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Our Needs vs BPA

Texan in Japan

Texan in Japan

Rookie
Predicting and debating pre-draft selections is a tough occupation. The argument between selecting the right person for a system, BPA or highest team need are all factors.

From one fan's perspective are greatest priorities are:

1. OL: Improvement by LT & LG and upgrades at C and RG.
2. DL: Youth to learn behind Walker and NT starter or reserve behind Payne
3. TE: All-around talent, that can play every down
4. LB: A young inside LB to develop
5. CB: A young CB to develop
6. WR: Speed WR
7. QB: Vet Back-up
8. KR: More speed

Given the above, I'm not sure there is a C or RG worthy of #13, but there probably is a 3-4 type DE that we could take. Miller (TE) may also be available. If I had to choose between one of the two, I might actually go w/Heath Miller. I'm not confident Jopuru will ever pan out and Carr/DD could benefit greatly from a TE that could catch, run and block.

Another factor is drafting to what the particular years' strength happens to be. This year, there is depth at CB, DL & RB. Taking BPA at #13 makes sense and then looking to those three areas in rounds #2 and #3 might also be beneficial.

Trading down in round one also makes sense if we can get another #2. This may also allow us to trade down to where the BPA is also a need.

Thoughts?
 
i agree with everything you've just stated, it all boils down to who will be available when the Texans are on the clock with the 13th pick. this is what I'd like to see happen: take the DEFENSIVE BPA with the 13th pick if one of these studs are available-
  • #1 Derrick Johnson
  • #2 Marcus Spears
  • #3 Antrel Rolle
  • #4 Adam Jones
  • #5 Thomas Davis

then trade back up into the 1st round (similar to last year with Babin) and draft the HULK (David Baas) to plug up the middle, he is a big wide body that nobody and I mean nobody gets past this guy. if we add more depth later in the draft thats a bonus, but with those two picks the Texans address both critical areas of need with the BPA in the 2005 draft :thumbup
 
F-minus67 said:
o-line is a need but not the top need for the texans.
Click to expand...

Well, the owner of the Texans disagrees with you on this one. McNair publicly stated that the number 1 priority for the Texans is to protect Carr.
 
wags said:
Well, the owner of the Texans disagrees with you on this one. McNair publicly stated that the number 1 priority for the Texans is to protect Carr.
Click to expand...
That doesn't mean wholesale changes, and McNair never talked about replacing anyone. Our protection will improve with maturity, off season work the growth of our young players being in the same system for the second year.
 
Everyone discusses our need to improve the pass rush. Here is an insight I gleamed fromt Scout.com ( http://browns.scout.com/2/351365.html ) :

...only eleven NFL teams held ball carriers to less than four yards per carry last season, and five of those teams (New England, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Diego, and Oakland) played a 3-4. There was one glaring characteristic all of these 3-4 teams shared that led to their success against the run.

They didn’t give up the big play on the ground.

If you look at the teams that allowed the fewest runs of 20 + yards last season, the five stingiest teams were the aforementioned quintet! San Diego allowed just two long runs all season, followed by Baltimore ... who allowed only three. Next were New England at four, Pittsburgh with five and Oakland at six. In addition, all five teams ranked in the top ten in rushing yards allowed per game.

The only 3-4 team not to be ranked amongst the leagues best run defense units was Houston, who allowed 4.4 yards per carry and ten runs of twenty or more yards...

This is why I prefer Castillo over all those other DT's, taking him with our second round pick.
 
Vinny said:
Our protection will improve with maturity, off season work the growth of our young players being in the same system for the second year.
Click to expand...

You forgot one word in here: hopefully

Carr improved despite the O-line playing worse this year. It would be nice if the guys we have "gel" and have a good year, but I really don't think we'll stand pat. I can't imagine competition being brought in, via draft or FA, and not cracking this lineup.
 
As much as I would like to take a player like barron, who even at #13 is considered a stretch to some, I would only do so if DJ, Davis, and Spears were off the board. I have no problem going with Baas, and Brown in the 2nd round. Although Ware would be tempting if he were there. But I think Baas would be an excellent pick.

1. DJ
2. Baas
3. Canty
3. Everett
4. Cedric Houston
 
wags said:
You forgot one word in here: hopefully

Carr improved despite the O-line playing worse this year. It would be nice if the guys we have "gel" and have a good year, but I really don't think we'll stand pat. I can't imagine competition being brought in, via draft or FA, and not cracking this lineup.
Click to expand...

Hopefully could be attached to your statement as well. Look around the league and see how many rookie start, due merit not injury, in the league.

Most of FA for the OL are just guys, no more talented than the 5 we have. The couple that aren't, don't come cheap.

The Texans will add a couple of bodies, but working together, adjustments to the pass protection is a more likely answer. after the musical chairs on the OL for the first three years, I am willing to try stabily for a change.
 
ArlingtonTexan said:
Look around the league and see how many rookie start, due merit not injury, in the league.
Click to expand...

Jacob Bell, TEN 14 GS
Justin Smiley, SF 9 GS
Chris Snee, NYG 11 GS
Jake Grove, OAK 8 GS
Rex Hadnot, MIA 7 GS
Nick Hardwick, SD 14 GS
Alex Stepanovich, ARI 16 GS
Robert Gallery, OAK 15 GS
Shane Olivea, SD 16 GS
Travelle Wharton, CAR 11 GS

These are games started, not played in. Shawn Andrews would probably be on the list, but he was injured early in the season. I believe these guys are legit and didn't get PT because of injury. There are a few others who had some PT, but it wasn't as significant, or was due to injury. In any case I think rookies can come in and play right away, and play well.
 
ArlingtonTexan said:
, but working together, adjustments to the pass protection is a more likely answer.
Click to expand...

I am not saying that "gel" time is not the answer in all cases, but why did our guys get worse in pass protection as the year went on. The more they worked together in games and practices, the worse they got. Any reason for that? What adjustments will they make in pass protection that they couldn't do during the season?
 
wags said:
Jacob Bell, TEN 14 GS
Justin Smiley, SF 9 GS
Chris Snee, NYG 11 GS
Jake Grove, OAK 8 GS
Rex Hadnot, MIA 7 GS
Nick Hardwick, SD 14 GS
Alex Stepanovich, ARI 16 GS
Robert Gallery, OAK 15 GS
Shane Olivea, SD 16 GS
Travelle Wharton, CAR 11 GS

.
Click to expand...

With the exception of SD... none of those teams finshed over .500 nor had an OL any better than the Texans. The Texans will add some bodies, expecting any of them to better than the guys is more wishful thinking. Maybe the team gets lucky, but I put more hope in improvement not replacement.
 
wags said:
I am not saying that "gel" time is not the answer in all cases, but why did our guys get worse in pass protection as the year went on. The more they worked together in games and practices, the worse they got. Any reason for that? What adjustments will they make in pass protection that they couldn't do during the season?
Click to expand...

Remember the one thing we really have tried in order to improve is to return the same five guys to the Oline for a 2nd year. There are tons of things teams do in the off season as far as changing schemes in order to improve. The details are what Capers, pendrey, etc are paid to figure out.
 
One source lists Green Bay's needs as: #1, DE ; #2, SS : #3, QB ; #4, LB and #5, CB. By moving up to our #13 spot, they would have their pick of some quality players. We get their #24 selection and their #49 (from New Orleans) in exchange.

We take:
#24........David Baas, OG/C
#47........Luis Castillo, DE/NT
#49........Chris Spencer, C/OG
#73........Boomer Grigsby, ILB
#78........I'm still lookiing for a DB to slot in here.

For this next year, I'm willing to let Tim Cheatwood be our upgrade tweener at OLB. He's the equivalent of a third round pick.
 
ArlingtonTexan said:
With the exception of SD... none of those teams finshed over .500 nor had an OL any better than the Texans.
Click to expand...

Oaklands OL is way better than ours.
 
ArlingtonTexan said:
...Maybe the team gets lucky, but I put more hope in improvement not replacement.
Click to expand...
At this point, I think the Texans are going to require both improvement & replacement. This has gotten well past crossing your fingers & hoping that something will just get better. Every possible avenue has to be explored and considered. Another season of "...if only the Texans could protect the QB" will put Capers & Co. on the hot seat or the unemployment line. The owner has laid down the gauntlet. McNair's not telling the braintrust how to do it, just to get it done.

Looking at wags list, most of the guys are interior linemen, all drafted after the 1st round. It's just easier (not easy) to get a guard ready to play than it is a tackle. Even if the Texans went into the draft looking for a tackle in the 1st round, the draft might not break right and they could miss out. There may be zero tackles worthy of pursuing in free agency. And if there are some, the competition will be intense as there are a lot of bad O-lines in the league.

This is not just another expansion offseason where the Texans can pick about any position & find an upgrade. This is a team entering its 4th year that has identified its strengths and weaknesses. The offensive line is a flat out weakness. McKinney is a 3 year experiment at center that's failed. Wiegert went from journeyman to reliable starter to journeyman in the span of 365 days. Pitts struggled at his "natural position" at various points in the season. $30 million RT Todd Wade looked very, very average after his early season high ankle sprain. And most of the time, Seth Wand looked exactly like what he is. A 2nd year project out of a Division II directional school. Of all of these guys, I want to cut Wand the most slack. A first year starter at the most difficult position on the line, playing with 4 vets who underachieved. But when I watch the guy play, I don't see a NFL caliber LT ever emerging. Seth just doesn't seem to have the instincts and his physical talent rarely comes through. It's an opinion, I've been wrong before, and I very, very much hope I'm wrong this time.

If you believe that Wand & Pitts are the answers and will improve with another offseason of instruction, I'll buy that. If you think that with another year in the Texans system, a healthy Todd Wade will play like a top shelf RT, I can buy that. What I'm not buying is improvement from 8 & 11 year vets like McKinney & Wiegert. And getting any competition for any of these spots from the Texans current backups isn't happening. Even if you're looking at improvement of the current players as the best hope, bringing in guys to push for the O-line jobs is still the answer. Competition brings out the best. With an improved line comes an improved QB, RB, & WRs. Playing with a lead maybe even improves the pass rush of the defense. A quality O-line can have a ripple effect across the entire team. Casserly & Capers know this, that's why they tried to solidify the line from the beginning. I see them being as proactive as possible in turning this problem around.
 
Vinny said:
Only in your perception. Oakland was dead last in rushing last season, and teams with top lines are never dead last in rushing. We were 12th.

In total offense they had 322.1 yards per game and we churned out two less yards a game at 320.5

http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/OFF-RUSHING/2004/regular?sort_col_1=7
Click to expand...

Since your citing stats, talk about how the Raiders OL gave up 19 fewer sacks on 111 more pass attempts.

In the second half of the season, the Texans ran because that's what defenses gave them (because they couldn't pass/pass protect effectively).
 
We gave up a little more than one sack more per game. Personally, I don't think Carr does the best job in the world avoiding the sack and the Oakland Coach is known for having lines who can pass protect well, but I will agree that they are better pass blockers, but to say point blank that their line is worlds better than ours is flat wrong and the stats bear that out. Oakland only had 2 more yards per game than us.
 
Oakland's rushing stats are as much a reflection of the design of their offense and their below avg RB corps as it is the competence of their OL. This isn't a chicken or egg IMO. There are not many less-capable 1-2 RB's in the league than Zereoue and Wheatley. Whoever said the Raiders OL is 'way better' than the Texans may not be correct but rushing stats don't tell all in this case. Despite the disparity in rushing yards ranking, the Raiders still averaged 4.0 ypc which is better than the Texans 3.9. And 19 sacks allowed per season is the difference between one of the best pass blocking OLs in the league (theirs) and one of the worst (ours).
 
I agree with most of that but I was only refuting that the Oakland line was could not be defined as "way better" than ours, so I really wasn't trying to prove a point beyond that.

They took a back before we did in the same draft in Fargas (he was rated higher than Dom coming out of the draft) and Wheatly has been a good producer the last few years. Since they only churned out 2 more yards per game I don't think they did too much more in the passing game either.

wags said:
Oaklands OL is way better than ours.
Click to expand...
 
The Raiders outgained the Texans by nearly 40 yards per game in passing offense.

Wheatley = Jonathan Wells in '04.
 
4 of the last 5 years Tyrone Wheatly has rushed for 3.8 yards per carry or better and has a career 3.9 ypa on nearly 1300 attempts. Wells is a lifetime 3.0 guy.
 
beerlover said:
i agree with everything you've just stated, it all boils down to who will be available when the Texans are on the clock with the 13th pick. this is what I'd like to see happen: take the DEFENSIVE BPA with the 13th pick if one of these studs are available-
  • #1 Derrick Johnson
  • #2 Marcus Spears
  • #3 Antrel Rolle
  • #4 Adam Jones
  • #5 Thomas Davis

then trade back up into the 1st round (similar to last year with Babin) and draft the HULK (David Baas) to plug up the middle, he is a big wide body that nobody and I mean nobody gets past this guy. if we add more depth later in the draft thats a bonus, but with those two picks the Texans address both critical areas of need with the BPA in the 2005 draft :thumbup
Click to expand...

BL - I love your moniker and your thinking. Getting a defensive stud and Baas around 26-28 would be great. The other thing I liked (another thread by Vinny) suggested moving down in the first and taking Baas.
 
Texan in Japan said:
BL - I love your moniker and your thinking. Getting a defensive stud and Baas around 26-28 would be great. The other thing I liked (another thread by Vinny) suggested moving down in the first and taking Baas.
Click to expand...

cool :cool:

seem pretty logical to me too I just don't understand the others confusion. Casserly has stated that the 1st pick will likely be a defensive player & McNair openly commented at the end of the season, and I saw him say it with my own two eyes, that the Texans must improve the offensive line and do a better job of protecting Carr.

if the Texans could get Spears the defensive line would be set, you could move Robaire Smith to Nose & Spears to the End with Walker. I'm hoping Payne will recover but may be better served seeing spot duty as needed. Marcus Spears would provide a much improved pass rush with Smith on the inside & a 100% healthy Walker. I would expect nothing less than doubling the sack total over 04 (24).

Now the Texans offensive line allowed 49 sacks, Carr is getting not only beat upon but frustrated which is why they must solidify the interior of the line, the ends (Wade & Wand) seem solid if not they are showing improvement. A beast anchoring the middle (David Baas) gives Carr a Pocket he can have confidence in without fear of being annihilated and step up into his throws thus increasing his accuracy & longevity.
 
BL - Spears and Baas would be awesome. We need an infusion of fresh talent on both lines to spur competition and make us better.

I like our bookend OTs and think Pitts will come on after a year at LG.

Spears has the size, talent and motor we need to handle 3-4 DE.
 
I'm really optimistic about the left side of our OL. Wand hustles and he's
very athletic, its just that he's remarkably weak for a man of his size -
fortunately there's ways to make him stronger. And Pitts 2nd year @ LT was
a success, therefor I think he can succeed by his 2nd year @ the less demanding LG slot.
Wade was never that highly rated despite what some may have thought based upon what we payed him. But he should be competant and steady for us.
And all three of these guys are still young and should still be on the upside
of their careers, especially the left side guys.
McKinney & Weigert - bye, bye time. And you really should never need to use a 1st round pick on a top guard or center prospects. And that works out fine, 'cause we want to use that top pick for the best player on the Board @ 13 who plays either DL or LB.
 
There's usually one or two interior line prospects that are mid to low first round worthy each year. Guys like Jeff Faine and Vernon Carey are examples from the last two drafts. Elton Brown and David Baas are in that category this year.
 
Find it funny arguing over which poor o-line is worse. How many angels can dance on the end of the pin huh ? Hate to give up on Pitts . The guy has been a warrior for us. But, for this team to go anywhere, one of the two lines has to be fixed. Maybe a six pack of patience will work. I'm all for the draft moves. Just get the problem(s) fixed. If they see they can't get it fixed , move Carr and start over ? Good lord, what a mess.
 
Number19 said:
You mean you never would draft a Munchack or a Mathews?
Click to expand...
OK, you can use a first round pick on a guard or center, but only if he is a
HOFamer. And Munchack is in and Mathews probably will be. I was thinking that Mathews had played both guard and tackle (maybe center to) ? But
you're right, they were both certainly worthy of being first rounders. So let
me amend that to say that generally speaking, you can usually get good, even very good, guards and centers after the first round.
 
I am new to the board and this is going to be a little lengthy so bear with me. I don't think drafting a high pick on an offensive lineman would have a great impact for at least a couple of years. OL takes more time to develop. DL are in the same boat....as much as I would like the Texans to be able to take a lineman ( defensive or offensive ) with their #13 pick I feel that there are no guys that can come in and start for the Texans at either of these two places for the Texans right now.

Options for the draft...I think with our #1 we should go with Pollack moving Wong inside and letting Foreman and Wong battle it out. We could then proceed to use the loser of the starter battle for depth this season and make a final decision next year on Wong as his contract is coming to an end ( I think ). He seems to be overpaid for what he actually does anyway. Here is what the Sporting News just thought in their recent mock. The draft needs in order are listed in order on the bottom. Their insight on the draft is usually pretty good...and I can't really argue since I feel the weakest part of the team since its inception has been a bona fide pass rush. If we could have two guys ( one on each side ) as legitimate sack threats think about how much our defense would change. You want to know why the Patriots can put undrafted FA rookies and their secondary and be okay. Because they don't ask them to cover very long...their pass rush is usually in the backfield very quickly. What I am trying to say is that I believe the OLBs in the 3-4 are the engine of the defense and everything starts and ends there so lets get a pass rush already. I don't know about yall but I get so tired of watching our DBs run around for what seems like hours while we can't get to the QB. Yes PacMan Jones is an exciting thought...paring him up with Robinson....but good corners can only hold tight coverage for so many seconds.


13 (13) Texans David Pollack DE Georgia
The Texans are one season away from being winners. Pollack is a big, physical and experienced end. His size, speed, and relentless pursuit would make him a big-time NFL performer for them.
Team needs: OT | OLB | DT | CB | WR | ILB
 
This team doesnt need an OLB as their main concern this draft. THey have young players developing right now ready to play. You were right, the middle is a concern, put Wong there this year, draft someone to learn the position and let him take over next year when wong could be gotten rid of. There are too many other problems that are limiting this team, such as the DLine. That is also why the patriots are good because of their lineman filling the running gaps and taking up pass protection and allowing their LBs to hit the gaps and get single blocking schemes against them. The texans need some Dlineman that will allow Babin and Peek to come off the outside with only one man to beat, and allow the ILBs to make their blitzes felt by either not being blocked or also only having one man to beat. You can complain all you want about the pass rush but it will never improve when your dline does nothing and your linebackers are double teamed. Babin and Peek are the future on the outside, there is no need to pay another 20 million or more for another OLB. This team doesnt need to pay top dollar for another LB that will be getting double teamed every play unless they are going to get some lineman that will allow them a chance to pass rush. The points in your argument are very true about the problems with the way the scheme is working in terms of pass rush and coverage differences, but the problem starts with the line not the linebackers
 
Texans75: obviously we have many posters on this board who sit in on every minute of every practice and then they go and break down film with all the coaches, so they are ultimate authorities on what the Texans need and do not need... the Cincinnatikid will jump on any mention of our lack of depth at linebacker with statements like "this team doesnt need an OLB (pollack)", "team has some depth/potential at LB", "pass rush will be there if the line is fixed", "team doesnt need another freak at OLB (cody)", "no point in drafting an OLB with a first pick (merriman)", or "talk of drafting other LBs to play outside and leaving Peek as a situational player is crazy" I do not blame the C-Kid because he is obviously a big Ted Gill fan.

The reality is that Capers has always used his OLBs as the backbone of his defense. In 1996, when things were really clicking for the Dominator, Kevin Greene and Lamar Lathon in 32 starts combined for 177 tackles, 117 solo, 28 sacks, and 61 QB pressures. Now, it seems that the common view around these parts is that we need more push from our three down lineman. Well, Kragen (too small to play NT, of course), Fox, and Williams has a total of 6 sacks and 21 QB pressures in 41 starts. This year GFunk, the 'Baire, and Payne only had 5.5 sacks, but they also were credited with 70 pressures, so obviously "there is no push" by the front three.

Don't let our fellow posters discourage you... one of our biggest weaknesses is that we only have two starting linebackers.
 
Everything starts with the line....but the reason the Patriots have been able to spend 1st rounders on the line is that they already had a linebacking core. We will get to that point eventually, but first we must get the linebackers situated. Lineman take longer to develop and there are no sure things at #13 in the draft this year. There is no Tommie Harris available at that spot this year. I think we might even be able to trade the #13 hopefully, pick up another 2nd round pick and do something like this. We are more than a few players away and need to solidify quite a few positions.

#1 LB - an OLB to compete with Peek moving Wong to the middle...or an ILB to just take Foreman's spot outright
#2 DT - someone to rotate in the line at either DE or NT like Luis Castillo
#2 HB - big 230 plus pound RB who hits like a mack truck
#3 C/G - preferably a center to replace Mckinney ( tired of watching pocket collapse ) although it will probably take a couple of years to be NFL ready..although we aren't going to the Super Bowl in 06 so who cares
#3 CB - a good CB prospect to develop...we have a couple of years till Glenn retires...so a good 3rd round pick at CB would be ready in two years
#4 WR - fastest WR available as we need a fast reciever to play opposite Andre
#5 DL - need more competition and youth in DL
#6 OLB - good place to take tweeners and try them out
#7 TE - for kicks sake lets take the best power forward out there not going to the NBA and see if he can the next Antonio Gates ( what the hell...not like 7th rounders amount to sheet anyway )
 
Texans75 said:
We are more than a few players away and need to solidify quite a few positions.

#1 LB - an OLB to compete with Peek moving Wong to the middle...or an ILB to just take Foreman's spot outright
#2 DT - someone to rotate in the line at either DE or NT like Luis Castillo
#2 HB - big 230 plus pound RB who hits like a mack truck
#3 C/G - preferably a center to replace Mckinney ( tired of watching pocket collapse ) although it will probably take a couple of years to be NFL ready..although we aren't going to the Super Bowl in 06 so who cares
#3 CB - a good CB prospect to develop...we have a couple of years till Glenn retires...so a good 3rd round pick at CB would be ready in two years
#4 WR - fastest WR available as we need a fast reciever to play opposite Andre
#5 DL - need more competition and youth in DL
#6 OLB - good place to take tweeners and try them out
#7 TE - for kicks sake lets take the best power forward out there not going to the NBA and see if he can the next Antonio Gates ( what the hell...not like 7th rounders amount to sheet anyway )
Click to expand...

here are some guys that fit your profiles, not necessarily in the same rounds you listed

OLB - Darryl Blackstock 3, Ryan Claridge 3-4, Dan Cody 1, Trent Cole 4-5, Adell Duckett 7, Liam Ezekiel 3-4, Tyler King 4-5, Sharne Merriman 1, David Pollack 1, Brady Poppinga 5-6, Ryan Riddle 4-5, Matt Roth 1-2, Adam Seward 3-4,Bill Swancutt 2-3

DT - Castillo 2, Mike Patterson 2-3, Sione Pouha 3-4, Jay Ratliff 4-5

HB - Kyle Eckel 4-5, Brandon Jacobs 3-4, Eric Shelton 3-4

C/G - David Baas 1-2, Dylan Gandy 6-7, G Logan Mankins 3-4, G Wes Sims 3-4, Chris Spencer 3-4, Ben Wilkerson 3-4

CB - Ronald Bartell 2-3, Brandon Browner 2, Dustin Fox 3-4, Daven Holly 6-7, Chris McKenzie 4-5, Antonio Perkins 3-4, Antwuan Rogers 6-7, Fabian Washington 4-5

WR - Terrence Murphy 4-5, Little Roscoe Parrish 6-7, Courtney Roby 4-5 Roddy White 3, Troy Williamson 1-2
 
astrofan said:
Texans75: obviously we have many posters on this board who sit in on every minute of every practice and then they go and break down film with all the coaches, so they are ultimate authorities on what the Texans need and do not need... the Cincinnatikid will jump on any mention of our lack of depth at linebacker with statements like "this team doesnt need an OLB (pollack)", "team has some depth/potential at LB", "pass rush will be there if the line is fixed", "team doesnt need another freak at OLB (cody)", "no point in drafting an OLB with a first pick (merriman)", or "talk of drafting other LBs to play outside and leaving Peek as a situational player is crazy" I do not blame the C-Kid because he is obviously a big Ted Gill fan.

The reality is that Capers has always used his OLBs as the backbone of his defense. In 1996, when things were really clicking for the Dominator, Kevin Greene and Lamar Lathon in 32 starts combined for 177 tackles, 117 solo, 28 sacks, and 61 QB pressures. Now, it seems that the common view around these parts is that we need more push from our three down lineman. Well, Kragen (too small to play NT, of course), Fox, and Williams has a total of 6 sacks and 21 QB pressures in 41 starts. This year GFunk, the 'Baire, and Payne only had 5.5 sacks, but they also were credited with 70 pressures, so obviously "there is no push" by the front three.

Don't let our fellow posters discourage you... one of our biggest weaknesses is that we only have two starting linebackers.
Click to expand...

I dont know if all the sarcasm is needed, just simply state a difference of opinion. Also, i believe pressures is not a stat kept by the NFL, so it is up to the team to make decisions on what a pressure is. If you remember during the season some of the texans web page stats taht were used were completely different than those of the official stats that were recorded. Not that the stats you gave are that far off, but still there may be some contradiction. Also, if you really believe that OLB is the biggest concern for this defense then i guess you are all for Foreman starting again this season. My point was that there is more potential talent at OLB than at the Dline, especially looking into the future, that isnt so far away. There is no rule that says a 3-4 team must find 4 all pro LBs before going to work on the dline. My point is that this team can go get some help on the Dline this season and you will see a significant change in LB production. Otherwise this team is going to draft another LB, who will not be able to change things drastically because the Dline is still struggling, and the texans will lose more LBs just like they did Posey and Foley. I may not be as smart when forming my opinions but I guess that makes you feel better about yourself when you make yours that are much better than mine.
 
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