How good will the D be?

Something that is interesting is that the TExans plan on using both schems. With a Defense that looked horrible last year, how good will it be learning a new scheme employing two different techniques. Obviously, some has changed in FA, adding Weaver a fast down lineman and releasing the Walker and Coleman, but how will the Texans do this. The best option may be Chris Hope, who knows the 3-4 scheme like the back of his hand, and will be switching and learning the eaiser 4-3 scheme. If the Texans are able to get more out of Peek and Babin in different position sets, will this really move the defense forward from where it stood last year. I still believe we are a linebacker away. Wong is a smart guy, but too slow to play the outside. Greenwood is fast and smart, but looks to get overpowered in the middle and doesn't have the necessary skills for outside LB. I hope we have a plan to deal with all this. Maybe Polk can make an adjustment and be the player that he showed signs of last year. If we are able to dradft another athletic LB in the 3-5 rounds, this may help tremendously, but the bottom line, it's going to be a long year on that side of the ball.

pittbull said:

Something that is interesting is that the TExans plan on using both schems. With a Defense that looked horrible last year, how good will it be learning a new scheme employing two different techniques. Obviously, some has changed in FA, adding Weaver a fast down lineman and releasing the Walker and Coleman, but how will the Texans do this. The best option may be Chris Hope, who knows the 3-4 scheme like the back of his hand, and will be switching and learning the eaiser 4-3 scheme. If the Texans are able to get more out of Peek and Babin in different position sets, will this really move the defense forward from where it stood last year. I still believe we are a linebacker away. Wong is a smart guy, but too slow to play the outside. Greenwood is fast and smart, but looks to get overpowered in the middle and doesn't have the necessary skills for outside LB. I hope we have a plan to deal with all this. Maybe Polk can make an adjustment and be the player that he showed signs of last year. If we are able to dradft another athletic LB in the 3-5 rounds, this may help tremendously, but the bottom line, it's going to be a long year on that side of the ball.

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I agree with your player assesments for the most part, although I thought at times Polk over committed on a lot of plays.

The biggest factor in our overall defensive improvement for 2006 will be determined by how much Peek and Babin can step up cause at this point the defense seems to play according to how these two guys are doing.

Pittbull what are you talking about. Weaver is not a fast downlineman at all. He is just a hardworking slightly faster DT. Chris Hope is asking for more than he should get and a fast rookie FS like Daniel Bullocks, Manning, Whitner, or Simpson could handle. Greenwood was solid at Weakside LB and that is his place, Wong plays inside and should be fine, but the knee injury should cause concerns, Orr is our Strongside backer and should excel there off the blitz and as a strong run stopper. We do need a true MLB, but Troy Evans and a rookie possibley McIntosh, Williams, Shlegal or Terna Nande in the 3-5th could handle it. For our defense to really get after it Richard Smith is going to need to be agressive and Mario Williams would go a long way in the improvement also.

I would say that we still suck. 4-3 or 3-4, we still have the same personel that got totally run over last year. But fortunately, Weaver and a healthy Kailee Wong will hopefully make our defense sturdier.

If the team goes Mario, then the answer is that we will probably elevate to middle of the pack in just one year (not bad at all IMO). He will put enough pressure on Qb's to diminish the other weak link (our strong side CB position) that we will still have to address on this D at some point.

If the team goes offense (Bush, Davis, D'Brick), then the D will be bottom quartile IMO. I certainly hope I'm wrong as it is looking more and more like we are going to go offense and hope that Peek and Babin can bring enough of a pass rush to get by with the coverage guys we have.

I dont think Mario and Weaver can play together. Weaver is a big, run stopping DE, by the way, we were the worst run D last, year, he fills a bigger need then most realize. Meanwhile, Mario is also a strong side DE, although he does have the skill set to be a weakside DE. However, Kubiak ahs already said he plans on Weaver on one side and to have Peek/Babin battle for the other spot. there is no room for Mario on this team, unfortunately.

run-david-run said:

I dont think Mario and Weaver can play together. Weaver is a big, run stopping DE, by the way, we were the worst run D last, year, he fills a bigger need then most realize. Meanwhile, Mario is also a strong side DE, although he does have the skill set to be a weakside DE. However, Kubiak ahs already said he plans on Weaver on one side and to have Peek/Babin battle for the other spot. there is no room for Mario on this team, unfortunately.

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Agreed...except I would love to have seen Weaver/Mario as opposing DE's with Peek/Babin rotating in on obvious passing downs, Weaver moving inside on those downs to occupy blockers and Mario bringing it from the other end. But I agree that it is never gonna happen. Oh well, I am already bracing myself to see Mario and the other kid I love (Vernon Davis) play elsewhere.

well due to the Texan's inability to bring in defensive talent through Free Agency, I believe a more appropriate title for this thread would be 'How bad will the D be?'

I like the kid from Baltimore but he is like a younger G.Walker in that he is on the IR just about as much as Walker. That being said, at least he is young and maybe he will continue to progress. Our safeties are easily one of the worst in the NFL and our #2 corner is still a gaping hole while Dunta Robinson seemed to regress last year and seemed to be living off the previous year's merit.

Positives are that I actually like our LBs in a 4-3 and hopefully the move to the 4-3 means we are just that much closer to releasing the abject failure that is Babin. But with Cass in charge he will probably get an extension in order to validate his drafting of that waste of a walking paint canvas that cant tackle or rush the passer.

The defensive line lacks any real pass rushing ability and even drafting Mario Williams wont bring enough heat to make up for our shoddy secondary.

That being said, hopefully new coaching/new scheme will help with some of the problems our defense has and maybe we can catch lightning in a bottle in the draft because Lord knows that our front office is incapable of doing anything other than overpaying for mediocre talent that other teams throw away like yesterdays garbage.

I sure hope the offense takes a few steps forward or a possible thread for next year will be 'Trade Carr/Draft Quinn' (or some other flavor of the month college QB)

Kinder Gentler,
Doug from The Woodlands

hopefully good enough to stop some teams when its fourth quarter and we have a 3 point lead with under a minute left, i mean that would be a nice change of pace.

We will have an improved defense because with the addition of Weaver and any other players we pick up and draft and our improved offense with Kubiak's scheme and Reggie Bush.

A good offense can make a defense better because the defense can rest more and we can put the opposing team in worse field position.

tulexan said:

A good offense can make a defense better because the defense can rest more and we can put the opposing team in worse field position.

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QFT
Quoted For Truth

Coach C. said:

Pittbull what are you talking about. Weaver is not a fast downlineman at all. He is just a hardworking slightly faster DT. Chris Hope is asking for more than he should get and a fast rookie FS like Daniel Bullocks, Manning, Whitner, or Simpson could handle. Greenwood was solid at Weakside LB and that is his place, Wong plays inside and should be fine, but the knee injury should cause concerns, Orr is our Strongside backer and should excel there off the blitz and as a strong run stopper. We do need a true MLB, but Troy Evans and a rookie possibley McIntosh, Williams, Shlegal or Terna Nande in the 3-5th could handle it. For our defense to really get after it Richard Smith is going to need to be agressive and Mario Williams would go a long way in the improvement also.

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Good post. Pretty much we share the same opinon