TexansFight
Veteran
I think everyone knows my position of the VY-RB debate so I will put that aside for now. Assuming we will do the right thing and take VY, I would think all of us would agree that improving our O-line and TE situation is of primary importance. Now don't get me wrong. I definitely think that our personnel should be upgraded via the draft and free agency. Seth Wand should see the field so we can find out if we have a player or not.
That being said having great O-line talent is not the be-all, end-all when it comes to having a great line. A good O-line coach can turn average talent into a good line and good talent into a great line. Look at this year's playoff teams. While Seattle has a talent in Walter Jones, the rest of their line is not just a bunch of 1st rounders. I don't think Pittsburgh or New England have a first rounder in their lines.
The perfect example of this is with UT. Tim Nunez was Mack Brown's first O-line coach. He was terrible. UT had top flight O-line talent as witnessed by guys like Leonard Davis being taken highly in the draft. Nevertheless, Nunez's UT O-lines couldn't handle the blitz, were not cohesive, and were generally considered to be a liability rather than an asset despite the talent.
Luckily for us Orangebloods, Mack fired Nunez and hired McWhorter instead. McWhorter is one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. While UT has great talent, he has made the sum of the parts even better. UT's line is a definite strength and is obviously one of the reasons why VY, Jammaal Charles, etc. were able to do their thing.
Pendry was a worse O-line coach than he was as OC and that is saying something. We MUST have a change in this department.
That being said having great O-line talent is not the be-all, end-all when it comes to having a great line. A good O-line coach can turn average talent into a good line and good talent into a great line. Look at this year's playoff teams. While Seattle has a talent in Walter Jones, the rest of their line is not just a bunch of 1st rounders. I don't think Pittsburgh or New England have a first rounder in their lines.
The perfect example of this is with UT. Tim Nunez was Mack Brown's first O-line coach. He was terrible. UT had top flight O-line talent as witnessed by guys like Leonard Davis being taken highly in the draft. Nevertheless, Nunez's UT O-lines couldn't handle the blitz, were not cohesive, and were generally considered to be a liability rather than an asset despite the talent.
Luckily for us Orangebloods, Mack fired Nunez and hired McWhorter instead. McWhorter is one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. While UT has great talent, he has made the sum of the parts even better. UT's line is a definite strength and is obviously one of the reasons why VY, Jammaal Charles, etc. were able to do their thing.
Pendry was a worse O-line coach than he was as OC and that is saying something. We MUST have a change in this department.