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It's all about Joppru!!

DBLR1

Practice Squad
If Bennie comes back this season and actually contributes, I believe that he will make an Antonio Gates type impact. I know some of you are going to try and flame me for this but I have heard Charlie say he was ready to play at the end of the season last year but they wanted him to be 100 % healed and ready to go. He is a great TE or they wouldn't of drafted him so early back a couple of years ago. You all just think about if we had him back playing solid with the O. I guess we will see but that is what I am excited about! :woot
 

texasguy346

Mod Squad
It may be a bit much to say he's going to make an Antonio Gates kind of impact in his first NFL action. Even Antonio Gates didn't make an Antonio Gates kind of impact in his first NFL season. He bursted out this past season, and put himself among the leagues best TEs. Jason Witten played well this past season too, and he spent his rookie year getting used to the NFL. Don't get me wrong I think a healthy Joppru will do wonders for the Texans' offense (especially in the red zone). However, I don't expect him to burst on the stage and become an elite TE right off the bat. I just want him to block when he's supposed to, and to catch the ball and pick up some first downs and maybe a few TD in the redzone. Oh yeah I want him to do one more thing. Stay healthy PLEASE!!!
 
DBLR1 said:
If Bennie comes back this season and actually contributes, I believe that he will make an Antonio Gates type impact. I know some of you are going to try and flame me for this but I have heard Charlie say he was ready to play at the end of the season last year but they wanted him to be 100 % healed and ready to go. He is a great TE or they wouldn't of drafted him so early back a couple of years ago. You all just think about if we had him back playing solid with the O. I guess we will see but that is what I am excited about! :woot
I hope your right. I loved drafting him and want him to do very well.
 

infantrycak

Hall of Fame
DBLR1 said:
If Bennie comes back this season and actually contributes, I believe that he will make an Antonio Gates type impact.
If you mean he will come in like Gates did his rookie season, I hope so and I hope people don't flame him for not doing better than 24 rec. 389 yds, 2 TD's--it would be better than all the TE's combined last year. If you mean he is going to come in like Gates did his 2nd year, you are setting the bar way, way too high--Gates just set the all time TE single season TD record.
 

DBLR1

Practice Squad
#1-needs to stay healthy without a doubt
#2-he has watched the NFL game from a sideline perspective and sometimes that is very informational to a player, so if payed attention and learned as much as possible from the sideline, I think it will allow him to progress quicker
#3-the dude has sooo much upside and playing with the guys we put on the field (A.J, D.D, D.C), I think he will leave it all out on the field
#4-he has something to prove, that is where I think he is really gonna show it
 
infantrycak said:
If you mean he will come in like Gates did his rookie season, I hope so and I hope people don't flame him for not doing better than 24 rec. 389 yds, 2 TD's--it would be better than all the TE's combined last year. If you mean he is going to come in like Gates did his 2nd year, you are setting the bar way, way too high--Gates just set the all time TE single season TD record.
Hey, let us dream. Just kidding, I don't think he'll that big of an impact but he will be good.
 
lord i doubt he'll do as well as Gates, heck i dont know if he'll do anything at all, been a while since he's stepped on the field hasnt it ? could have a lil rust
 

barzilla

Waterboy
We do have to remember that Gates is not a blocker. The best thing he can do is be a legitimate threat AND a blocker. The problem is that when Mark Bruener is in the game the other team KNOWS he is blocking and when Miller was in the game the other team knew he was a recieving threat. Having a tight end that can do both would be nice.
 

Vinny

shiny happy fan
It would be nice if he can turn into a Todd Heap type player. Hopefully he is somewhere between Anthony Becht and him. We would have a very dangerous offense.
 

Jwwillis

Rookie
It would be nice. Not sure he is ready to be our best blocker and receiver at TE though. Lot-O-Rust! In a year where Carr's protection is key, having Jobbru in as a blocker makes me nervious.
 

D-ReK

RAWWWRR!
Next season Joppru will key the key to our offense if we're going to show any improvement at all...If he's healthy, he'd be another safety valve for Carr if he's forced to roll out, and he wouldn't tip the opposition as to what type of play we are going to run, not to mention how much of a boost it would be to have him in red zone situations...

He won't be Heap, Gonzalez, or Gates just yet, but I really like his potential and I could see him getting about 35 receptions and 4 or 5 TDs next year...
 

Rosusu

Rookie
Well if we get anything at all it will be better than last season. We got nothing from our TE position last year and it is hurting us. I think I can actually recall every catch by bruener and miller. I cant say the same for any other reciever on our team. If Joppru is healthy and catches a few balls and does his job blocking then we will show improvement at that position. It will also help our O because it wont be obvious that it is a running or passing play. I want to see him succeed!
 

Grid

All Pro
I remember that one catch Bruenor made in preseason where he just about dragged the defenders with him while they tried to tackle him.

I had high hopes for him and was pretty disappointed with his production. I dunno if Carr just didnt get it to him.. but more likely he either didnt get open, or was restricted to blocking duties to try to make up for our poor pass blocking
 

Grid

All Pro
eh.. this draft sucks at TE.. I honestly wouldnt use a pick on any of them except possibly Matt Jones.

I think we are better off just trying to find a diamond in the rough in the 6th or 7th round.. or trying to pick one up in a hurry through FA.

really though.. we have Gaffney, Armstrong, and DD.. all of them are capable of doing the duties of a receiving TE. So I dont think we will be dead in the water without a good TE.. but i do think we need to try to do something about it by next year if Joppru doesnt step up.
 

outofhnd

Rookie
We will prolly draft a TE in the later rounds maybe as hi as our 2nd 3rd round pick. The X factor is how many tight ends will there be in the draft next year? I think we try to find a gem a big body with good hands and then teach him to block.
 

Bayern

Waterboy
By the way thats Joppru. :rolleyes: I know this is an old pic, but I'm looking at it like he's a rookie this year and I can't wait to see what he can do when he finally gets on the field!
 

cadahnic

Rookie
wow. who the hell cares he is not in college anymore. He better show me something on the field or he will be replaced. Luckily he does not have to be that good to be a step up from Billy Miller
 

barzilla

Waterboy
I think what's interesting is that when I look at this team there aren't that many gaping holes. Yet, a lot of our positions are like tight end. Bruener and Miller are passable tight ends, but their nothing special. That becomes a problem when you look at the rest of our offense. We have an offensive line full of nothing special but passable. We have a recieving core that is made up of passable but nothing special outside of Johnson. I think the defense is the same thing.

Casserly has done a good job of filling holes, but now we need to add those special players. The defensive end is the same kind of deal. I think Robinson has a chance to be special and Glenn has been at times, but the DL is full of passable but nothing special. We can only hope that Babin and Peek develop into that eventually.

Hopefully, Joppru will be an upgrade, but we need at upgrade at several positions before we can be a legitimate playoff contender. I was hoping we would do more in free agency this off-season so we wouldn't have to rely on hitting the Royal Flush on the draft.
 

TheOgre

All Pro
I really want us to address the WR#2 position before the season. I hope the plan isn't to stick with what we have right now and hope someone steps up.
 

keyfro

Veteran
the only thing bennie joppru has to do is come in during training camp and take the starting TE job from miller and bruener...if he can do that his 2 year rehab festivial will be ok...personally i'm not sure what all happened to the kid...all i know is so far he has been the biggest bust of our draft picks so far...and 2nd round pick who has yet to get past training camp...and to think we could've had jason witten...after seeing the production he's had makes you wonder how good this kid was supposed to be and how good he will be
 

Vinny

shiny happy fan
He had his groin detached from his bone, so I can't see how that plays into his talent. He has incredible hands and is going to be a player if he can overcome this injury. Count on it. I have a sneaky feeling he is going to end up a fan favorite soon, and will bring some more toughness to this milquetoast offense.
 

D-ReK

RAWWWRR!
keyfro said:
the only thing bennie joppru has to do is come in during training camp and take the starting TE job from miller and bruener...if he can do that his 2 year rehab festivial will be ok...
Agreed...If he isn't named the starter over those two, then we're in trouble...
 

Meloy

Veteran
Jwwillis said:
It would be nice. Not sure he is ready to be our best blocker and receiver at TE though. Lot-O-Rust! In a year where Carr's protection is key, having Jobbru in as a blocker makes me nervious.
Eggs zactly!! I'd much rather have a big ol' tackle blocking for Carr. How much did it help having Breuner blocking or Miller catching a few? We've got Wells &
& Davis for "dump" passes.
 

SheTexan

Hall of Fame
Vinny said:
He had his groin detached from his bone, so I can't see how that plays into his talent. He has incredible hands and is going to be a player if he can overcome this injury. Count on it. I have a sneaky feeling he is going to end up a fan favorite soon, and will bring some more toughness to this milquetoast offense.
I hope so Vinny! If Billy Miller is going to be replaced, as so many of you want him to be, then I would want it to be with someone the Texans have invested so much time in.
 
Most of teams in NFL that improved on offense used TE underneath due to change in illegal contact rules. will Palmer change our game plans if Joppru comes back or will we miss a lot of opportunities underneath for play not being called :hmmm:
 

TexanExile

A New Hope
Vinny said:
He has incredible hands and is going to be a player if he can overcome this injury. Count on it. I have a sneaky feeling he is going to end up a fan favorite soon, and will bring some more toughness to this milquetoast offense.

Love the optimism. I really hope you're right. But this has been a looooooooooong recovery and I have to think that even the hands will take a while to get up to NFL proficiency. Even if he plays all 16 games next year I don't think he'll make the huge impact that some have predicted. I'll settle for stopping some of the bleeding in pass protection and for becoming an occasional alternative to DD on every single bailout toss.

My own "sneaky feeling" is that he's going to be reinjured fairly quickly and that will be the end of the experiment, but I much prefer your P.O.V.!
 

Vinny

shiny happy fan
I'm not counting on it or anything. I'm sure my pov is on the optimistic side on this one.
 

Hervoyel

BUENO!
cadahnic said:
wow. who the hell cares he is not in college anymore. He better show me something on the field or he will be replaced. Luckily he does not have to be that good to be a step up from Billy Miller
Well, I'm sure Bennie's sweating now that he understands that he will be replaced if he fails to meet your minimum standards. Thanks for clearing that up for everyone.

Bennie Joppru is not going to have a break out year like Gates did. At least he's not going to have it in 2005. Anyone planning on watching him own the opposition better prepare for a letdown. He hasn't played any football in two years. Yes he's got two seasons under his belt with a playbook in his hands. He should have a good understanding of what he's supposed to do most of the time. The rust will have to come off before he can "bust out".

Assuming he stays healthy this year I expect to see Joppru get some playing time. I'll consider it a positive season if he can drive the other TE's to the bench by the end of the year.
 

cptnbreakdance

Waterboy
What I'm looking forward to are two tight end sets with Joppru and Miller, they would give Lbs fits in coverage, it would take a little pressure off of the outside passing game too, and open up running lanes for D-Day
 

Honoring Earl 34

Something Witty !
:howdy: At this point does Joppru have an advantage over a rookie . I can't think of a situation like this before .

Was'nt Garrison Hearst injured for a couple of years with a knee then an ankle ?
 

Hervoyel

BUENO!
Honoring Earl 34 said:
:howdy: At this point does Joppru have an advantage over a rookie . I can't think of a situation like this before .

Was'nt Garrison Hearst injured for a couple of years with a knee then an ankle ?
He should know the playbook pretty well. That's about it.
 

pskinny

Waterboy
Hervoyel said:
he stays healthy this year I expect to see Joppru get some playing time. I'll consider it a positive season if he can drive the other TE's to the bench by the end of the year.
agreed.......
 

WWJD

Hall of Fame
I would think this is a make it or break it year for the guy. High draft pick and he's been hurt for 2 years. In most cases that is considered "bust" material. Even though it's not his fault you draft guys high they play or you wasted the pick.
 

edo783

Hall of Fame
If he is on the field and playing with some consistancy by the end of the year he will be fine. He will basically be a rookie with (I hope) a good understanding of the playbook. If he can wind up getting say 1/2 the snaps by the end of the year, I think we are "OK". If he isn't on the field very much by the end of the year, he is likely a washout. It won't be his fault, just how the injury played out. Tough for him AND the team. Has/had a lot of potential if healthy.
 

Jwwillis

Rookie
Honoring Earl 34 said:
:howdy: At this point does Joppru have an advantage over a rookie . I can't think of a situation like this before .

Was'nt Garrison Hearst injured for a couple of years with a knee then an ankle ?
I was wondering the same thing. When it comes to conditioning the college players has the advantage but Bennie has the intellence advantage. The hopes are that he can get his game speed back. The thoght of detaching a groin from the bone makes me cringe. I cant imagine continuing to play NFL football after something like that. Sprots Docs are amazing these days (except for whoever got ahold of Boselli).
 

nunusguy

Hall of Fame
TexanExile said:
Love the optimism. I really hope you're right. But this has been a looooooooooong recovery and I have to think that even the hands will take a while to get up to NFL proficiency.
This was an unusual injury that was apparrently also unusually severe and I'm still not totally clear on what happened last year - did he have a repeat of
the the origional '03 injury, was it somehow a related but different injury than the '03 problem , or was last year a new and unrelated injury to '03.
At any rate, let me be another voice of optimism. He is running OK and that is
the problem with a groin injury, you can't run without pain. So I don't think its
a contact related injury - he just needs to get into "football shape" again.
But having 2 years off from contact, his body is really sorta 2 years younger than what it would be had he gone thru 2 NFL campaigns, - so that's a plus.
But consider the amazing resiliance young pro athlete's have - Terrel Owens
is testimony to that. In what 2 months, 6 weeks, whatever he's in the SB after sustaining the kind of injury he did. So I think we have room for optimism - but guarded optimism.
 

michaelm

vox nihili
I think the offense will be fine if we ever have an LT who doesn't get replaced on passing downs (Wand) and a TE who doesn't get replaced on running downs (Miller). Well, I guess you could look at it another way... Bruener gets replaced on passing downs...
 

keyfro

Veteran
like i said earlier...if joppru can come in during training camp and take the starting TE job he will have a productive "rookie" year...he will be in on all downs even the passing downs and i think he'll be effective in our passing game...he won't have a year like antonio gates did this year...but you can probably expect around 300yds recieving and around 3tds...i think the major role he'll have will be on play action passes
 

Wolf

100% Texan
he won't have a Gates year no matter what.. why you ask? Joppru wouldnt' have to be a star, just a threat.. S.D. doesnt' have an AJ ..All Joppru has to do is take pressure off of AJ (same as Gaffney or whoever) and HELP open the field up for AJ to break open that dreaded cover 2.... way it is now we tip our hand when we have Brunner or Miller in... IF Joppru is as good as advertised and can catch AND block we don't tip our hand.
 

outofhnd

Rookie
I don't think you can even compare Gates and Joppru.
Joppru wasnt a basketball talent/leaper.

If you want to compare him to a good quality tight end the comparison would be a mild mannered Jeremy Shockey. Excellent route runner with good hands decent speed, as well as size to block.
 

D-ReK

RAWWWRR!
If we wanted a basketball player, we would've kept Rashod Kent...

I agree that a Joppru/Gates comparison is ridiculous; they are completely different players...

If I had to compare him to someone, it would be Todd Heap...Good hands, decent blocker, decent speed...
 
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