bckey
All Pro
This is a really good post Runner. Pretty much sums up my thoughts. You said it much better than I could have.
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DeMeco Ryans traded to Philadelphia
- Thread starter TheMatrix31
- Start date
This is a really good post Runner. Pretty much sums up my thoughts. You said it much better than I could have.
As has been stated, you can't have stars that are paid like stars at every position. Smith has to make choices that are sometimes hard. Read back a few pages to the post I made asking who would you rather keep? IMO, that outlook makes the current moves no-brainers. The Texans seem to be setting themselves up to be able to keep their best talent, in the prime of their careers. The flip side is getting rid of some players who might be popular with the fans, the clubhouse or both.The business rears its ugly head.
Besides, I honestly don't see the huge drop off in talent that a lot of people are raving about. Winston and Briseil are average players at their respective positions. Mario is above average, but certainly not the elite player he's being paid to be. Ryan is on the the downhill side of his career, and it could very easily be a steep hill.
drunkcookie
2 drunk 2 cook
I think people are overestimating how much the Texans could have gotten for 'Meco... Next year will be his seventh season and he has been beaten to hell... His achilis in '10, then he's got that transformer arm thingie because of his elbow... Teams will look at that as a negative, and it will effect how much they're willing to dish out for him...
IMO Philly desperately needed a MLB on that D, as i keep hearing it was probably the biggest weekness for them... Even with how much they felt they needed DeMeco it appears what the Texans got was about as far as Philly would go...
I would think, unless Al Davis were still around, that the highest additional pick the Texans could get for The 59 would be a 3rd... Having their 3rd round position go up 12 spots is pretty good, along with additional pick in the 4th...
IMO Philly desperately needed a MLB on that D, as i keep hearing it was probably the biggest weekness for them... Even with how much they felt they needed DeMeco it appears what the Texans got was about as far as Philly would go...
I would think, unless Al Davis were still around, that the highest additional pick the Texans could get for The 59 would be a 3rd... Having their 3rd round position go up 12 spots is pretty good, along with additional pick in the 4th...
Thorn
Dirty Old Man
Wow, what a thread to start your day with. I didn't log on here last night and just watched NatGeo stuff on TV. This trade is a complete surprise to me. I'm very sorry to see DeMeco go, he was a good player and a nice man.
But it's pro sports and this kind of stuff happens all the time. You should never get to attached to a player, just stay attached to the team. I still watched the Oilers when Earl left town, and I'll keep watching the Texans no matter who the players are. Hell, if we can watch a bunch of fools with Carr as their QB move around the field like crabs, we can watch anything.
Good luck to you DeMeco, and thank you for your time here.
But it's pro sports and this kind of stuff happens all the time. You should never get to attached to a player, just stay attached to the team. I still watched the Oilers when Earl left town, and I'll keep watching the Texans no matter who the players are. Hell, if we can watch a bunch of fools with Carr as their QB move around the field like crabs, we can watch anything.
Good luck to you DeMeco, and thank you for your time here.
Mike Kerns
LYSB Podcast
Sad to see him go, but I believe this was the right move.
That's not necessarily true. There is a such thing as cheaper and better.
TimeKiller
Guest
Well, looks like I need a new jersey. #90 bit the dust and now my #59 is out of commission too.
At least I'll keep the 59 lol...I loved DR, the toughness, the leadership....I hate to say it but Demeco was getting paid like the best player on the defense and he wasn't even...like....5th best. Cushing, Jjo, Manning, Watt, Smith, Barwin, Reed....hell, JACKSON even played a more significant role than Ryans. The team is better off, DR is better off and Philly is better off. My only complaint is 4th round but I heard it was switching round 3 too so....meh.
Next man up fellas.
Winston -> Butler, Newton
Brisiel -> Caldwell, Smith
Dressen -> Casey, Graham
Demeco -> Sharpton?
Williams -> Barwin, Reed
Allen -> Harris, McCain, Carmichael
Don't look too far for replacements y'all. Still got the draft too.
At least I'll keep the 59 lol...I loved DR, the toughness, the leadership....I hate to say it but Demeco was getting paid like the best player on the defense and he wasn't even...like....5th best. Cushing, Jjo, Manning, Watt, Smith, Barwin, Reed....hell, JACKSON even played a more significant role than Ryans. The team is better off, DR is better off and Philly is better off. My only complaint is 4th round but I heard it was switching round 3 too so....meh.
Next man up fellas.
Winston -> Butler, Newton
Brisiel -> Caldwell, Smith
Dressen -> Casey, Graham
Demeco -> Sharpton?
Williams -> Barwin, Reed
Allen -> Harris, McCain, Carmichael
Don't look too far for replacements y'all. Still got the draft too.
So basically the Texans strategy is that this season doesn't matter as much as re-signing next year's free agents? That sounds like something Kubes could sell to McNair - "we had unforeseeable salary cap problems this year, but trust me, next year is THE year". The team had better be sure there are no surprising cap adjustments next year...
It seems to me that a lot of the optimism with the totality of these player losses so far is that "they weren't that good anyway". That is a common trend of thought when any player leaves the Texans, but I seem to recall that while they have that bull on their helmets they are perceived as better than average or better than barely adequate starting material. (For the record, I've never thought Mario was worth the money. Good riddance on that move).
I've also read we are supposed to patiently wait for the great moves Smith has in his master plan to make all of this make sense. I'm not sure what these moves will be if the point is to save money for next year and they have cap problems now.
I do agree with one thing you posted - the moves the Texans have made the past week, taken in total, look like a giant "no brainer".
Thorn
Dirty Old Man
srrono
All Pro
Great pick lol
Blake
MMQB
My turn to weigh in on this.
I hate to see Ryans go. He was a great player and person for the Texans. A captain, a leader, and a role model for our young guns which is worth something to me. But you have to agree that taking a $7.4 million dollar bath on a linebacker who cant stay on the field because he is a liability and getting over some serious injuries is not in the best interest for our franchise.
Cushing, along with Watt are the leaders of this defense now, and I don't know about you but I feel good about that. We will use the draft to back-fill Sharpton's role, or maybe even use a high enough draft selection to battle Sharpton for the starter position.
We still have a defense that has Jonathan Joseph, Brooks Reed, Connor Barwin, J.J. Watt, Brian Cushing, Danieal Manning, Antonio Smith and Glover Quinn.
And dont feel too bad for Ryans. He probably wanted to go somewhere where he could be utilized more as well, and he gets to keep his entire contract in tact.
I hate to see Ryans go. He was a great player and person for the Texans. A captain, a leader, and a role model for our young guns which is worth something to me. But you have to agree that taking a $7.4 million dollar bath on a linebacker who cant stay on the field because he is a liability and getting over some serious injuries is not in the best interest for our franchise.
Cushing, along with Watt are the leaders of this defense now, and I don't know about you but I feel good about that. We will use the draft to back-fill Sharpton's role, or maybe even use a high enough draft selection to battle Sharpton for the starter position.
We still have a defense that has Jonathan Joseph, Brooks Reed, Connor Barwin, J.J. Watt, Brian Cushing, Danieal Manning, Antonio Smith and Glover Quinn.
And dont feel too bad for Ryans. He probably wanted to go somewhere where he could be utilized more as well, and he gets to keep his entire contract in tact.
Dutchrudder
Hall of Fame
Adam Caplan was just on 790 discussing the trade and one thing he mentioned was Demeco's restructure from last year. He said that he emailed a guy to get a copy of his contract and that Ryans converted 5 million of his salary to signing bonus in 2011 just after the lockout to help the team with capspace. So that would leave 4 million in restructure money on his contract that hits the Texans' cap this year, plus the remainder of his original signing bonus which is 4.5 million according to sporttrac. That's at least an 8.5 million dollar cap hit this year for trading him.
With regard to the Eagles, Caplan said that the only portion of Ryans' contract that is guaranteed is 2 million this year, which makes it a low risk for them. It allows them to evaluate him this year and see how good he is. If he doesn't work out, the cap hit is relatively small.
So here's the Texans' cap savings as far as I can gauge it. If we held onto Ryans this year, He would have cost 6 million in salary + 2.5 million in signing bonus. Cutting/trading him in 2013 would have cost the team 6 million in remaining signing bonus. However, the team can rollover excess capspace to the next year, so by not paying Demeco that 6 million in base salary in 2012, they get that money in 2013. The same can be said of Eric Winston's 4.5 million salary this year. Together those two moves saved 10.5 million in 2013 cap space and could equal re-signing Duane Brown.
One other thing to consider is that the new TV contracts money won't kick in until 2014, so next year's cap could easily be ~121 million if there is no significant growth. Any extra room will help, but they might be bracing for another miniscule cap raise next year.
With regard to the Eagles, Caplan said that the only portion of Ryans' contract that is guaranteed is 2 million this year, which makes it a low risk for them. It allows them to evaluate him this year and see how good he is. If he doesn't work out, the cap hit is relatively small.
So here's the Texans' cap savings as far as I can gauge it. If we held onto Ryans this year, He would have cost 6 million in salary + 2.5 million in signing bonus. Cutting/trading him in 2013 would have cost the team 6 million in remaining signing bonus. However, the team can rollover excess capspace to the next year, so by not paying Demeco that 6 million in base salary in 2012, they get that money in 2013. The same can be said of Eric Winston's 4.5 million salary this year. Together those two moves saved 10.5 million in 2013 cap space and could equal re-signing Duane Brown.
One other thing to consider is that the new TV contracts money won't kick in until 2014, so next year's cap could easily be ~121 million if there is no significant growth. Any extra room will help, but they might be bracing for another miniscule cap raise next year.
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
Hate to see meco go, but it was the right move in the long run. He was making too much & was playing 1/2 the snaps & wasn't a great fit for the 3-4; just a better situation for all parties involved imo. We can replace his production with Sharpton / FA & i think Cush will be fine evolving into the leadership role.
The reality is this is where we're at ...we can't keep everybody & we have to start ID'ing the core of this team that will be here for years to come. That includes setting up for next year as we'll have 3 guys that will fit into this core next year. & i'm not counting Schaub in that group either. With the transition to the 3-4 Meco just wasn't going to be a significant piece to this core.
As far as those reacting to these player tweets...come on, what do you expect them to say?
The reality is this is where we're at ...we can't keep everybody & we have to start ID'ing the core of this team that will be here for years to come. That includes setting up for next year as we'll have 3 guys that will fit into this core next year. & i'm not counting Schaub in that group either. With the transition to the 3-4 Meco just wasn't going to be a significant piece to this core.
As far as those reacting to these player tweets...come on, what do you expect them to say?
False Start
On # 69
My previous pic had a typo, here is the updated one.
drunkcookie
2 drunk 2 cook
'Meco was playing 57% of the snaps this year according to McClain on 610 just awhile ago...and that's with Sharpton being on IR for a good time... I imagine it would have been even less had Sharpton played all year...
I remember getting the feeling 'Meco would be gone during this past season... It seemed a lot of football guys on radio/web etc... were of the opinion he wasn't the "right" fit in Wade's 3-4...after hearing it enough and thinking about it i stopped dismissing it and believed it was likely to happen...Around Christmas my girlfriend's bro had just bought a 59 jersey and was wearing it... He asked what i thought and i said "i think you'll need a different one next year, he'll probably be gone."
I guess shock wasn't a factor for me yestetday when i saw it tweeted... Not to say "i saw it coming" (part of me hoped it'd never come), i just felt it was a real big possibility...
I remember getting the feeling 'Meco would be gone during this past season... It seemed a lot of football guys on radio/web etc... were of the opinion he wasn't the "right" fit in Wade's 3-4...after hearing it enough and thinking about it i stopped dismissing it and believed it was likely to happen...Around Christmas my girlfriend's bro had just bought a 59 jersey and was wearing it... He asked what i thought and i said "i think you'll need a different one next year, he'll probably be gone."
I guess shock wasn't a factor for me yestetday when i saw it tweeted... Not to say "i saw it coming" (part of me hoped it'd never come), i just felt it was a real big possibility...
I can recall quite a few conversations about Demeco's decline in play even prior to his injury...And I can recall people talking about Winston not being all that great...Same thing with Mario...
I think for the most part the same people who were saying things like this before these moves were made are the same folks that are not freaking out over this stuff. And the same people that thought Demeco was the bees knees are the same people who are upset about this move. I don't see a lot of flip flopping personally.
I think we all like Demeco and what he brought to the team and to the city. But I do not think that this move will drastically hurt us going forward. Some one or some other people will step up and be leaders and provide valuable play on the field.
Grams
Veteran
Brisel, Dreessen, Allen and Mario - were not included in this years cap figures as they were/are UFA.
GP
Go Texans!
Players aren't happy. None of them went to Rick and offered to reduce their own salary to keep "such an important piece of the team"???
Lip service is all those tweets are. Being shocked and outraged doesn't mean ****. DO something if you're so offended by them cutting Ryans, but don't display a shallow anger.
Loyalty? I'd say the Texans are overly loyal, which is why there are crybabies on twitter who are so "shocked and outraged" by a business move.
These outraged players do understand this is a business, right? They need to remember they work for an employer, a gracious employer at that.
panamamyers
Waterboy
Where have we really gotten that much worse than what we were last year?
Mario didn't play.
Sharpton was playing more than Demeco before he got hurt.
Butler played like a champ year before last. I think he is much better than Winston personally.
Brisiel is the only spot where we can presume that we will have a big dropoff. Caldwell and Smith will have to try and fill that hole.
Dreesen? Cmon.... Dreesen is a nice player. He's not that great. Graham could easily fill in and catch all those open balls he gets as a byproduct of the offense.
Mario didn't play.
Sharpton was playing more than Demeco before he got hurt.
Butler played like a champ year before last. I think he is much better than Winston personally.
Brisiel is the only spot where we can presume that we will have a big dropoff. Caldwell and Smith will have to try and fill that hole.
Dreesen? Cmon.... Dreesen is a nice player. He's not that great. Graham could easily fill in and catch all those open balls he gets as a byproduct of the offense.
Dreesen is pretty good in the Red Zone and he is a good box out catcher...
That long pass that Schaub threw at the end of the Raiders game to get us down in the Red Zone was all Dreesen. He just went up and snagged it.
I like what I've seen ou tof Grahm, but Dreesen was actually pretty talented.
Honoring Earl 34
Something Witty !
I remember LZ talking about who would take Cushing's spot after he was suspended and Demeco's name came up . LZ said that someone on the inside said that won't happen because Demeco is to slow . That was before the injury .
Dutchrudder
Hall of Fame
I saw something like this posted up thread but didn't comment on it, but I will now.
The bolded is simply not how it works. The GM goes to players to ask them to restructure or take paycuts, not the other way around. And in those discussions, do you really think Rick is going to say, "well Eric, I need you to drop 3 million in salary or else we trade of Demeco." That's just laughable. He may say they are pursuing a free agent, but he's not going to pit the guy against a teammate. That's just a ridiculous scenario.
On top of that, the named players listed couldn't even adjust their salaries if they wanted to. Quin, Cushing, Barwin, are on their rookie deals. They can't restructure due to league rules. Winston's gone, OD has no guaranteed money left on his deal, so the team won't ask him to restructure anyways. It's just a silly argument and it makes you look like an ******* for blaming the players on the team. It's not their job to manage the cap, it's the GM's. Winston claimed that Rick didn't even ask him to restructure or take a pay cut, and instead just cut him outright. I think that says it all with regard to this argument.
Like I've said, any one of these moves can be defended by itself. It isn't difficult to show this one move makes sense.
Taken as a whole, the Texans are losing quite a few players that were part of last season's success. How will they back fill all of these and still maintain decent depth to protect against the inevitable injuries? What resources will be left to finally upgrade the receivers?
If next man up is all that is required, why worry so much about next years free agents? Just let them go too.
I think it's about the value of the players and the possible replacements behind them...
If we lose Duane Brown, next man up? no thanks...
If we lose J.Jo (I know he's not an upcoming FA), next man up? Probably not.
Maybe folks dont like to hear it, but the fact is, losing Duane next year in order to keep Winston and Demeco this year would have been a bad short sighted move. I don't know if that's what it came down to, but like you said earlier...obviously they are doing some of this because of the cap.
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
Quite a few of these players were also part of this teams miserable failures too. Going all the way back to 2006 & into that dismal 2010 defensive fiasco. I think that's the point many here are making in sort of a way. As talented as some of us thought these guys were, it hadn't amounted to much until just this past year...so really, how much better did they make us...
We know how people felt about Mario & he didn't exactly play much last year, so it's kind of hard to argue that he had much to do with our success last year. We've also had guys step up & have a chance to improve on our LB core in the draft/FA with someone cheaper.
Meco was off the field for 1/2 of the defensive snaps & Sharpton/Dobbins didn't look all that bad stepping in for him when they did & as with Mario, we've got a chance to improve our LB core in the draft/FA.
Winston was already thought to be slipping a bit by quite a number of people on here. The only thing he really had going for him was the fact that he'd had continuity with the other guys on the o-line & he'd started 60 straight games. That still didn't justify paying him what he was making. Butler filled in nicely for Brown during his 4 game suspension..why couldn't he emerge as a solid RT at least as good as Winston had been?
Same for Brisiel. He'd been put on IR 2 of the last 3 years & missed a few games this year with a broken twig. there may be some drop off, but i suspect it won't be much b/c he's been in & out of the lineup so much the last couple of years &, well, Arian has seemingly not missed a beat.
With Allen, look it's not like we're losing a starter here. He apparently wasn't good enough to unseat Kareem Jackson & he had his share of issues in coverage as well. In addition to this, McCain has seemingly stepped up & we still don't know what we have in Harris & Carmicheal; gotta make room so those guys can get some snaps. Worst case scenario is we pick up someone in FA to push those guys; wasn't there a rumor that we were looking at shawntae spencer?
Whether you take these moves individually or team centered i don't think they are as major as some are saying.
ChampionTexan
Hall of Fame
Cost per snap last season: check
Performance slipping (even if due to injury): check
Part of the bad years: check
Is anyone ready to predict Andre Johnson as the next cut?
Quite a few coaches and front office types, as well. Are they on the same short leash? No, they'll be getting extensions as soon as the dust settles.
Look, no one really knows how these losses will affect chemistry. It's a game and it's a business. The teams that can manage these conflicting perspectives are the ones that have success. I think this loss hurts from the top to the bottom of the organization. But, it remains to be seen whether it will keep the Texans from re-creating the chemistry of 2011.
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
Dre's exempt from this simply b/c he's still top 5 & 1 of the very best in the NFL at his position when he's healthy. None of the other guys meet that criteria.....except mario but he voluntarily left for a monster contract.
The1ApplePie
Hall of Fame
As some one said, its the Vilma effect.
Great 4-3 MLB, mediocre 3-4 ILB.
Strange that Curtis Lofton is still on the market, he had a lot of potential early in his career.
Not sure why people are mentioning Burfict. He will be a day three pick and could be value, but the dude has discipline and sanity concerns.
Great 4-3 MLB, mediocre 3-4 ILB.
Strange that Curtis Lofton is still on the market, he had a lot of potential early in his career.
Not sure why people are mentioning Burfict. He will be a day three pick and could be value, but the dude has discipline and sanity concerns.
Ole Miss Texan
Hall of Fame
Quick response: WOW - very interesting. THIS is something people HAVE to understand when we restructure contracts. Everybody talks about "restructure, restructure, restructure"... but they fail to realized we're going to be paying for that in the future. I understand why we did last year, b/c we NEEDED Joseph and Manning. But if we keep restructuring deals we'll be in cap hell in the future moreso than we are now.
So his "revised" cap hits (PRE-TRADE) for the following years would likely be:
2012: $8.4M ($5.9M salary + $1.5M orig. bonus + $1M restructured bonus)
2013: $9.1M ($6.6M salary + $1.5M orig. bonus + $1M restructured bonus)
2014: $9.3M ($6.8M salary + $1.5M orig. bonus + $1M restructured bonus)
2015: $7.8M ($6.8M salary + $0 orig. bonus? + $1M restructured bonus)
POST-TRADE:
2012: $8.5M ($0 salary + $4.5M orig. bonus + $4M restructured bonus)
2013: $0
2014: $0
2015: $0
The net effect will be an extra $100K this year against the cap + adding a LB as depth. But we save $26.2M against the cap over the next 3 years. If we had waited and let him play this season then just flat out release him next year, we'd have a $6M cap hit for 2013.... instead we'll have $0.
On to my thoughts: It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Demeco is THE quintesential player you want on your team. He's a leader, high character, class act, model citizen, great teammate, hard work and great player. BUT I completely understand why we had to do this. For all the people bitching about Smith and Olsen effing up our cap situation.... this type of move (while a hard one) has to be made to keep us out of cap hell in the future. It sucks, but it's a business and this was in the best interest of the team. I truly believe that. Demeco was simply being paid more than we could afford to pay him. He's been often injured and plays limited snaps. Nobody should discount what we're going to be losing in the locker room (he was a fan and TEAM favorite)... but it's a move that had to be made.
EDIT - About the trade value. I sure wish we could have got more, but I'm fine with the value we got. The total value is probably about a late 3rd round pick. I think the Eagles got a GREAT deal but this benefits us too. So I think its a win-win for both teams. I think we can have another LB in there for better value (although much leadership is lost) and we get a draft pick that could be put to good use. Next offseason we likely would have had to cut him AND take the cap ramifications that year while trying to re-sign Schaub, Brown, Barwin, etc. I think this was a business savvy move and the Texans will be better in the long run for it.
Honoring Earl 34
Something Witty !
I think it's where you spend your money that counts . I bet Ryans and Winston were both in the top 10 as far as LBs and OTs are paid . That's all linebackers and tackles .
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
Neither the coaches/FO or the players have been on short leashes..each had plenty of time to make themselves "made men". The only guys who've seemed to be able to do that is Arian & Meyers. Plus, you could argue that the coaches & FO were put on notice to be fired/released going into 2011....a full year before these players we've lost this year were. & considering the circumstances of last year (lockout) it was tougher for them than it was for these players.
I certainly wouldn't entertain cutting him now because he does have that capability, but that may just be "loyalty" talking.
However, it he misses much of the next season due to injury, the lack of depth behind him shouldn't be excused because it was "unforeseeable" that his largely experimental surgery didn't work out.
That doesn't make sense. Cushing was playing the Sam and DeMeco the Mike. Why would they even consider moving Ryans over? When Cushing tried to replace Ryans after the achilles injury, it was a disaster. Clearly, Brian is more comfortable in Wade's 3-4 than in the middle of Frank Bush's 4-3.
Was Ryans in danger of losing his starting spot? That's what we really don't know. You couldn't have a player of Ryans' stature on the bench, much less carry that kind of salary. If Wade was considering replacing DeMeco, he had to go. That's what we'll really never know for sure.
Bulls on Parade
2017 Astros: Earn It!
We're in some serious trouble if Butler and Caldwell become our starting right side of the offensive line. Neither has any business starting at the NFL level. We better look for an upgrade fast (free agency or the draft). I'd rather start two rookies drafted in the 3rd or 4th round over Butler and Caldwell. I have no confidence in either of them.
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
This is primarily why i see us going WR in the 1st now that we've got Meyers locked up. I think the FO sees the writing on the wall with him & figure they have about 3 possibly 4 more seasons left before he really begins to decline.
& if this 1st round talent works out for us this year I think this will give them the leeway to cut Jones going into 2013 (or possibly cut him in TC next year) & look at restructuring/cutting Walters as well.
right now, cutting JJ just doesn't make a whole lot of sense b/c we'd have to replace 2 positions..PR & 3rd WR. I don't think they want manning back there doing all that & starting FS on defense.
They should draft WR if there is a player they value as high or higher than the other positions of need. But forcing positions into draft slots is what got this team Kareem Jackson. Yes, they need a young WR to eventually take over for Andre. Doesn't mean that player will be there when they make their pick in the 1st round.
Vinny
shiny happy fan
Jackson, Okoye, and TJ. The top end of the wr group this year is not good.
Ole Miss Texan
Hall of Fame
While I don't share your exact pessimism... I do have some hesitation over the right side of the line. Clearly we'll know more after the draft and closer to the season what our team/o-line will look like. I too would like to invest an early pick on the OL.
I understand your thoughts on Caldwell/Butler but just think of Brisiel. We picked him up as an UDFA his rookie year and by the end of the following season he had to start due to injury. None of us were confident then. While Caldwell has shown some struggles... he's at least had time to develop and has had game-time experience. We'll see if he's actually developed into a quality starter or not. Having two "new" starters next to each other at the same time definitely adds to the nervousness for me.
I agree with that...But I keep reading that the team needs someone to "take over for Andre"...
I don't know if I agree with that. Yeah, I'd like another true #1 receiver in the pipeline, but I'd be happy with just 2 or 3 more quality guys...good players...Not necessarily great like Andre...
I don't know if we need someone to really "take over for Andre" as much as we just need more quality players there.
But I agree with your main point but I would personally add that I don't care about getting a true#1 as much as I want more talent at the position.
I thought Butler looked great when filling in, I have no problem with him taking over.
panamamyers
Waterboy
I personally have no doubt at all that Butler is better than Winston.
Now the Caldwell taking over for Brisiel is the one that worries me.
Now the Caldwell taking over for Brisiel is the one that worries me.
HOU-TEX
Ah, Football!
I've never been too critical of Smith and our FO up to this point. I'd usually shrug it off as thinking they knew better than I would about the cap/contracts/etc. But, I must say, this trade is horrible no matter how I look at it. It screams of screwing the pooch capwise.
I was ok with letting Winston go because I think Butler has the athleticism to be better. I was even coo with allowing Brisiel to walk once we re-signed Myers. I was fine with Mario leaving because I knew we couldn't afford him. I was going to be ok if Dreessen ended up signing elsewhere too. This, I just can't agree with at all. Just piss poor value in return for a player of D-Ryans caliber.
Sharpton played fairly well in place of D-Ryans, but the dude can't stay on the field long enough to properly evaluate his performance.
All that said, *sigh*, I'm still a Texans fan to the core.
I was ok with letting Winston go because I think Butler has the athleticism to be better. I was even coo with allowing Brisiel to walk once we re-signed Myers. I was fine with Mario leaving because I knew we couldn't afford him. I was going to be ok if Dreessen ended up signing elsewhere too. This, I just can't agree with at all. Just piss poor value in return for a player of D-Ryans caliber.
Sharpton played fairly well in place of D-Ryans, but the dude can't stay on the field long enough to properly evaluate his performance.
All that said, *sigh*, I'm still a Texans fan to the core.
Vinny
shiny happy fan
he was ok in spot duty, but once an opponent gets ready for him and watches film on him and him alone he will either be exposed or...not. It's like watching Cody Carelson play for Moon and do a good job and then Bud thinking that he can just trade Moon and the QB play will be ok. Didn't happen that way because once teams picked him apart on film and gameplanned for him, he was exposed for the limited player that he was. It remains to be seen if Butler can handle this full time. I'm not a big fan of the new Guard either....the right side of the line is a mess if you ask me. A mess for a SB contender. Not a mess for a rebuilding team though.
I hope this doesn't get lost in the flood of this thread. I think this article is really good and very informative.
http://houston.sbnation.com/houston...rade-shows-texans-vulnerable-to-nfl-realities
http://houston.sbnation.com/houston...rade-shows-texans-vulnerable-to-nfl-realities
Who the hell do you consider "Core"? We've lost 40% of our starting O-Line, two of our starting LBs (albeit only one was starting at the end of last season), and there's no reason to think the Texans are finished yet. Those ARE pretty massive holes to fill. with the exception of DeMeco, all our other cuts got HUGE contracts elsewhere. It's not unreasonable to think the guys we've lost are more than "serviceable" players.Where are these massive holes to fill? The only hole I see worth seriously worrying about is the hole left in depth at LB, which can be reasonably dealt with in the draft.
You guys need to quit with theand
and start with the
and
.
With these moves, we got to re-sign our core FA's this season and get to re-sign our core FA's next season.
Yep, those are the replacements, but don't be surprised if the words "DROP OFF" come up a lot this year.
GP
Go Texans!
To be fair here, I don't think anybody on that 11-man defense was comfortable in Frank Bush's 43 Defense. They wouldn't have been good for Frank Bush's 56 Defense, nor for any other type of Frank Bush defense.
1.) My hat is off to the Texans players who kept their tweets civil and wisely measured. To those who didn't, they are a detriment to the team chemistry that everyone feels is so vital around here, and those players should be spoken to by whomever does that in the Texans offices.
2.) As to the last part of your post, I don't give 1 penny for what Winston said. He's a self-promoting P.R. machine first and foremost. If his pass pro was as good as his mouth, he'd still be here. They wanted him gone, and I don't care what Winston thinks or says about it. He's gone, the world keeps spinning.
Solomon is a vulture, too. He knew he had some run with this angle of acquiring and using the Soap Opera tweets. He even included "former players," which reeks of POOR journalistic integrity...yeah, I wonder how positive "former Texans" are going to be. The ones tweeting the loudest are going to be the ones pissed off about their own previous situation here. Anything to sell papers or clicks, though.
That's why I give not a crap about the "outrage" because it's all so shallow to me. Sad he's leaving? Fine. Use it to leverage an agenda against the team? Not cool. And that's what most are doing, they're using it as dot to connect to other dots in order to prove their agenda(s). THAT is amateur hour...deluxe.