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Earl Mitchell DT Arizona - 3rd round choice

Strangely, Sports Illustrated gives Earl Mitchell a 2-3 round grade and according to their scoring system is the 2nd best player we drafted. They've got Ben Tate ranked lower. According to their scoring system, they expect Earl to be an immediate contributor.

WalterFootball does not share this opinion on Mitchell.

I'm starting to warm to this pick.

(Sports Illustrated sees Dorin Dickerson as the 4th best player we picked and Walter Football agrees that Dorin Dickerson was a 3rd-4th round talent.)
 
TheRealJoker said:
We needed to address the pass rush this season yet again. Most people think that means take DE but we've got plenty of capable DEs who can get pressure from the outside. What we don't have is someone who can collapse the pocet.

Earl Mitchell has the talent to do just that. He's an athletic DT with a quick first step. Hopefully this year when Mario and Barwin come screaming from the edge the QB won't be able to step up in a perfectly formed pocket.

We get push up the middle and our sack numbers improve exponentially. IF Earl Mitchell can push that pocket then he's an excellent pick in the 3rd round.
Click to expand...

Earl Mitchell isn't here to push anything. this guy was drafted to slip between the center and the guard at the snap of the ball and end up in the face of the QB in under two seconds. Read: a weapon of mass destruction aimed straight at Payton Manning's nose.
 
Upon further review, dude looks explosive, seems like a sound fella, and is a Houston native - can't really dog this one, since I did not do my homework.
 
Kaiser Toro said:
You should know better, pimping ain't easy.
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now we know why you were late to the draft war room
pimpin_aint_easy-12630.jpg
 
I'm excited to see what this guy can do. I believe he had the fastest 10yd split of any DT (1.56 I believe, sorry if this has been posted). I think he helps the pass rush get better in a hurry.
 
maddogmrb said:
If we're going to draft projects, why not Bruce Campbell of Maryland .... at least he has the physical characteristics to work with?
Click to expand...

And hasn't really shown it as a football player. No one knew him till he ran a 40 and jumped high. This guys has great tape, is just limited.
 
I'm happy as hell with this selection, although a little high it would seem, he has great upside & personally will enjoy hanging out with his family @ Texans games.
 
maddogmrb said:
Yes, see Amobi Okoye.....

Also, with an undersized MLB, we need someone to keep the OLine off him.
Click to expand...

This just shows your lack of knowledge. I dont think you understand our defensive scheme. I dont think you know about any other teams besides the Texans roster, which is why you used Okoye above.

The Texans want a penitrating DT. A disrupter. A QB sacker. Someone who can get in the backfield and create havok. So far Okoye hasnt gotten that done which is why we drafted Mitchell.

If you think a 6'4" 350 DT is going to burst off the ball and split the guard/center then you are off your rocker.

And why are you calling DeMeco Ryans undersized? Let me guess, you are just talking out your ass again.

DeMeco Ryans 6'1" 250
Ray Lewis 6'1" 250
Patrick Willis 6'1" 240

Source: NFL.COM
 
Super Mario said:
This just shows your lack of knowledge. I dont think you understand our defensive scheme. I dont think you know about any other teams besides the Texans roster, which is why you used Okoye above.

The Texans want a penitrating DT. A disrupter. A QB sacker. Someone who can get in the backfield and create havok. So far Okoye hasnt gotten that done which is why we drafted Mitchell.

If you think a 6'4" 350 DT is going to burst off the ball and split the guard/center then you are off your rocker.

And why are you calling DeMeco Ryans undersized? Let me guess, you are just talking out your ass again.

DeMeco Ryans 6'1" 250
Ray Lewis 6'1" 250
Patrick Willis 6'1" 240

Source: NFL.COM
Click to expand...

Let's not forget our other "undersized" LB's. Cushing - 6'3", 260 lbs and Diles - 6'2", 240 lbs
 
Super Mario said:
This just shows your lack of knowledge. I dont think you understand our defensive scheme. I dont think you know about any other teams besides the Texans roster, which is why you used Okoye above.

The Texans want a penitrating DT. A disrupter. A QB sacker. Someone who can get in the backfield and create havok. So far Okoye hasnt gotten that done which is why we drafted Mitchell.

If you think a 6'4" 350 DT is going to burst off the ball and split the guard/center then you are off your rocker.

And why are you calling DeMeco Ryans undersized? Let me guess, you are just talking out your ass again.

DeMeco Ryans 6'1" 250
Ray Lewis 6'1" 250
Patrick Willis 6'1" 240

Source: NFL.COM
Click to expand...


Well excellent, let's just keep watching our talented MLB forced to make tackles 5-7 yards downfield because we have NO strength at the LOS in front of him.
 
maddogmrb said:
Well excellent, let's just keep watching our talented MLB forced to make tackles 5-7 yards downfield because we have NO strength at the LOS in front of him.
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Ok I am done here. You obviously dont have a damn clue. Just talkin to hear yourself talk at this point.
 
threetoedpete said:
Earl Mitchell isn't here to push anything. this guy was drafted to slip between the center and the guard at the snap of the ball and end up in the face of the QB in under two seconds. Read: a weapon of mass destruction aimed straight at Payton Manning's nose.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, because I think you are right... we're talking about the A gap here, not the 3.
 
maddogmrb said:
Well excellent, let's just keep watching our talented MLB forced to make tackles 5-7 yards downfield because we have NO strength at the LOS in front of him.
Click to expand...

Did you watch the last 13 games of the season last year? We were stopping the run cold. Personally that was one of the most exciting things I've seen since day 1 of the franchise. This team could be a top 5 rush defense next season. I fully expect them to give up less than 90 yards rushing per game.
 
Jackie Chiles said:
Did you watch the last 13 games of the season last year? We were stopping the run cold. Personally that was one of the most exciting things I've seen since day 1 of the franchise. This team could be a top 5 rush defense next season. I fully expect them to give up less than 90 yards rushing per game.
Click to expand...

They couldn't stop Jones Drew when they needed to get the ball back. The Jags just ran out the clock.
 
maddogmrb said:
Well excellent, let's just keep watching our talented MLB forced to make tackles 5-7 yards downfield because we have NO strength at the LOS in front of him.
Click to expand...

What team were you watching last season? Because our LBs were getting penetration and making TFLs.

A couple of years ago, I wanted a big planetsized DT to soak up blockers like a Siragusa. But that's not the defense we play. And after the first 3 games of last season, our defense was pretty good.
 
bckey said:
They couldn't stop Jones Drew when they needed to get the ball back. The Jags just ran out the clock.
Click to expand...

That's probably why Jackie Chiles said the last 13 games of the season. The Jags game where MJD ran all over us was in Week 3. But, the defense definitely got the ball back and effectively stopped the run in plenty of other games. Hell, we were tops in the league in 3-and-outs.
 
The Pencil Neck said:
What team were you watching last season? Because our LBs were getting penetration and making TFLs.

A couple of years ago, I wanted a big planetsized DT to soak up blockers like a Siragusa. But that's not the defense we play. And after the first 3 games of last season, our defense was pretty good.
Click to expand...

Impossible!! We don't have a 340 lb NT!! :strangle:
 
GuerillaBlack said:
That's probably why Jackie Chiles said the last 13 games of the season. The Jags game where MJD ran all over us was in Week 3. But, the defense definitely got the ball back and effectively stopped the run in plenty of other games. Hell, we were tops in the league in 3-and-outs.
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No it was a critical game on Dec. 6 when we had already lost 3 division games in a row. It was the same game that Chris Brown threw stagger lee II. The defense needed to stop Jacksonville so that they could get the ball back before time ran out. Jones Drew picked up like 3 first downs in a row and put the game away.

During that critical 4 game division run the Texans gave up 72, 228, 114, and 107 yards. The one game with 72 yards Peyton threw for 306 yards. The other 2 games against division opponents were early on in the season before they got a handle on stopping all those long runs. Those 2 games the Titans got 240 yards and the Jags got 185 yards. So in our 6 division games the Texans gave up 946 rushing yards for an average of 157.6 yards rushing per game.

Now if you take out the Texans division games it leaves a total of 765 rushing yards by non division opponents for a whopping average of 76.5 per game. You could say we did even better than that if you throw out the opener against the Jets. It brings the avg down to 63.8 per game.

It looks like the Texans have trouble in their own division which is no suprise to most. It has been one of the arguments against Kubiak that he can't win against teams in his own division.

I do like the progress the defense made last year under Frank Bush. If they improve to top 10 this year on defense then I believe the Texans will make the playoffs.
 
GuerillaBlack said:
That's probably why Jackie Chiles said the last 13 games of the season. The Jags game where MJD ran all over us was in Week 3. But, the defense definitely got the ball back and effectively stopped the run in plenty of other games. Hell, we were tops in the league in 3-and-outs.
Click to expand...

Here is what I have. 4.0 YPC was middle of the pack last year. So we werent awful. We had some good streches where we kept teams under 3 YPC and some bad streches where teams were over 5.0 YPC.

Week 1 vs. NYJ - 42 attempts - 190 yards - 4.52 YPC.
Week 2 @ TEN - 25 attempts - 240 yards - 9.6 YPC.
Week 3 vs. JAX - 32 attempts - 185 yards - 5.78 YPC.
Week 4 vs. OAK - 21 attempts - 45 yards - 2.14 YPC.
Week 5 @ ARI - 16 attempts - 44 yards - 2.75 YPC.
Week 6 @ CIN - 17 attempts - 46 yards - 2.70 YPC.
Week 7 vs. SF - 19 attempts - 59 yards - 3.10 YPC.
Week 8 @BUF - 20 attempts - 97 yards - 4.85 YPC.
Week 9 @ IND - 18 attempts - 72 yards - 4.0 YPC.
Week 10 BYE
Week 11 vs. TEN - 42 attempts - 228 yards - 5.4 YPC.
Week 12 vs. IND - 23 attempts - 114 yards - 4.95 YPC.
Week 13 @ JAX - 36 attempts - 107 yards - 2.97 YPC.
Week 14 vs. SEA - 24 attempts - 62 yards - 2.58 YPC.
Week 15 @ STL - 27 attempts - 88 yards - 3.38 YPC.
Week 16 @ MIA - 16 attempts - 60 yards - 3.75 YPC.
Week 17 vs. NE - 19 attempts - 74 yards - 3.89 YPC.
 
bckey said:
They couldn't stop Jones Drew when they needed to get the ball back. The Jags just ran out the clock.
Click to expand...

If you are talking about our first game against them after we had the fumble in the endzone, you would be incorrect. Go back and look at the tape. We did stop him, Mario makes a great shirt tackel from behind (after the inside rush forced MJD outside and stops him from getting the first down, but the ref called it a horse collar tackle when clearly Mario grabbed only shirt and not the pads. That was on a 3rd down and the penalty helped seal our fate.
 
El Tejano said:
If you are talking about our first game against them after we had the fumble in the endzone, you would be incorrect. Go back and look at the tape. We did stop him, Mario makes a great shirt tackel from behind (after the inside rush forced MJD outside and stops him from getting the first down, but the ref called it a horse collar tackle when clearly Mario grabbed only shirt and not the pads. That was on a 3rd down and the penalty helped seal our fate.
Click to expand...

No I was talking the 2nd Jags game.


bckey said:
No it was a critical game on Dec. 6 when we had already lost 3 division games in a row. It was the same game that Chris Brown threw stagger lee II. The defense needed to stop Jacksonville so that they could get the ball back before time ran out. Jones Drew picked up like 3 first downs in a row and put the game away.

During that critical 4 game division run the Texans gave up 72, 228, 114, and 107 yards. The one game with 72 yards Peyton threw for 306 yards. The other 2 games against division opponents were early on in the season before they got a handle on stopping all those long runs. Those 2 games the Titans got 240 yards and the Jags got 185 yards. So in our 6 division games the Texans gave up 946 rushing yards for an average of 157.6 yards rushing per game.

Now if you take out the Texans division games it leaves a total of 765 rushing yards by non division opponents for a whopping average of 76.5 per game. You could say we did even better than that if you throw out the opener against the Jets. It brings the avg down to 63.8 per game.

It looks like the Texans have trouble in their own division which is no suprise to most. It has been one of the arguments against Kubiak that he can't win against teams in his own division.

I do like the progress the defense made last year under Frank Bush. If they improve to top 10 this year on defense then I believe the Texans will make the playoffs.
Click to expand...
 
The first three games.....Chushing was dinged with a camp foot and Pollard was walking the streets. Once those two pieces were added, they made a pretty fair unit against the run. The only questions for next year is can we get everyone out of camp healthy and will Pollard become a liability in coverage ? Even year I'm assuming will have a health Mario for most of the sixteen games.

I'm also wondering if Okoye has gotten the message he's about to good will himself out of a NFL pay check ?
 
bckey said:
No I was talking the 2nd Jags game.
Click to expand...

I remember that. It was a very unfortunate situation where MJD made some very nice runs to ice the game. That is the difference between good and great. We were good against the run. We were able to shutdown a couple of good running team: Cincinnati, Miami and stopped all the bad ones. However, Jacksonville and Tennessee were able to have some success against us. If we want to be great, then we definitely have some improving to do. No doubt about that!
 
Earl Mitchell, DT, Arizona
Third round (81st overall)

Strahm: "What we were looking for inside. 6-2, 300 pounds. North Shore High School in Houston. Interesting guy. Very versatile. In '06, he was a tight end and fullback and started six games. '07, they moved him to tight end – H-back kind of guy. They needed some girth, they needed some power in the middle on defense because they couldn't stop anybody, so they asked Earl to come over and play defense and he was a two-year starter at tackle. He's got great quickness. Very powerful. Love his motor. He's a team leader – co-captain. He needs to refine his pass rush skills. He started there 37 out of 49 games, so he's an excellent prospect inside. Big upside because he's so versatile."
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http://www.houstontexans.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=6136
 
Super Mario said:
This just shows your lack of knowledge. I dont think you understand our defensive scheme. I dont think you know about any other teams besides the Texans roster, which is why you used Okoye above.

The Texans want a penitrating DT. A disrupter. A QB sacker. Someone who can get in the backfield and create havok. So far Okoye hasnt gotten that done which is why we drafted Mitchell.

If you think a 6'4" 350 DT is going to burst off the ball and split the guard/center then you are off your rocker.

And why are you calling DeMeco Ryans undersized? Let me guess, you are just talking out your ass again.

DeMeco Ryans 6'1" 250
Ray Lewis 6'1" 250
Patrick Willis 6'1" 240

Source: NFL.COM
Click to expand...

Yeah, we built out Lb Corp that way. Our Dline disrupts, the LB's clean up. I have given up talking to him as well, its like talking to my dog. As nicly as I ask him and as many times as I explain it to him, he still gets into my trash.
 
Super Mario said:
Here is what I have. 4.0 YPC was middle of the pack last year. So we werent awful. We had some good streches where we kept teams under 3 YPC and some bad streches where teams were over 5.0 YPC.

Week 1 vs. NYJ - 42 attempts - 190 yards - 4.52 YPC.
Week 2 @ TEN - 25 attempts - 240 yards - 9.6 YPC.
Week 3 vs. JAX - 32 attempts - 185 yards - 5.78 YPC.
Week 4 vs. OAK - 21 attempts - 45 yards - 2.14 YPC.
Week 5 @ ARI - 16 attempts - 44 yards - 2.75 YPC.
Week 6 @ CIN - 17 attempts - 46 yards - 2.70 YPC.
Week 7 vs. SF - 19 attempts - 59 yards - 3.10 YPC.
Week 8 @BUF - 20 attempts - 97 yards - 4.85 YPC.
Week 9 @ IND - 18 attempts - 72 yards - 4.0 YPC.
Week 10 BYE
Week 11 vs. TEN - 42 attempts - 228 yards - 5.4 YPC.
Week 12 vs. IND - 23 attempts - 114 yards - 4.95 YPC.
Week 13 @ JAX - 36 attempts - 107 yards - 2.97 YPC.
Week 14 vs. SEA - 24 attempts - 62 yards - 2.58 YPC.
Week 15 @ STL - 27 attempts - 88 yards - 3.38 YPC.
Week 16 @ MIA - 16 attempts - 60 yards - 3.75 YPC.
Week 17 vs. NE - 19 attempts - 74 yards - 3.89 YPC.
Click to expand...

Were most of our good numbers against teams without much of a rushing offense?
 
maddogmrb said:
Were most of our good numbers against teams without much of a rushing offense?
Click to expand...

10 teams (games) had 4.0 YPC against us 6 teams (games) had over 4.0 YPC.

4 of the teams (games) that had over 4.0 YPC against us were a Top 10 rushing team. The other two were 16th and 32nd in the league at rushing.

3 of the teams we limited to 4.0 YPC or under were Top 10 rushing teams. 5 of them were in the top half.
 
Ole Miss Texan said:
10 teams (games) had 4.0 YPC against us 6 teams (games) had over 4.0 YPC.

4 of the teams (games) that had over 4.0 YPC against us were a Top 10 rushing team. The other two were 16th and 32nd in the league at rushing.

3 of the teams we limited to 4.0 YPC or under were Top 10 rushing teams. 5 of them were in the top half.
Click to expand...

Benson was the top rusher in the NFL when we shut him down, if I remember correctly.
 
maddogmrb said:
Were most of our good numbers against teams without much of a rushing offense?
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Best way to compare apples to apples is ask how the teams did against us compared to how they did overall. Here's how it stacks up on a yards-per-carry basis (note that I'm using Super Mario's numbers for the game average and ESPN's final stats for the season average).

Games we allowed a team to significantly beat its own average:
at Tennessee (9.6 ypc game versus a 5.2 season average)
Jacksonville (5.78 game; 4.5 season)
at Buffalo (4.85 game; 4.4 season)
at Indy (4.0 game; 3.5 season)
Indy (4.95 game; 3.5 season)

Games where opponents basically hit their average:
NYJets (4.52 game; 4.5 season)

Games where we held team well below its average:
Oakland (2.14 game; 4.1 season)
at Arizona (2.75 game; 4.1 season)
at Cincy (2.7 game; 4.1 season)
SF (3.1 game; 4.3 season)
Tennessee (4.95 game; 5.2 season)
at Jax (2.97 game; 4.5 season)
Seattle (2.58 game; 4.0 season)
at St. Louis (2.58 game; 4.3 season)
at Miami (3.75 game; 4.4 season)
New England (3.89 game; 4.1 season)

As has been noted ad nauseum, our defense in weeks 4-17 was radically different than the sad-sacks that took the field in the first three games. Of the six games where we allowed an opponent to match or beat its yearly ypc average, three were the first three weeks. After that, the only teams that had more than their usual success running the ball against us were Indy and Buffalo. Buffalo's total was bolstered by TO's 30 yard TD run on a reverse that Dunta was just too sexy to defend. And Indy was one of the worst rushing offense in the league, but I'll ascribe our struggles against them to Peyton's hex over us.

Everybody else found the going on the ground tougher than usual when they played the Texans (and, in most cases, it was seriously tougher). Of the 10 teams that we held well under their season average, 6 were in the NFL's top 12 in terms of overall yards per carry (Tenn #1, Jax #6, Buffalo #9, Miami #10, St. Louis #11, San Francisco #12). So we were putting the clamps on all comers after week 3 unless they were QB'd by Peyton Manning.
 
Hooston Texan said:
Best way to compare apples to apples is ask how the teams did against us compared to how they did overall. Here's how it stacks up on a yards-per-carry basis (note that I'm using Super Mario's numbers for the game average and ESPN's final stats for the season average).

Games we allowed a team to significantly beat its own average:
at Tennessee (9.6 ypc game versus a 5.2 season average)
Jacksonville (5.78 game; 4.5 season)
at Buffalo (4.85 game; 4.4 season)
at Indy (4.0 game; 3.5 season)
Indy (4.95 game; 3.5 season)

Games where opponents basically hit their average:
NYJets (4.52 game; 4.5 season)

Games where we held team well below its average:
Oakland (2.14 game; 4.1 season)
at Arizona (2.75 game; 4.1 season)
at Cincy (2.7 game; 4.1 season)
SF (3.1 game; 4.3 season)
Tennessee (4.95 game; 5.2 season)
at Jax (2.97 game; 4.5 season)
Seattle (2.58 game; 4.0 season)
at St. Louis (2.58 game; 4.3 season)
at Miami (3.75 game; 4.4 season)
New England (3.89 game; 4.1 season)

As has been noted ad nauseum, our defense in weeks 4-17 was radically different than the sad-sacks that took the field in the first three games. Of the six games where we allowed an opponent to match or beat its yearly ypc average, three were the first three weeks. After that, the only teams that had more than their usual success running the ball against us were Indy and Buffalo. Buffalo's total was bolstered by TO's 30 yard TD run on a reverse that Dunta was just too sexy to defend. And Indy was one of the worst rushing offense in the league, but I'll ascribe our struggles against them to Peyton's hex over us.

Everybody else found the going on the ground tougher than usual when they played the Texans (and, in most cases, it was seriously tougher). Of the 10 teams that we held well under their season average, 6 were in the NFL's top 12 in terms of overall yards per carry (Tenn #1, Jax #6, Buffalo #9, Miami #10, St. Louis #11, San Francisco #12). So we were putting the clamps on all comers after week 3 unless they were QB'd by Peyton Manning.
Click to expand...

We can argue about stats all we want. What I remember about last season is being very optimistic on defense when it was 3rd and 1. That was a new experience for me.
 
Hooston Texan said:
Games where we held team well below its average:
Oakland (2.14 game; 4.1 season)
at Arizona (2.75 game; 4.1 season)
at Cincy (2.7 game; 4.1 season)
SF (3.1 game; 4.3 season)
Tennessee (4.95 game; 5.2 season)
at Jax (2.97 game; 4.5 season)
Seattle (2.58 game; 4.0 season)
at St. Louis (2.58 game; 4.3 season)
at Miami (3.75 game; 4.4 season)
New England (3.89 game; 4.1 season)

Everybody else found the going on the ground tougher than usual when they played the Texans (and, in most cases, it was seriously tougher). Of the 10 teams that we held well under their season average, 6 were in the NFL's top 12 in terms of overall yards per carry (Tenn #1, Jax #6, Buffalo #9, Miami #10, St. Louis #11, San Francisco #12). So we were putting the clamps on all comers after week 3 unless they were QB'd by Peyton Manning.
Click to expand...

This is a good way to present the numbers. Everyone of those teams ran the ball at over 4.0 yards per carry, which is better than the league average. As been said before, we held all but two significantly below their average, and New England & Tennessee were held respectfully below their average.

I'll recant my earlier argument, that our defense wasn't as good as we thought. We are who we thought we were.

When you think about it, we pretty much nullified the Jets running game on all but 3 plays.
 
You gotta stop those 3 plays though. Giving up like 180 yards on 3 plays is downright terrible.
 
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