Listening to John Harris on 610 yesterday, he mentioned Fells pass blocking specifically as being very good. That’s probably where his blocking reputation comes from. I wasn’t terribly impressed with his run blocking last season
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So..OB is the new official GM..
- Thread starter H_Town_Gaucho
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Listening to John Harris on 610 yesterday, he mentioned Fells pass blocking specifically as being very good. That’s probably where his blocking reputation comes from. I wasn’t terribly impressed with his run blocking last season
Uncle Rico
Ur apology should be as loud as Ur disrespect was
just makes me wonder .. you already have TWO 3rd round TEs on the roster, one whom coach highly touted as a "great blocker" (Akins) another who was SUPPOSED to be this kid brimming with pass catching talent? (Warring) and yet you go and tie up money with ANOTHER TE (i like Fells, its "only" 3.5M per but cmon man) .. its a weird fetish with OBrien and TEs looking for another Gronk. Yet he hardly incorporates the position in the passing game?? So hard to follow along with this line of thinking. How about they develop the guys whom they have drafted, and apply the resources to resigning your stud players and not paying your marginal guys top 5 positional money or just throwing money at depth players where the position is already adequately staffed - the thinking that Brandon Dunn will be a stop gap replacement or that you'll find another Reader in the later round screams of arrogance with no history of being able to do just that! Remember DJ Reader was ANOTHER Rick Smith pick - GASP!! This team was HORRIBLE against the run, atrocious even. Take away a top 3 run defender from that squad and see what happens. Old School Football - you want to be stout against the run?? Be sure you are strong at the NT, MLB, and S positions. (especially in RACs defensive alignments where the NT is in charge of 2 gaps - finding guys big and athletic enough to do that isnt as easy as being postulated.)
If the powers that be are ready to say "we whiffed on our TE selections" that would be a step forward, but they arent ready to say that either. Im not against Fells getting the contract, Im against that contract and the Fairbairn deal, and they deals for Martin and Mercilus if they ultimately mean that a true All Pro type player like DJ will not be retained and at the end of the day the TE position is STILL not that great at blocking. Bizarro World.
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I’m not sure Akins was ever touted as a great blocker. LZ on nfl.com listed him as a flawed blocker
Jordan Akins Draft and Combine Prospect Profile | NFL.com
All Combine and Draft-Related Analysis, News, Video, and Biographical Information for Jordan Akins
www.nfl.com
In fact I wouldn’t be surprised to see Akins released. I think Thomas has more upside and Warring has loads of potential but until he gets on the field he’s an unknown. Personally, I don’t think retaining Fells has any impact on Reader. I think the market may price Reader out of our reach. I love the guy but when you hit a certain price range you need to offer more pass rush potential IMO. We desperately need an inside pass rush. Too often QBs were able to step up into the pocket to avoid the outside guys. Additionally, I think the need at CB could also force us to let Reader go. CB is such a massive need for us, and good ones don’t come cheap
A third string (at best) OLman for a thousand yard back? I would do that every time
Uncle Rico
Ur apology should be as loud as Ur disrespect was
I’m not sure Akins was ever touted as a great blocker. LZ on nfl.com listed him as a flawed blocker
Jordan Akins Draft and Combine Prospect Profile | NFL.com
All Combine and Draft-Related Analysis, News, Video, and Biographical Information for Jordan Akins
In fact I wouldn’t be surprised to see Akins released. I think Thomas has more upside and Warring has loads of potential but until he gets on the field he’s an unknown. Personally, I don’t think retaining Fells has any impact on Reader. I think the market may price Reader out of our reach. I love the guy but when you hit a certain price range you need to offer more pass rush potential IMO. We desperately need an inside pass rush. Too often QBs were able to step up into the pocket to avoid the outside guys. Additionally, I think the need at CB could also force us to let Reader go. CB is such a massive need for us, and good ones don’t come cheap
therein may lie the problems. Some personnel guys see things clearly and the in-house specialists are not qualified or experienced enough for the task. This is what OBrien himself had to say about Akins:
Texans coach Bill O'Brien says tight end Jordan Akins is a mature player who seeks to improve
The Houston Texans have a bevy of tight ends, but second-year Jordan Akins from Central Florida has emerged as one of their better options. Akins had the best game of his career Sunday at Rokit Field at Dignity Health Sports Park when he hauled in three catches for 73…
texanswire.usatoday.com
now I get the whole "coachspeak" aspect of it, but OBriens "gut instinct" on Akins came from his Senior Bowl experience with him!!
Senior Bowl convinced Bill O'Brien on Jordan Akins
Perhaps the most surprising move of Houston's Day Two business was the drafting of UCF tight end Jordan Akins. The last of the Texans' three third-selections was rated by many as a late round player, but Houston felt the need to secure the 26-year old on Friday night, and…
texanswire.usatoday.com
so if you what you say if accurate regarding Akins deficiencies spotted prior to being drafted it makes you wonder what the think tank on Kirby is doing at the position.
DJ Reader at 11-13M provides you more than Mercilus at the same price point. Having the "ability" to rush the passer doesnt correlate with the overall talent to play the game. DJ was graded some 20 points higher than Mercilus for example. Mercilus started off fast last year in sacks and then what happened? OLines caught up. They havent caught up to DJ yet.
Fells deal all by itself doesnt affect the DJ situation singularly, but as I stated you add up all the head scratchers that are being given out and with some better cap management you could at least retain the GREAT players while releasing the marginal guys or restocking those with the draft. Hurts to keep developing all pro level talent only to let it walk and having to start over again convincing ourselves that dollar general type players will get the job done.
Lucky for us CB is one of, if not, the deepest position classes in the 2020 draft so you would think you could get value there without breaking the bank if the draft is managed appropriately.
I’m not sure Akins was ever touted as a great blocker. LZ on nfl.com listed him as a flawed blocker
Jordan Akins Draft and Combine Prospect Profile | NFL.com
All Combine and Draft-Related Analysis, News, Video, and Biographical Information for Jordan Akins
In fact I wouldn’t be surprised to see Akins released. I think Thomas has more upside and Warring has loads of potential but until he gets on the field he’s an unknown. Personally, I don’t think retaining Fells has any impact on Reader. I think the market may price Reader out of our reach. I love the guy but when you hit a certain price range you need to offer more pass rush potential IMO. We desperately need an inside pass rush. Too often QBs were able to step up into the pocket to avoid the outside guys. Additionally, I think the need at CB could also force us to let Reader go. CB is such a massive need for us, and good ones don’t come cheap
I hope they re-sign Roby and sign Harris to cover the slot.
A DB room of Roby/Harris/Conley/LJo and a draft pick would be much improved.
If you let Reader walk and draft a NT to pair with Dunn that position would be covered pretty well. Maybe even bring in a FA on a 1 yr deal.
therein may lie the problems. Some personnel guys see things clearly and the in-house specialists are not qualified or experienced enough for the task. This is what OBrien himself had to say about Akins:
Texans coach Bill O'Brien says tight end Jordan Akins is a mature player who seeks to improve
The Houston Texans have a bevy of tight ends, but second-year Jordan Akins from Central Florida has emerged as one of their better options. Akins had the best game of his career Sunday at Rokit Field at Dignity Health Sports Park when he hauled in three catches for 73…texanswire.usatoday.com
now I get the whole "coachspeak" aspect of it, but OBriens "gut instinct" on Akins came from his Senior Bowl experience with him!!
Senior Bowl convinced Bill O'Brien on Jordan Akins
Perhaps the most surprising move of Houston's Day Two business was the drafting of UCF tight end Jordan Akins. The last of the Texans' three third-selections was rated by many as a late round player, but Houston felt the need to secure the 26-year old on Friday night, and…texanswire.usatoday.com
so if you what you say if accurate regarding Akins deficiencies spotted prior to being drafted it makes you wonder what the think tank on Kirby is doing at the position.
DJ Reader at 11-13M provides you more than Mercilus at the same price point. Having the "ability" to rush the passer doesnt correlate with the overall talent to play the game. DJ was graded some 20 points higher than Mercilus for example. Mercilus started off fast last year in sacks and then what happened? OLines caught up. They havent caught up to DJ yet.
Fells deal all by itself doesnt affect the DJ situation singularly, but as I stated you add up all the head scratchers that are being given out and with some better cap management you could at least retain the GREAT players while releasing the marginal guys or restocking those with the draft. Hurts to keep developing all pro level talent only to let it walk and having to start over again convincing ourselves that dollar general type players will get the job done.
Lucky for us CB is one of, if not, the deepest position classes in the 2020 draft so you would think you could get value there without breaking the bank if the draft is managed appropriately.
I actually agree with this post.
O would have let Mercilus walk and kept Reader. I didn't care for the Martin signing either. But I understand why it was done. Luckily they can get out of that deal after this season of they want too.
If that's the best case scenario the defense is definitely gonna suck
He couldn't beat out Davenport, Clark, Giacomini, Mancz, mush less Sharping, Howard or Roderick Johnson. He was gonna be cut if not traded. You're putting your hate above your common sense
More like shows how pathetic Rankin was...
maverick512000
Hall of Fame
Rankin had nothing to do with Chiefs winning the SB.
Yes, he started 5 games for the Chiefs due to injury
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
Lol, pull up that PFF grade tho....
He was starting due to injury....Chiefs also went 2-4 in the games he started too. Not saying he was the primary reason for that......but it is curious that It was basically right after they got him and a few others out of the lineup that they began to turn the corner....
banned1976
sleeper mode
I think the Texans dodged a bullet when Hyde turned down 5 million, 2 years.
They got one good year out of Hyde, Rankin is nothing special. Hyde turns 30 in September. I’m satisfied moving on from both of them.
They got one good year out of Hyde, Rankin is nothing special. Hyde turns 30 in September. I’m satisfied moving on from both of them.
Lol, pull up that PFF grade tho....
He was starting due to injury....Chiefs also went 2-4 in the games he started too. Not saying he was the primary reason for that......but it is curious that It was basically right after they got him and a few others out of the lineup that they began to turn the corner....
Not much lower than Scharping and Howard.
Now he's on a rookie deal for them and Hyde, who isn't even good, is gone
Put Gladney in that CB room and we'll talk.
Add Chinn/Dugger to play nickel LB and give them a yr to learn and they will be special. You already know my thoughts on Dugger. They're rare athletes.
therein may lie the problems. Some personnel guys see things clearly and the in-house specialists are not qualified or experienced enough for the task. This is what OBrien himself had to say about Akins:
Texans coach Bill O'Brien says tight end Jordan Akins is a mature player who seeks to improve
The Houston Texans have a bevy of tight ends, but second-year Jordan Akins from Central Florida has emerged as one of their better options. Akins had the best game of his career Sunday at Rokit Field at Dignity Health Sports Park when he hauled in three catches for 73…texanswire.usatoday.com
now I get the whole "coachspeak" aspect of it, but OBriens "gut instinct" on Akins came from his Senior Bowl experience with him!!
Senior Bowl convinced Bill O'Brien on Jordan Akins
Perhaps the most surprising move of Houston's Day Two business was the drafting of UCF tight end Jordan Akins. The last of the Texans' three third-selections was rated by many as a late round player, but Houston felt the need to secure the 26-year old on Friday night, and…texanswire.usatoday.com
so if you what you say if accurate regarding Akins deficiencies spotted prior to being drafted it makes you wonder what the think tank on Kirby is doing at the position.
DJ Reader at 11-13M provides you more than Mercilus at the same price point. Having the "ability" to rush the passer doesnt correlate with the overall talent to play the game. DJ was graded some 20 points higher than Mercilus for example. Mercilus started off fast last year in sacks and then what happened? OLines caught up. They havent caught up to DJ yet.
Fells deal all by itself doesnt affect the DJ situation singularly, but as I stated you add up all the head scratchers that are being given out and with some better cap management you could at least retain the GREAT players while releasing the marginal guys or restocking those with the draft. Hurts to keep developing all pro level talent only to let it walk and having to start over again convincing ourselves that dollar general type players will get the job done.
Lucky for us CB is one of, if not, the deepest position classes in the 2020 draft so you would think you could get value there without breaking the bank if the draft is managed appropriately.
Ya, they definitely have done some things that will make you scratch your head. I thought Merciles and Martin were overpays. I will say when Merciles signed the contract Seth Payne was saying that some of the things that Merciles does that helps the defense doesn't always show up on the stat sheet. I do agree that Reader is the better player and should be ascending. I'd love to keep the guy, BUT we do have a massive need at CB. And, you are right, the draft is loaded, but we draft at the bottom third of the second round and if there was a run on CBs we could be left out in the cold. We HAVE to upgrade the secondary. The draft also seems to have good depth on the DL as well. We could sign a CB then draft a Reader replacement. If Im not mistaken, CB is a position that generally requires a year or 2 of development. It might be better to sign a starter in FA and pick up a DL in the draft. This past season we had Reader playing at a very high level, and our defense still wasn't great. We couldn't stop the pass to save our life. I believe a high level CB would be more beneficial. If we have a guy that can lock one side of the field down you can do more in terms of blitzing ect..
When I mentioned pass rushing ability, I wasn't insinuating that it was the end all be all, BUT IMO when you hit a certain price point per year in salary on the DL I think the ability to rush the passer is important. Reader is a stud run defender no doubt, but I would call his pass rush ability serviceable. Over the cap has his projected salary at 13.5m per year. At that dollar amount, to me, I'd want a guy that gives more in the pass rush department.
With regard to Akins, I don't know what to say. I know that TE is supposed to be a tough position to pick up as a younger player. Maybe they thought he would develop more or faster than he has. At this point, I think he might end up being the odd man out with the team retaining Fells, Thomas and Warring
Uncle Rico
Ur apology should be as loud as Ur disrespect was
yea man I get it .. you cant keep them all. I think with DJ there is wiggle room if he wants to be here. He's a better pass rusher from the inside than people give him credit for. Sacks are sexy they POP on the stat sheet, but there are other indicators. While I always suspect players on contract years with DJ you can look back at the last few years and notice the uphill trajectory in game play. This isn't an outlier. This year he had a 72.5 pass rushing grade/35 pressures/10.7% pressure rate. Add in that run defense of 85.1 and you have a complete, ELITE interior NFL defender. At the very least franchise him for a year, lets learn from the JD Clowney fiasco. Its okay to disagree among the GM/Player, but lets not cut off our nose to spite our face again. No need to rush into a bad move. we could use him for one more year while the defense around him fills out. Hit him with the transition tag at 12.3M for the year - Fair number and see what he does, he might make some people change their minds in a year. I think he's that good honestly and we are undervaluing him here thinking its easy to find a guy who is 350lbs and can move like he does.
There are enough holes on the defense where if there would be a rush on CBs that you could easily justify taking an edge guy in the 2nd and beyond. I'm fairly certain you can find a talented CB in this years draft though. I'm giving this current regime some slack because shooting fish in a barrel cant be that hard right? I dang sure wouldn't tie up a big contract on Roby. You could replace him easily with another journeyman CB (trumaine johnson, trae wayne for example) he really didn't do anything IMO to justify a long term deal.
I guess the law of averages is going to apply to the TE position I'll be curious to see who sticks. I mean you cant give up on Warring after one year, so that kind of starts culling the herd right there. I would say Jordan Thomas would be the odd guy out just to save face even if he might be slightly better than Akins. Fells/Akins/Warring would be my guess for next year if they can avoid their impulses on draft day.
I was responding to someone who used off grades
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
Marginalize it all you want but the hard truth is both of those rooks graded out better than him as a 2nd year guy..thats not a good look for him period.
& as an FYI, Scharping and Howard are also on their rookie deals. Meanwhile Rankin may not even make the Chiefs' roster next year.
Hyde didn't have to be good....but he still a had a career year here which is why he was offered what he was.
texan279
Hall of Fame
I wouldn't say starting five games "had nothing to do with it". He definitely contributed. It's a team sport.
maverick512000
Hall of Fame
By that line of you can give credit to Jimmy G for Pats 2016 SB win. It’s definitely a team sport but let’s not pretend that all players on that team are equally important or that the team wouldn’t succeed or fail without them. Chiefs would have won with or without Rankin, they didn’t have a prayer without Mahomes.
texan279
Hall of Fame
Rankin started five games, on the offensive line, in the trenches, where some say the game is won or lost. And only allowed one sack. I'm not saying he's the greatest lineman ever. But he contributed to a Super Bowl winning offensive line. After BOB gave up on him. Either BOB can't evaluate or develop talent, or both.
Rich Schmidt
Myopicone
Hyde or Rankin? Hyde was a every game starter and rushed for 1000 yards. Rankin was a backup here and at the Chiefs until injury. I don't hold this one against BOB, two teams who were going to cut players used them to swap players. Well, we can blame BOB for being involved with Gaine on the selection and keeping Devlin so only 1st rounders have a chance here
texan279
Hall of Fame
My point is we got a one year rental with Hyde. And the guy we traded him for, who BOB was going to release, started 5 games for the Chiefs due to injury. So BOB thought Rankin was useless, after being a third round pick, while the Chiefs found use for him and used him as a starter when needed. That tells me BOB is not the best at evaluating talent.
RGV82
Random guy
You should be have well aware of that way before the Hyde-Rankin point.
texanprincess
Waterboy
The fact that you actually think Rankin was good baffles me.
He's a replacement level guy, whose greatest value is he's cheap.
RGV82
Random guy
Not sure he was implying that he was good. I perceived his comment to mean that he is able to fill in and perform when needed. And you are saying he is a replacement level guy.... so you both seem on the same page.... just debating semantics.
texan279
Hall of Fame
Never said he was good. He's a career backup. What did we get in return? A one year rental.
texan279
Hall of Fame
Pretty much. Got rid of a guy that could be a serviceable backup for years for a one year rental.
texanprincess
Waterboy
RGV82
Random guy
Honestly this really isn’t a debate. Miller went down and we were left with Duke as our only back. I don’t blame anyone at all for this trade. It was the right move to make at the time and if we made it further in the playoffs Hyde would have been a big part why. Everyone wounda said it was a genius move making that trade.
maverick512000
Hall of Fame
A “one year rental” that was our go to back all year, was cheap and had a career year. Yeah we only had him for one year but Rankin had been next to useless on the team.
Also the plan wasn’t for him to be a one year rental, it’s basically honey badger all over again. Guy is about to be done with his NFL career, Texans sign them to a one year prove it deal, Texans get more out of them than previous teams have, Texans make a fair offer for a long term deal, guy either gets a stupid offer from another team or thinks he will get one.
Rankin was not doing well here, that’s fact, nobody at all was complaining when we traded him away and you are acting like he was the missing piece for the Chiefs SB win. So he started 5 games for them, big whoop, he started 4 games for us and stunk up the place. Plus there is the injury history, couldn’t play in the Sr. Bowl because of the ankle, couldn’t finish training camp because of the ankle and only started 5 games for the Chiefs because of the ankle.
There are a lot of stupid decisions of OBs you can point to and I’m right there with you. Trading a guy that has had 9 starts, missed almost every major game in his career due to injury and is, as you say, a career backup for a RB that came in and had a career season is not one of those decisions.
maverick512000
Hall of Fame
With his injury history there is no reason at all to think he will have a career that spans years much less be serviceable.
Texansballer74
The Marine
16 games and y’all think because a RB ran for a 1000 yards he was good. That’s a whopping 62.5 yards a game.
Week 11 65 yards
Week 12 67 yards
Week 13 17 yards
Week 14 73 yards
Week 15 104 yards
Week 16 27 yards
Only cracked 100 yards three times
Yeah great stats for a team that runs the ball a lot.
Week 11 65 yards
Week 12 67 yards
Week 13 17 yards
Week 14 73 yards
Week 15 104 yards
Week 16 27 yards
Only cracked 100 yards three times
Yeah great stats for a team that runs the ball a lot.
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Exactly. He was probably ranked 40th or something amount RBs.
dream_team
Hall of Fame
At the time, I had no qualms with the trade. We needed a RB, and rumors were Rankins wasn't going to make the team. So I was fine with the deal.
My bigger concern is why Rankins wasn't able to make this team. He was drafted in the 3rd just ONE year ago. Guard isn't a position we were deep at, so the fact that he couldn't even make this team is worrisome. Who screwed the pooch on draft day. Who was unable to get him to adjust to the NFL?
My bigger concern is why Rankins wasn't able to make this team. He was drafted in the 3rd just ONE year ago. Guard isn't a position we were deep at, so the fact that he couldn't even make this team is worrisome. Who screwed the pooch on draft day. Who was unable to get him to adjust to the NFL?
I think BO’b was expecting a tackle & got TRex.
RGV82
Random guy
In fairness to him, in the games you listed he only had 20+ carries once. One of those games he only had 4 carries.
KoolAid Sipper
AFCEVET
They had the physical measurables before the draft. The biggest misfire of this off-season was not grabbing Bill Callahan as the new OL coach, especially since he was available.
RGV82
Random guy
BOB is too in love with Devlin.
dream_team
Hall of Fame
Let's not forget after Seantrel Henderson went down in week 1, someone thought it was a good idea to move Davenport to RT and start Rankins at LT!?!?! And it took them three games to figure out Rankins at LT wasn't a good idea.
badboy
Hall of Fame
$1,000 a month isn't much money unless you have not made that before or in a long time.
OptimisticTexan
2024 / Rebuilding Block 4 After Playoffs / Texans
Especially when OB stands on the sideline and forgets he's in possession of a headset and holds up a sign that states......RUN - OFF CENTER.