What to do???

Lets face it guys, the Texans arent looking too hot this year and will likely have a top 4 pick in the draft. My projected 3 worst teams this year are teh Texans, 49ers, and Packers. If i had to guess, i would say they will end up with the #1 pick. So heres the question... who do you draft?

If i was GM, although Matt Leinart seems like the obvious choice here, i take Reggie Bush with this pick, and heres why...

Although David Carr seems to be a letdown, he is the alltime leader in sacks per dropback... now i can see this primarly being blamed on someone who is completely immoble in the pocket (i.e. Drew Bledsoe) but this guy is very capable of moving around. Before we can castoff David, at least get some worthy meat for the man to stand behind that wont kill him! Seriously, every Texan fan should be grateful that David has been this resiliant to injury so far! David Carr can and should be the Houston Texans starting qb next year. There is a big difference between him and Joey Harrington... Joey has a team to help make plays! You cant count off David until he has a team and a coach that can compete with the rest of the league.

So with that said you need to draft Bush. With a draft pick this high, the texans must draft a playmaker. I know you guys love Double D, but he can still fit in the system with some playing time with Reggie in the lineup. And if he doesnt like it, hes one of the only players on the team with any trade value. This boy Reggie Bush can do it all folks.... a guaranteed playmaker that you cannot pass up on. He can play in the backfield, slot, punt return... anywhere! He is hell on wheels for opposing defenses.

Even if he wins the heisman... and we all know that award should go to VINCE YOUNG... there is a very high value for quartebacks in the draft market that Leinart will likely be the most sought after player in the draft. This gives the texans a little play to move around with their pick to pickup more players/draftpicks.

LETS HEAR SOME IDEAS, where in the draft will the Texans land, and who should we take? What should the Texans draft after their first pick? lineman? linebackers?

They will have the first pick and should pick Bush.

With the next picks.................they need a lot. I think they should make list of the positions they need and rate the players. When their pick comes up, pick the highest rated player at a needed position.

I think this team has wasted enough draft picks in its short existence and I don't want to see this year's wasted on a position that we don't have a need. Domanick Davis is not only one of the better backs in the league, but we signed him to a 5-year deal this season. He's our back for a while, barring injury. While an argument could be made for a QB, I don't want to see this team spend a high draft pick, and the $50-60 million associated with it, on a QB that we're not prepared to protect and develop. Carr has shown enough, when given time, that he deserves a shot at playing behind a better O-line. If the line is fixed this year and he still doesn't get the job done, you are then prepared to take a QB.

Ideally, we trade down to do it, but regardless, we need to draft a LT. It's been a problem since the team's inception. When ESPN is making commercials ridiculing your O-line, it's about time you address it. When your QB leads the world in sacks over the first four years of his career, it's about time you address it.

For the second round and beyond, I think they need to address TE, another OL spot, LB, and DL. This will help the team prepare for life after Gary Walker on DL, Wiegert on OL, and Wong at LB (rehab will take a while).

We have many more pressing needs at various positions to draft another RB or QB. While these choices are the flavor of the moment, the fact of the matter is that they are worthless if they don't have a line to protect the pocket or make consistent holes.

Every coach worth his weight knows that the game is won/lost in the trenches. No glory, but it is where dominating teams establish themselves first.

Can you really pass up on a playmaker like Reggie Bush for a linemen? I dont care how good a linemen is, he cannot take priority over an upper eschalon playmaker like bush. You can find very suitable linemen via free agency and the draft in later rounds... however you will not find Mr. Bush there. The texans GM needs to step up to the plate and find some solid meat to push/block for their talented playmakers. The texans need to spend money but WISELY.

CowboysJJ21 said:

Can you really pass up on a playmaker like Reggie Bush for a linemen? I dont care how good a linemen is, he cannot take priority over an upper eschalon playmaker like bush. You can find very suitable linemen via free agency and the draft in later rounds... however you will not find Mr. Bush there. The texans GM needs to step up to the plate and find some solid meat to push/block for their talented playmakers. The texans need to spend money but WISELY.

Click to expand...

Yes. Yes, you can. Imagine for a second that Carr is the greatest QB to come out of college in the past 20 years. Now put him on this team. The result is pretty much what we've seen. I am not saying that Carr is the greatest QB, or even adequate - the fact is, we don't know, because our line has been so bad. Put Reggie Bush on this team and he'll not only suffer from a poor line, but from a QB behind a poor line. This team has been built from the outside in, whether intentionally or not, and that is a perfect formula for losing football games. We could have a string of 2nd-rate players behind a stellar O-line and make the playoffs. Or we can have a bunch of flashy playmakers behind a bad O-line and miss the playoffs.

Yes, as good as Bush might be, we should pass on him. It would be a sound football decision, IMO.

And you don't find LTs in free agency. You draft and develop them, and you hang on for dear life during free agency periods. I would also caution overhyping Bush, or any college player, as sure-fire playmakers bust out of the NFL every year. Untill Larry Johnson, I think the NFL had a moratorium on Penn State backs, for instance

The Saints drafted Deuce McAllister in the first round when they had Ricky Williams and never regretted it even though Williams cost them an entire draft. If Bush grades out high enough we won't hesitate to draft Bush imo.

OK heres the thing, if linemen were soo important (even from a team with a terrible line) why are they rarely taken with the top 1 or 2 picks??? Heres why, it is much easier to find a very good linemen later in the draft than it is a very good playmaker. Yeah every once and a while you see a diamond in the rough like a tom brady, but i bet you can name alot more very good linemen taken in the later rounds huh? Players who touch the ball have, offensively speaking, simply have a higher value than those (linemen) who dont. As much as the texans need an o-line (prolly the most in the nfl) they will not pass up on proven talent like bush, not gonna happen... they need to draft smart and this is the first step. Their second should be finding suitable linemen via free agency/draft.

Makes no sense to draft Leinart/Bush if we don't have a line to protect them...

CowboysJJ21 said:

OK heres the thing, if linemen were soo important (even from a team with a terrible line) why are they rarely taken with the top 1 or 2 picks??? Heres why, it is much easier to find a very good linemen later in the draft than it is a very good playmaker. Yeah every once and a while you see a diamond in the rough like a tom brady, but i bet you can name alot more very good linemen taken in the later rounds huh? Players who touch the ball have, offensively speaking, simply have a higher value than those (linemen) who dont. As much as the texans need an o-line (prolly the most in the nfl) they will not pass up on proven talent like bush, not gonna happen... they need to draft smart and this is the first step. Their second should be finding suitable linemen via free agency/draft.

Click to expand...

you can always find a diamond in the rough, position player or not. the most elite linemen are taken with the first round pick. Guards tend to fall more often than tackles. Truely elite tackles are rare, and in fact, the top FA OT this year might have been victor riley. First round talent warents the pick only to a point, at some point, mostly in the first few rounds, you have to base your pick more on need that BPA.

San Fran. will end up w/a very high pick this year, and it is very likely that when they pick, lienert will be the BPA. Will they or should they draft him? NOOO!
Green Bay is in the same position.

I'm all for trading down in the draft and stockpiling draft picks to address the teams needs. I do not feel RB or QB is one of those needs, which if we do have the number one pick, will be the obvious choice at that position in the draft. DD is one of the top ten backs in this league and DC needs to be better protected and coached, IMO.

CowboysJJ21 said:

OK heres the thing, if linemen were soo important (even from a team with a terrible line) why are they rarely taken with the top 1 or 2 picks??? Heres why, it is much easier to find a very good linemen later in the draft than it is a very good playmaker.

Click to expand...

If you are talking Guards and Centers...yes. Elite LT's are one of the hardest postions to fill in the NFL. That's why you never see a team give up one in FA. We will see how these guys grade out to the scouts in a few months...I just want an elite player at the top.

YoungTexanFan said:

San Fran. will end up w/a very high pick this year, and it is very likely that when they pick, lienert will be the BPA. Will they or should they draft him? NOOO!
Green Bay is in the same position.

Click to expand...

San fran would draft bush if the opportunity presents itself but they have barlow and frank gore.

However, i think Green Bay would STILL take leinart with the 1st pick even though they drafted aaron rogers.

CowboysJJ21 said:

San fran would draft bush if the opportunity presents itself but they have barlow and frank gore.

However, i think Green Bay would STILL take leinart with the 1st pick even though they drafted aaron rogers.

Click to expand...

Barlow has been a disappointment and Gore is too injury prone to be an every down back...If Bush is there when they're picking, he'll be the choice...

There is no way in Hell that Green Bay is stupid enough to draft another QB in the 1st, especially given all of their problems...They need much more than Ken Dorsey 2.0 to turn them around...

As far as we're concerned, drafting a QB or RB with our top pick would be simply moronic...We've put off drafting good O-Linemen for long enough now...Carr and Davis are not exactly playmakers, but I'd rather have a good OL for the future, when we draft their replacements...I don't want our next QB to have to go through what Carr has...

Vinny said:

Vinny The Saints drafted Deuce McAllister in the first round when they had Ricky Williams and never regretted it even though Williams cost them an entire draft. If Bush grades out high enough we won't hesitate to draft Bush imo.

Click to expand...

The Saints were able to afford drafting another RB because they had their line (with three former 1st round picks in Willie Roaf, Chris Naeole and Kyle Turley) in place. That's not a luxury the Texans have.

CowboysJJ21 said:

OK heres the thing, if linemen were soo important (even from a team with a terrible line) why are they rarely taken with the top 1 or 2 picks??? Heres why, it is much easier to find a very good linemen later in the draft than it is a very good playmaker. Yeah every once and a while you see a diamond in the rough like a tom brady, but i bet you can name alot more very good linemen taken in the later rounds huh? Players who touch the ball have, offensively speaking, simply have a higher value than those (linemen) who dont. As much as the texans need an o-line (prolly the most in the nfl) they will not pass up on proven talent like bush, not gonna happen... they need to draft smart and this is the first step. Their second should be finding suitable linemen via free agency/draft.

Click to expand...

You might want to check your draft history.

CowboysJJ21 said:

However, i think Green Bay would STILL take leinart with the 1st pick even though they drafted aaron rogers.

Click to expand...

Nope.

Texans have a big task in rebuilding the line off of 2 players, pitts as a gaurd and hodgen (debatable) as a C. If we don't start soon, we will never have decent lines. Sacrifice this next year and draft the "non-flashy" D and O lineman so we have a foundation to build off of in the future. We should all know by now since 2002 that getting your playmakers first and lineman last does not work. Get D'Brick and Jean Giles and even tony hollings will look like LT behind our line. (well maybe not)

Here is my offseason plan:

Dump:
Capers AND Casserly, hire a winning coach that has gotten real results in the past. Drop McKinney, Coleman, Riley, Bradford, others.

Draft:
1st=D'Brickashaw Ferguson LT-Virginia - Top flight LT worthy of a top 5 pick.
2nd=Thomas Howard OLB-UTEP - One of the fastest, most athletic linebackers you will ever see.
3rd=Joe Klopfenstein TE-Colorado - One of the top tight ends in the nation who has solidified all aspects of his game.
3rd (from Saints)=Rob Sims OG-Ohio St. - Smart, athletic and versatile; has been the regular at left tackle the past two years, but moved inside to a guard spot in 2005.

Starting Lineup
QB - David Carr
RB - Dom Davis
WR - Johnson, Mathis, Gaffney, Armstrong
TE - Joe Klopfenstein(r) and Mark Bruener
LT - D'Brickashaw Ferguson(r)
LG - Rob Sims(r)
C - Drew Hodgden
RG - Zach Weigert
RT - Chester Pitts

DL - Walker, Payne, Smith, Johnson
OLB - Thomas Howard(r) and Antwan Peek
ILB - Wong and Greenwood (FA?)
CB - Dunta Robinson and P-Burnt Buchanan (FA?)
S - CC Brown and Ramon Walker (FA?)

Free Agents
Since you're taking your lumps and getting rid of marginal overpaid performers like McKinney and Coleman, it would be nice to pick up a good free agent CB, FS, or LB.

My ideal plan would have the Texans holding the #1 pick and trading it to some team foaming at the mouth to draft Leinart. Then ideally we could trade #1 for someone else's 1st round and 2nd round this year and a 1st round next year, then still get one of the top 3 LT's in the 1st, get a CB with the extra 2nd.