Why?Explanations please

I already know there is a bash Charlie thred so I'm going to avoid it since Weaver was considered a pretty high FA but maybe not worth the money we paid. I do have a strategy question from the Team's standpoint though. I've been watching football since the 70s and try to pride myself on knowing as much as possible and being pretty knowledgeable. One thing I have never tried to do though is understand the cap. I know the basics, etc and get what it all means but I don't know it in depth. I do know this..we had some money to spend this year. Not a ton, but some. Some teams had alot more than us. That is pretty much the M.O depending on the contracts. BUT why did we target who we signed instead of using the money elsewhere?I see the Rams loading up on D. I see Cleveland making a splash and taking a chance to get better. They are near the top in cap room. I see Washington spending like usual..they are a ways below us on money to spend but I assume they use the bonuses, etc. If we wanted Givens so bad why not give him the 5 year, $25 mil and not use it on a DE that might work out when a top DE is in the draft this year?(yes I know. The draft is a crap shoot). I guess I'm just not impressed with what we have done compared to some teams willing to get better quick. I guess with all out picks we need money to sign them. I'm just a little confused. Any explanations will help.

Simply put Free Agency is where you overpay for talent other teams dont keep. Its just as much of a crap shoot because the players on the FA market are usually coming off a serious injury, or they are aging and not quite the player they used to be. Others are players who may be the next big thing but were not noticed among the other big time players on their roster.

Injury guys possilbly lost a step due to it.

LaVar Arrington, Mike Flanagan, Duante Culpepper, Drew Brees, Adam Artuchleta

Aging Players

Isaac Bruce, Eric Warfield, Jamie Sharper, Will Allen, Trevor Pryce, Ty Law, Joe Jurevicius

Overlooked (wanting to make their own mark somewhere)

Maake Keamatu, Brandon Lloyd, Antwan Randle El, Kevin Shafer, LeCharles Bentley, Marquan Manuel, Chester Taylor, Will Weatherspoon

now out of those players they have the potential to play but for how long? Can the aging and injured get back and play like they once could at the top level? or will they be sitting in the trainers room nursing injuries for most of the season? Will the players that are considered overlooked stars now shine in their new surroundings? Or will they be a bust and show that it was just the system they came from that made them look so good? (see Olandis Gary)

Its a crap shoot no matter how you spend your money on players... you just have to look at the player and see how they would fit in the system you are using.. and will he play for the longevity that you are paying him for at a productive level in that system? No one knows for certain we just have to trust our research and hope for the best.

A lot of teams try the " Get Better Quick" method....it is just as much a crap shoot as the draft and every 2-3 years you are dismantling your roster because you are in cap hell...

As an Ottawa Senators fan it was sooooo frustrating the first years because our team was junk...they never signed big names...drafted a few busts...and everyone was down on the front office and owner...Once our young players developed and we got the right coach and style of play our team became Dominant...not enough to win the Stanley Cup but enough to consistanly be in the top 5 every year...

The point I am trying to make is trust the ppl in charge...Casserly may or may not be the greatest GM, but he isnt alone...Reeves is part of it, McNair is part of it, Kubiak is part of it and there are a lot of ppl behing the scenes who are a part of it. They are making the moves they feel need to be made... By signing Weaver they addressed a NEED....and good players cost $$$. We may have "overpayed" to some ppl but if you look what other DE's got he is one of the cheaper ones and he is 10 years younger and set to enter the prime of his career rather than his final 3-5 years.

This team is only going to go places through smart free agent acquisitions, GREAT drafts....and above average coaching and gameplanning...We have a lot of decent pieces in place right now and after Free agency and the draft are done we should be able to speculate as to what we should be able to do this year...Im personally hoping for 6-8 Wins...

Dunta_23 said:

A lot of teams try the " Get Better Quick" method....it is just as much a crap shoot as the draft and every 2-3 years you are dismantling your roster because you are in cap hell...

As an Ottawa Senators fan it was sooooo frustrating the first years because our team was junk...they never signed big names...drafted a few busts...and everyone was down on the front office and owner...Once our young players developed and we got the right coach and style of play our team became Dominant...not enough to win the Stanley Cup but enough to consistanly be in the top 5 every year...

The point I am trying to make is trust the ppl in charge...Casserly may or may not be the greatest GM, but he isnt alone...Reeves is part of it, McNair is part of it, Kubiak is part of it and there are a lot of ppl behing the scenes who are a part of it. They are making the moves they feel need to be made... By signing Weaver they addressed a NEED....and good players cost $$$. We may have "overpayed" to some ppl but if you look what other DE's got he is one of the cheaper ones and he is 10 years younger and set to enter the prime of his career rather than his final 3-5 years.

This team is only going to go places through smart free agent acquisitions, GREAT drafts....and above average coaching and gameplanning...We have a lot of decent pieces in place right now and after Free agency and the draft are done we should be able to speculate as to what we should be able to do this year...Im personally hoping for 6-8 Wins...

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As a NY Rangers fan I fully agree with you. All the Rangers ever did was go out and sign the biggest free agents every season which doesn't work in team sports. They never once made the playoffs when they started doing that. It's all about developing players, getting good team chemistry, and good coaching in place. The Rangers FINALLY took a different approach last offseason, traded away most of their big names, brought in a bunch of youth, and hired a sound coach. The result? 1st place so far. The team that spent the most money on free agents during the offseason (Pittsburgh) has the worst the record in the NHL.

As a fan of both the NHL and NFL, I can say that the sports are very similar as far as going about building a team. Football like hockey is a team sport where having the greatest talent at every position doesn't usually produce the best results. It's about developing the right players for their roles on the team and having them buy into the coaches plan.

It is all about having the right people in charge as mentioned above. However, I am not confident that the Texans do have the right people in place. Time will tell.

I hear you and I appreciate the responses. Again, I figure myself to be knowledgeable on NFL issues but sometimes I think there are guys, even the aging vet who might add that fire or experience that a team lacks. Free agency is a crap shoot and about overpaying but if you have a FA plan that fits the draft plan it can work with old and new. I guess I was just thinking that the draft could have been set up differently if the money on FAs hadn't been like it has been. I may be dead wrong on our DE aquisition. I see a great guy with a motor that may be just like the guys we have now.

when you aren't shopping FA and your team sucks
People will make excuses
But the truth is your GM is a moron.

Welcome to the club

Ihategeeks said:

But the truth is your GM is a moron.

Welcome to the club

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Yep, that is the problem. For the life of me I cannot understand why this guy still has a job. Many think McNair has taking most of the decision making away from him which makes me wonder what he is still doing here.

Its a conspiracy. There is something weird about Casserly still having his job here after that 2-14 season. Kind of like TUPAC getting shot on the STRIP in Vegas and no one seeing anything at all.

It just doesn't make ANY SENSE.

I don't really get the picture the Texans want to do all their improving via FA. They've focused on role players that fill a need. Unfortunately, they haven't had the best of luck with the quality of player they've brought in so far, but I like the Weaver addition. I think they've just been forced to pay too much because they are afraid to let the guy leave and go talk to someone else.

As for Givens vs. Weaver, I'd rather have Mario than Weaver, but I'm not convinced Givens is worth that money. I'd rather give half the amount to Gaffney to keep him here. He's as good as Givens. They can still draft Mario and give the team a nice set of bookend DEs.

throwANDREtheBALL said:

Its a conspiracy. There is something weird about Casserly still having his job here after that 2-14 season. Kind of like TUPAC getting shot on the STRIP in Vegas and no one seeing anything at all.

It just doesn't make ANY SENSE.

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OK, I'll bite. Oswald didn't kill Kennedy. Someone else did. Didn't you watch the movie?

So you're saying that just because they went 2-14, that automatically makes Casserly a bad GM, and so he's automatically fired, right? No investigation, no off-season evaluation, no hiring of outside people like Dan Reeves to independently evaluate the players and staff, and make a decision, based upon the inquiry.

Ok. So, why was Capers fired then?