This year's draft is a classic demonstartion of the points I have been trying to make about AJ and Carr. I'm going to begin by talking about the number 1 draft pick of the Texans. People were howling, because we did not take the gentleman from Texas. We didn't take him, because he did not fit into the scheme that Capers is employing and he knew that the gentleman's talents would be a waste in our system. I can not disagree with that and I think they made a very good choice based on what they are planning to do with the defense. Again, no problem it makes perfect sense.
Now, lets contrast that with the drafting of David. Is David a skilled player and was he one of the best out there at the time. Yes, but the question is and was he the player who would best fit into our offensive scheme and I think the answer is no. Now, why do I say that. Because David is known as a passer and never has been know for skillfully handing off the ball. He's known for his laser like passes and the ability to throw it far and deep. Capers on the other hand is really wanting to run the football. Except for Mr. B the O-linemen they have picked up have been known for their run blocking ability and not pass blocking skills. That includes Wiegert and Wade. Bruener is known for his run blocking ability and not his receiving ability. Now most of us would say if BJ had not been a hospital case we might be saying something very different about the TE position even though they often commented on his ability to block. Even when they look at AJ they are thinking about his blocking ability. He is unusually strong for a WR and they often comment about how well he blocks for the run.
AJ is a massive talent, but are we really doing any thing with his talents to spring the man open. I think the answer is no. The one game he went wild in was a fluke in that they let David and AJ play and the line was able to give David the protection and time to find AJ. The Vikings defense was not known for its strength and it almost cost them the game. It did give us a glimpse of what might happen if David is protected and has time to find AJ or the other Texan's receivers.
Both AJ and Carr represent substanital monetary investments by the ball club, but it looks like the Texans are drastically under utilizing those assets. If you honestly look at this from an investment prospective, you really have to ask what is going on. You could have a much stronger defense if you hadn't spent so much on Carr and AJ. Again, I firmly believe we are not even close to utilizing the talents of Carr and AJ, or for that matter, any other receiver on the Texans ball club. What is the proof, the O-line.
Again I will state as I have before that the injuries in year 2 set this ball club back big time and I believe Capers felt that rebuilding the defense was his number 1 priority. We did not have enough draft picks to do both. Therefore, the defense comes 1st and that's what you are seeing.
My one hope is that players like Wand and some of the other young FA's and NFLE players produce a couple of unexpected surprises and our O-line suddently blossoms because of it. It truely would be a miracle and I think we would all be happy campers. I predicate what I say on the belief that the O-line is still the one piece of the puzzle preventing the Texans from going to a higher level. Again I will say that Casserly believes in drafting the best Athlete and that doesn't work with Capers as the head coach, because he does not seem to relate to the offensive side of the ball and does not have a strong enough assistant coach to stand up and say what's wrong.