Texans need to hire a strong GM.

Mr. McNair a man who loves his city and wants nothing but the best for Houston, it's citizens and fans. As a new owner he will make his share of rookie mistakes, let's hope he learns from them quickly.

Casserly is not the power player fans think he may be, this was evident by his absence at Kubiak's press conference. Unfortunately Casserly's diminished role is a weak link in Texans management. McNair should step back and hire a strong GM who is adept and knowledgable in all phases of the game and league, including hiring a head coach and Bob will just give his blessing.

With that said, McNair may have found in Gary Kubiak what Cowboys found many years ago when they hired a soft spoken UT student who went on to play & coach in the NFL before coming back to Texas to be the Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Landry.

The Cowboys of old were a class organization that brought about many innovations in the NFL (sorry Dallas haters). At the top was owner, Clint Muchison, who hired one of the strongest GM's ever to operate in the NFL, Tex Schramm, who hired great people like Gil Brandt. With egos aside they operated on a consensus and not what a particular individual decided. Of course Tex was the tie breaker and Clint gave his blessing.

You can find similar organizations today in the NFL, Atlanta and Rich McKay, Chicago and Jerry Angelo, Indianapolis and Bill Polian, Seattle and Tim Ruskell. Paul Allen took away Mike Holmgren's GM hat away last year and look what happened.

Operate on a consensus, two minds are better than one. If you have hired Pro Scouts, College Scouts and Postion Coaches and they all have their input it should be realitively easy for the Head Coach and GM to come up with a consensus decision and one for the owner to give his blessing.

Isn't Savage who was with the Browns last year already quitting? I thought he was going to be in the market.

sorry but casserly has made some very good draft picks, and sure everyone will have a few busts but i think he has done a good job in scouting out talent.

Savage was out because of hands on owner similar to Jones in Dallas but not quite as bad.

They kept Savage and fired their team President who had no idea what football was and was only in position because he was the team owners friend.

We could also speculate about obtaining a laser guided flying monkey army...
but what's the point?
casserly is the man... at least for now...

casserly is pretty strong, i heard he juices.

Texian said:

With that said, McNair may have found in Gary Kubiak what Cowboys found many years ago when they hired a soft spoken UT student who went on to play & coach in the NFL before coming back to Texas to be the Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Landry.

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We can only hope!! Tom Landry is truly one of football's greatest coaches. If Kubiak can experience just a slice of the success that Landry accomplished, we'd be some happy Texans fans.

TexansTrueFan said:

sorry but casserly has made some very good draft picks, and sure everyone will have a few busts but i think he has done a good job in scouting out talent.

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I'm just not sure how anyone can say this. Finding a few diamond in the middle rounds and taking the obvious 1st rounder is not a good track record. He has dropped the ball more than anything and if his talent evaluations were so on we would not be 2-14, even with bad coaching. The guys he passed for Gaffney alone is laughabale. Alot of the times it isn't who you picked but who you didn't pick and the guy has always been a better person at dealing and not in talent evaluation. Has anyone else noticed that they have pulled back his reigns and radio appearances, etc?He waas talking about who we were taking and showing his hand like a little kid who forgot his ridilin and then they had to reel him back in. Reeves will either take over or Kubiak will be making the draft call. Casserly is here for transition only.

TexansTrueFan said:

sorry but casserly has made some very good draft picks, and sure everyone will have a few busts but i think he has done a good job in scouting out talent.

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But look at the Texan's record for 4 years!

Texian said:

Casserly is not the power player fans think he may be, this was evident by his absence at Kubiak's press conference. Unfortunately Casserly's diminished role is a weak link in Texans management. McNair should step back and hire a strong GM who is adept and knowledgable in all phases of the game and league, including hiring a head coach and Bob will just give his blessing.

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I'm pretty sure Cass was at the Senior Bowl, WE'RE HE BELONGED, doing his job. Scouting players for the draft.

I thought people would have been happy he wasn't at the press conference, during the week os the Senior Bowl I never want to see my GM anywhere but Mobile. And if he had come back to Houston, people would be screaming he left the Senior Bowl.

Seems some players/staff can't win for losing around here.

HoustonFrog said:

I'm just not sure how anyone can say this. Finding a few diamond in the middle rounds and taking the obvious 1st rounder is not a good track record. He has dropped the ball more than anything and if his talent evaluations were so on we would not be 2-14, even with bad coaching. The guys he passed for Gaffney alone is laughabale. Alot of the times it isn't who you picked but who you didn't pick and the guy has always been a better person at dealing and not in talent evaluation. Has anyone else noticed that they have pulled back his reigns and radio appearances, etc?He waas talking about who we were taking and showing his hand like a little kid who forgot his ridilin and then they had to reel him back in. Reeves will either take over or Kubiak will be making the draft call. Casserly is here for transition only.

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After reading your post I decided to do some research on prior draft picks of one of the more successfull organizations in the league, the Steelers. I thought they would be a good team to research since over the last 4 years we seemed to want to play the same kind of football that they did. Here is what I found:

2002
Kendall Simmons - G. 2005 stats = started 16 games
Antwaan Randle El - WR. 2005 stats = 35 rec. 558 yards 1 TD
Chris Hope - DB. 2005 stats = 96 tackles. 3 sacks
Larry Foote - LB. 2005 stats = 102 tackles. 3 sacks
Verron Hynes - FB. 2005 stats = 14 games, 74 atempts. 274 yards.
Lee Mays - WR. 2005 stats = Did Not Play
LaVar Glover - Not In League
Brett Keisel - DE = Not in League

2003
Troy Polamalu - SS. 2005 stats = 91 tackles. 3 sacks. 2 ints
Alonzo Jackson - DE/OLB. 2005 stats = 9 games, 10 tackles.
Ivan Taylor - DB. 2005 stats = 91 tackles. 1 int. 23 passes defended
Brian St. Pierre - QB. 2005 stats = Did Not Play
JT Wall - Not In League

2004
Ben Roethlisberger - QB. 2005 stats = 98.3 rating. 2385 yards. 17 TD. 9 Int.
Ricardo Colclough - DB. 2005 stats = 30 tackles. 1 sack. 1 Int.
Max Starks - T. 2005 stats = 16 games started
nathaniel Adibl - DE - Not In League
Bo Lacy - T - Not In League
Matt Kranchick - TE. 2005 stats = 1 rec. 6 yards
Drew Caylor - C. 2005 stats = 0 games started
Eric Taylor - DT. Not In League

2005
Heath Miller - TE. 2005 stats = 14 games started. 34 rec. 459 yards. 6 TD
Bryant McFadden - DB. 2005 stats = 17 tackles. 1 sack. 1 INT.
Trai Essex - T. 2005 stats = 4 games started
Fred Gibson - WR. Not In League
Rian Wallace - LB. 2005 stats = 4 games. 1 tackle
Chris Kemoeatu - G. 2005 stats = Did Not Play
Shaun Nua - DE. 2005 stats = Did Not Play

Now taking into account that the Steelers were a playoff contending team while we were in our infancy our draft hits and misses arent that far apart.
Their first picks are productive NFL players. They had the liberty to draft for possition instead of BPA like us. They did land 2 probowlers in the first rounds to our 1 but I believe both Dunta and AJ will be in probowls for many years. The jurry's still out on Travis Johnson and Jason Babin.

We drafted Jabar Gaffney in the same round that they took Randle El and Gaffney had a better year last season than Randle El.

It looks like the only round that they do a better job of drafting is in the 3rd where they picked up a starting CB and a starting Tackle. Peek is our only starter to be picked up in the 3rd round and the jury's still out on him.

The only impact players they got on the second day of the draft is Larry Foote and Ivan Taylor. They dont have a single starter besides these two that were drafted after the 3rd round. On the second day of the draft is where we really out did them. Now they are an established team so their later picks didnt get to see the field as much but on the second day we landed 1 probowler in Mathis. Along with Mathis we also fielded many starters drafted on the second day. CC Brown had a very solid rookie season. Dominick Davis is one of our best offensive weapons. Glenn Earl looks like he can be a solid starter in this league. Charlie Anderson looked like he should of been starting last season. Raheem Orr was one of our best Linebackers. Jonathan Wells is a productive sub for Davis and is great on special teams and Petty Faggins did decent as the starter and shined in the nickle back spot 2 seasons ago.

We did miss on just as many picks as they did but we also had far more picks than they had. Just comparing our draft history side by side makes me believe that Casserly did a fair job. Not spectacular but nothing to make me think that he cant bring in the right players in to get the job done when working in the right system.

I posted this on another thread but on the Gaffney pick alone we passed Portis, DeShawn Foster, Josh Reed, Andre Gurode, LeCharles Bentley(whom everyone now wants), Randel El...lower, Deion Branch and Antonio Bryant. Arguments can be made that ALL of them are better than what we got. Will Witherspoon, another coveted FA this year was the 8th pick in the 3rd round. Heck we took Pitts before Portis and he isn't a given. I just don't think you go 2-14 if you are building this decent talent pool. Add that to his trade bungles and I just don't get how the guy keeps his job.

HoustonFrog said:

I posted this on another thread but on the Gaffney pick alone we passed Portis, DeShawn Foster, Josh Reed, Andre Gurode, LeCharles Bentley(whom everyone now wants), Randel El...lower, Deion Branch and Antonio Bryant. Arguments can be made that ALL of them are better than what we got. Will Witherspoon, another coveted FA this year was the 8th pick in the 3rd round. Heck we took Pitts before Portis and he isn't a given. I just don't think you go 2-14 if you are building this decent talent pool. Add that to his trade bungles and I just don't get how the guy keeps his job.

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That's true.. but every team in the league can point out a handfull of players that they passed on to draft someone else. The most important thing is drafting players that will fit into the system the best. It seems like our problem wasnt getting the players it was coaching them to fit into the schemes we used.

TexansTrueFan said:

sorry but casserly has made some very good draft picks, and sure everyone will have a few busts but i think he has done a good job in scouting out talent.

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You're joking right?

Hoth-Boy said:

I'm pretty sure Cass was at the Senior Bowl, WE'RE HE BELONGED, doing his job. Scouting players for the draft.

I thought people would have been happy he wasn't at the press conference, during the week os the Senior Bowl I never want to see my GM anywhere but Mobile. And if he had come back to Houston, people would be screaming he left the Senior Bowl.

Seems some players/staff can't win for losing around here.

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That's all well and good if Kubiak's announcement came on Wed., Tue or Mon. but by Thursday most all GMs and scouts had left Mobile, see Kiper or Scott Wright's blog to confirm. I think if Cass had had any real input into Kubiaks hiring he would have been at the press conference. Did Cass even make the trip to Denver to interview Kubiak? It just reinforces my point, a strong GM would have been their Thursday running the show.

Hard knock you make a valid point and I am not sure there is answer but how many Texans drafted in similar rounds to the Steeler's would be playing for the Steelers and having the same success as the Steeler's picks?

Texian said:

That's all well and good if Kubiak's announcement came on Wed., Tue or Mon. but by Thursday most all GMs and scouts had left Mobile, see Kiper or Scott Wright's blog to confirm. I think if Cass had had any real input into Kubiaks hiring he would have been at the press conference. Did Cass even make the trip to Denver to interview Kubiak? It just reinforces my point, a strong GM would have been their Thursday running the show.

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A) I've never understood why the scouts all leave early, espically if you're team needs as much help as our does.

B) It was obvious fromteh start of the new coach process that McNair and Reeves were in complete control of the hiring of Kubiak. Cass may have been consulted, but he had had his shot at hiring a HC, and sadly he had failed.

C) As for Cass traveling to Denver, I doubt we'll ever know. But I'd bet money he did, if only to get to know Kubiak before the two of them started to work together.

Cass is on a much shorter leash then the previous four years. McNiar is definatly becoming more involved in the team, much in teh same mold as JJ in Dallas and Snyder in DC. And this boys and girls is a good thing.

Texian said:

Hard knock you make a valid point and I am not sure there is answer but how many Texans drafted in similar rounds to the Steeler's would be playing for the Steelers and having the same success as the Steeler's picks?

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It's tough to say. Looking back on our picks.. and knowing that the Steelers are an established organization.. out of our draft picks.. if they were taken by the steelers these are who would be starting IMO:

David Carr would be starting for sure.. they'd have no need to take Big Ben.
Gaffney would be either their 2nd or 3rd WR.
Pitts would be playing any spot but center on their line.
Faggins might have a role in the nickle and dime sets.
Johnson would be starting for every team in the league.
Davis would be sharing reps with Bettis.
Dunta would be their best corner on the field.
Babin would be seeing the field, taking Foote's spot.
Earl or C.C. Brown would definentally get some playing time.. might even start
at the FS spot.
Peek, Anderson and Orr would all rotate at the linebacker spots.
Morency would be getting a few reps.
Travis Johnson would be getting rotated in and out on their D-Line.

With our later rounds.. who knows which players would of had a chance to shine on an established playoff team...

They leave early because Thursday is walk thru and their is really no competition to speak of after Wed. I saw a picture of McNair and Reeves leaving the plane in Denver but Cass was no where in sight.

It is not a good sign when your GM is nowhere around and a paid consultant is advising the owner. If you are talking about confusion in your front office then "here is your sign".

No Thanks to Jones or Snyder as an owner, it took two pretty strong coaches, Gibbs and Parcels to keep them from straddling the 50 yard line during the game. Jerry Jones gets you Quincy Carter, again, No Thanks!

I have to thank you, for again for making my point of needing a strong football man running the show, and let McNair give his blessings.

Texian said:

They leave early because Thursday is walk thru and their is really no competition to speak of after Wed. I saw a picture of McNair and Reeves leaving the plane in Denver but Cass was no where in sight.

It is not a good sign when your GM is nowhere around and a paid consultant is advising the owner. If you are talking about confusion in your front office then "here is your sign".

No Thanks to Jones or Snyder as an owner, it took two pretty strong coaches, Gibbs and Parcels to keep them from straddling the 50 yard line during the game. Jerry Jones gets you Quincy Carter, again, No Thanks!

I have to thank you, for again for making my point of needing a strong football man running the show, and let McNair give his blessings.

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No offense, but I has the same opinion of JJ until I spent some signifacant time in the DFW area. And he has the same thing that snyder, Steinbrenner, Cuban, UT boosters () have...a near pathological desire to win. And I'll take that for an owner over a hands off kinda guy everytime and yu know why? 'Cause they usually tend to win.

Since teh Carter draft, the Cowgirls have doen a pretty decent job in teh draft and FA (damn I feel dirty typing that)

I still hold that most GMs are not eh final say in hiring HCs, unless your name in Matt Milen, does anybody want that?

Texian said:

I have to thank you, for again for making my point of needing a strong football man running the show, and let McNair give his blessings.

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Casserly and Reeves have over 60 years of combined NFL expierence. Now I dont agree with every move that Cass has made.. but I consider that much time dealing with the NFL to be pretty strong.

Texian said:

Casserly is not the power player fans think he may be, this was evident by his absence at Kubiak's press conference.

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Casserly was at the press conference. You just didn't see him.

Casserly has been getting his wings progressively clipped shorter and shorter with the hiring of Reeves as a consultant, then with Reeves playing a very prominent role in the head coach search and interview process, and most recently the promotion of Dan Ferens to a VP in the area of contract negotiations, salary cap management, etc.

I think Casserly's role has been diminished by McNair by design. Whether it's a restructuring of responsibility that's a genuine effort by McNair to allow Charley to focus on what he (allegedly) does best (gather and organize scouting data) or a sign that he's out the door come August when all the drafting, scouting and signing is complete remains to be seen.

GMs are typically responsible for far more than what Casserly is doing now and it seems that McNair might not want a strong GM - or more likely he has realized Casserly's limitations. He might rather have a split set of responsibilities in the front office like a VP of football ops, VP of player personnel, etc. That's not all that uncommon. I can think of at least one other team that is organized that way now.

Ferens isn't a football guy - he's a finance and accounting guy. Casserly isn't a business manager or an x's and o's guy, he's a talent scout - or at least an organizer of scouting data. Reeves is serving as the x's and o's consultant to the owner at the moment.