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Pre-draft O-Line Shuffle

HPF is writing on their main page that Wand has been working as LT during and after practice, with Mike Sherman paying extra attention to him and his pass blocking. Pitts is at LG, Flanagan at C, McKinney at RG, and Wiegert at RT. It's interesting that they're looking at potentially trying Wand at LT again after the old staff apparently gave up on Wand altogether last year. When Wand did step in as LT I think our offensive line had it's best performance, which is still not saying much but with new coaching and a new center I'd expect to see some improvement.

Anyways, it's still very early and we have no idea if they'll draft any OL in the draft, but this is the first I'd heard about what the new coaching staff will be doing with our offensive line. Hopefully Wand can make use of Sherman's tutoring and give us a starter's performance at LT.
 
and hopefully they can draft Eric Winston and they can duke it out for LT and let the loser take the RT spot.

also goes with our tradition of having o linemen with their last name starting with W. Weigart, Wade, Weary, Washington, Wand. Winston just fits on that line.
 
Wand might do just fine with a better center and now having more experience, but the thought of him back at LT is making me :brickwall :brickwall :brickwall

I just hope that they keep him on a short leash. If he hasn't improved, don't stick with him at LT--just give a shot for a while, that's fine.
 
Heres what I see as possibilities:

For Tackles, it seems we have the following:
Pitts - Did very well as LT, although tends to be more power than finesse, and can get beat by the quick speed rushers going around him. Tends to jump the gun, and hold when beat. Seems to be most natural and dominates at LG

Wand - Showed a lot of promise coming out of college but had a lot of difficulty during his rookie season and took almost all the heat for the OL failures. Wasn't really given any coaching last season, and so still may viable. Tends to be a little passive, however, and doesn't seem to respond well to competition.

Winston/College - Both of these guys are quick, solid and fit Kubiak's scheme perfectly. To improve on matters, Winston should still be there in the 2nd and Colledge should still be there in the 3rd. Installing a rookie into the LT when are first games are against the Eagles (Darren Howard and Kearse) the Colts (Freeney and Mathis) and Redskins could be a disaster

Wade - Rated as the best FA tackle a few seasons back, but has underachieved in pass blocking while still holding his own in run blocking. Is a huge road grader type, though, and so may not fit very well into Kubiaks zone scheme

Wiegert - Filled in very nicely at RT last season, but is getting extremely old and has a lot of injury concerns. Would be a great starter, but can't be counted on for a full season.

Centers:

Flannagan - Past probowler and proven signal caller for Brett Favre. Reads defenses well and is a very decent blocker. Has played with Sherman for years and knows his coaching style. Had a serious injury 2 seasons ago but appeared to be ok last year. If healthy, could be our best OL

Hodgon - Did ok last year filling in as rookie, but tends to be undersized and can't make the calls for the line. Give him a few years and maybe he'll be ready, but as of now, should be used as a backup

Guards:

Pitts - See above. Based on his size and driving force, I feel he'd be perfect in the guard spot. With a decent LT and C surrounding him, he should have no problems

Weary - Was resigned very quickly by our staff. I don't really know that much about him

McKinney - played much better at G than he did at C. Allowed larger DTs to immediatley collapse the pocket on Carr. Good signal caller, but should return to his old form from Indy in the G spot

Wiegart - Can play G just as well, if not better, than RT. Again, see above

So I guess my optimal OL would be just like yours above, the only problem is the rookie starter. The main issue I see is that our only viable backup LTs are Pitts and Wand. I'm not ready to trust Wand, and I'd rather leave everyone in one position for the entire year. This means no moving Pitts from LT at the beginning to LG when the rook is ready to start. It will be ineteresting to see what the coaches do
 
the first thing that popped in my head was the 10 million dollar signing bonus for wade. i wonder if his days are numbered here...

wand-mckinney-flanagan-weigart-pitts
now that could work for me.

but this makes for an interesting draft/camp since flanagan is the only player who has a lock on a line position. pitts moving back to LG, mckinney on the other side of the center, no wade, more wand, and weigart still at RT
 
I really like Marcus McNeil in this draft. Wand seems to slow and watching Eric Winston at the Senior Bowl, he got owned.

Of course we all know D Brick should be the pick, but I guess improving your team where it is needed most is not popular these days.
 
I disagree with this constant tinkering with Pitts at the guard spot. Pitts' strengths are his lateral quickness and speed, but when he has played guard in the past, he hasn't been able to handle the strong defensive tackles coming straight ahead.

He should be left at LT. He does a nice job there, and was not, and is not now the main concern about the line. I think the current experiment with Pitts at guard now is actually the experiment with Wand by the new coaches to see what they have exactly in Wand.

If they do, as I expect, take an LT with the 2nd round pick, then I see Pitts going to RT, not LG. But remember, a rookie LT is a rookie LT is rookie LT. He's going to make some silly mistakes that will some of you screaming 'bust'.

But this thing with Pitts at LG is never going to pan out IMO.
 
I was wondering when this would get "officially" reported. As of now (and admittedly there is a long way to go until the first game) the starting line is:

Wand-Pitts-Flanagan-McKinney-Weigert

I think the new coaches know how to bring out the best in players. Sherman working out with Wand after practices to teach him how to fix his big weakness is certainly better than Pendry yelling at him after every snap and then benching him. Wand has all the physical skills - with Sherman tuning up his footwork, expect to be surprised.

Here is something I wrote up on a thread that went astray a couple of days ago (post 11 on on this thread http://www.houstontexans.com/fan_zone/messageboards/showthread.php?t=21166):

Runner said:
1) I agree we'll see Pitts stop moving around, but he'll stick at guard. The coaches will teach him how to play a team game from that position and fix that weakness. Left guard.

2) I'm not a big McKinney fan, but I trust our coaches' evaluation far more than mine. Right guard.

3) Even an average center improves our line tremendously, especially since it also makes our guards stronger. This goes a long way to us getting a consistent pocket for Carr to step up into, which then helps our tackles. Nice move - it all fits together.

4) This coaching staff is the best thing to happen to Wand since he's been here. They recognize he has all the tools required to be a left tackle, and they are good enough coaches to teach him the techniques to make him our franchise left tackle. Surprise, surprise - the left tackle we've been looking for has been here all along.

5a&b) As has been pointed out, we have great coaching for the o-line for the first time in franchise history. Our players will be better, because the team will take advantage of their strengths and work the scheme and teach to reduce their weaknesses.

6) I think they'll draft for depth, especially at right tackle as Weigert winds down his career.

7) Weigert will be valuable at RT. He may need some tight end help at times, but we have that TE help now. The coaches will take advantage of this and devise offensive schemes make players better as a unit then they are individually. He has injury concerns, but we'll probably have Wade and a rookie as back-ups. He is a leader on the line, although that goes unnoticed here.


Wand-Pitts-Flanagan-McKinney-Weigert.

Add in some top notch coaching and our problems have been addressed nicely.


Also, posts 87 onward on this thread from a week ago make interesting reading.

http://www.houstontexans.com/fan_zone/messageboards/showthread.php?t=19958&page=5
 
Goldeagle said:
Of course we all know D Brick should be the pick, but I guess improving your team where it is needed most is not popular these days.
This has been the biggest gripe I've had about this stupid draft. We have the chance to get the premier LT that will the answer at that spot for the next 10 years . . . and yet we can't take him because he won't "put fans in the seats".:brickwall
 
Goldeagle said:
I really like Marcus McNeil in this draft. Wand seems to slow and watching Eric Winston at the Senior Bowl, he got owned.

Of course we all know D Brick should be the pick, but I guess improving your team where it is needed most is not popular these days.

Wand's combine numbers (which appear to have been on a slower track if you look at the numbers for all the participants) were quicker than Ferguson's on the agility drills. His main strengths are quickness and speed, but that is just the coaches and scouts talking.
 
come on draft.. this kinda gets me excited with the OL if Wade gets pushed out .. yes I know we pay him a bunch of money, but if this OL works ..that means we have coaches that can bring out the best in players and we actually are starting to have depth where people are going to have to start fighting for their starting spots..

This is something we haven't seen in Houston since the early to mid ninties ... position battles :yahoo:


of course I realize this post is very premature given the draft hasn't come and training camp hasn't started ,but say we draft Scott in 2nd round or whoever.. that can mean more depth/position battles

I guess I feel more comfortable with our Offensive coaches than last year..
:redtowel:
 
Marcus said:
This has been the biggest gripe I've had about this stupid draft. We have the chance to get the premier LT that will the answer at that spot for the next 10 years . . . and yet we can't take him because he won't "put fans in the seats".:brickwall

Amen.

I do have a question though. With as much money as we're paying Wade, & with it looking like he won't be the starter next year, what does everyone think we can get for him in trade? After all, he's in his prime, is in great shape, & is a great drive blocker for the running game.

Any thoughts on what we could get & to whom we could trade him? Or, are we just going to keep him as our backup RT?
 
Many posters have been saying that the team was a victim of bad coaching. If you truly believe this, it logically follows that there are players on the team that are better than they've been allowed to show.
 
JohnGalt said:
With Wade's and Wiegert's injury history, it may be prudent to keep them both at RT

Wade was injured last year, but prior to this last year, he'd only missed 3 games in 5 years & 2 of those were in his first year here. Assuming he is healed from his injury this year, there are no injury concerns in regards to Wade.

As for Wiegert, well, that's another story.

How about we pick up Andrew Whitworth in the 3rd round?
 
Runner said:
Many posters have been saying that the team was a victim of bad coaching. If you truly believe this, it logically follows that there are players on the team that are better than they've been allowed to show.


Very true, I still say D brick, but you are right, we will see though.
 
I really think that on draft weekend they are going to pick up some 3rd or 4th round type players like Wand and Weary. I don't think that they will be expected to compete for a starting spot, but will be developmental players being groomed for 2007 or 2008.

If Sherman can bring around Wand (I think he can) and with Pitts and McKinney moving back to their natural positions, the O-Line is not going to be a big problem in 2006.

Do I dare say it could be a strength?
 
JohnGalt said:
I really think that on draft weekend they are going to pick up some 3rd or 4th round type players like Wand and Weary. I don't think that they will be expected to compete for a starting spot, but will be developmental players being groomed for 2007 or 2008.

If Sherman can bring around Wand (I think he can) and with Pitts and McKinney moving back to their natural positions, the O-Line is not going to be a big problem in 2006.

Do I dare say it could be a strength?


Wow. Wand at LT. I know some people have been saying it, but wow. If Sherman can make a line that is basically mostly the same people into something that doesn't suck, it will freak my stuff up. If it becomes a strength of the team, Sherman will be gone next year. (Though if they just turn out not sucking, he will probably be gone next year anyways).
 
Mike Sherman will be gone next year no matter what the Texans do. Teams who fire their head coaches next year will be looking for people that used to be an NFL HC with a winning record.

Wait a minute. None of those exist, or they wouldn't have been fired in the first place, right?:crazy:

Better enjoy while he's here. Not often you can get a proven winning NFL HC as an offensive line coach.
 
They'll have to create some kind award if this pans out. I'm not saying I am skeptical but simply adding a veteran center and wahlah, a strong line is created. I seriously hope this staff doesn't think they know too much for their own good in that they think they can rebuild anything just because they've been successful. Remember Hoke was going to turn PB into an all-pro? I definitely trust Sherman but it all is a little surreal. Maybe they did just need some confidence and better coaching but is still seems like a gamble. From what I have seen I have been very impressed as the pieces to the team have been brought together. I trust this staff enough to make whatever decisions they see fit and feel the club is far better thanks to all the coaching changes. I seriously hope it doesn't blow up in their face though if we have all these playmakers and the blocking is still way below par when you can get multiple picks in addition to the best lineman in the draft. I will be glad to see whatever direction they choose since anyway they go should result in vast improvement. The worst has to be way behind us now...right? :whistle:
 
here's a thought that i don't think many have brought up...but knowing casserly has a long history of making draft day trades...all be it upsetting most of the time...what if they were planning on trading to get back into the second round to pick up davin joseph...speculating that we get one of the cb/fs type players at the top of the second round adding joseph would make a lot of sense...one we need more lineman who can play both guard and tackle...two with weigert moving to RT an injury is bound to happen...having joseph gives us the option of moving pitts to RT and having joseph fill in at LG and i beleive the production of the o-line would not fall that far if any with joseph replacing pitts at the guard position...on top of that i think pitts is probably the best RT we have on this team...he's also the best LT we have on the team as well...but what i do know is that sherman knows o-lineman...if he thinks wand is good enough to be our starter at LT then he's good enough and capers/pendry look dumber than ever
 
Goldeagle said:
Of course we all know D Brick should be the pick, but I guess improving your team where it is needed most is not popular these days.

It's a shame we'd couldn't have won just one more game this past season. We wouldn't be in this position right now if we had. But, unfortunately, we won the Reggie Bush sweepstakes. We have no choice but to take Reggie because no one wants to be the guy who passed on "the next Gayle Sayers".
 
So what, just because ESPN says so, we cant pass on Bush? You know why we are the worst team in football? Well, that list can go on for a while, but I can tell you with certanty that Domanick Davis was not one of those reasons. Take D'Brick, let NFL countdown and ABC Sports and CNN and CBS and everyone else criticize all they want. Then watch Carr, standing up in the pocket, find Eric Moulds or AJ for some TD's.
 
keyfro said:
...on top of that i think pitts is probably the best RT we have on this team...he's also the best LT we have on the team as well...but what i do know is that sherman knows o-lineman...if he thinks wand is good enough to be our starter at LT then he's good enough ...

Rest assured that Kubiak, Sherman, et. al. know more than the average poster on this board. They know a heckuva lot more than me, that's for sure. If they have Wand at LT, then he's the best LT we have - not Pitts.

I hope Pitts gives Wand the same support that Milord Brown gave Pitts last year - then we'll see the best left side we've ever had. I know Pitts is on a pedestal around here, but he needs to step up too.
 
:ok: This is just a starting point . The line will be tweeked several times before the season starts and might have players who are not yet on the team .
 
Hottoddie said:
Sorry, but that honor goes to Matthews & Munchak. They may have been Oilers, but they were still Houston's NFL team.

?????

Maybe we can define "we" to mean the entire NFL and come to another completely different answer! That would be fun!

Let me rephrase:

then we'll see the best left side the Houston Texans have ever had.
 
Texans_Chick said:
Wow. Wand at LT. I know some people have been saying it, but wow. If Sherman can make a line that is basically mostly the same people into something that doesn't suck, it will freak my stuff up. If it becomes a strength of the team, Sherman will be gone next year. (Though if they just turn out not sucking, he will probably be gone next year anyways).

I lump Texans Chick in with D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Peerless Price, and all of the sudden I'm "some people". I'm devastated. :)
 
Marcus McNeil would be a great pickup with the First pick in the second round. Very athletic, strong and knows the position. Could be the answer for Carr's woes.....Also like Thomas Howard at OLB if he falls a few spots.:drool:
 
We had our best running year with Wand and Pitts on the left side, correct? So at least they can run-block good. When i watched Pitts at LG this year he would contain his man good but the Tackle (riley) would break down and the right gaurd/tackle would also crack.
 
Honoring Earl 34 said:
:ok: This is just a starting point . The line will be tweeked several times before the season starts and might have players who are not yet on the team .

That's what I was thinking I'm sure they're still trying to figure out exactly what they have. They can only tell by experimenting so to say the lineup is set at this point seems pretty premature.
 
The Preacher said:
That's what I was thinking I'm sure they're still trying to figure out exactly what they have. They can only tell by experimenting so to say the lineup is set at this point seems pretty premature.

The line hasn't been "set" since McClain announced the left side/center was set with Pitts/McKinney/Hodgdon in the Chronicle. That was repeated so many times on this board I'm sure people still can't believe that was an 0-3 prediction.

What we have is an initial depth chart. What we also know is a set of very good coaches see things differently than many fans. Let me point out that we didn't look at any left tackles this free agent period - that should tell you what Sherman thinks of Wand. I bet these coaches were astounded when they studied film and looked at the talent on the roster vs. what was put on the field last year. The schemes the Texans attempted to run must have shocked them too.

Can things change? Certainly - and now we have coaches that aren't afraid to change things to get better.
 
personally i think wand deserves another shot before he gets put in the perminate back-up spot...remember this guy was a 3rd round choice and for an offensive lineman that means something...also pendry/capers= zero knowledge over offensive lineman or just plain zero knowledge over how to run an offense period...wand might be better than most gave him credit for...i remember vinny stating that he thought most of wand's problems in 2004 stemmed from mckinney's play at center
 
I never thought, and I still don't believe, that any offensive lineman picked up in the draft would have an automatic pass to the front of the line. Lineman need time to gel. So whether we pick up a McNeil, Winston, Justice, or whoever, I think it would be in the capacity to groom them for a position opening in 2007/08. That was why I thought we would see a lot of familiar faces on the line. Anything can happen between now and September, but I don't expect the line to change much. The coaches know that a line needs to gel, so they aren't going to shuffle too much. Also, the Texans have put a lot of their investments in Defense and some major offensive weapons, so I don't think we are going to see too many more new faces - except Reggie, of course.
 
keyfro said:
personally i think wand deserves another shot before he gets put in the perminate back-up spot...remember this guy was a 3rd round choice and for an offensive lineman that means something...also pendry/capers= zero knowledge over offensive lineman or just plain zero knowledge over how to run an offense period...wand might be better than most gave him credit for...i remember vinny stating that he thought most of wand's problems in 2004 stemmed from mckinney's play at center


The treatment of Wand last season still amazes me. As a first year starter in 2004, he gave up 12.5 sacks and committed 3 penalties. Someone show me a LT who only committed three penalties while playing in 16 games. 2 of those games came against Freeney. By the way, for reasons surpassing understanding, he was left on an island with Freeney almost every play for both games- I also remember Freeney embarrassing guys like Jonathan Ogden. In addition, Carr's pocket presence isn't particularly good... not to mention the fact that due to the interior line in 2004, there seldom was a pocket. So yeah, I think the guy deserves another chance. As a matter of a fact, I can't remember him getting badly beat by any DE other than Freeney. Most of the sacks were of the 4-5 second variety.
 
As some have mentioned it was strange when Wand lost his job, because he had basically done a good job the year before. Then we had the infamous scheme change being implimented by an incompetent coach.

Lets step back a minute and reflect on who thought Wand had it all and that was Boselli. He had tuitored Wand and felt very good about him. I felt Mr. B left and didn't stay around to help at all, because of the coaching staff. He brought a lot of spirit to the team.

I mention Mr. B because I think I would take his judgement over Pendry and Capers on this subject. Now, in steps Sherman and may be he sees something. It would be very damning to say the least if Wand turns out to be one of the answers.

I worry about Pitts next to Wand, because I have felt Pitts also contributed a lot to Wands troubles. I would prefer to have Wiegert at LG and Pitts at RT. That would put McKinney at RG. Part of it is a personality thing, but I also thing there are some other factors. We will just have to wait and see how it turns out.

Sherman has an excellent reputation coaching O-lines. Kubiak has an excellent reputation for coaching RB's and QB's. Are weakest link in the offensive coaching could be the WR's once again. However, with Sherman and Kubiak over seeing that position and the vetern leadership Moulds should give us, we should be alright. Anyway, I think this team is coming together in an unbelievable way and I see no way barring injury that we won't be vastly improved. I keep saying, just sit back and enjoy the ride, its going to blow you away.
 
Ibar_Harry said:
Anyway, I think this team is coming together in an unbelievable way and I see no way barring injury that we won't be vastly improved. I keep saying, just sit back and enjoy the ride, its going to blow you away.

I agree, without truly knowing what's in store, things look alot more positive than last years 2-14. What we have here are players and coaches eager and willing to prove themselves, that's enough for me really. We might lose alot of games, but with our current team we'll fight to the end and won't roll over as we did so many times last year.
 
Runner said:
I lump Texans Chick in with D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Peerless Price, and all of the sudden I'm "some people". I'm devastated. :)


I weigh substantially less than they do. :)

As for "some people" be thankful that it wasn't a topic of conversation where I mighta said "some doofuses believe....." or "a buncha silly peoples think...." :cool:

I don't know what I think about our line. Other than that in previous seasons it has scared me
 
Texans_Chick said:
As for "some people" be thankful that it wasn't a topic of conversation where I mighta said "some doofuses believe....." or "a buncha silly peoples think...."

At least in that case I would have known you weren't referring to me.


Why would this line make you nervous? It is the complete opposite of what Pendry would field. Is there any greater praise?
 
Runner said:
At least in that case I would have known you weren't referring to me.


Why would this line make you nervous? It is the complete opposite of what Pendry would field. Is there any greater praise?

Because our line in general makes me nervous. Because David Carr behind our line makes me nervous. Because our team is gonna be tested big time early in the season. Nothing like becoming reaquainted with Freeney in Week 2 for a new line.

I would love to say everything bad last year was on the coaches, but I don't think it was. Some was on the coaches, and some was on the line, and some was on the RB/TEs and some was on the QB. And a bunch was on injuries. Well, we've changed the coaching and the scheme but much of the personnel is the same. Until I see these guys actually performing, the four years of cringeworthy pass protection can't be erased from my mind no matter how many positive projecting MB posts I read or how much alcohol I consume.

There was a time where David Carr was singing Pendry's praises. That time was short. There is a time now where Sherman is the new savior, and hopefully whatever line he puts together works a lot mo better. It is just remarkable to me that Wand could go from starter to can't get off the bench to projected LT. If that doesn't give you a little bit of the willies, then you have a much stronger constitution than I have.
 
Texans_Chick said:
1) There was a time where David Carr was singing Pendry's praises.

2) It is just remarkable to me that Wand could go from starter to can't get off the bench to projected LT. If that doesn't give you a little bit of the willies, then you have a much stronger constitution than I have.

1) Certainly you've heard people sing the company line before. That was pure politics - by all the players, not just Carr. IMO.

2) I don't have the willies because this should be Wand's third year starting. The aberration was Victor Riley taking the job last year. This is just getting back on track. Last year's benching had nothing to do with putting a better player on the field, because Riley surely wasn't.

Relax. Things will be OK.
 
Runner said:
The aberration was Victor Riley taking the job last year.
Relax. Things will be OK.

Victor Riley - now there is a name to give a person the willies. The fact that he is no longer among us is enough to give me faith in a stronger oline. Hopefully, we won't have any more Victor Riley's....ever.
 
I would have liked to have heard the conversations behind doors that decided what should have been a backup guard should be our starting LT.

Pendry: "Wand's a pantywaist, let's put Riley at LT. He's big and blocks good."
Dom Capers: "As long as he executes, I think we'll be fine."

Suffice to say in retrospect the old regime did not make very intelligent decisions regarding our offensive line. Here's to hoping Sherman and Kubiak can turn the line around and consequently turn around what was one of the worst offenses the league has seen in the past decade.
 
I've heard mention before that this is experimentation since it is still early, but I think Sherman is more locked down with his line. I think it is partially that experimentation over the past few years that kept the line from becoming more cohesive. By solidifying the line now, the unit will improve as a whole.
 
I was listening to an interview with Todd Washington on the radio yesterday. I was waiting to see what he thought of the o-line shuffle when the host asked him something along the lines of "since the left side of the line is set in concrete with Pitts and Mckinney, what do you think of the right side....."

Washington responded with a statement about how flexible the players on the line were and that they could play multiple positions.

Why is it so hard for people, even those who are paid to follow the team, to accept the fact that the new line might not follow Pendry's failed blueprint? Do people deep down think that Pendry was doing a good job?

This new line-up was chosen though film study by experts and has been practicing like this for a couple of weeks now. The coaches like what they see. Change can be good.

----------------------------
I agree with the previous post - this isn't so much experimenting as it is the coaches trying to get their best line together as early as possible. The draft may change things; we'll see.
 
Runner said:
Why is it so hard for people, even those who are paid to follow the team, to accept the fact that the new line might not follow Pendry's failed blueprint?

I COMPLETELY agree. I, too, do not understand why people consider us the same team as last year. Almost evert facet of this team will be different - if not the player then the way the player is coached. If not the play, then the tenacity and expectations during its execution. We are a COMPLETELY different team by day 1 in every phase. Yet, so many people see this Oline and can't believe that maybe they have untapped ability. Maybe they don't but we do have a staff that will find out one way or the other.

We still look at ourselves as 2-14....and that's too bad. We should expect the Texans to succeed. Seriously, would you take Denver's ENTIRE offense or would you take the Texans ENTIRE offense. Well, Denver was almost at the show and had a Defense that was considered a bunch of castoffs.

It's called coaching...and we have it for the first time in our existence as a team.
 
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