to wait a whole damn week to watch them play again.


I dont think Ive ever had as much optimism about a season for this team .... nor waited for game day with such anticipation.



:trophy: <----- Engrave it - 2011-12 Houton Texans.
 
hradhak said:
I was hoping Braman would make more plays and squeak onto the team, but he wasn't nearly as good this week as he was last.
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Think I noticed that the Saints Oline was cutting his legs out when he rushed - on several occasions.
 
I'm very pleased overall...

About the D...keep in mind that Wade is keeping it vanilla as well. I am thrilled we are getting so much pressure from base packages.
 
I am pleased.

I had doubts when WP was hired. Felt like the too common "Friend Hire" we're used to seeing. But, the dude knows defenses like Hefner knows the ladies.

The elephant in the room is Mario Williams, however. He's in the room, bigger than Dallas and squeezing us up against the walls of that room...but we don't want to talk about it (and if we do, we're being disloyal or knee-jerky, apparently).

Thankfully, I think Wade has enough talent out there, in the form of JJ Watt, the LBs, and the much improved secondary, to make Mario's impact either pleasantly "satisfactory" or at worst just a footnote on the rest of the defense's stats each game.

I wish we had two more years with Mario--That this is his final year of contract, IMO, makes the issue murky for 2011 and beyond. I don't think he should be used on the edges. He needs to be on the inside to begin with...then stunting to the outside if Wade wants him rushing the edge on certain plays. Just my $0.02

He doesn't look good when starting from the extreme right or left of the LOS. Get him on the inside pre-snap, then make him bull rush on some plays and stunt to the outside on others...this will confuse those o-linemen on who has Mario and where the hell is he going on every play??? Kill 'em with brute strength up the middle on one down, then have Mario stunt outward and kill 'em with speed on the edge. Then on the next play, fake the stunt to the outside and cut it back inside and bull rush up the middle again.

I mean, Wade has got to know that Mario is not hacking it at OLB. Right?
 
I wouldn't mind seeing Mario try his hand at NT too.

Nothing is sacred, IMO. It's about winning. It's about doing whatever it takes.

Does Mario want to be the "outside contain" guy from now on, and not see legitimate action near the QB or ball carrier??? I don't think he does.

He has to be in the middle, IMO, he is big and strong. If he manhandles Eric Winston and the other Texans OL during camp, then line him up and make him do it in the games.

Hopefully, Wade is saving that for reg season.
 
GP said:
I wouldn't mind seeing Mario try his hand at NT too.

Nothing is sacred, IMO. It's about winning. It's about doing whatever it takes.

Does Mario want to be the "outside contain" guy from now on, and not see legitimate action near the QB or ball carrier??? I don't think he does.

He has to be in the middle, IMO, he is big and strong. If he manhandles Eric Winston and the other Texans OL during camp, then line him up and make him do it in the games.

Hopefully, Wade is saving that for reg season.
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I believe if he is forced to play NT he will be gone next season. The Nose is beat up every game and he is not gonna want to do that regardless of what we offer him when he can go elsewhere & play DE & get sacks with less abuse. Tag him and we could have a Hainesworth situation.
 
badboy said:
I believe if he is forced to play NT he will be gone next season. The Nose is beat up every game and he is not gonna want to do that regardless of what we offer him when he can go elsewhere & play DE & get sacks with less abuse. Tag him and we could have a Hainesworth situation.
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I wouldn't care what his opinion is of a possible set of reps at NT every now and then.

David Carr, alone, was not rescuing this team from sucking eggs.

Neither did Dunta Robinson.

If I ran the team, his ass would be playing Punter if I wanted him to...and if he had a problem, he could be de-activated like Drama Queen WRs have been (Chad Johnson and Terrell Ownes, IIRC) and lose his pay over it.

The true character of a player is if he's willing to do what he's asked rather than holding coaching staffs hostage over such inconveniences as "Doing whatever it takes to give us an edge on the field."

I wouldn't tag him, either. Let him go be all he doesn't want to be for some other team, if that's the case. $14 million for 2011 alone? He would do whatever was asked of him, if I ran the team. Or else.
 
I'm not even close to sold on the defense. If we can't stop the run we'll never have any sort of consistency on defense. Our DB's still have the occasional brain farts, which are repairable.

Our return and coverage on ST's are pathetic

All that said, I'm still cautiously optimistic. Which, I reckon, isn't much different than years past.
 
Here is my 0.02 special teams need to pick up their game and do it in a hurry. And I would not mind signing another NT but I don't think the money is there to do so.
 
GP said:
I wouldn't mind seeing Mario try his hand at NT too.

Nothing is sacred, IMO. It's about winning. It's about doing whatever it takes.

Does Mario want to be the "outside contain" guy from now on, and not see legitimate action near the QB or ball carrier??? I don't think he does.

He has to be in the middle, IMO, he is big and strong. If he manhandles Eric Winston and the other Texans OL during camp, then line him up and make him do it in the games.

Hopefully, Wade is saving that for reg season.
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I'm not so sure about MW moving inside. He's just too dang tall. G's and C's will get under his pads and bulldoze him. He'll look like he's on rollerskates. As far as beating Winston or Brown, that's not saying much. They have problems with above average speed/bull rushers all the time. I'm not against moving him to DE and having him and Watt on the same line but I don't see NT in his future.

badboy said:
I believe if he is forced to play NT he will be gone next season. The Nose is beat up every game and he is not gonna want to do that regardless of what we offer him when he can go elsewhere & play DE & get sacks with less abuse. Tag him and we could have a Hainesworth situation.
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I've been wondering about his attitude on this. I don't know that MW would be all that disruptive because he just doesn't seem geared that way. I think we would see lackluster play and a season ending "injury" and a trip to the IR. Please don't say "tag him" again in regards to MW. I like MW and think he's a good/sometimes great player, but that's as a DE in a 4-3. I'm much more in favor of a trade. I think Smith will be getting calls after coaches review the preseason film on him. He just doesn't fit a 3-4 scheme.

GP said:
I wouldn't care what his opinion is of a possible set of reps at NT every now and then.

David Carr, alone, was not rescuing this team from sucking eggs.

Neither did Dunta Robinson.

If I ran the team, his ass would be playing Punter if I wanted him to...and if he had a problem, he could be de-activated like Drama Queen WRs have been (Chad Johnson and Terrell Ownes, IIRC) and lose his pay over it.

The true character of a player is if he's willing to do what he's asked rather than holding coaching staffs hostage over such inconveniences as "Doing whatever it takes to give us an edge on the field."

I wouldn't tag him, either. Let him go be all he doesn't want to be for some other team, if that's the case. $14 million for 2011 alone? He would do whatever was asked of him, if I ran the team. Or else.
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I generally agree with your position, but it's not only a case of him doing what's asked of him, it's a matter of being capable of doing what's asked. MW is a physical freak of nature for a 4-3 DE. He just looks freaky as a 3-4 OLB. If you think that looks freaky, try him at NT. Trying these positions expose his weaknesses much more than exploit his strengths. That's not fair to the player or the rest of the team. All parties would be better served if we found a willing trade partner or they found us. MW has played through several injuries that would sideline 90% of players and has been a model citizen. The Texans should take that into consideration and so should we, as fans.

HOU-TEX said:
I'm not even close to sold on the defense. If we can't stop the run we'll never have any sort of consistency on defense. Our DB's still have the occasional brain farts, which are repairable.

Our return and coverage on ST's are pathetic

All that said, I'm still cautiously optimistic. Which, I reckon, isn't much different than years past.
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I'm worried about our run D, too. I keep clinging to '09 when we opened horribly but finished lights out. I hope it's more than wishful thinking. I don't want to rely on the spectacular like N.O. did in '09. I'll take it, but I don't want to bet on it. We need to be solid in at least one phase and we ranked 13th last season against the run.
How did our ST's go from a strength to a weakness so fast? It seems like the lights went out overnight. Yesterday, we were top half of the league. Today, we're not even Arena League. WTF??????
 
I feel a little better after the Saints game than I did after the Jets. I think our offense came out on fire, and I hope they keep that up for the entire season. There are just so many options on offense that there is no excuse to go through a whole half of acting like they've never been on the field together.

Our defense. While I have seen several improvements, I don't see that we've improved much on the one glaring weakness from last year. Yes, my friends, I am speaking of the secondary. Granted, JoJo has not even seen the field yet, but I am concerned that Manning got beat deep. I haven't reviewed the film to see if that was completely his fault, but c'mon, wasn't he supposed to help clean up the mess in the 2ndary? Also, it seemed like they could run on us as much as they wanted to and we couldn't stop it. I will say though, there are definitely a lot more big plays on defense than in years previous, so that is promising.

Overall, I am pleased. I am highly concerned with the defense still, but I'm trying to not be too pessimistic because I realize the new 3-4 has only seen two games, albeit, preseason.
 
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