Are we allowed to panic now?

To everyone who said that signing Riley was enough to bolster the OL because they needed time to gel,

To everyone who said that the preseason didn't matter,

To everyone who said that the Buffalo game was OK because they were a top-notch, superbowl contending defense,

to everyone who said that losing to Pittsburgh was OK because everyone knew we would be 0-2 at the start of the season,

to everyone who said that losing to Cincinatti was OK because we kept the game close and tried really hard,

To everyone who said that it was wrong to boo your hometown team because watching Houston football on a sunday was better than not watching Houston football on a sunday,

Is it OK to start panicking now?? We just lost to a game that NO ONE on this board predicted as a loss during the offseason. No matter what your win projection of the Texans was before the season, everyone had this game as a W before the season started.

But in all seriousness, Im very concerned about the future of this franchise. Unless a lot of teams release some very good young players (which won't happen) it will be very difficult for us to rebound from this. If we make OL additons they will be old players who will retire or get hurt and then we will be back at square 1 in a few years.

The simple truth is that you NEED good YOUNG players to develop and play with your team for a while. We haven't been able to produce these. In order to have a competent product every sunday, we need:
1. A QB who can read and react quickly
2. A LT, C, and RG (Wade and Pitts have shown they may be able to do it) who can work together to run block consisently AND pass block
3. A TE that can both catch and block
4. A legitimate NFL #2 receiver (Gaffney may work here...not sure. Mathis is simply too small to be anything but a deep threat)
5. 2 OLBs who can drop into coverage and get pressure on the QB
6. 2 MLBs who can stop the run and drop into coverage
7. A CB who knows how to tackle and make some INTs
8. A competent, motivating coaching staff

We have a good FB, RB, WR, DL (if they had good LBs, they could be good), CB, FS, and a developing SS

That is 11 players. Those are WAY too many needs to address in 1 offseason. We could sign a bunch of big name FAs for $$$$ but then we would have one or two winning seasons and then collapse. Im failing to see any silver lining...

To everyone who said that the "preseason didn't matter", that would be the great David Carr

Davis, A. Johnson, Mathis, Robinson, CC Brown, R Smith, and Wong are keepers. Everyone else can go.

I think Davis, A. Johnson, Mathis, Gaffney, Robinson, CC Brown, R Smith, Coleman, Norris, T. Johnson, Payne, Stanely, and Brown.....and maybe Bradford (I can't believe Im saying that!!!! but he did OK today) are OK to keep. Obviously not all of them would be starters

I (sort of) disagree. I really think that, while we aren't the most talented team in the NFL, good coaches get good results from less-than-premium talent. Take a look around the NFL at some of the starters for various teams and measure their production with what their perceived talent level is. Then, of course, there are always the stories of NFL players that wash out, catch on elsewhere, and suddenly become very good players. The talent differential in the NFL really isn't all that great coming out of college -- it's about development, to a large degree. I think you have certain players that the potential is right out there for everyone to see, but you should be able to get good production out of the second-rate players as well.

On our team, I think the obviously talented players are pretty much AJ, Dom Davis, and D-Rob. Everyone else could go either way. In the second tier of talent, I think you have Gaffney, Pitts, Moran Norris, Marcus Coleman, Greenwood, and Wong. In the "still needs development" category, but worth developing IMO, you have CC Brown, Glenn Earl, Wand, Mathis, Morency, Armstrong, TJohnson, Peek, Babin, and Faggins. I think you also have to put Carr in this category. He still has the physical tools to do the job, but I think he's so shell-shocked right now, he needs some coaching from someone he believes in.

EDIT to add - Stanley and Kris Brown, but they were kind of a given. They get plenty of practice as it is

The main focus of next year's draft should be the OL. Carr is no Peyton Manning, but he's a middle-of-the-road QB who can get the job done if he got some protection. If I were the Texans braintrust, I would take that #1 overall pick that we shall surely get and trade it for a bunch of other picks, then address one need -- OL. Since it will take awhile for that to come together, next year will be a rebuilding year so you go for some defensive needs in 2007. Slow and steady, that's the way to build a champion. The only problem is if you have a coach who is afraid of losing his job, then he will continue to focus on the present in a futile effort to turn things around quickly and might even trade draft choices away for washed-up vets in an effort to keep employed.

if we could trade down and get an extra 1st/2nd and still be in the top 5 picks.. id be all for trading down.

The reason i say we need to stay in the top 5 is because it would be great if we could grab one of the elite LTs.

If there are no highly-graded OLs in the draft, I definitely think we should trade down. If that's not feasible, sur to what's available and where, I'd be OK with spending a high pick on an impact DL, like Demarcus Ware.

There are already highly graded OL players who will be coming out this year. I don't think we can afford to take any DL players as our DL isn't our worst problem

My keepers are:

Dominick Davis
Andre Johnson
Robaire Smith
Kailee Wong
Jerome Mathis
Verand Morency
Marcus Coleman
Jabar Gaffney

and David Carr - I still think he would do well behind a better O-line.

Carr, Davis, Johnson, and Dunta will be great no matter where they play. They are good NFL players. This is followed by a small tier of players that would be considered mediocre anywhere else but here, which is followed by a large pool of NFL rejects.

Why Davis?
What has he done lately? Sure anyone can get 1000 yds in a season if they rush enough times. He is not good enough to take the heat off of Carr. All the defenses need to do is key on him and they win. Dropping down in the draft is certainly not the answer when you can get an all pro type QB coming out. Free Agency will produce some much needed linemen. We could have drafted an off lineman last year in the first round, But we traded with N.O. and let them have him and took Johnson instead. We could have also gotten a hot shot LB, but passed on him also.

The answer is YES, we are allowed to panic now. I predicted 4-12 in the preseason, now I don't see 4...
Yet some still see 8-8, that's a joke....

What has he done lately? Sure anyone can get 1000 yds in a season if they rush enough times. He is not good enough to take the heat off of Carr. All the defenses need to do is key on him and they win. Dropping down in the draft is certainly not the answer when you can get an all pro type QB coming out. Free Agency will produce some much needed linemen. We could have drafted an off lineman last year in the first round, But we traded with N.O. and let them have him and took Johnson instead. We could have also gotten a hot shot LB, but passed on him also.

Click to expand...

Well Davis had 130 yards on 19 carries yesterday. That's 6.8 yards per carry. That's with the defense keying on him. He is good enough to take the heat off of David Carr, at least he can keep him from burning to death. But he obviously needs another fireman or two.