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Short middle?

thunderkyss said:
They let Reader, Joseph, & Gipson go.

They brought in Jernigan, some guy named Murray & spent our two highest draft picks on defense.

Romeo once again "retires" from the sideline & we promote a new DC from within.

What would you like to discuss?
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How about who’s going to be covering Kelce in week one.

It still mystifies me that the Texans went into the offseason and through the NFL draft knowing they have this glaring hole in the defense and actually made it worse. And they had either Delpit or Winfield right there in the draft and picked neither.

I’m glad O’Brien picked up some help for the defense but they still don’t have a dependable pass rusher and they don’t have anyone to cover the middle of the field. No sudden speed (on the edges or interior) from a pass rushing aspect and nobody to cover the TE. The most novice OC can figure out how to attack the Texans defense in no time at all.

I hope Weaver is really good at his new job. He certainly has his hands full.
 
banned1976 said:
This deserves more attention...


PFF HOU Texans (@PFF_Texans) Tweeted:
The Texans' top linebackers have similar and well-defined strengths and weaknesses.

Highest run stop percentage:
1. Zach Cunningham (14.2)
15. Benardrick McKinney (9.5)

Highest passer rating allowed:
3. Benardrick McKinney (140.1)
12. Zach Cunningham (124.5) https://t.co/7SETcjoGT7

https://twitter.com/x/status/1262113356468682754

But people are focused on the offense. The big problems are on the defensive side of the football, folks.
Click to expand...


I mentioned something about this in this thread …. as well as the thread predicting RB yardage and again in the Watson thread somewhere ….

This defense is going to get beat all over the place.

No pass rush to speak of , nobody on the entire roster knows how to cover a TE and the corners are highly suspect.

Watson better be ready to sling it 45 times a game cause he's gonna have to put up video game numbers to win and forget about running the rock …. cause they'll be playing from behind more often than not.
 
banned1976 said:
How about who’s going to be covering Kelce in week one.

It still mystifies me that the Texans went into the offseason and through the NFL draft knowing they have this glaring hole in the defense and actually made it worse. And they had either Delpit or Winfield right there in the draft and picked neither.

I’m glad O’Brien picked up some help for the defense but they still don’t have a dependable pass rusher and they don’t have anyone to cover the middle of the field. No sudden speed (on the edges or interior) from a pass rushing aspect and nobody to cover the TE. The most novice OC can figure out how to attack the Texans defense in no time at all.

I hope Weaver is really good at his new job. He certainly has his hands full.
Click to expand...

They have improved their interior pass rush by alot with Blacklock if he's what I think he is. This was a big weakness. IMHO

They think they have the edge rusher solved in numbers. Martin/Duke/Greenard/Mercilus. If Watt can stay healthy and Omenihu/Blacklock provide inside rush then I dont think the pass rush is going to be the issue many do.

However if Cole gets hurt again (Who knows how he comes back from the ACL) then they dont have a LB that can cover worth a crap. The secondary will be bad, there's no CB1 or S that can cover the TE. I wish they would've gotten the S from Wash St in last yrs supplemental draft. Hopefully there's a decent coverage S that gets cut or hey can trade for at the end of TC.

With this said I think the secondary will be better with a healthy Reid (I would let him try to cover Kelce) and Conley with a full TC, plus Roby being fully healthy should help the situation.
 
Corrosion said:
I don't think a the pass rush is going to stop short routes over the middle - those are designed to take advantage of a pass rush …. Somebody's gotta be able to cover for that 2+ seconds so the pass rush can work its magic.

When the Texans drafted Cunningham , I really thought this problem would be behind them as that was one of his strengths in college , that hasn't been the case. McKinney isn't that guy either … and putting a safety on those big TE's is offering up a mismatch.

I think this is a personnel flaw …. they need a LBer who can cover. Cunningham is a free agent after this year and is probably going to cost 10M plus , its possible the team moves on from him and they draft a replacement early in next years draft - If they don't move on from Cunningham , it'll be 2023 before they address the position with any urgency.
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Yes, we need one of those new breed 6' 2"+ 220-ish S/LB hybrid or a Sean Taylor clone works great too
 
thunderkyss said:
I don't know. But I'm glad Gronk & Kittle are in the NFC. After Kelce we should be ok against "normal" TEs.
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They were 21'st in yardage allowed against the TE last year. Jonnu Smith is going to be a problem. He gave them issues last season in their first meeting. They didn't face Rudolph or Graham last year, they have both this year. They've got the Baltimore TE's and KC.

Bottom line, they were 21st last season against the tight end, they lost their "TE killer" and replaced him with nobody, and they have just as tough a match-ups against the tight end this year as they did last year. It's a problem.

Unfortunately, this particular problem isn't even the biggest, or second biggest problem on defense. Anybody want to talk about those, or nah? Don't answer that, I know that this is the year Watson either carries this team (including the defense) or he gets traded. I know you're not the one saying that. And I don't think O'Brien is much willing to fix the problems on defense. Nor do I think he can at this point.

Anyway, I'm finished talking about Watson and O'Brien for awhile. I'll check back in in a month or so.
 
The defense needed to be fixed in the offseason, but for some reason, the offense got all of the attention!?

I'm not as optimistic with Blacklock & Greenard being big contributors next season, just for the simple fact they're rookies that don't need to be thrusted into a starting role.

On the DL, I suspect a rotation of Watt, Dunn, Blackson, and Jernigan mostly. Omenihu and Blackson will get rotated in on obvious passing downs.

LBs will mostly stay the same. Greenard will battle Scarlett, and I hope he'll easily steal the job, but my money is Scarlett will at least start the beginning of the season.

The secondary needed the most attention on the defense, but for some reason, it got zilch!? It's basically the same crew as last season, minus Jonathan Joseph & Tashaun Gipson. We paid alot for a career backup in Eric Murray, and now he's a starting safety!?!?

Talent wise, the defense isn't any better than last season. BUT, we can still be a decent defense, just alot rides on two people:
  • Anthony Weaver being at least a decent coordinator
  • JJ Watt staying healthy
If those two happen, then I think we're a better defense than last season. But I think the days of us annually being a top 10 defense are now behind us.
 
steelbtexan said:
Blacklock if
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steelbtexan said:
They think they have the edge rusher solved
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steelbtexan said:
If Watt can stay healthy
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steelbtexan said:
then I dont think
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steelbtexan said:
However if Cole gets hurt again
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steelbtexan said:
I think the secondary will be better
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steelbtexan said:
should help the situation
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Lots of "ifs", "thinks" and "should"
I'm with @Corrosion on this one. I "know" the D is gonna be bottom 1/4 of the rankings.
 
dream_team said:
Talent wise, the defense isn't any better than last season. BUT, we can still be a decent defense, just alot rides on two people:
  • Anthony Weaver being at least a decent coordinator
  • JJ Watt staying healthy
If those two happen, then I think we're a better defense than last season. But I think the days of us annually being a top 10 defense are now behind us.
Click to expand...


You left out Dunn being a capable replacement for Reader against the run.

If he can't hold up and teams are able to rip off 4-5 yards a play on 1st and 2nd down running the ball …. it won't matter how bad the back end is. 3rd and 1 or 2 is a defensive coordinators worst nightmare as all options are available to the offense.

I fear we'll see that situation play out all season long.
 
Corrosion said:
You left out Dunn being a capable replacement for Reader against the run.

If he can't hold up and teams are able to rip off 4-5 yards a play on 1st and 2nd down running the ball …. it won't matter how bad the back end is. 3rd and 1 or 2 is a defensive coordinators worst nightmare as all options are available to the offense.

I fear we'll see that situation play out all season long.
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I'm actually more confident in Blackson playing the nose, but you're right... neither of them are Reader. I still think Watt & Weaver will be the biggest factors to helping the D get back to average. Watt getting double teamed on every play just helps everyone on defense.
 
banned1976 said:
How about who’s going to be covering Kelce in week one.

It still mystifies me that the Texans went into the offseason and through the NFL draft knowing they have this glaring hole in the defense and actually made it worse. And they had either Delpit or Winfield right there in the draft and picked neither.

I’m glad O’Brien picked up some help for the defense but they still don’t have a dependable pass rusher and they don’t have anyone to cover the middle of the field. No sudden speed (on the edges or interior) from a pass rushing aspect and nobody to cover the TE. The most novice OC can figure out how to attack the Texans defense in no time at all.

I hope Weaver is really good at his new job. He certainly has his hands full.
Click to expand...

This is what happens when you shuttle draft picks and make ill advised contract moves without having a "real" cap advisor around to bounce ideas off of. The defense may not be truly addressed until the Texans have a full draft 2022.

In my mind, the offense was much closer to completion and should've been the focus so at least they would have a chance to just outscore the other teams. It could offer exciting shootouts win or lose. The positive, this offense could get even better come 2021. The 2021 picks could allow the defense could get a few extra bodies which should have a surprise or two that crack the lineup and others that strengthen the depth chart and ST's. Hopefully in 2022, the final needs could be addressed through a full draft.....only the offense should still be intact for its third season which could make them very potent..
 
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dream_team said:
I'm actually more confident in Blackson playing the nose, but you're right... neither of them are Reader. I still think Watt & Weaver will be the biggest factors to helping the D get back to average. Watt getting double teamed on every play just helps everyone on defense.
Click to expand...

I like Blackson's upside much more than Readers. Blackson can develop into a solid run stuffer but he's already got pass rushing skills that evaded Reader. A healthy Watt will certainly help all guys on the DL. Greenard is my wildcard b/c I think he could push Scarlett back to being a solid veteran backup and ST's player.....a benefit in both areas for the team. If Greenard can actually impact the pass rush as should be expected then the DB's lives on gameday will get much better.
 
OptimisticTexan said:
This is what happens when you shuttle draft picks and make ill advised contract moves without having a "real" cap advisor around to bounce ideas off of. The defense may not be truly addressed until the Texans have a full draft 2022.

In my mind, the offense was much closer to completion and should've been the focus so at least they would have a chance to just outscore the other teams. It would offer shootouts win or lose. The positive, this offense could get even better come 2021 and with the 2021 picks, the defense could get a few extra bodies. Hopefully in 2022, the needs could finally be addressed through a full draft only the offense should still be intact.
Click to expand...

Although I love the Bkacklock pick, I certainly get this point of view. Taylor sure would look good at RB.
 
OptimisticTexan said:
This is what happens when you shuttle draft picks and make ill advised contract moves without having a "real" cap advisor around to bounce ideas off of. The defense may not be truly addressed until the Texans have a full draft 2022.

In my mind, the offense was much closer to completion and should've been the focus so at least they would have a chance to just outscore the other teams. It would offer shootouts win or lose. The positive, this offense could get even better come 2021 and with the 2021 picks, the defense could get a few extra bodies. Hopefully in 2022, the needs could finally be addressed through a full draft only the offense should still be intact.
Click to expand...

I have a strong feeling Bill O’Brien will get rid of his number 1 and 2 picks in 2022. Lol
 
banned1976 said:
This deserves more attention...


PFF HOU Texans (@PFF_Texans) Tweeted:
The Texans' top linebackers have similar and well-defined strengths and weaknesses.

Highest run stop percentage:
1. Zach Cunningham (14.2)
15. Benardrick McKinney (9.5)

Highest passer rating allowed:
3. Benardrick McKinney (140.1)
12. Zach Cunningham (124.5) https://t.co/7SETcjoGT7

https://twitter.com/x/status/1262113356468682754

But people are focused on the offense. The big problems are on the defensive side of the football, folks.
Click to expand...
Both of those players have been starting for years. It is only now becoming a point of concern? I think higher priorities have been addressed. I called for trades this offseason prior to draft
In an attempt to correct at least one of the two.
 
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