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Eric Winston released?????

Did this come as a surprise? Yes, it did. However, I don't think we'll see much of a drop off from the position. He was a decent RT, but was also the weakest of the Oline.

Reason's behind his release could be one of many. Maybe he wasn't willing to restructure? Maybe he'd worn out the patience of the FO by saying things he wasn't supposed to? He was also acting as our player rep during the lockout process. Maybe he was filling our players full of BS? Who knows?

For those wanting D-Ryans cut. Doing such would only save around 900 grand. He's worth that and then some.

For those thinking we should've traded him. I believe that would've had any bonuses accelerated and not have been much of a cap savings
 
I said this a long time ago, but I don't think Briesel and Meyers will be back.

And I think Briesel will be the odd man in if they think they have someone that can succesfully make the line calls and knows what they hell they are doing there.

I don't think they are going to pay top dollar to those guys because they are largely a product of the system we run.

And I'm not saying they don't have talent. What I'm saying is that Meyers is not Mangold and Briesel is no Carl Nicks or Jahri Evans.
 
Hervoyel said:
I mostly agree with this with the exception of accepting that he was very good run blocking most of the time. Pass protection was an issue and it seemed like once a week this season I held my breath while he screwed the pooch trying to pass protect. Maybe it just looked so bad because Brown was having such a good year.

I think it's hard to make a case that Winston's position couldn't be upgraded or at the very least restocked for less money. He just wasn't that good. I think Butler can fill that position easily. LT is a reach for him but RT is where he came from (oddly enough Winston was a LT at Miami when Butler was starting at RT there).

I think they wouldn't have released him if they didn't think that they could survive it.
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If Butler does not work out 2012 is his last contract year.
 
welsh texan said:
I hope this is all in keeping with the master plan for this off-season, because right now it feels a little bit like they're panicking.

In reality, trading players is a rarity in the NFL, it seems as if trades need to be instigated more by the buying team than the selling team, if you shop a guy just before FA, teams know full well the chances are you'll cut that guy if they don't bite.

I find it astonishing how people think the FO should be getting draft picks for lower tier guys, the clamor to trade Slaton last season for instance, ideas that you could trade Mario despite his being out of contract. It just doesn't happen like that. Lower tier guys tend to get traded if they are a solid backup , under contract who could start for another team (K Walter, C Myers)
or a quality starter who forces a trade (C Palmer).

I think I'm going to try and stop checking till the deadline comes around anyway, its sending me crazy lol.
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Just to clarify your statement, Mario is as of now a contracted Texan. His deal ends today. He could have been traded at any time to that point.
 
badboy said:
Just to clarify your statement, Mario is as of now a contracted Texan. His deal ends today. He could have been traded at any time to that point.
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Well, other than the fact that the trade deadline that hits in Oct. of each league year stays in effect the remainder of the year. NFL teams can't make trades until after 3:00 (Houston time) today. That's why the Rams Redskins trade of draft picks isn't "official" until then.
 
welsh texan said:
I hope this is all in keeping with the master plan for this off-season, because right now it feels a little bit like they're panicking.

In reality, trading players is a rarity in the NFL, it seems as if trades need to be instigated more by the buying team than the selling team, if you shop a guy just before FA, teams know full well the chances are you'll cut that guy if they don't bite.

I find it astonishing how people think the FO should be getting draft picks for lower tier guys, the clamor to trade Slaton last season for instance, ideas that you could trade Mario despite his being out of contract. It just doesn't happen like that. Lower tier guys tend to get traded if they are a solid backup , under contract who could start for another team (K Walter, C Myers)
or a quality starter who forces a trade (C Palmer).

I think I'm going to try and stop checking till the deadline comes around anyway, its sending me crazy lol.
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Winston is 28 and was going to make 5.5 million this year and next. Since part of that was signing bonus or whatever, the next team would only be taking on 4.5 million a year for 2 years. If he signs for more than that with another team, then that team should have traded for him. Even a 4th is better than nothing for the Texans. It just seems like this didn't come up until a couple days ago, and the team lost all of its leverage for a trade. So now he's gone, and we will likely get little to nothing in return. Hopefully a comp pick, but that means we don't do anything in free agency.
 
Dutchrudder said:
Winston is 28 and was going to make 5.5 million this year and next. Since part of that was signing bonus or whatever, the next team would only be taking on 4.5 million a year for 2 years. If he signs for more than that with another team, then that team should have traded for him. Even a 4th is better than nothing for the Texans. It just seems like this didn't come up until a couple days ago, and the team lost all of its leverage for a trade. So now he's gone, and we will likely get little to nothing in return. Hopefully a comp pick, but that means we don't do anything in free agency.
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Nope, we cut him. He wasn't a UFA.
 
Pantherstang84 said:
If you trade him there is still a signing bonus cap hit. People need to get over being butt hurt about this move.

When is the last time an offensive lineman got traded for picks?
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Again, you can't do trades until the new league year. Yeah, something could have been arranged ahead of time ala the Redskins trade for the #2 pick, but it wouldn't have done anything towards getting them into cap compliance on a timely basis.
 
The1ApplePie said:
Winston was overhyped by being a good interview and his performane a few years ago, but I agree that he should have been traded for something.

Me thinks he will be hanging out with Little Shanny and RG3 this year.
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They just discussed that on 610 Sports Radio. The theory that I think makes the most sense is that GMs around the league get paid for two things. To make their own team better. And to know - to the extent possible - the "health" of their adversaries; i.e., everyone else. Thanks to the wonderful internet, everyone has an idea which teams are close to exceeding the salary cap, who their upcoming F/As are, and what they need to do to sign those key guys while staying under the cap. So when you start shopping a guy around, and the other GMs know we're close to exceeding the cap with Myers, Briesel, Rackers, & maaaaybe Mario to sign. Why should they help us? Why wouldn't they just wait us out? They know we'll have to cut a major guy or three. If they wait us out, and we cut someone they can use, they can pick him up without them having to give us one of their draft picks.

Reminds me of when we shopped D.C. around. The whole league knew we were about to cut him so they just waited us out. They may not have known that Winston, specifically, was about to get the axe. But the lesser teams know some of our quality guys would have to be shown the door.

Remember when it was US waiting to see who would get cut from the playoff teams so we could upgrade?? Now other teams are picking thru our cast-offs. I doubt Winston goes two weeks without being signed by somebody.
 
SheTexan said:
What are the chances of Eric being resigned?
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Slim and none... BTW, I heard Slim packed his bags and left town. :gun:

If the Texans were looking to something like that they wouldn't have cut him, but asked him to restructure his deal..

That said, (ignoring my first line) "Never say never!"
 
Texan_Bill said:
Slim and none... BTW, I heard Slim packed his bags and left town. :gun:

If the Texans were looking to something like that they wouldn't have cut him, but asked him to restructure his deal..

That said, (ignoring my first line) "Never say never!"
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I think Slim left Eric a LONG time ago... :cool:
 
ChampionTexan said:
Again, you can't do trades until the new league year. Yeah, something could have been arranged ahead of time ala the Redskins trade for the #2 pick, but it wouldn't have done anything towards getting them into cap compliance on a timely basis.
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Just to clear up for all

https://twitter.com/#!/LanceZierlein

LanceZierlein Lance Zierlein
Would have had bonus accleerated limiting cap savings RT @billlampley: @LanceZierlein - Any reason Texans didn't trade Winston?
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About 5 minutes ago:
Eric Winston ‏ @ericwinston The outpouring of support has been overwhelming. I can't thank you enough for the well wishes and the "thank you's". All will be well.
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La Confora on NFL Network just said at this moment we are only 650,000 under the cap. I don't know how accurate that is after cuts.
 
infantrycak said:
LZ shooting from the hip again. With the exception of teams having an option to designate two players as June 1st cuts before June 1st the cap implication is the same for trading or cutting. Even with the June 1st rule it just delays some of the cap hit to the next season not reduces it overall.
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Are you sure because he wasn't the only person I read that from. I thought the singing bonus accelerated if you traded him vs cut him.
 
HoustonFrog said:
Are you sure because he wasn't the only person I read that from. I thought the singing bonus accelerated if you traded him vs cut him.
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Yes I am sure. The signing bonus always has to hit the salary cap at some point whether a player leaves by trade or is cut. If he is designated a June 1st cut then it can be spread over this season and the next but the amount remains the same.
 
Pantherstang84 said:
If you trade him there is still a signing bonus cap hit. People need to get over being butt hurt about this move.

When is the last time an offensive lineman got traded for picks?
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Jason Peters and John Greco come to mind. It can happen, all I'm saying is that Winston probably had value around the league, and an extra ~1 million cap hit probably isn't worth foregoing a 3rd or 4th round pick. The Texans have made a ton of cuts to get under the cap, and I'm not seeing why they aren't seeking a return on this player. Seems short-sighted to me, but they better make a splash in FA to recoup the losses.
 
infantrycak said:
Yes I am sure. The signing bonus always has to hit the salary cap at some point whether a player leaves by trade or is cut. If he is designated a June 1st cut then it can be spread over this season and the next but the amount remains the same.
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Cool, thanks, I'm no capologist. Just reading whatever on it.
 
Texan_Bill said:
Be careful. a) He is coming off a torn triceps muscle last season 2) you lose your swing tackle and c) lose really good depth.
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All true, but at a lower price. I think when he has played he has shown that he can hold his own if not better than that.

I am more worried about what happens at C, than what happens at RT.
 
Eric Winston Hits the Market. Really?
March 13th, 2012 | Author: Khaled Elsayed

Sometimes you really don’t see it coming. You know pretty much anything can happen in the NFL and so it’s rare for you to be genuinely taken aback. But I won’t lie. I was utterly shocked when Eric Winston was released by the Houston Texans.

One of the best right tackles in the league over the past three seasons, Winston has excelled in the Texans’ zone-blocking scheme. Outside of a few muggings, he has dominated the opposition, regardless of who he lined up against. In a league that is truly low on quality tackles, Winston was that rare breed that could be relied upon week-in, week-out.

I mean, how often is it that an offensive tackle trends worldwide on Twitter because of the respect he’s commanded among players and watchers of the game.
The Texans cut Eric Winston. To quote Vonta Leach, “Are you kidding me?”

Houston, We Had A Tackle …
Where do you start when it comes to explaining how good a player Winston has been for the Texans? Let’s look at his grading and how he compares to other right tackles around the league over the past three years.

Year Pass Blocking Run/ Screen Blocking Overall RT Rank
2009 8.4 -0.8 11.3 7th
2010 5.5 2.7 8.8 5th
2011 7.1 6.3 11.1 6th

Consistently one of our higher graded right tackles, Winston fit the zone-blocking scheme perfectly with his ability to move laterally and get to the second level. His agility is a big reason why the Texans have had so much success in the run game recently. What’s more, he’s coming off a very good year with his pass protection. Not an easy feat when, for a large portion of the year, you have a rookie quarterback that likes holding onto the ball. While it may not seem like a lot, but the extra tenth of a second T.J. Yates held onto the ball meant he did so the fifth longest of all quarterbacks. The table below demonstrates how Winston is once again among the top right tackles in the league. This time due to his Pass Blocking Efficiency which measures how much (and what type of pressure) he gives up relative to how many snaps in pass protection.

Year Pass Blocking Snaps Sacks Hits Hurries PBE Rank
2009 637 5 7 19 96.2 4th
2010 611 8 4 18 96.0 3rd
2011 508 7 2 20 95.4 11th

Winston was never the dominating tackle like we’ve seen from Jake Long or Joe Thomas. Yet, his consistency year after year was virtually unrivaled.

Stepping Up
So, with Winston gone and, by all accounts, a contract re-working not in the cards, what does that mean for a Texans line already fighting to keep hold of its starting center and right guard? Do they think that Derek Newton (13 career snaps at tackle and seven at tight end) or Rashad Butler (who is coming off injured reserve and was terrible filling in at left tackle in 2010 with a -11.4 grade) could step in?

It seems like an incredible leap of faith, as does turning to the draft. That worked out well in the long term the last time they filled a tackle spot with a rookie, but let’s not forget the massive teething problems they had with Duane Brown. That was OK in 2008, when the team was largely transitioning, but now it’s a contender. It can’t afford a rookie coming in and disrupting a line that has got better in part because of its continuity.

For a line that could potentially lose Chris Myers and Mike Briesel, it seems odd to part with their most consistent lineman. The $6.5 million he was earning isn’t a small number, but it’s hard to believe that the free agent market doesn’t see Winston earning more than that when all is said and done. The Texans may have saved themselves some cap room and avoided investing too much money long term in the offensive line, but for a team on the cusp of something special, that may not cut it. You need only look at how the New York Jets struggled trying to replace Damien Woody when he retired and how that impacted Mark Sanchez and the run game.

Where to Next?
The Texans loss is about to be one teams gain. Outside of Jared Gaither (and he has his own issues), there really isn’t any proven tackle talent on the open market. Winston changes that and immediately becomes the most attractive OT available given his talent, production and age (28). There’s no such thing as a sure thing in the NFL, but tackle-hungry teams are looking at the closest thing in Winston and are likely to call his agent early and often.

The hard part about setting a market for Winston is that so many teams could use him. It’s almost easier to look at which teams wouldn’t be in the market for a right tackle (Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Minnesota, New England, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Tennessee) than to break down all the teams that should be interested in the former Texan.
Wherever he goes, that team is going to need some cap room. I mean, if Doug Free is getting paid $8 million a year (after an admittedly good 2010) then what is Winston–a far more proven commodity, at the same age–going to command? Given how teams are creating cap room at the moment, there could be a number of teams. However, if you’re a team like the New York Jets, and you know your quarterback is unable to function when pressured, you have to make a serious run at the best tackle on the market.

Unfortunately for Mark Sanchez, the Jets won’t be the only team interested. Once the initial shock of being a cap casualty wears off, Winston should have his pick of teams to choose from.

You really can’t say it enough. Good offensive tackles like Eric Winston just don’t hit the market very often.

http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/03/13/eric-winston-hits-the-market/
 
Michael Lombardi ‏ @michaelombardi

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Sounds like the Bears wont get Mario Williams, the deal is getting too rich and appears the Bills are in the lead--with the most money
 
srrono said:
Michael Lombardi ‏ @michaelombardi

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Sounds like the Bears wont get Mario Williams, the deal is getting too rich and appears the Bills are in the lead--with the most money
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Anywhere but the Patriots or the AFC South, and the Cowboys
 
McGobbler's latest Tweet:

"Winston loves Miami after playing at The U. I could see him being reunited with Mike Sherman. He'd be an ideal fit for Peyton Manning, too."

My response to him:

"@McClain_on_NFL Yeah as long as Manning hands the ball off. Winston's pass pro is pretty shaky. You're such a tool."
 
Pantherstang84 said:
McGobbler's latest Tweet:

"Winston loves Miami after playing at The U. I could see him being reunited with Mike Sherman. He'd be an ideal fit for Peyton Manning, too."

My response to him:

"@McClain_on_NFL Yeah as long as Manning hands the ball off. Winston's pass pro is pretty shaky. You're such a tool."
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LOL! I'm glad you got that in there
 
Adam Schefter ‏ @AdamSchefter Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
Former Texans OT Eric Winston has visits lined up with the Dolphins, Chiefs and Rams.
 
srrono said:
Michael Lombardi ‏ @michaelombardi

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Sounds like the Bears wont get Mario Williams, the deal is getting too rich and appears the Bills are in the lead--with the most money
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OMG, seriously? The Bills?

Mario Williams is possibly going to take several trucks full of cash to play....in Buffalo? Well, I take that back--He'd play some of those games in Canada.

If you choose Buffalo, Mario, then have fun. Freeze your ass off and be on one of the most consistently awful NFL teams in history. Hell, I'd choose Chicago over Buffalo any day and twice on a leap year.
 
Playoffs said:
Adam Schefter ‏ @AdamSchefter Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
Former Texans OT Eric Winston has visits lined up with the Dolphins, Chiefs and Rams.
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Like I said about the possibility of Mario playing for the Bills (because they are reportedly offering the most money currently)...what are these guys thinking???

Yeah, grab some money. I "get it." But be smart and land on a team that has a legitimate shot at making AND competing in the playoffs.

Geez, this is comical. Forget how Rick Smith is a tool if he doesn't make a haul for us in this free agent market. At this point, I'd settle for him just sticking with the few guys on our own UFA list that will work with us and remain a part of this team. Rick, do NOT get stoopid like other teams will. PLEASE.

We can still be damn good if we find a way to retain Briesel and Myers, and a few of the other UFAs on our team like Dreessen. Push comes to shove, then we kick rocks and draft like kings...we're still going to be good. Period.
 
GP said:
Like I said about the possibility of Mario playing for the Bills (because they are reportedly offering the most money currently)...what are these guys thinking???

Yeah, grab some money. I "get it." But be smart and land on a team that has a legitimate shot at making AND competing in the playoffs.

Geez, this is comical. Forget how Rick Smith is a tool if he doesn't make a haul for us in this free agent market. At this point, I'd settle for him just sticking with the few guys on our own UFA list that will work with us and remain a part of this team. Rick, do NOT get stoopid like other teams will. PLEASE.

We can still be damn good if we find a way to retain Briesel and Myers, and a few of the other UFAs on our team like Dreessen. Push comes to shove, then we kick rocks and draft like kings...we're still going to be good. Period.
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Repped.

Let me add: notice the Patriots, Steelers, Giants, Ravens are not mentioned ANYWHERE today? Perennial playoff teams...can we add the Texans?
 
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