I am generally seen as a negative poster but I like to think I see things realistically. For instance, I liked the direction the team was heading in 04, but I hated all of the moves in 05. I posted as such, so it isnt like my mind suddenly changed. I called for a bad season this year. And in 04 I thought the team would do quite well. The worst decision that isnt pointed out enough, is that we have 4 DTs that are making a crapload of money. Coupled with the fact we dont have a pass rusher or a run stopper. Great job of using that number 1 pick casserly! I will reiterate that I think Casserly has done a horrible job in bringing in talent. This team has good players or horrible players. We are missing those average/above average players that just do their job. We have no playmaker on defense. This team had more talent after the expansion draft. I will use a rating system, 1-10 saying what I think our talent is at each position. 5 is obviously average, 10 is an elite position. QB: David Carr: I think David Carr could have been a great QB in this league. I think he may have been ruined. He no longer keeps his eyes downfield, he has created a habit where he watches the rush instead of feeling the rush. He locks on to recievers too much. The physical ability is clearly there, but I dont think he will get it all together. I do think he could put it together, but I just dont see it happening. Rating: 4 HB: Domanick Davis: Good running back. Good mix of power,cutting ability, and accelleration. I am convinced he is the worst pass blocking running back in the NFL. He is a liability on 3rd downs. He cant stay healthy and cant sustain the workload in the NFL. The pass blocking can easily be fixed with a thing called effort. Would be an upper echelon back in this league if he could stay healthy, and it would be nice if he would pass protect. Rating: 7 FB: Moran Norris: Nothin spectacular. Just blocks and does a decent job. Rating: 5 OL: I am grouping it as a whole, because these guys should work together as a whole. I think Chester Pitts is the best player in this group, and him and Todd Wade are the only decent players on this line the past couple years. Wade is highly overpaid however. What much is there to say other than this line sucks and is the worst in the NFL. The amount of sacks lowered at the end of the year, because we passed the ball alot less, and we dont have many 7 step drops for fear of the horrible performance early in the year. Rating: 1 Tight End: Mistake after mistake after mistake drafting at this position/not drafting at this position. Horrible. Rating: 1 WR: Andre Johnson is a stud and is a top 10 Wideout in this league. Gaffney is a below average number 2, but he is servicable and I thought he was alot worse than he played this year. He should be commended for exceeding expectations. Bradford is terrible. He is a number 5 wide reciever. Gaffney would be an awesome number 3. Rating 4 Offense overall: 2 Note: I will consider the defense to run a 4-3 the majority of the time. Defensive Line: We have no proven defensive ends. We have an excessive amount of DTs who make an excessive amount of money. NICE! Seth Payne should be the odd man out in my opinion, and you can rotate TJ in as walker gets older. However, walker may have been the best player on this defense last year. Rating 2 Linebackers: Morlon Greenwood is an OLB, Wong is an OLB. Babin and Peek are???? I dont think they will do anything on the Line, NFL OTs will destroy them. This doesnt look good at this point either. Rating: 2 Secondary: Dunta Robinson is good. Faggins is a good nickel corner who ended up starting. Buchanon needs to be cut. Our safeties are improving, and they played quite well at the end of the season. Sadly we are still below average in our secondary, and it is the strength of our defense.... Rating: 4 Overall 2 We have a llllllooooooonnnnnnngggggg way to go as far as talent, and not one player in this draft will help. We have alot of needs. Personally I am a UT fan and I would prefer we draft vince young because I am a homer. Let me separate that from my opinion from last year. I wanted us to draft Derrick Johnson last year, because it was the right thing to do. That had nothing to with homerism. Marcus Spears would have even been better considering he can move to a DE in the 4-3, and he can get to the QB. :brickwall Probably our best bet would be to trade down for a special package like the chargers pulled on the falcons. My biggest problem is: Do you spend a number 1 pick on a player who can only carry the ball 15 times a game? I can assure you he wont be returning anything considering the amount of money he will be making and it would be an injury risk. Coupled with the fact we have a pro bowl rookie at returner. So is he worth the pick? Worst case scenario: We draft bush and the titans draft Vince Young. Vince Young leads them over us consistently every season and gets them a super bowl. Bush becomes warrick Dunn This would be dreadful. This is what worries me the most....
I pretty much agree with most of your analysis, especially the part about us not having the middle of the pack talent needed to be contenders...I'm holding out hope that we can add a few of these under the radar players through FA, but it's by no means a certainty... About Carr, I agree that he watches the rush too much as opposed to "feeling" it...I'm not sure if this is something that can be corrected by improving the OL and giving him more time or not...We're placing all our eggs in this basket though, so it better work out... Regarding the WRs, I think that Gaffney has what it takes to be a solid number two WR...He doesn't have good speed, but he has good hands and runs good routes...He's a first down machine...The thing he doesn't do is open things up for Andre...This is where Mathis, hopefully, comes in... About the OL, I think other than Pitts and possibly Wade or Wiegert, none of these guys deserve to be starting in the NFL...Hopefully Kubiak and *crosses fingers* Alex Gibbs will be able to maximize the talent that is currently here...We really need to infuse this group with some youth and talent, though...As the improve, our overall offense should improve too... You're are absolutely correct about the DL too...We have a glut of DTs and no pure DEs...I think Babin may be able to man one of the end spots, but I'm not certain of that...Payne won't be released since he signed his big new contract last off season... As for the LBs, it's painfully obvious that we need a true MLB...Greenwood should prove to be a competent, yet overpaid, starter, as should Wong...I think Peek has the athleticism to be a decent LB in a 4-3 also...Maybe Orr does too, not sure... Our secondary needs a little bit of work, but we have a lot of young guys there that should do nothing but improve...Dunta is good, Buchanon showed flashes but should be replaced, and Faggins is solid in a nickel role...A number two corner is desperately needed if we're not going to be able to get pressure on the QB, and I don't think we will...We need a FS also, as I anticipate Coleman being released after his terrible season...Brown and Earl are decent at SS and both should do nothing but improve... I think with good coaching and a good draft/FA period, we could show vast improvements next year...I seriously doubt it will be anything like the Chargers did a couple years ago, but we have no where to go but up...
I can agree with alot of that. Some changes id make: FB: Norris. Id give him an 8. Hes one of the better FBs in the league. He is somewhat one dimensional but he does the basic function of a FB (blocking for the RB) very well. OL: Id give them a 3. I agree they are well below par.. but their run blocking has been ok. A 3 would be a more "fair" number for them IMO..without giving them too much credit. LB: I give them a 4. They havent been real effective, but I blame alot of that on Fangio. I see alot of talent and athletic ability in our LBs that hasnt been utilized. The change to a 4-3 will change our LB lineup so I dunno how ill rate them once the changes are made, but up to now with our current LBs..they have been below average but I see alot of room for growth. DB: I give them a 5. We have two spots on in our secondary locked down (SS and #1 CB).. and 2 up in the air (FS and #2 CB).. so a rating of 5 seems fair to me.
FB: Moran Norris: Nothin spectacular. Just blocks and does a decent job. Rating: 5 ======================================== I would give this guy an 8 or 9. I think just about any team in the NFL that uses a true FB would love to have this guy. FB is a thankless job.
To me that makes him an average fullback in this league. Maybe a little above average. A fullbacks job is to block and open holes which he does well, but he isnt richardson. He cant do anything but runblock, so that makes him limited. Thus giving him an average rating.
You forgot to rate the coaching Talent brought in which was HC - Dom Capers 4 - He atleast did not leave the talent completely bare like the 49ers coach Dennis Erickson did. DC - Vic Fangio 2 - Now that the 3-4 is getting more popular our 3-4 has gotten less productive.. Now that offenses prepare for it more regularly, It really shows the lack of upfield push, Fangio did nothing to counter it. OC- Chris Palmer 0 - After watching this offense I can clearly say It is not an offense for a fledgeling franchise that is trying to work in draft picks.. way to complex and giving Carr Minimal options in the passing Game, He then decided to throw in a Zone Blocking scheme which totally backfired... Talent Wise offense Carr 5 - If he can adjust to this offense quickly and maybe he will feel better being able to move around and get out of the pocket. He will become a monster. RB DD 7 - for a late round pick the guy runs with a chip on his shoulder seems to have a problem keeping his footing or I think He could break more long runs... Wells 5 - this guy has done everything and anything the team has asked of him and done the job sure hes not a gamebreaker but he compliements DD very well.. Love the Down hill style and mean streak he has when he runs. Hollings 0 - Why are you still here? Morency 4 - Does a good job but looks hesitant to hit the hole at times. In depth is inconclusive since i did not get to see alot of action from him WR Andre Johnson 9 - Man this guy is awesome even doubled he still cannot be stopped at times.. Our #1 Playmaker. Corey Bradford 0 - What a grade difference this guy would have if he would just hold onto the ball... Please Do not bring him back for another season I beg you!!!! Jabar Gaffney 6 - excellent route runner and pretty solid reciever.. However he does make some bone headed plays every now and then. Darrell Armstrong ? - Another player who seems to never get a chance to get on the field. I would like to see him on the field more to see if he can produce in more regular role. Jerome Mathis 7 - if he becomes our #2 WR we might as well hang dragstrip lights under the goal posts. With Him and Andre Both sub 4.4 guys dare to dream. Seems to have hagging injuries hopefully with the offseason conditioning some those won't happen as much. TE Bennie Joppru ? - Seeing this man in a texans uniform would be the equivalent to seeing the lochness monster, or bigfoot. Cant really grade him Its not like anyone knew that he would be like the black knight from monty python and the holy grail. Mark Bruener 4 - Missed the majority of his oppurtunity to make a play the few times he was given that option.. Good Blocker though Marcellus Rivers 3 - At first I wondered why this guy collected a paycheck but over the last few games him and carr finally seemed to click better. May not be fast but he sure is hard to bring down once he gets the ball. Troy Murphy 2 - This guy is an All Pro In the preseason, but man he just cannot compete at the NFL level at a consistent basis. OL Wand 3 - I would like to know where he goes wrong? In Pass protection, I cant tell if hes slow out of his stance, slow with his hands, Or just lacks good balance? I like his physical tools maybe He just needs a new Technique. Pitts 6 - His grade would be higher if he could keep his hands inside. Best Lineman we got. McKinney 2 - See Wiegart Wiegart 2 - I dunno what these 2 are doing in the Interior because it sure isnt communicating and adjusting... They seem to wiff on inside pass ruhes especially blitzes, To me the initial pressure Carr faces comes from their positions 70% of the time. He moves away to the left where the RE is waiting. Todd Wade 0 - For the money this guy received, I would like a refund on his performance thus far.. he sits on an island at RT moving the defender away from his help and leads the Defenseman and gives him or his vacated spot turns into a pass rushing Lane. Fred Weary ? - Have you seen this man? If so please call the texans he seems to have been missing since Preseason Hogdon 5 - I see a lot of potential in this kid... He is up and blocking much faster than McKinney, which cuts into the inside pass rush. This guy should start in 06. Victor Riley 0 - can we score negative points? He scores a perfect 10 in utter futility at LT. Defense DL Junior Ianoe & Deloach 1 - I like you heart and work ethics thats about all. Gary Walker 5 - Man even though hes older hes still pretty good when he is healthy which seems to be about 4-5 games a year now. Seth Payne 4 - Love the leadership, But you are not collapsing and filling. Maybe the Knee injury has made you a little tentative. TJ 6 - Like this kid nothing really spectacular but with a year under his belt he might be starting with walker rotating. Made some amazing plays in the open field considering he is a lineman, he doesnt miss tackles often I think with conditioning and a little more work on his technique could prove a solid draft pick. Smith 6 - This guy needs to do a better job and take on the LT more to see if He can better free up the LB for a run at the qb. Made some serious boneheaded frustration plays which hurt his grade. LB Peek 7 - He would be awesome if they would let him rush the passer on earlier downs witha more consistent blitz package he could be a good pass rusher and disruptor Babin 5 - Man this guy cannot get free of the RT and seems to get blocked out on every play in his rookie year i was impressed at the fact he was pretty close and made excellent tackles. This year he went Backwards. Orr 6 - Maybe this guy could move inside? He has a great nose for the ball and shoots the gaps very well. Good Tackler. Charlie Anderson ? - I would like to see more of this guy before i grade his contributions. Greenwood 4 - Had lots of trouble diagnosing the plays and was always making the tackles after the play gained positive yards. Hope this guy improves for the money we are payin. Wong 5 - I dunno whether to keep him or not... Keep him we gain leadership- lose him we open a roster spot for a young playmaker. Polk 3 - I gave greenwood a higher score only because he makes more money. Same problems as greenwood. DB Robinson 9 - Best We got on D. Faggins 4 - Hes our nickel back at corner hes a liability, needs to play receiver more than the ball in my opinion. Buchanon 3 - That score is based on being optimistic that he will improve and play better. I think he looked for safety help that was never there and just had a hard time adjusting. If he displays anymore lack of effort like he did in the pittsburgh game look for him not to be here in 07 Brown & Coleman Earl 1 -4 - to be honest I really could tell you. its like they were good 1 day then horrific the next game. I cannot grade them as they seem to change up their ability to execute. We have a lot of middle of the range talent that doesnt catch other teams eye at the moment. overall things could be alot worse. we could have harrington, Charles Rogers on our squad look how they are doin in detroit... think of the teams that went a decade without ever goin over .500 we are doing ok. Just have to keep adding and aquireing and hopefully the new staff will better be able to utilize what talent we do have to put a winning product on the field. As a Fan thats all you can do
I agree on most things and slightly diverge on others. Here's the way I see it. I'll try to be as thorough as I can be. QB= 3 Carr has alot of potential, but right now he looks average to maybe a little bit above average. However the dropoff to Banks is bad. Then theres Ragone, at the end of the season I wanted them to give these guys playing time to see how they would compete. Banks threw 2 game winning interceptions, I was dissappointed with his decision making and capabilities to lead the team to victories. I won't comment on Ragone because we haven't seen him at all this season. With solid backups my rating of this unit might have gone up maybe two points, as it stands with coaching and better depth I think it could go up to a 7. RB= 6 Davis is a great back, however he could be a liability. I think this is due to not sharing the workload enough, but his health being a question mark knocks points off for him. Wells and Hollings are good change of pace backs, however Hollings hasn't played in so long or shown anything positive, so that effects the depth. Morrency could be a good back, he has potential, but his vision on the field needs a lot of work. If this unit is utilized better and the workload shared better I could see it as high as an 8. FB= 5 Norris does his job, he could be utilized better but as the schemes we use don't really call for him to be exceptional he's good. I think Wells is his backup as well so depth at this position is good. 0-line= 2 These guys were so horribly mismanaged I don't even think it's fair to give them a rating. Oh well, I already did. Pitts is good, Wade is overpaid (considering he is a backup and doesn't fit the scheme just makes it so much worse) Wand has the potential to be good. (he played well last yr. at left tackle and could be gotten back at a discount this yr. being a free agent and all.) Weigart is servicable, his versatility between tackle and guard is a plus. McKinney is servicable, again versatility between center and guard is a plus. Brown should not even be out there, too many mental mistakes. Weary is good, should be re-signed at a discount price. Hodgdon is good, and considering he's only a rookie that is great. Rest of line + Wade should be let go and replaced as soon as possible. With the current unit and optimal line coaching and scheming I could see these guys moving up to a 5. TE= 3 Rivers is the lone bright spot at this position. Towards the end of the season he showed he was a gamer and had decent hands. Joppru is, well he's somewhere, Bruener is overpayed for a blocking tight end. Rivers could shine but depth is horrible this unit could move up to a 4. Help is needed for this unit. WR= 5 Johson and Mathis can be a great tandem, however they aren't right now they need to work on their hands Mathis in particular, but when they get the ball, they're great. Gaffney and Armstrong have decent hands but lack playmaking abilities. Badf.. I mean Bradford should be on his way out. We could stand to add 2 more receivers for depth. This unit if it got its stuff together could be a potential 8-9. Defense I will try to do kind of a hybrid because I'm not sure what we will be doing next yr. so here goes. Defensive line= 4 If we stay in the 3-4 we have an okay line, but would still need a solid nosetackle Payne is getting older and Backups aren't all that good. Ends are ok. Without upgrades this line ain't going nowhere. If we switch to a 4-3 we are overloaded at tackle at least the middle will be covered. Babin and Peek would be forced to be the DE because we don't have any 4-3 DE at this point. If personnel aren't modified to fit this scheme we will actually be worse at the line. LB= 5 In the 3-4 we would be good to go here. With Wong, Orr, Babin, and Peek, and Polk as backup and some more depth this unit might actually excel. Possible 7-8. In the 4-3 we could have a decent linebacking unit. We have good guys to plug in at Outside LBs. Orr could handle the middle, but I would be more comfortable if someone was drafted or brought in. However this unit could be a possible 6-7. Secondary= 5 Safeties are good depth would help out here. CBs Robinson is a standout player, other players could step up but as it stands they are not above average. Fresh blood here could easily make this a great secondary. Possible 7-8 Coaching can go a long way with this team, and additions can help even more. We are a few players from being a good team. How we go about or if we get those players will play a significant role in our future. Hopefully they do right and fullfill their potential.
I think that Armstrong has playmaking abilities, he just doesnt see the field enough. Gaffney, IMO, has had plenty of chances and is somewhat of an underachiever. I dont know the stats but I have seen him drop too many balls, some of them were easy catches.
Comstocklode, I think that your asessment is a fair one. I concur with you about Gaffney. He would be more serviceable as a #3 guy instead of a #2 guy. I thought you were offly kind with your ratings of the D. To tell you the truth though, I don't think anyone can accurately rate more than half these players because I still don't think we, as fans, know what we have in the players. All of these guys could be duds, but at the same time, they could all be studs. I think that a fair statement would be that with the way they played this year, that we as fans, don't know what we have, because everybody sucked this year. JM
All of our middle range talent (or lack thereof) is the product of Cass' ability to totally screw up 2nd and 3rd pix. Those are the fabric of your team, especially when you're either building or re-building, something we're gonna be doing both of in a 5 year span. I've mentioned it many times but here it is again, you can go look it up. Cass has had 15 (give or take 1) draft pix at his disposal in the 2nd and 3rd rounds and all we got to show for up to this is Pitts, who'd be a marginal starter on most teams. Morency has shown promise and is likely the best of the bunch but is unproven to this point so far. Peek is a hot head who is a 15 yd penalty machine as well as getting suspended for games and having his car stolen while its running with his playbook in it. And Ragone was pretty much drafted to be traded but we never get him on the field to prove himself when the game is unwinnable so that Carr can keep getting game experience. Don't get me started on Gaff. He had no business coming out of college when he did yet Cass thouht he'd be a good fit to one of our overall top 3 pix. Gaff is a #3 receiver. #3's are usually drafted in day 2 or picked for pennies through FA. The rest were burned on bad pix, every GM has them, or bad trades, eery GM has those as well. Just not this many in such a short period of time.
