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Texans Signing Bradie James
- Thread starter HOU-TEX
- Start date
False Start
On # 69
Nice low key signing, and a former player for Wade, not a bad idea.
It says on Wiki he returned kickoffs? A linebacker returning kicks?
drunkcookie
2 drunk 2 cook
BattleRedRock
Cush56HatLayer
I think he'll prolly just be a back up, as i see it, its still Reed, Cush, Sharpton, Barwin.. guessing sharp and cush signal the calls. OR they think Sharp isnt progressing well from his injury which isnt good considering he was playing extremely well before it happen.. I still think they draft a LB in 1st 3 rds.. hopefully.. Nick Perry how does that Houston Texas weather feel?!?!
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
In all liklihood, this guy isn't coming here to be depth, he's coming to start opposite Cush imo. & the only way that doesn't happen is if we go ILB in the 1st......which is likely not going to happen. Imo, we should be trying to get younger at the LB position, not signing old guys to be potential starters.
drunkcookie
2 drunk 2 cook
Goldensilence
hipster elite
Maybe older than Sharpton, but could likely be an upgrade and might make it less of a need to draft an ILB high.
At any rate our depth at ILB gets a boost.
At any rate our depth at ILB gets a boost.
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
The fact that they're signing this dude should tell you all you need to know about where they are with Sharpton.....bring an old guy in to compete and push the youngster...Sharpton's at a disadvantage in just about every catergory with this signing.
michaelm
vox nihili
The Texans have a history of filling weaknesses pre-draft so that they are more able to draft BPA, instead of drafting for need. This should be a low cost signing that fits that MO perfectly.
Business as usual, IMO.
James competes to start and if he doesn't win the starting job, he makes quality depth is the worst case scenario, I'd say.
Business as usual, IMO.
James competes to start and if he doesn't win the starting job, he makes quality depth is the worst case scenario, I'd say.
Goldensilence
hipster elite
Per HT.com http://www.houstontexans.com/team/roster.html
Our listed ILBers are....
Brian Cushing - 3
Alexander Mister - R
Daryl Sharpton - 2
OLBers
Brooks Reed - R
Conor Barwin - 3
Bryan Braman - R
Jesse Nading - 3
Derrel Smith - R
UFA Tim Dobbins 6
How much younger can we get bro? At this point I just want to get better/more talented regardless of age or # of years played. I also think having adding another vet after losing Demeco is a good thing.
Younger doesn't always mean better.
drunkcookie
2 drunk 2 cook
What it tells me is that they replaced an empty ILB slot on the roster... Now if the money is starter- big i'll agree that it says a lot about their view on Sharpton...
We'll see, maybe they do draft ILB high anyway...
Jackie Chiles
Veteran
Looks like a depth signing to me. Nothing more nothing less.
drunkcookie
2 drunk 2 cook
Don't you know? It's not about how much younger we can get, it's about how much more some have to ***** about without thinking first...
The Pencil Neck
Hall of Fame
This guy takes Dobbins' spot.
He's not a starter. Right now, Sharpton is the starter.
But I think this means we probably don't draft an ILB in the first 3 rounds like I'd been thinking we'd do.
He's not a starter. Right now, Sharpton is the starter.
But I think this means we probably don't draft an ILB in the first 3 rounds like I'd been thinking we'd do.
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
& we should continue that trend of continuing to bring young guys in the fold. & don't discount Cush as a vet. this will be his 4th year in the NFL & 2nd full season in Wade's system in which he was the feature ILB calling everything. I imagine that there's not much if anything that james can bring to the table that Cush doesn't already know or has done. Ultimately, he'll just be a liability out there much like Ryans was; maybe even a greater liability.
welsh texan
You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one
Hope he's very cheap, 1 year deal, and it sounds as if Wade knows exactly what he has in him, and he'll fit the system perfectly (whether thats at a good performance level or not is TBA)
Good signing, I have no problem with bringing guys in to compete, if they find someone they like in the draft, someone gets cut in camp.
Good signing, I have no problem with bringing guys in to compete, if they find someone they like in the draft, someone gets cut in camp.
drunkcookie
2 drunk 2 cook
That's how i see it...we'll see where it goes...
We have to understand that there are not multiple Cushing caliber players out there in FAgency and the draft...gotta get people in here and see if they pan out... There are a lot worse options out there than James...
HOU-TEX
Ah, Football!
Agreed, Thorn. If he wins the spot, fine. If not, he'll be better than average depth. Dunno what there is to get bent out of shape about.
ChampionTexan
Hall of Fame
Agreed - this goes at least some of the way towards filling the void in experience that the DeMeco trade left, but in terms of salary should be much more in line with the likely on field production we'll be receiving. While I think he might compete with Sharpton for the starting job, I'll be extremely surprised if the expectation isn't simply that he'll be the backup to Cushing (that is to say I am in total agreement with the previous comment that he's the replacement for Dobbins).
I also agree with - and like very much - the idea that it increases our flexibility in the draft.
Likely not an impact addition, but a zero to low risk add.
BullNation4Life
All Pro
He shouldn't be in coverage. That will be Cushing....
Section516
Warrior
James re-joins defensive coordinator Wade Phillips with the Texans, whom he played for in Dallas for four seasons. During that time, James picked up 448 total tackles and 13 sacks.
His best season came in 2008, where he produced a career-high eight sacks and three forced fumbles and garnered Pro Bowl consideration.
James, a team captain, was a trusted veteran in the locker room and helped organize weekly team dinners with the defensive players. He also became the first Cowboys defensive player to lead the team in tackles for four consecutive seasons.
I think the second bolded part is pretty big. Replace some leadership lost by Ryans
His best season came in 2008, where he produced a career-high eight sacks and three forced fumbles and garnered Pro Bowl consideration.
James, a team captain, was a trusted veteran in the locker room and helped organize weekly team dinners with the defensive players. He also became the first Cowboys defensive player to lead the team in tackles for four consecutive seasons.
I think the second bolded part is pretty big. Replace some leadership lost by Ryans
When you consider the amount of snaps this cat will see ....this is not a bad move when you factor in the salary cap situation.
I told people months ago I expected Demeco to be re-structured because ~$8.5m was too steep for a guy playing ~30% of the snaps. People said I was nuts ..... now he's been traded because of that salary, maybe Im not so nuts afterall.
He may be a liability in coverage but likely wont be on the field for a lot of passing downs / situations , neither was Demeco.
Teams just cant afford an All Pro at every position in the salary cap era.
Mr. White
Retired OLine Coach
That's exactly what I was thinking. I don't think that they're expecting him to make the Pro Bowl while he's here.
This is Wade bringing in one of his guys to lead in the locker room. I also expect that he may not be great at LB, but I think he will be serviceable as a rotation guy.
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
& that's not what i'm advocating; people are assuming that's why i don't like the signing. I don't like it b/c i don't think he really brings much to the table; i.e. it's still a net loss imo going from Ryans/Sharpton to Sharpton/James.
The other thing about this move is that i know deep down it's just a temporary fix. I'd rather just let 2 young studs battle it out (sharpton & kuechly/kendricks?) & let the best man win. That's not to say that this still can't happen, but i think the move may soften them towards going ILB high in favor of some other position now.
Playoffs
Hall of Fame
Mark Berman ‏ @MarkBermanFox26 Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
Texans reach agreement with free agent LB Tim Dobbins
It does not move the needle for me either way. In earlier threads, i pretty sure that the discussion was made that Texans were going to bring a veteran ILB with some size. Well, here we go and one who is considered a good teammate with specifc experience working with Wade.
I think he will mostly play on obvious rushing downs at this point.
El Tejano
Hall of Fame
This is good news. We got James and Dobbins, that's 4 MILBs which means that position just went down on the draft board.
drunkcookie
2 drunk 2 cook
I could get with that, IF DeMeco wasn't making wayyyy too much money for a rotation guy...
I don't.know exactly what they'll be paying James, but i can guarantee you it won't be near as much as DeMeco was making...
Basically, if James sticks you maybe didn't improve but you did gain an extra 3rd round pick and extra cap space...
A win/win (if)...
way down.
Section516
Warrior
I'm fine with CUSHING, Sharpton, James, Dobbins. No draft pick this year on a middle backer. I'm happy with that.
drunkcookie
2 drunk 2 cook
I dunno if i'd be fine with that, i'll let you know around November, Dec, Jan and hopefully Feb...
Don't leave out AndThat's Mister ToYou Alexander... Wade may be pretty confident in that young fella...
We'll see come draft time how confident Wade and Co. are with this updated ILB corps...
I wont disagree with that , but again , we are in the salary cap era and its just difficult to pay everyone. Paying a guy ~$8.5m for 30% of the snaps just isnt feasable. (considering they have Cushing next to him and have to pay him soon).
Yes , its a temporary fix .... but it gives the team flexability come draft time. They still need to draft a WR and need to solidify both lines - especially with the loss of Winston and Briesel.
You only have so many picks .... hard to fill every hole in one offseason , especially when you lose bigtime players due to cap constraints.
drunkcookie
2 drunk 2 cook
Playoffs
Hall of Fame
How the heck do you have a kid at 13 years of age???
Jackie Chiles
Veteran
Its a net loss when you compare him to DeMeco but anything outside of a high pick in the draft would be. James isn't going to be making much money, certainly not anything near what Ryans was making.
As far as letting 2 young guys battle it out the idea certainly is intriguing but the more I think about it the more I dislike the idea of spending a premium pick on a 2-down position. And as long as Cushing is here that is unlikely to change.
If we could find a way to do what SF has done with Willis and Bowman and keeping them on the field constantly that position gets elevated but whose playing time are they taking away from? Nickle CB? The other rush LB? We have pretty talented guys there imo.
drunkcookie
2 drunk 2 cook
Have sex when you're 12, most likely...
GP
Go Texans!
Just now seeing this.
Well, uh, umm...I will have to pause and refrain from judging this acquisition.
Like some have said: Might be for depth, might do better in Wade's D than in Rob Ryan's D. Might not be asked to do much but be a veteran presence like Dobbins was.
So, I will wait til later to look at this one. I do remember thinking he would bust with Dallas (and he eventually did) but also have to take into consideration the difference in defenses (both in talent AND in its scheme differences).
Well, uh, umm...I will have to pause and refrain from judging this acquisition.
Like some have said: Might be for depth, might do better in Wade's D than in Rob Ryan's D. Might not be asked to do much but be a veteran presence like Dobbins was.
So, I will wait til later to look at this one. I do remember thinking he would bust with Dallas (and he eventually did) but also have to take into consideration the difference in defenses (both in talent AND in its scheme differences).
Jackie Chiles
Veteran
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
Well the secondary is the weakest area for us on the defensive side of the ball & if drafting an ILB high in the draft meant us possibly gaining the ability to not have to trot out more players from the weakest area of our defense, then i think its a win for us in the end.
& Kuechly is probably out of reach for us but Kendricks could certainly be a 3 down player for us. & not only that but we potentially gain a better & younger passing rushing stud at that position with him. None of our other rush guys would have to leave the field & the only players losing PT would be someone who's not a starter anyway....McCain, Harris, Carmicheal etc.
We've done nothing but have net losses this entire offseason & i'd just like to see us gain a little is all. These types of offseasons are why teams go from the playoffs to sitting at home the next year. I just don't want to see us lose the momentum we've finally got now. The James addition does nothing for me in this regard. Hopefully this changes once the draft hits.