"Texans' rookies an invisible class" (and comparing 2014 to the great 2006 Draft)

[IDEXAN]

One day after his squad lost its third straight home game - an embarrassing feat that took Gary Kubiak 71/2 seasons and a halftime mini-stroke in the third game to pull off - Texans rookie coach Bill O'Brien talked about his first-year players.
"We've got a good rookie class," O'Brien said on 610 AM. "They're working extremely hard. Some guys play more than others, but in some ways each one of them has really contributed to us, and that's good."

Really contributed? That's good?

Those rookies must be lighting it up in practices, which are closed to media, because their game contributions have been minimal.

When it comes to the NFL draft, premature evaluation is a serious enough condition to have its own WebMD entry, so treat this as an early warning, not a declaration.

It is difficult to draft 10 players and have as little production from a group of rookies as the Texans have had thus far this season.

Bill Belichick once said stats are for losers. Numbers can be twisted to fit almost point you want to make.
But the Texans' rookies have so few numbers that it would take some work to misrepresent them.

These rookies have accounted for two touchdowns (a pass reception and a punt block return by Alfred Blue), zero sacks, zero interceptions and zero fumble recoveries.

A couple hundred times prior to the draft, O'Brien reminded media the Texans had the first pick in all seven rounds. It was supposed to be to their advantage.

At this point, the Texans have little to show for all those valuable picks.

It was paramount the Texans leave the three-day draft with key pieces to the franchise's future.

If they did, we have seen little evidence of it.

The 2006 Texans, which like this year's squad was coming off a two-win season and owned the No. 1 overall pick, offers an excellent draft comparison.

There are many parallels. From new coaching staffs with different philosophies, to team needs, to positions drafted, the Texans practically repeated history with the 2014 draft.

The early returns suggest Charley Casserly and Kubiak did a far better job in 2006 than Rick Smith and O'Brien did last May.
This isn't about the future of the Texans' rookies - I'm no soothsayer. It is about their production, or lack thereof, through the first 11 games of their NFL careers.

Carolina on their mind

With the first pick in both drafts, the Texans took a freak of a defensive end from Carolina who was supposed to revolutionize the game.

In 2006, North Carolina State's Mario Williams played much of his rookie season with plantar fasciitis, but he never missed a game as he battled his way to a solid though not spectacular rookie campaign.

South Carolina'sJadeveon Clowney, already slowed by offseason sports hernia surgery, has played in only four games because of surgery following a knee injury in the first half of the season opener.

He has been all but invisible, with his biggest flash coming in a preseason game. He suffered a concussion in practice a few days later and missed the remainder of training camp. When Clowney gets healthy, he should deliver. But he might not be healthy until next season.

From Clowney on down, this year's crop of Texans rookies pales in comparison to the 2006 class.

At the top of the second round in '06, the Texans drafted a player with a first name no other NFL player ever had. In that spot this year, they drafted a player with a last name no other NFL player ever had.
In '06, linebacker DeMeco Ryans, a future Pro Bowler, was second in the NFL in tackles, led the Texans in quarterback pressures and passes defended, and was named the Associated Press NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year.

This year, guard Xavier Su'a-Filo rarely has seen the field.
The Texans were a less talented team in '06, which opened up more playing opportunities for the youngsters, but that doesn't explain away the difference in production between the two classes.

Were they rookies now, Williams, Ryans, offensive tackle Eric Winston (66th pick) and tight end Owen Daniels (98th) would all be starting and contributing on this year's Texans.

Instead, Clowney and Su'a-Filo have been mostly invisible, tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz, the 65th pick, has more whiffed blocks than catches (two), and nose tackle Louis Nix, the 83rd pick, never played a down and was placed on injured reserve.

Even the most notable contributor numbers-wise among the Texans' rookies isn't as impressive as his counterpart eight years ago.

Wali Lundy, a sixth-round pick in '06, and Alfred Blue, a sixth-round pick this year, each had 120 carries through 11 games. Lundy had 462 yards to Blue's 436 and four rushing touchdowns to none. Lundy also had better receiving numbers, with 30 catches for 178 yards to Blue's nine receptions for 76.
Blue should have a better career - 2006 was Lundy's only NFL season - but right now, the numbers are what they are.

Setting the bar low

Quarterbacks earned much of the focus prior to the draft because of the Texans' desperate need for one. They needed one in '06, too.

Casserly took the best athlete in Williams, then went on to pick a group of players who would become the core of the team's development in the coming years. Captains, leaders, Pro Bowlers.

The Texans also decided against using an early pick on a QB this year.

If they came away with key players, future leaders and big-time contributors who will help turn the franchise around, they are doing a good job of disguising them.

"We got a good class of kids, and they'll continue to get better," O'Brien said.

They can't get much worse.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/spo...lass-leaves-much-to-be-desired-5919981.php#/0
****
The Chrons Solomon didn't sugar-coat it - the Smith/O'Brien Draft by early results is light years behind the outstanding Draft Casserly/Kubiack had in 2006.

 

[Lucky]

h
The Chrons Solomon didn't sugar-coat it - the Smith/O'Brien Draft by early results is light years behind the outstanding Draft Casserly/Kubiack had in 2006.

Rick Smith didn't show up in the Texans draft room until 2007. So there's that.

 

[IDEXAN]

Well here's a positive way to look at this: if they can get everybody from this years Draft back & hopefully healthy & productive next season (especially JD, the X-man, and Nix) it's gonna be like having 2 Drafts classes for the 2015 season.

 

[thunderkyss]

Remember the good old days when we were hitting on most of our picks & New England looked like they were wasting their time? We hit on Mario, Demeco, Brown, Slaton, Cushing, Barwin.....

& they had Maroney, Gastkowski, & Pat Chung.


Ahh... the good ol days.

 

[Bulls on Parade]

I'm most disappointed with Jadeveon Clowney and Louis Nix III. I thought those two guys were going to come in and dominate right away. While you can blame the injuries at some point the really great players have that mindset of playing through the pain.

Those two guys experience pain and they are nowhere to be found. That's unfortunate. Louis Nix III shouldn't have gone on IR. He should have played through the pain. Just like Jadeveon Clowney has to play through the pain but apparently doesn't want to. Kudos to Jeoffrey Pagan at least. I'm sure he's in a lot of pain, and it can't be easy for him as a rookie given his recent injury history in college the past few years, and he is still out there playing hard when his number is called into the game.

 

[Bulls on Parade]

Rick Smith didn't show up in the Texans draft room until 2007. So there's that.

On the bright side we should see a bigger contribution from our 2014 rookie class during the 2015 season. No such thing as a so-called sophomore slump for some of these guys. I wouldn't give up the thought of Jadeveon Clowney and Louis Nix III becoming great players. All they need is an attitude adjustment and a change of mentality. Easier said than done but these guys aren't idiots. They know what is being said about them. That the term "soft" is being associated with them. That's going to fuel their motivation moving forward I hope.

 

[JB]

He should have played through the pain. Just like Jadeveon Clowney has to play through the pain but apparently doesn't want to.

As was posted earlier, pain is the body's mechanism for letting you know something isn't right. Do you really want him out there in pain, being less than he could be and risking even further injury?

I don't think anyone would be happy if he tore up the knee even further and wound up missing next year also.

If you haven't been reading any of the stuff that Doc has posted, ask him what he thinks of this.

 

[JB]

Just like Jadeveon Clowney has to play through the pain but apparently doesn't want to.

Just yesterday you wanted him to sit and try to get ready for the Colts, now you want him to go and give a pain filled effort for what is a meaningless game in the overall scheme of things?

 

[Bulls on Parade]

Just yesterday you wanted him to sit and try to get ready for the Colts, now you want him to go and give a pain filled effort for what is a meaningless game in the overall scheme of things?

I want him to play every game. If he has to miss a couple of games against weaker teams so that he can play in the tougher games then so be it. I wanted him to play against the Cowboys, Colts and Steelers earlier in the season. We lost all three by one score. Maybe could have won one or two if he had played and was effective. We'd be in position to win the AFC South had we not given up 24 points in one quarter in back-to-back weeks in two of those games.

 

[Bulls on Parade]

As was posted earlier, pain is the body's mechanism for letting you know something isn't right. Do you really want him out there in pain, being less than he could be and risking even further injury?

I don't think anyone would be happy if he tore up the knee even further and wound up missing next year also.

If you haven't been reading any of the stuff that Doc has posted, ask him what he thinks of this.

As much as I respect Doc's opinion he doesn't work for the Texans medical staff. The Texans medical staff cleared him to play (before the Steelers game in fact) and said a long time ago that Clowney would feel pain and there would be swelling in the knee. That's to be expected but apparently Clowney wants to play at 100 %? Show me a player in the NFL who's playing at 100 % health and I'll show you a player who isn't playing hard every game.

 

[Marshall]

I'm most disappointed with Jadeveon Clowney and Louis Nix III. I thought those two guys were going to come in and dominate right away. While you can blame the injuries at some point the really great players have that mindset of playing through the pain.

Those two guys experience pain and they are nowhere to be found. That's unfortunate. Louis Nix III shouldn't have gone on IR. He should have played through the pain. Just like Jadeveon Clowney has to play through the pain but apparently doesn't want to. Kudos to Jeoffrey Pagan at least. I'm sure he's in a lot of pain, and it can't be easy for him as a rookie given his recent injury history in college the past few years, and he is still out there playing hard when his number is called into the game.

There is a difference between playing with pain and playing with an injury which will be made worse by playing. Sometimes I don't think OB understands that and demands counterproductive participation.

 

[JB]

There is a difference between playing with pain and playing with an injury which will be made worse by playing. Sometimes I don't think the Texans medical staff understands that and demands counterproductive participation.

fixed it for ya

 

[JB]

As much as I respect Doc's opinion he doesn't work for the Texans medical staff. The Texans medical staff cleared him to play (before the Steelers game in fact) and said a long time ago that Clowney would feel pain and there would be swelling in the knee. That's to be expected but apparently Clowney wants to play at 100 %? Show me a player in the NFL who's playing at 100 % health and I'll show you a player who isn't playing hard every game.

And you have faith in the Texans medical staff at this point?

 

[Bulls on Parade]

And you have faith in the Texans medical staff at this point?

Actually I don't. I was just being sarcastic. I think Doc should be a part of the Houston Texans medical staff. I'd argue that he knows just as much if not more than they do. He actually cares about the players. Sometimes the medical staff is more concerned with what the team wants. I'm sort of a stubborn guy like Bill O'Brien when I speak about Jadeveon Clowney's progression or lack thereof.

 

[Runner]

On the bright side we should see a bigger contribution from our 2014 rookie class during the 2015 season. No such thing as a so-called sophomore slump for some of these guys. I wouldn't give up the thought of Jadeveon Clowney and Louis Nix III becoming great players. All they need is an attitude adjustment and a change of mentality. Easier said than done but these guys aren't idiots. They know what is being said about them. That the term "soft" is being associated with them. That's going to fuel their motivation moving forward I hope.

They will be red-shirt freshman next year; the sophomore slump will be in two years. There is no bright side for high round draft picks to be hurt their entire first year, especially for a team with as many needs as the Texans.

 

[Scooter]

for me the biggest disappointments are on the offensive side. on defense clowney was a ball of fire through camp and preseason before the concussion - dispelling rumors of lack of work ethic. he'll be a monster when allowed to get healthy. nix we knew was a calculated risk, a risk worth taking as a potential impact player taken much later than his talent warranted because of his injury worry. we'll see what (if anything) happens in his future. hal's most definitely a rookie, but has flashed real potential on both defense and special teams.

it's XSF and Fido that are bothering me. two heavies in the run game that seem WORSE than they were in college. XSF is falling over himself (literally) with horrible reaching and technique, between poor teaching and constant movement he hasn't had the chance to become a pro. fido's a series of penalties - and penalties that should've been called. this is a coaching flaw. prosch is a hammer but he's incredibly wrong with his lane adjustments it seems, and blue doesnt know how to read the blocking scheme - blatantly going where he's told.

in 2006 we went defense and hit with the defensive athlete first and the defensive mind second. after that the 2006 draft was such a success because of coaching. by his first game a gigantic athlete with flaws was one of the singularly most dominant offensive linemen i'd ever seen - i've said for 8 years now, charles spencer was a hall of famer. a caveman with stumpy arms was going to the probowl here, and could barely get on anyone else's roster. and the slow no blocking 4th round tightend was catching everything while being very under appreciated in his ability to set an edge. even david anderson survived 7 years in the league. COACHING!

the draft its self isnt all that bad, it's what we're doing with these players that is franchise crippling.

 

[LikeMike]

Well I am always an optimist, but I think this draft class mostly just needs a year under his belt. Clowney has been injured and hasn't played a full game healthy. We have seen glimpses in the preseason on what he could do. XSF needs time to get used to the speed and the strength of NFL competition, but he has plenty of promise. Nix is injured as well, has first round promise, needs to get healthy. Fido, Pagan, and Hal have shown promise and Blue has been great.

If your first and third rounder is injured and your second rounder is a lineman, you are not gonna get too good stats from your rookie class. Let them get healthy, give XSF time and this might just turn into a great rookie class...

 

[cuppacoffee]

So Rick is making Casserly look like a good GM?