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Questions I have. Anybody have the answers?

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OK, forgive me if these are boneheaded questions. But I was wondering...

Did Eric Winston play? If so, how did he do? I cannot recall seeing him or hearing his name called. Of course, it was the Chiefs' broadcast team and they hardly mentioned our players in the second half.

Did it seem that we were moving our defensive linemen all around the line, a lot? I noticed Mario moving further inside the line on a few plays. Is it just an in-game playcalling maneuver that Kubiak uses and they mix it up on-the-fly as to who plays wher on each play, or is there a set rotation where you know if you see Mario on the end then you got x-player at guard and y-player at tackle or if Mario slides into the tackle spot then you know where other linemen are at, etc.? I had a hard time keeping up with who was at each position all game long.

Wong didn't specifically mention when he might be back, he just said that it's looking better every day blah-blah-blah. Does anyone know the most recent timeframe for his return?

How many roster spots does Denver typically utilize for running backs? Just wondering if we can gauge how many Kubiak will carry this season.
 
Winston played most of (if not all) the 2nd half at RT. I thought he did well, as the entire line did. Bigs ups to the O-line!

Mario played strong side end (where the TE lined up) on the base defense, and LDT in the nickel. I think Mario would have played better just staying at LDE. But this is about getting better, not how well you play in the preseason.

I had heard Wong was trying to get back by the opener. That may be overly optimisic.

Denver kept 4 RBs and 2 FBs last season. I don't know if that is typical or not. If I were to guess, I'd say Davis, Morency, Smith, and Lundy are in. Taylor on the practice squad. Cook the fullback, with one of the TEs backing up Cook.
 
Lucky said:
I had heard Wong was trying to get back by the opener. That may be overly optimisic.
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When they interviewed him on the sidelines he danced on the head of the pin about when he would be back. I doubt he thinks he will be back at the start of the season. I suspect he would have said that he was expecting to, if he really was. IMO, I would not be very surprised to see both he and DD puped/IR at the start of the season and then not be available until I think it's the 6th week of the season or something by the rule.
 
edo783 said:
When they interviewed him on the sidelines he danced on the head of the pin about when he would be back.
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That's great news! If he can dance on the head of a pin, his knee must be fine! :tease:
 
Personally, I wasn't impressed with either Winston, or Spencer. I mean with the hype we'd been getting here, that they would be starting this year...... I don't see that happening, not unless someone gets hurt.

In theory, moving Mario inside, and putting Babin & Peek on the ends would be an awesome lineup...... explosive, and unstoppable.

In practice, I think it may slow Mario's development. Of course, this is after one preseason game.... I'd be willing to continue with this experiment, to see how it works out, but right now, I'm skeptical to say the least.

Again, this is after one preseason game, but I would like to see Weaver out on passing downs..... Mario, TJ, Payne, and Babin That would be our starting line up.
 
thunderkyss said:
Personally, I wasn't impressed with either Winston, or Spencer. I mean with the hype we'd been getting here, that they would be starting this year...... I don't see that happening, not unless someone gets hurt.

In theory, moving Mario inside, and putting Babin & Peek on the ends would be an awesome lineup...... explosive, and unstoppable.

In practice, I think it may slow Mario's development. Of course, this is after one preseason game.... I'd be willing to continue with this experiment, to see how it works out, but right now, I'm skeptical to say the least.

Again, this is after one preseason game, but I would like to see Weaver out on passing downs..... Mario, TJ, Payne, and Babin That would be our starting line up.
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:challenge I think Spencer had a nice game and it also appears his coach thought he did fairly well too. Winston wasn't really noticed, which IMO, is a good thing for a line man.
http://www.houstontexans.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=2748&section=N Latest News
 
man either i was drunk ..or you were thunder...i watched spencer and he crushed that scrub he was lined up against..nearly every play he blew him up..and i remember at least twice he was all the way down field when the receiver was tackled....and he's a big man....maybe i was drunk
 
Spoda said:
man either i was drunk ..or you were thunder...i watched spencer and he crushed that scrub he was lined up against..nearly every play he blew him up..and i remember at least twice he was all the way down field when the receiver was tackled....and he's a big man....maybe i was drunk
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I don't thing he's supposed to beat the receivers downfield, but I guess it's OK to shove your guy into the stands. :ok:
 
well when i say "all the way down the field" i mean 5 yards past the line of scrimmage...we didn't exactly air it out....but he would maul his guy and look for someone else to hit...i like this guy
 
Spoda said:
well when i say "all the way down the field" i mean 5 yards past the line of scrimmage...we didn't exactly air it out....but he would maul his guy and look for someone else to hit...i like this guy
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I like him too! He was all over the place the few times I pin-pointed his play. He's unbeleivably quick for his size as well.
 
HOU-TEX said:
I like him too! He was all over the place the few times I pin-pointed his play. He's unbeleivably quick for his size as well.
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I agree, as a prospect, his athleticism is something else..... he's got all the tools to be a really great LT.

I'm just saying I don't believe he is ready to start in the NFL. he should definitely take a few snaps..... but I don't see him competing for a starting job anytime soon.
 
thunderkyss said:
I agree, as a prospect, his athleticism is something else..... he's got all the tools to be a really great LT.

I'm just saying I don't believe he is ready to start in the NFL. he should definitely take a few snaps..... but I don't see him competing for a starting job anytime soon.[/QUOTE]

He's has been competing for the starting position throughout TC. I think he's got a good chance of winning it too.
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thunderkyss said:
Personally, I wasn't impressed with either Winston, or Spencer. I mean with the hype we'd been getting here, that they would be starting this year...... I don't see that happening, not unless someone gets hurt.
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In one quote I see you say you only watched the highlights then you say you aren't impressed with Spencer...which one is it?

Kubiak praised Spencer pretty highly fwiw
 
Hey no sacks and the qb really did not look like they were in danger and that has me geeked. And as far as it just being preseason the way we played last year I think it is important that we win at lease 3 of these games going in to the real season because these guys have seen nothing but losing so they need to play to win reguardless of preseason. Overall they played great and no injurys.
 
Vinny said:
In one quote I see you say you only watched the highlights then you say you aren't impressed with Spencer...which one is it?

Kubiak praised Spencer pretty highly fwiw
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They're both true...... the one where I said I only watched the highlights, were the day of the game.... I'm sure I didn't even mention spencer in my posts on Saturday.

my other posts, starting last night....... I posted saying I had watched the whole game.

Kubiak's words were vague enough.... I don't know where Spencer stood with him before the game, or what Kubiak expected from him.

but I was not impressed by the kid....... sorry. I doubt Wand is in any danger of loosing his job soon.
 
Spoda said:
man either i was drunk ..or you were thunder...i watched spencer and he crushed that scrub he was lined up against..nearly every play he blew him up..and i remember at least twice he was all the way down field when the receiver was tackled....and he's a big man....maybe i was drunk
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I dunno, but maybe Thunder was the one who was drunk, because drunk or
sober, you're take is right on about Spencer, IMO.
Wand looked pretty descent to, but he's definitely more of a finesse guy
compared to the brute powerhouse that Spencer is.
 
nunusguy said:
I dunno, but maybe Thunder was the one who was drunk, because drunk or
sober, you're take is right on about Spencer, IMO.
Wand looked pretty descent to, but he's definitely more of a finesse guy
compared to the brute powerhouse that Spencer is.
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IMO, from after watching the game twice, to me, Wand looks much better against the run than the pass, but that is just from what I saw watching the game and might have missed some things, tomorrow I plan to take a closer look at the game.
 
Spencer plays like Erik Williams of the Cowboys used to play . He has the hardest hand punch (I think thats what its called ) a lot of scouts have seen and he likes to use it . He pops the DE and gets him off balance and then tries to knock him down . I slow motioned several of the plays he was in .
 
thunderkyss said:
but I was not impressed by the kid....... sorry. I doubt Wand is in any danger of loosing his job soon.
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I can't trust your judgment then. Spencer destroyed his man on one of the TD runs...just pure dominance. He had several 'take out' blocks...he looks like the real deal to me. I'll point you to some of the plays later when I go over all the possessions.
 
texan279 said:
IMO, from after watching the game twice, to me, Wand looks much better against the run than the pass, but that is just from what I saw watching the game and might have missed some things, tomorrow I plan to take a closer look at the game.
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I don't think Wand's run blocking has ever been an issue - he did well as a run blocker in 2004. Pass blocking is what gets discussed most here though.

Spencer also run blocks well. I was at the game and haven't rewatched my recording yet, but I saw him punch the DE a couple of times and rock him back. Pretty nice to see.

Here is the thing. It is OK for Wand and Spencer to both be starter quality. If one gets better, that doesn't mean the other has to get worse. It doesn't have to be one or the other! Two good LTs are a luxury. Visualize - think of the old Doublemint gum commercials.
 
Runner said:
I don't think Wand's run blocking has ever been an issue - he did well as a run blocker in 2004. Pass blocking is what gets discussed most here though.
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I mentioned this in the game thread too..but I thought Wand held his own and played much better than I expected based on what the forum "insider guys" were telling us based on their up close look in camp.
 
beerlover said:
regradless I doubt Wand can keep Spencer from becoming the starter @ LT sooner rather than latter :shades:
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I can't see him beating out Spencer right now...but it's early and we can't come to too many conclusions yet. Wand was used on the right side early in his career. He may have a future at RT if Winston can't put his game together and Weigert won't be here too much longer since he is injury prone and getting old.
 
Vinny said:
I mentioned this in the game thread too..but I thought Wand held his own and played much better than I expected based on what the forum "insider guys" were telling us based on their up close look in camp.
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This was similar to my overall impression of the game from the view of the trenches. Based on what I had heard about OTAs and camp, I thought the o-line would have struggled more and the defense would have performed much better.
 
Vinny said:
I can't see him beating out Spencer right now...but it's early and we can't come to too many conclusions yet. Wand was used on the right side early in his career. He may have a future at RT if Winston can't put his game together and Weigert won't be here too much longer since he is injury prone and getting old.
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I know this will surprise some of you, but I can see Wand holding him off.

It would be interesting to see Spencer up against a premier speed rusher like Freeney. I think Freeney's quickness and veteran savvy would give our rookie as much trouble as he gave Wand in his second year, although Spencer might not even notice his bull rush.

The thing is though, this coaching staff would never leave Spencer on an island against Freeney. They'd scheme to help him out until he was ready to take him one-on-one.

I'm optimistic about an o-line where we discuss who earns a starting slot, rather than who has to to start because we have to field 5 guys.
 
Now this is where I will need to defer to former lineman or current/ex-football coaches. Is it best to have one LT play the whole game or split duty for two closely rated LT's? Let's just assume they are equal in run blocking and pass protection.

I am not experienced in the ebb and flow of OL/QB chemistry.
 
Vinny said:
I mentioned this in the game thread too..but I thought Wand held his own and played much better than I expected based on what the forum "insider guys" were telling us based on their up close look in camp.
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I was one of those "insider" guys who was saying Wand wasn't looking good early into camp. At one point he took a backseat but I added then as I do now, that it was way too early to know, and that nothing was remotely set in stone. And I think the coaching and technique work is paying off at this point ... though I still think Spencer can and might overtake him. I will be paying a lot of attention to both O and D line in tape review tonight; I tend to watch the receivers and the ball in live games, I don't typically see the O-line unless they do something really bad.
 
Kaiser Toro said:
Now this is where I will need to defer to former lineman or current/ex-football coaches. Is it best to have one LT play the whole game or split duty for two closely rated LT's? Let's just assume they are equal in run blocking and pass protection.

I am not experienced in the ebb and flow of OL/QB chemistry.
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I'm not in the category of responder that you are looking for, but off the top of my head I can't remember any team that rotated o-lineman on a regular basis. I don't know how effective that can be given the "team play" aspects of the line - which I guess is the point of your question.
 
oso said:
This was similar to my overall impression of the game from the view of the trenches. Based on what I had heard about OTAs and camp, I thought the o-line would have struggled more and the defense would have performed much better.
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...defense gave up 172yds, got 5 sacks, 14 pts, and is ranked #1 in the NFL---what exactly were you expecting after the first game in a new system?..."Much better???????????????"...please, I gotta hear this!
 
oso said:
This was similar to my overall impression of the game from the view of the trenches. Based on what I had heard about OTAs and camp, I thought the o-line would have struggled more and the defense would have performed much better.
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I posted this in some of the OTA/training camp threads, but I'll repeat it here.

I think the defense has a distinct advantage in camp. After a few days the defense knows the offensive plays, and there is little the offense can do to "fool" the defense or keep them off balance. This allows the defense to be much more aggressive and may tilt the opinion of the fan observing the action.
 
NATHANHALE said:
...defense gave up 172yds, got 5 sacks, 14 pts, and is ranked #1 in the NFL---what exactly were you expecting after the first game in a new system?..."Much better???????????????"...please, I gotta hear this!
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He was probably refering to the first team D. I thought they could've done a little better myself. As I mentioned in another thread, the D was vanilla. They didn't run many if any blitzes with the first teamers. I expect we'll see more of our D as pre-season wears on.:)
 
thunderkyss said:
They're both true...... the one where I said I only watched the highlights, were the day of the game.... I'm sure I didn't even mention spencer in my posts on Saturday.

my other posts, starting last night....... I posted saying I had watched the whole game.

Kubiak's words were vague enough.... I don't know where Spencer stood with him before the game, or what Kubiak expected from him.

but I was not impressed by the kid....... sorry. I doubt Wand is in any danger of loosing his job soon.
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If Spencer isn't starting by week 6 I will eat my left shoe...
 
I should have quantified my response. Yes, I am only talking first-team D. IMO, it is hard to accept teh validity of game/team stats when your second and third stringers play the majority of the game. And FWIW, Texans D did very well on their opening series.
 
HOU-TEX said:
He was probably refering to the first team D. I thought they could've done a little better myself. As I mentioned in another thread, the D was vanilla. They didn't run many if any blitzes with the first teamers. I expect we'll see more of our D as pre-season wears on.:)
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well, 0 pts on the first teamers is what it is--I'll take it under any circumstances--enjoy it!...too, no one is explaing how the D could have played not just better, but 'much better.'
 
NATHANHALE said:
well, 0 pts on the first teamers is what it is--I'll take it under any circumstances--enjoy it!...too, no one is explaing how the D could have played not just better, but 'much better.'
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IIRC, most of, if not the whole first team D was in on thier first TD drive.
Yes, it has been explained in other threads on the fact that they were running on us a little easier than what one expected. I think the Texans as a whole played good. I expect them to get better as pre-season goes on. I'm anxious to see some more blitze packages installed too.:whip:
 
HOU-TEX said:
IIRC, most of, if not the whole first team D was in on thier first TD drive.
Yes, it has been explained in other threads on the fact that they were running on us a little easier than what one expected. I think the Texans as a whole played good. I expect them to get better as pre-season goes on. I'm anxious to see some more blitze packages installed too.:whip:
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...ok, our 1st team was still in the game when KC's 2nd team scored mid-way through the 2nd qtr--my bag, didn't know our 1st team was in the game that long...
 
Lucky said:
Denver kept 4 RBs and 2 FBs last season. I don't know if that is typical or not. If I were to guess, I'd say Davis, Morency, Smith, and Lundy are in. Taylor on the practice squad. Cook the fullback, with one of the TEs backing up Cook.
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I'd say that was about right, if Davis can go at all. And we keep 4 TEs.
 
On one play Spencer had his man on the ground and just jump on top of him. Pinning him, it was a thing of beauty to me. I see him being the starter before the season is over.
 
thunderkyss said:
Personally, I wasn't impressed with either Winston, or Spencer. I mean with the hype we'd been getting here, that they would be starting this year...... I don't see that happening, not unless someone gets hurt.
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Befor I give you a bad rep. I'll give you a chnce to reconsider this. Spencer Stoned his man at the end of the first half, 95 % of the time. Don't know what you were watching sweet pea, but it wasn't Spencer. Oh by the way, Spencer and the tightend...rolled up... read put a collar on him and made him their B*&tch, the RDE on the lundi strecth play at the 3:29 mark of the first half. Yeah not impressive at all.
 
threetoedpete said:
Befor I give you a bad rep. I'll give you a chnce to reconsider this. Spencer Stoned his man at the end of the first half, 95 % of the time. Don't know what you were watching sweet pea, but it wasn't Spencer. Oh by the way, Spencer and the tightend...rolled up... read put a collar on him and made him their B*&tch, the RDE on the lundi strecth play at the 3:29 mark of the first half. Yeah not impressive at all.
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That RDE was Clint Mitchell who I doubt will be on anyone's 53 this year. Spencer lined up against, and basically owned Mitchell the entire time he was in there but that's not saying a whole lot - other than that Spencer looked great toying with a guy who at this point is a marginal NFL player.

Spencer didn't get a chance to work against their starter Jared Allen who, unlike Mitchell, is strong and quick off the edge. I would have liked to have seen that matchup. Wand had his hands full with Allen in the first quarter.

Kubiak liked the way Seth played and he liked the way Spencer played. It's a good problem to have. Personally, I see Spencer seeing a lot of action at LT this season and eventually becoming the starter. It's just a matter of when.

Winston is learning - not coming along quite as fast as Spencer - but he will eventually get there.
 
threetoedpete said:
Befor I give you a bad rep. I'll give you a chnce to reconsider this. Spencer Stoned his man at the end of the first half, 95 % of the time. Don't know what you were watching sweet pea, but it wasn't Spencer. Oh by the way, Spencer and the tightend...rolled up... read put a collar on him and made him their B*&tch, the RDE on the lundi strecth play at the 3:29 mark of the first half. Yeah not impressive at all.
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Look, I'll definitely watch the game again...... but right now, I stand by what I said. Both Winston and Spencer looked like rookies, and the game was moving too fast for them. I think they were both working Very hard trying to keep up against 2nds & 3rds....... Spencer is clearly ahead of Winston, which doesn't say much for Winston, when he's playing the less demanding role.

They both did well........ for rookies...... but right now, I wouldn't put Spencer against Umenyiora, Freeny, Seymour, Charles Grant, or John Abraham.
 
aj. said:
Spencer didn't get a chance to work against their starter Jared Allen who, unlike Mitchell, is strong and quick off the edge. I would have liked to have seen that matchup.
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I totally agree - Allen was head and shoulders above any other RDE they put on the field. It will be interesting to see if the coaches make a point of getting Spencer some work against the better DEs this pre-season. I think he'll end up looking pretty good against better competition, but I doubt he'll look as dominant as he does against lesser players.

To be clear: I think Spencer is outstanding for a rookie 3rd round left tackle with his level of experience; I just don't think he will be an Orlando Pace type this year. I think some people are getting that impression; they may be disappointed in the regular season. I'm going with cautious optimism vs. unbridled enthusiasm. It's a tough position.
 
thunderkyss said:
Look, I'll definitely watch the game again...... but right now, I stand by what I said. Both Winston and Spencer looked like rookies, and the game was moving too fast for them. I think they were both working Very hard trying to keep up against 2nds & 3rds....... Spencer is clearly ahead of Winston, which doesn't say much for Winston, when he's playing the less demanding role.

They both did well........ for rookies...... but right now, I wouldn't put Spencer against Umenyiora, Freeny, Seymour, Charles Grant, or John Abraham.
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Right now, I'd put them up against the best in order to achieve the correct game speed going into the regular season. I'd like to see coach K let Spencer play with the ones. I'm willing to bet he'd hold his own, and then some. I see him winning the position quicker than one would expect.:twocents:
 
I have never been high on Seth Wand, but considering the guys making the decisions (Sherman and Kubiak) I was not ready to write him off. Then came the opinions of fans from camp, and I was really worried. What I'm getting at is that I was pleasantly surprised by him. I've never had TIVO or DVR or whatever the hell it is, but I do now, and I can rewind. He held his own pretty good in run blocking and pass blocking IMO. I'm not ready to declare him a future HOF'er but I'm not screaming for his head either. Spencer is the real deal I do believe that, therefore I don't think that it will be so much as Wand losing his job as it will be Spencer earning it. I feel good about both of them.
 
I have been calling for Wand's replacement for two years now, and always thought that Pitts did a good job in his second year before being moved inside for Wand on the end in his third, ( and don't bring up the first year Pitts was a rookie LT even Gallary of the Raiders was moved to RT as a rook, very few make it as a rookie LT ). I believe in the coaching staff and their decissions, so if Sherman says Wand is the guy, I believe.
But Spencer will be the starter by game 9.

IMO

:homer:
 
But Spencer will be the starter by game 9
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I don't disagree with that, but I do like the fact that he will not become the starter by default. He will be pushed to earn it (which I think he can also), because Wand has improved right along with him.
 
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