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The Decisions Facing our Offense This Offseason

Texanmike02

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
Its been a while since I've just broken down a problem for our team. Just been kind of busy, but I've been bothered by this for some time and today it occurred to me even more.

First, we have the problem of what to do with Yates. Not should he start but the question is this... in 4 or 5 years do you think he is your starting QB? Here's why I ask that. And yes, I know this is a win now league... I'm well aware of that... but if the answer is yes (again, not saying it is) then what do you do with Yates? Here is why I ask that question.

I don't know that Yates will benefit from being a backup for 2 years. One of the reasons you hold a QB out his first year or two is so he can catch up to the speed of the game. Yates just saw it first hand from probably about as fast as it is going to get. I'm not saying he will eclipse Schaub (who I am a big fan of btw) at the beginning of the season (or ever for that matter) but he will benefit from a full off season going into next year. With the exposure you've gotten Yates in the last several weeks I think you can win an awful lot of games in the regular season with that kid. Yes he made a few bad throws (I honestly think his almost INTs were worse than his INTS. At least one of his INTs were excusable if you ask me and the other one was more a result of bad playcalling. (80TTZ save me the lecture, we just disagree). I think a lot of Yates problems are solved by having a viable 2nd receiver because with Daniels out there with a broken hand I we had two people with a prayer of getting open, AJ and Foster. Walter sits in a zone well but he is rounding off his routes (look at the 2nd INT, watch it closely then go watch some of his other routes...).

But what do you gain by letting Yates backup at this point? I'm not saying that I start Yates... I'm just not sure what to do with him. He could be the next Dave Ragone... or he could be a lot better than that. His ceiling is higher than Schaub's if you ask me. (And by the way, I was calling for us to trade for Schaub the offseason before we got him... so this isn't an anti-schaub rant. ) But he is an unknown commodity.

So now that you are considering what do do with Yates? Lets talk about receiving options for a minute.

Can you imagine Schaub with another talented receiver? If you look at the top QBs that seems to be a constant. I'm not saying that Schaub is a top 3 - 5 QB but look at the weapons the elites (not named Peyton) have. I know, we have a great passing game.... but lets play another game. I want you to rack and stack receivers. After AJ, go through the list of receivers on these teams and tell me where our receivers wind up on this list of team's receivers.

GB
NO
NE
BALT
NYG
Cincy

I bet you that after AJ and OD we don't have a receiver that falls within the top 20 on that list.

Look at the top 3 QBs in the league. AR, DB and TB. All of them have, at any one time 3-5 players on the field that can beat the crap out of you. We know that we need a WR but can you imagine this team with a 2nd and 3rd WR? I guess I'm ok with Walter as a WR3... It just makes you wonder what Schaub could do with a legit WR2.

Obviously we have to keep the crucial pieces we have together... but we also have to bring in pieces. Is Casey ready to be a bigger part of the offense? Should we move him out of the FB position and turn him into OD part deaux? Do you let Dressen go?

We have an awful lot of issues to deal with in the offseason. Where are your priorities?

Mike
 

Texn4life

All Pro
You keep Yates as a backup to Schaub..... Release Leinart, and either keep Delhomme or draft a QB in the middle to late rounds that we feel we can develop.

Release Jacoby, and draft a receiver in the first 2 rounds. Hope that Lestar Jean and Meahl step up. Keep Walter as long as he re-structures his contract.

Re-sign Myers and Brisiel to short term deals and draft an interior Lineman in the middle rounds. I think that pretty much sums it up for me.

Edit: I forgot to also say that you bring in Reggie Wayne if he truly is serious about wanting to play with #80. If we sign him, the Walter hits the road too. Nothing against him, but Wayne is just that much better. I would still draft a WR, and I think this offense would catapult to another level.
 

HJam72

Hall of Fame
1. I don't think it's going to hurt Yates at all to sit and watch for a couple years. He probably needs it, even if he has seen it all once around. He obviously hasn't learned it all, not that I would have expected him to. I'm not completely sold that he is our future starter either, but it's possible. He's convinced me of that much, but let's not forget that our O-line and Foster made things a lot easier for him. He didn't have to throw much, and when he did, he had really good protection. No sacks in Baltimore in the playoffs? Are you kidding me?

2. If we decided to move Casey to TE, I'd have to actually see him consistently outplay Dreesen first. I don't think Dreesen is a guy you just let go of without stopping to think hard about it. I'm not so sure we don't just need to take advantage of Casey's catching abilities more often (for the fullback spot) anyway.
 

texanchris

Waterboy
Most elite Qb's make everyone around them better so that is why it seems like they have so many weapons. I think the texans should move Casey back to Tightend where he is most comfortable. I know some people might disagree with me but i think that James casey was better utilized at tight end than full back and i wasn't impressed with his play at fullback this year. Casey gives more big play capability than Dressen and would be a good #2 tightened.

We definitely need to upgrade the wr position and get some depth at guard. with another couple of weapons on offense, we'd be unstoppable with Foster in the backfield, Casey and Daniels at tightened, and Dre. They need to get a deep threat wr, whether it be in free agency (Simpson or maybe Desean Jackson) or in the draft (kendall wright) but we have no speed or home run threat at the wr position. As good as Dre is, having someone opposite of him that is a threat will make him so much better by decreasing the amount of times he gets double teamed. Having another weapon on offense will also decrease the amount of wtf moments the texans have where the qb throws it to Johnson when he is clearly covered but they try anyway because none of our other wrs got open on the play.

The position i am most concerned about is QB. I have never really been a Schaub fan because I'm a fan of qb's that can run and dodge defenders and Schaub is by far one of the worst at that. I also don't like his ability to throw interceptions/fumble with the game on the like and his noodle arm. TJ Yates showed some positives but it would be best if he sits a couple years behind Schaub like a rookie should do. I know it probably wouldn't happen but i wouldn't complain if the Texans drafted a QB in the 2-3 round for the future. You just don't know how well Schaub will recover from that injury and how much of a significance that injury would have on his gameplay. I like some of the stuff i saw from Yates but I'm still not sure if he is our QB of the future.

Oh yeah if forgot to mention, release Jacoby Jones for going full retard in the most important game in texans history.
 
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dalemurphy

Hall of Fame
1. Sign Robert Meachem!.. He will be a rather affordable free agent WR with playmaking ability, elite speed, and he is also a good blocker.

2. Add depth in the draft at OL

3. Re-sign Dreessen (if affordable)

That's it. We don't need much... We don't have room for much... Next year's depth chart should look like this, IMO:

OL- Brown, Winston, WSmith, Myers, Brisiel, Butler, SSmith, Caldwell, Newton
TE- OD, Dreessen, Casey, Graham
WR- AJ, KW, R.Meachem, JJ, BJohnson
RB- Foster, Tate, D.Ward, Vickers
QB- Schaub, Leinart, Yates
 

Brandon420tx

Flounder
I'm just going to focus on WR, I've made my thoughts known on the OLine, RB, and QB in other threads.

The first type of WR I would like to target a 2nd tier WR in Free Agency, with great top speed and acceleration to immediately replace JJ and challenge KW for the #2 spot. Lets face it, JJ no longer challenges KW for the #2 spot. The 2nd type is someone who will come in and compete for #3 spot, or as Gary Kubes likes to call them 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B, and as they get experiance in the system, make a solid bid for the #2 spot (or y'know, 2A), then eventually become our star receiver when AJ retires and makes his HOF bid.

I think the likes of Vincent Jackson, Robert Meachem will cost too much for what we need, and a guy like Reggie Wayne, doesn't have the speed I want for that role anymore, and is too old for what I want with the 2nd WR, more on that later.

My targets for the first WR are Eddie Royal, Jerome Simpson, and Harry Douglas. Speedy guys that can take an a quick pass the distance, make people miss, and stretch the field and back up safties.

For the 2nd Target obviously I would want someone in the draft, since the purpose is for someone to eventually "grow" into the the #1 Receiver role. This Draft is loaded with WRs in rounds 1-2 that can fill this purpose. Even some in Round 3, but probably won't last to our late Round 3 pick imo. My absolute favorite pick is Dwight Jones from North Carolina, one of the WRs that played a big part in making TJ Yates look like a draft-able QB, But other reasonable options are Mohamed Sanu, I don't really like him too much no idea why though. From 2nd Round on Marvin McNutt, Tommy Streeter (needs Route Running lessons), Nick Toon, Jordan White (would be a good pick). If we tried to go even later we can get Jarret Boykin at a discount, as well as Jermaine Kearse.

My sleeper draft pick for WR is Derek Moye. 6-5, but rather thin, he needs to put on Muscle and Size, but only if it doesn't take away his speed.

Another option is Kendall Wright in the first, He doesn't have the size to be an elite receiver in the league, but has potential to pull off a Steve Smith (Car) or Mike Wallace type career. He can be used to as the first type of receiver I listed, and could stall the need for the 2nd until AJ retires. Also if we take him we could double dip at WR and take someone like Jordan White with a later pick. Its unlikely he falls to use at 26 though, I'd say a 20% chance
 

Ranger Tom

All Pro
I think our first draft pick should be a WR. It wouldn't hurt to pick up another, proven one through free agency.

Yates shows promise, and putting him in at backup would be a good idea. When Schaub is ready to call it a career, we'll have someone ready to pick up where he left off.

What to do with Leinart, though? He didn't have much of a chance to prove himself, but maybe we can trade him to a team that's looking to rebuild.
 

The Pencil Neck

Hall of Fame
First off, we don't know WHEN we get Schaub back. We may not get Schaub back until the second half of next season and even then, he may not be the same guy he was because he might not get full flexibility back in his plant foot.

So TJ is probably our #1 QB going into next season. He should benefit greatly from having a full offseason and if he plays well, we're going to have decisions to make with Schaub.

There were 2 things that killed me this year. The first was that our WR corps, which most of us thought was stocked at the beginning of the season, sucks. We need to get a good free agent WR and we need to draft at least one other WR. Probably 2. But remember that this is a complicated system for the WRs and Kubiak doesn't trust rookie WRs.

The other thing that killed me was our guards. Wade Smith did not play as well this year as he did last year and when Mike Brisiel went down and Caldwell came in, our offensive line became suspect. Yes, I know that Caldwell was in on Arian's long TD score against the Bengals but the line works better overall with Brisiel. We need to get some interior offensive linemen. Maybe we're OK with Shelley Smith and the other guys that were IRd this year but I'm concerned about that position now.

So I see us getting a free agent WR, drafting a WR and interior OL high, and then going BPA in the draft.

If Wade doesn't bolt to take an HC job, I expect us to be a power for years to come. If Wade does bolt, then I'm worried about our defense. We've got all the talent we need to be a dominant defense (obviously) but we need the right coach to bring it all together.
 

phantom17

Rookie
1. Sign Robert Meachem!.. He will be a rather affordable free agent WR with playmaking ability, elite speed, and he is also a good blocker.

2. Add depth in the draft at OL

3. Re-sign Dreessen (if affordable)

That's it. We don't need much... We don't have room for much... Next year's depth chart should look like this, IMO:

OL- Brown, Winston, WSmith, Myers, Brisiel, Butler, SSmith, Caldwell, Newton
TE- OD, Dreessen, Casey, Graham
WR- AJ, KW, R.Meachem, JJ, BJohnson
RB- Foster, Tate, D.Ward, Vickers
QB- Schaub, Leinart, Yates
I like this idea! But still draft a WR -1st or 2nd rd to groom!:)
 

phantom17

Rookie
First off, we don't know WHEN we get Schaub back. We may not get Schaub back until the second half of next season and even then, he may not be the same guy he was because he might not get full flexibility back in his plant foot.

So TJ is probably our #1 QB going into next season. He should benefit greatly from having a full offseason and if he plays well, we're going to have decisions to make with Schaub.

There were 2 things that killed me this year. The first was that our WR corps, which most of us thought was stocked at the beginning of the season, sucks. We need to get a good free agent WR and we need to draft at least one other WR. Probably 2. But remember that this is a complicated system for the WRs and Kubiak doesn't trust rookie WRs.

The other thing that killed me was our guards. Wade Smith did not play as well this year as he did last year and when Mike Brisiel went down and Caldwell came in, our offensive line became suspect. Yes, I know that Caldwell was in on Arian's long TD score against the Bengals but the line works better overall with Brisiel. We need to get some interior offensive linemen. Maybe we're OK with Shelley Smith and the other guys that were IRd this year but I'm concerned about that position now.

So I see us getting a free agent WR, drafting a WR and interior OL high, and then going BPA in the draft.

If Wade doesn't bolt to take an HC job, I expect us to be a power for years to come. If Wade does bolt, then I'm worried about our defense. We've got all the talent we need to be a dominant defense (obviously) but we need the right coach to bring it all together.
I hope Uncle Bob will loosen & open the purse string for Wade Philipps! I think this PRIORITY # UNO! The 2nd thing is to get a GOOD & FAST:goodluck: FA WR!
 

Texecutioner

Hall of Fame
If Schaub won't be back for the beginning of next season, than we need to find a new QB immediately and that has to become a draft need big time. I'd like to find an elite level type QB to replace Schaub eventually. Not this TJ Yates kid who has an average level ceiling.
 

Texn4life

All Pro
If Schaub won't be back for the beginning of next season, than we need to find a new QB immediately and that has to become a draft need big time. I'd like to find an elite level type QB to replace Schaub eventually. Not this TJ Yates kid who has an average level ceiling.
Schaub says he'll be ready for OTA's..... Great sign!

Texans Quarterback Matt Schaub Says He'll Be Ready For OTAs, Training Camp

Jan 14 8:59p by Steven Godfrey

Read More: Matt Leinart (QB - HOU), Jake Delhomme (QB - HOU), Matt Schaub (QB - HOU), Jeff Garcia (QB - HOU), T.J. Yates (QB - HOU), Houston Texans

The Houston Texans will start rookie T.J. Yates Sunday afternoon against Baltimore, but their incumbent veteran quarterback told the Texans' official site Saturday evening that he will be ready for the team's OTAs and training camp as he rehabs from a foot injury that ended his 2011 campaign:

Nick Scurfield @NickScurfield

Schaub: “I’ve never been more excited for OTAs and training camp ever in my life. I’ll be counting the days.” #Texans
14 Jan 12

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Matt Schaub went down in November after a blowout win against the Buccaneers with a Lisfranc injury - and we're glad you asked, because here's everything you'd ever need to know about such an ailment - and will return to a crowded quarterback situation in Houston next season. Backup Matt Leinart was also lost for the season with a shoulder injury, and both will return alongside the rookie Yates and two free agent signees, veterans Jake Delhomme and Jeff Garcia.

It's highly likely Delhomme and Garcia will be cut following the season, but there's a strong chance a quarterback competition could develop between the returning Schaub and the rookie Yates.
 

MojoMan

Hall of Fame
Nick Scurfield @NickScurfield

It's highly likely Delhomme and Garcia will be cut following the season, but there's a strong chance a quarterback competition could develop between the returning Schaub and the rookie Yates.
No, there isn't.
 

Corrosion

Idealist
Staff member
but there's a strong chance a quarterback competition could develop between the returning Schaub and the rookie Yates.


There is no QB controversy on this team - Schaub is clearly the better QB at this point in time despite Yates performance over the final 7 weeks.

Yates will sit behind Schaub.


The one thing we do know is that should Schaub get hurt again we have a capable backup with playoff experience. Getting Yates a full training camp and offseason will also be a plus.
The guy did a commendable job all things considered - shortened training camp and being a rookie 5th round pick who didnt expect to play at all this season. But his development is nowhere near that of Schaub.
 

ObsiWan

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
Edit: I forgot to also say that you bring in Reggie Wayne if he truly is serious about wanting to play with #80. If we sign him, the Walter hits the road too. Nothing against him, but Wayne is just that much better. I would still draft a WR, and I think this offense would catapult to another level.
Where did you hear that?

I'm not doubting you; especially with the rumors that Peyton may be trade bait. It's just that's the first I've heard of him wanting to come here. If we can sign him for a reasonable amount, then I'm all for it.
 

Norg

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
if it was me

-make yates the backup hes out QB of the future IMO

-Get a WR in the first round of draft or if hes out there get a stud WR F/A there will be a few good ones this year

. Find out if Jean our mahel are worthy if not we might need to draft a WR in the 2nd or 3rd round

- Find out if owen is still the guy ... Maybe we should get a basketball player monster TE like the pats and New orleans saints have

- Get a better FB plzzzz

- find a Better RT could also help i dont like winston there move him to RG or somethin
 

Texn4life

All Pro
Where did you hear that?

I'm not doubting you; especially with the rumors that Peyton may be trade bait. It's just that's the first I've heard of him wanting to come here. If we can sign him for a reasonable amount, then I'm all for it.
Let me see if I can find the quote...... I read before the strike ended that he mentioned wanting to play with Andre before his career was over.
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Easy,

You make him the 2nd string guy, behind Schaub. He's one play away from getting on the field.

Depending on how he progresses in practice & how well the Texans do in 2012, barring an injury to Schaub, they'll decide what to do with Matt's contract.

If they don't know by the end of next season if it's time to move on to, or move on from Tj Yates, we've got the wrong guys making these decisions
 

Norg

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Yes we need a super fast speedy WR


Andre is more like a BLodin type reciver IMO now


Pipe dream but i wish he had FItz !!!!!!!!!!! LOL
 

El Tejano

Hall of Fame
If there is anything we've learned this season, it is that good depth will make a good team even better. That's what we had this year and we were awesome for it. We don't know if Schaub will be back to full strength yet, we keep Yates and let him sit. IF we need him, he will do fine.

I'm down for getting another WR to go with Dre because we simply don't know how Dre will hold up next year and I think we've all seen how our offense can work with even a 5th round rookie 3rd string QB playing, so long as Dre is out there.

For once, I feel that the pieces are there with this team. Now it's a matter of making it happen.
 

ThaJokaa

True Texans Fan
1. Sign & Trade Mario for draft picks
2. Use those draft picks to trade for a higher position in the draft.
3. Draft Justin Blackmon from OSU
4. ???
5. Elite WR corps
 

burro

probably drunk
I don't think you change a thing going at QB going into 2012. As usual, Schaub will be our starter and you can let T.J. and Leinart duke it out in preseason/offseason for the back-up spot. Flame away, but I am still not sold that T.J. is miles and away better than Leinart based on what I saw this year. I'll let Kubiak and Co decide that.
 

Corrosion

Idealist
Staff member
I don't think you change a thing going at QB going into 2012. As usual, Schaub will be our starter and you can let T.J. and Leinart duke it out in preseason/offseason for the back-up spot. Flame away, but I am still not sold that T.J. is miles and away better than Leinart based on what I saw this year. I'll let Kubiak and Co decide that.
While I agree with you here - Its going to come down to cap space IMO. Lienart is expendable with Yates proving to be capable.

With Foster and MW looking to get new deals that will be pretty sizable I think a couple of guy's will get cut .... Leinart and J.Jones being the two most obvious to creating about $6m in cap space between the two.

For the production they give the team can find cheaper alternatives .... likely thru the draft in the case of WR.
 

Fox

Rookie
If Schaub won't be back for the beginning of next season, than we need to find a new QB immediately and that has to become a draft need big time. I'd like to find an elite level type QB to replace Schaub eventually. Not this TJ Yates kid who has an average level ceiling.
I agree with this. I'd like to see us take a WR in the 1st, and a Ryan Mallett type (by which I mean a talented QB who could've been a 1st rounder but slips to the 2nd or 3rd) afterwards to groom for the future. Schaub is coming off a major injury and is no longer a spring chicken. Yates may make a dramatic jump with a full off-season but he looks like a career back up to me (just average). We need to start thinking ahead before Schaub is done and we have no replacements waiting in the wings.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Where did you hear that?

I'm not doubting you; especially with the rumors that Peyton may be trade bait. It's just that's the first I've heard of him wanting to come here. If we can sign him for a reasonable amount, then I'm all for it.
I was wondering the same thing about Reggie Wayne.

All I could find in the news was Reggie saying something positive to AJ about being happy that he's finally in the playoffs, but I did not find anything indicating that he wants to play here. But, like you, if possible, it's a no brainer!

As far as the thread topic: cut Jacoby, prioritize WR in draft/FA and find a good RT (move Winston inside).

And sign a competent punt returner!!! Field position is one of the most important stats in games along with turnover ratio.
 

badboy

Hall of Fame
I do like what I've seen from TJ but he will not start over Matt & I'd be stunned if Schaub is not re-signed to another deal sometime. Yates could be the perfect back up, cheap low draft pick, needs time to develop and prob will not bring much in a trade. If in 2-3 years he is the answer, pay him. If not, our team should be deep enough to spend a high round on a QB to replace Schaub.
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
Have to have an experienced #2 WR, which means FA ..... AJ is too old for us to draft & hope.

Matt/TJ & whoever at QB. Let Leinart move on.

Definitely add some OL depth. If Myers goes down, we're in trouble.

Draft even more WRs ... somebody big/big hands! (Gronkowski-esque) I'm all over the basketball player WR/TE who blocks you out with his body -- such a tough matchup.
 

eriadoc

Texan-American
All of the obvious moves that have been mentioned are great. I have one thing to add for consideration, however:

I'd like to see some emphasis put on TE. Yeah, I know that sounds funny, since we drafted something like 11 TEs in 3 years or whatever, but if you think about it, OD has not fulfilled the promise we all thought he had. That's due to injury in part, but he's still not there even now. He makes some amazing grabs from time to time, but then he disappears for games at a time. After watching that 49ers vs. Saints game, I really started to have TE envy LOL. Furthermore, if you think about the Super Bowls that Kubiak has been involved with, he's had great TEs (Brent Jones and Shannon Sharpe). OD is good, but he's far too inconsistent to be considered great.

So I guess I want Kubiak to make a concerted effort to give Graham and/or Casey a chance to prove they can be a mainstay and/or get a big, tall, athletic freak TE prospect that played basketball or something. I'd like to see more red zone TDs from our TEs. I'd also like to see someone on this team that can go get jump balls in the end zone. So make that one player.
 

RayLu52

Practice Squad
As a Ravens fan...I must tell you that Houston's future is bright. I see in Houston what we have had for many years. A damn good defense. A couple of decent receivers and a solid tight end and an awesome running back. Not to mention Schaab. The questions is...Will you seek an offensive coordinator as good as your DC Wade Phillips? Your offense is kind of vanilla like ours has been for too many years. You are only a couple of players away from a super bowl run and I see Houston being a contender for the next five years at least. That's all you can ask for. Everything else is icing on the cake. As far as yesterday...you were the better team. However, our experience and ability not to turn the ball over or commit penalties is what allowed us to hold on. One more thing...Schaab would have never thrown the ball up for grabs in Ed Reed's vacinity. And fans are finally coming around to realize that Ladarius Webb is a top 5 corner in the league but it's hard for him to get the 'pub' when we have Lewis, Suggs, Reed and Ngota. Hang in there. It's a good organization on the right track. P.S. I'll trade you Flacco for Schaab. We hate Flacco in Baltimore.
 

kiwitexansfan

Hall of Fame
1. Sign Robert Meachem!.. He will be a rather affordable free agent WR with playmaking ability, elite speed, and he is also a good blocker.

2. Add depth in the draft at OL

3. Re-sign Dreessen (if affordable)

That's it. We don't need much... We don't have room for much... Next year's depth chart should look like this, IMO:
I think this is about it, maybe not Meacham perse but someone in that mold.

I am guessing that Dreessen is not affordable, but I hope to be wrong.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
The questions is...Will you seek an offensive coordinator as good as your DC Wade Phillips?
Gary Kubiak would be the most sought after OC if he was not a HC for the Texans.

Schaub threw for over 9000 yards combined for the 2009/2010 seasons. Foster leads the league in yards from scrimmage the past two seasons combined. OC is not a problem for the Texans.

The Ravens are a good team, but I have no doubt that the Texans would have at least been the no. 2 seed in the AFC if Schaub was healthy for the whole season. The Ravens would have come to Houston for the game. And based on the yesterday's game, I think the AFC Championship would be NE vs. HOU if Schaub was healthy.

Appreciate the props from Ravens fan. Y'all better take your shot this year, though, because you're team is getting old. The Texans are young and hungry, and I have little doubt that yesterday was a learning experience that will only serve to make them bigger and badder in 2012.
 

False Start

On # 69
All of the obvious moves that have been mentioned are great. I have one thing to add for consideration, however:

I'd like to see some emphasis put on TE. Yeah, I know that sounds funny, since we drafted something like 11 TEs in 3 years or whatever, but if you think about it, OD has not fulfilled the promise we all thought he had. That's due to injury in part, but he's still not there even now. He makes some amazing grabs from time to time, but then he disappears for games at a time. After watching that 49ers vs. Saints game, I really started to have TE envy LOL. Furthermore, if you think about the Super Bowls that Kubiak has been involved with, he's had great TEs (Brent Jones and Shannon Sharpe). OD is good, but he's far too inconsistent to be considered great.

So I guess I want Kubiak to make a concerted effort to give Graham and/or Casey a chance to prove they can be a mainstay and/or get a big, tall, athletic freak TE prospect that played basketball or something. I'd like to see more red zone TDs from our TEs. I'd also like to see someone on this team that can go get jump balls in the end zone. So make that one player.
Very well put, that popped into my head as well. We need to see if our 9th string guys, or Casey have it, if not draft a good TE.
 

Hervoyel

BUENO!
Nick Scurfield @NickScurfield

It's highly likely Delhomme and Garcia will be cut following the season, but there's a strong chance a quarterback competition could develop between the returning Schaub and the rookie Yates.
No, there isn't.
Sure there is. There's just no chance whatsoever that Yates overtakes Schaub. It won't be a controversy but you can bet your ass Schaub will come back wanting to assert himself and Yates will no doubt want to continue to improve. He'll do what he's told of course but they're both (hopefully) competitive players. There will be no controversy. None at all. Nobody in their right mind thinks Matt Schaub will not be the QB next season. There will absolutely be competition between them though.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
'eh, there's a reason why no rookie QB has ever taken a team to the Super Bowl.

I think it's way too early to truly long-term evaluate Yates at this point. He did pretty good as a rookie off the bench in a weird season without an off-season.

He's already won a playoff game, as well as won a game with a lot riding on it against the Bengals to clinch the division. Dude has shown that he clearly has potential, which gives the coaches something to work with now.

I'm not saying that it is certain that there will be a QB controversy, but, I'm not going just outright dismiss the potential for it right now, either.

We have no idea how Schaub will be when he returns. Stranger things have happened in the NFL.

My own desire is Schaub returns healthy and is driven to continue what the 2011 season started, with Yates at no. 2 learning and maturing with time.
 

Texecutioner

Hall of Fame
Hang in there. It's a good organization on the right track. P.S. I'll trade you Flacco for Schaab. We hate Flacco in Baltimore.
Well that's exactly why I'd like to find another QB for the future now so this coaching staff doesn't rely on Yates being the next guy down the road. Yates has a low ceiling and he'd be about as good as Flacco or Mark Bulger for the most part.
 

Texecutioner

Hall of Fame
'eh, there's a reason why no rookie QB has ever taken a team to the Super Bowl.

I think it's way too early to truly long-term evaluate Yates at this point. He did pretty good as a rookie off the bench in a weird season without an off-season.

He's already won a playoff game, as well as won a game with a lot riding on it against the Bengals to clinch the division. Dude has shown that he clearly has potential, which gives the coaches something to work with now.

I'm not saying that it is certain that there will be a QB controversy, but, I'm not going just outright dismiss the potential for it right now, either.

We have no idea how Schaub will be when he returns. Stranger things have happened in the NFL.

My own desire is Schaub returns healthy and is driven to continue what the 2011 season started, with Yates at no. 2 learning and maturing with time.
It's not to early when you look at his skill set. I was never impressed with him as far as what he looked like he was able to do. He'll never be an elite passer type, he's not extremely mobile or anything either. He'd be an average QB at best as a starter and it would be like having Flacco, Delhomme, Bulger, Jason Campbell, or someone like that at QB.

We've seen how valuable elite QB's are in this league and how well they can keep your team towards the top year in and year out. Yates is not a potential elite QB down the road. No way in hell he ever becomes that good. Let's face it, we were faced with having a 3rd string QB play this season and many people had all types of blind optimism for this kid because they wanted to believe in him.

In the regular season he had 3 TD's to 3 INT's and also had 5 fumbles and threw for 949 yards in 6 games where he went 3-3 with one of the top defenses in the league to help him. In the playoffs he had 343 yards, 1 TD to 3 INT's and went 1-1. Those numbers stink from a statistical standpoint. Now, he was a rookie that was thrown into the fire so I understand that there has to be a learning curve there, but if you remember we discussed this in the TJ Yates thread when he was first put in there and I said this kid wasn't going to be capable of taking us anywhere. He did alright though. I"m not tripping off of what he wasn't able to do, because I never expected him to do much. He doesn't have any type of awsome skill set though. He'd be a decent "stop gap" QB at best for this team while we search for an elite level QB to be a top end passer for years to come if Schaub went down again. I'd like him just fine as a backup. But as far as a future starter, HELL NO!
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
I understand where you're coming from, Tex, but we'll have to agree to disagree that we know Yates' ceiling at this point.

He was playing off the bench in trial by fire situation and he showed some good and some bad.

You very well could be proven right in the long run. But, you know this staff will stick with him, it's what they do. Hopefully, since that's the case, you are proven wrong or it'll be a tough thing to watch otherwise. ;)

We've seen how valuable elite QB's are in this league and how well they can keep your team towards the top year in and year out. Yates is not a potential elite QB down the road. No way in hell he ever becomes that good. Let's face it, we were faced with having a 3rd string QB play this season and many people had all types of blind optimism for this kid because they wanted to believe in him.
The problem is there are only 4-5 'elite' QBs in the league, so most teams are faced with having to go with QBs who are good to mediocre to downright bad.

Heck, look at the last four teams in the playoffs. Only one has an elite QB. Two teams with elite QBs lost this weekend, and one of them lost to Alex Smith!

The majority of QBs in this league will not be elite, so teams have to work with what's available. As we all know, there are no sure-fires out of the draft.

My concern with Yates is consistency. I think he can be taught to read defenses and experience will help him grow. He's already shown a resolve under pressure that can't be taught, so the intangible that can make or break teams is that crucial decision making process that does not give the ball way.
 

Corrosion

Idealist
Staff member
Heck, look at the last four teams in the playoffs. Only one has an elite QB. Two teams with elite QBs lost this weekend, and one of them lost to Alex Smith!
I'd have to say there are two elite QB's left in Brady and the other Manning .... Other than that , I agree with your post.
 

Texecutioner

Hall of Fame
I'd have to say there are two elite QB's left in Brady and the other Manning .... Other than that , I agree with your post.
Drew Brees has been just as good if not better than Peydon Manning since he went to the Saints. His stats have been right there with Manning's stats for years and he has been to the SB once and beat Manning in that game where Manning threw the game away.

Brees didn't lose that game for his team. He actually won it for his team. The problem was that they scored to early leaving one minute and 30 seconds left on the clock where Alex Smith was able to cut up that defense to make another come from behind drive. Brees did everything he needed to do against an elite 49ers defense that hit him all game long. Some of the throws he made were simply outstanding. Drew Brees changed that entire franchise since the moment he got there.

The only reason why many folks act like Manning is so much better than guys like Brees which he isn't is because of all of those audibles he does and stuff like that. That hasn't made him a better QB or a more effective one though. That stuff Manning does at the line of scrimmage hurts his team a lot as well when he makes those mistakes. Realistically Manning hasn't really achieved much more though, and has had better weapons to work with throughout his career.
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Well that's exactly why I'd like to find another QB for the future now so this coaching staff doesn't rely on Yates being the next guy down the road. Yates has a low ceiling and he'd be about as good as Flacco or Mark Bulger for the most part.
How can you be so sure where Tj's ceiling is?

Once they get to the pros, it's all about what goes on between their ears. Tj has shown that he can process a lot of information in a short amount of time.

He was running the practice squad, so it's not like he's been taking snaps in this system all year....

Tj Yates' future looks very bright to me.
 

Texecutioner

Hall of Fame
I understand where you're coming from, Tex, but we'll have to agree to disagree that we know Yates' ceiling at this point.

He was playing off the bench in trial by fire situation and he showed some good and some bad.

You very well could be proven right in the long run. But, you know this staff will stick with him, it's what they do. Hopefully, since that's the case, you are proven wrong or it'll be a tough thing to watch otherwise. ;)



The problem is there are only 4-5 'elite' QBs in the league, so most teams are faced with having to go with QBs who are good to mediocre to downright bad.

Heck, look at the last four teams in the playoffs. Only one has an elite QB. Two teams with elite QBs lost this weekend, and one of them lost to Alex Smith!

The majority of QBs in this league will not be elite, so teams have to work with what's available. As we all know, there are no sure-fires out of the draft.

My concern with Yates is consistency. I think he can be taught to read defenses and experience will help him grow. He's already shown a resolve under pressure that can't be taught, so the intangible that can make or break teams is that crucial decision making process that does not give the ball way.
He turns into Mark Bulger at best and that is not something that I want.

I really don't see how you could comment that two elite QB's lost yesterday either and make that as some sort of reasoning. Those two QB's you're talking about have won 2 out of the last 3 SB's and were both favorites to go to the SB this year in the NFC. Elite QB's don't win the SB every year, but one seems to be involved almost every year that wins it. There is also the best out of those elites that is still playing right now and that is Tom Brady. Brees made a come back drive to win, and there was 1:36 left on the clock unfortunately for him. Elite QB's drive this league.

You're right that it's hard to get one. We're in a great position right now to find one though, because we can be patient with Matt Schaub unless he gets hurt again. I'd make a big move if one were to be available though for a trade though. I'd trade the house to get one.
 

pirbroke

Veteran
From the Texans main site, Quotes from Kubiak.

We have a taste of that. We know what it’s like, but this will probably be our biggest offseason because we will have to step it up. If we want to get there and we want to win a championship,


Biggest offseason, man if it's half as good as last years I will be jumping for joy. It is going to be a very intersting offseason that's for sure.
 
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