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Texans Building a Contender

A

ASTRODOME2002

Practice Squad
This is a part of the growing process that all great teams go through. There is no doubt that the Texans are obtaining the talent necessary to have a great team going into 2007 and hopefully will be one of the best organizations in football by 2008. They have built up the defense with Williams, Robinson Earl, Brown and Ryans. The offensive line received a boost with the selections of Hodgon, Pitts, Spencer & Winston . Next years draft class has several good running backs and should allow the Texans to obtain someone who hopefully will give them a great balance of speed and power(Peterson). This is a group who will ultimately grow up together and make us proud to follow this team. It's only a matter of time and this season, unfortunately, must happen in order for them to become a championship contender.
 
Look not going to go off again but, "a boost" is not getting it done obviously.
The trunaround will begin when they bite the bullet pass the prety skill player by early in the draft and go after the big uglies in the trenches. They did it last year with Mario & Demeeeco. And as painful as it's going to be for some folks, they need to do it again. Not going to bang on Winston again. But he is what he is. A guy still recovering from a major knee reconstuction. It's going to take some time to get him all the way back as the dominate sophmore phenom he was at Miami. I've been beating this drum for four years. I've yeilded when they picked up key players at critical franchise potitions. But, with three top guys on the board this year, there is no excuse for this franchise not fixing what has been a glaring need since Bosselli's retirment. This assumption that Charles Spencer's recovery is going to be positive is a convient dodge. What you're saying is that we can wait one more season in addressing the dog poopie in the middle the feild. We can wait one more round and take a second teir palyer. Unless you want to go through this again...no we can't. You can run a second teired back behind a meiocre line. But you cannot run a preimer back behind a crappy line. It doesn't work. The Oilers/Steelers proved it doesn't work.
It's so bad what is coming next is the prime players you chose over the big uglies befor are going to start palying out their contracts and jumping this ship of fools. No one likes to lose. The soon this franchise starts bitting the bullet, and fix the o-line, the sooner it gets turned around.
 
Yup - you've got to build a team from the lines out or you're trying to build on sand. With new coaching staff, new schemes and a new playbook, we need to put together two solid lines who can learn to play with each other and become solid, explosive units. I think we have the coaching staff to do that and the D-line is heading in the right direction.
The O-line needs a world class center to anchor itself around. Drew Hodgdon isn't it and Flanagan and McKinney are on the downslope. Above all, the O-line needs a consistent 1st string lineup. Right now we're a long way away from that but this offseason I reckon that needs to be where the focus lies.

Of course, in the meantime we've got a season to finish...
 
Looks to me like they haven't been building a contender...all teams draft/sign guys they think can play...some teams just do it better than others. So far all we have is good marketing and hype....and lots of dead money.
 
I agree that the O Line needs a total revamping. Hopefully there will be some "free agent" activity there this coming off season. I like the idea of having youngsters on the line but I think there needs to be a balance of youth and veterans together. I liked what I saw when Charles Spencer was playing. He has a smash mouth style that the Texans need to find in other players they aquire in the future. :twocents:
 
We heard that they were building a contender in 2002. It's four years later and we still haven't completely dismantled that aborted mess.

Newsflash: The Texans are in the process of starting over. We will feel the effects of that process into next season as the team continues to deal with the void in talent from four years of terrible drafts, free agent moves, and trades and the resulting millions in dead money that will hit the cap next year from the previous regimes mistakes (somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 million already). I think we are seeing the 'bottoming out' but they need to put down the shovels and stop digging already. This is getting a bit ridiculous.

We'll see how good our coaching staff really is in the next 11 weeks. If they can manage to stop the bleeding, win a few games, and get this group of guys playing with at least a smidge of enthusiasm in December it will be a good omen for the future.
 
aj. said:
Newsflash: The Texans are in the process of starting over.
Click to expand...

Exactly. In our 5th season, we are STILL an expansion laughingstock. Why? Extremely poor decision making in talent acquisition.

We'll be lucky to see a winning record by 2008....Sad but true.
 
"We'll see how good our coaching staff really is in the next 11 weeks. If they can manage to stop the bleeding, win a few games, and get this group of guys playing with at least a smidge of enthusiasm in December it will be a good omen for the future."

IMO, this sums up what most posters want to see, but the board is 'littered' with many who think we expect to win now---and that is not true.

Obviously, as bad as we've been. we're not going to go from 'losing' to 'winning' over night, but that does not mean we should not expect to be seeing at least a 'glimpse' of light at the end of the 'tunnel' from this new staff.

Think about it--if we're still playing in week 16 like we are now, what have we accomplished on the road to recovery?....and, ONCE AGAIN, I'm not talking about winning--I'm talking about 'baby steps' of progress that we should be seeing at some point in time...
 
I hate to compare Shanny and Kubs but below is a roster from 1995 where the Broncos finished 8-8. You will notice 5 potential Hall of Famers on Offence and defense you'll notice two Potential Hall of Fame players with 3 other pro bowl players. The Bottom roster is 1996 where the broncos finished 13-3. The only roster turnover is with the D-Line, and they were aging vets who were locking room guys. My point to all this is shanny took over a great team, and still went 8-8. After a year in the system and a running back, they went 13-3. They system takes a year at least with hall of famers, so why dont you get that the texans dont have the talent and it wont turn around THIS YEAR. They have the quarterback, and recievers. a back, and one good lineman the offence is set. The defense will be fixed via free agency and draft. Get a grip with we better finish strong this year and just support your team. Better days are coming.

WR 83 Anthony Miller
LT 65 Gary Zimmerman
LG 69 Mark Schlereth
C 66 Tom Nalen
RG 75 Brian Habib
RT 76 Broderick Thompson
TE 84 Shannon Sharpe
WR 87 Ed McCaffrey
QB 7 John Elway
RB 30 Terrell Davis
FB 29 Aaron Craver
P 16 Tom Rouen
PK 1 Jason Elam
KRet 22 Vaughn Hebron
PRet 80 Rod Smith

DEFENSE
LE 90 Dan Williams
LT 97 Mike Lodish
RT 95 Michael Dean Perry
RE 91 Alfred Williams
SLB 53 Bill Romanowski
MLB 57 Allen Aldridge
WLB 51 John Mobley
LCB 39 Ray Crockett
RCB 48 Lionel Washington
FS 27 Steve Atwater
SS 34 Tyrone Braxton

OFFENSE
WR 83 Anthony Miller
LT 65 Gary Zimmerman
LG 69 Mark Schlereth
C 66 Tom Nalen
RG 75 Brian Habib
RT 76 Broderick Thompson
TE 84 Shannon Sharpe
WR 81 Mike Pritchard
QB 7 John Elway
RB 30 Terrell Davis
FB 29 Aaron Craver
P 16 Tom Rouen
PK 1 Jason Elam
Ret 22 Glyn Milburn

DEFENSE
LE 96 Harald Hasselbach
LT 93 James Jones
RT 95 Michael Dean Perry
RE 73 Simon Fletcher
LLB 51 John Mobley
MLB 53 Bill Romonowski
RLB 57 Allen Aldridge
LCB 39 Ray Crockett
RCB 48 Lionel Washington
FS 27 Steve Atwater
SS 34 Tyrone Braxton
 
I think we'll show much more progress in the next 4 weeks than we have in our first five games, mainly because the competition isn't as strong. Come November, I think we'll be playing up to the level of teams that are better than we are now, and come December, we'll all have plenty to be happy about. I'm hoping we'll beat Indy at Reliant. That's my goal, and I'm hoping kubes sees it the same way.

As far as next years draft.... I think we need help at RG, and Center. Hogdon, may actually be better than Flanagan. But Flanagan isn't a dog..... he's been getting better every week, and if hogdon does the same, we more than likely won't be investing in a center in the draft.

McKinney isn't going to cut it, but I've liked Weary since the preseason, and think he should be our starting RG. He doesn't have the potential that Pitts, Spencer, Flanagan/Hogdon, or Winston has, so I believe we'll look for a RG in the draft...... that may be a second day pick the way Denver goes about it.


Unless Dayne or Gado shows something worthy of being a starter in the next 11 weeks, then we'll look for an answer to running back in FA as well in the draft.. I think DT, DB, & LB will be more of our focus though.

So if Wali is our clear starter at the end of the year, then look for us to add RBs through FA & Draft. If We all love either Gado, or Dayne at the end of the year, then we may not draft a young running back, but pick up someone like Gado(a second/third year player that shows promise)

But it is really way to early for any of that to hold up for 11 weeks.
 
Oh dear, here we go again with another draft debate...

RB vs OL vs Def...

We all have our opinions on what we think, but to come in here and call someone down and type in, no you are wrong, we need this and that in another persons' thread is just wrong.

I agree with the we need a Running Back in the first round, plenty of good linemen in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Plus we have FA to help solve some of the woes...

But as we found out in the draft last year, some of us will NOT get what we want. It is what Kubes and his staff and the GM want...

Did anyone really think Kubes was gonna come in here and run us into the playoffs being in the same division with Indy and Jacksonville?

Give me a break...
 
HomeBred_Texan said:
Oh dear, here we go again with another draft debate...

RB vs OL vs Def...

We all have our opinions on what we think, but to come in here and call someone down and type in, no you are wrong, we need this and that in another persons' thread is just wrong.

I agree with the we need a Running Back in the first round, plenty of good linemen in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Plus we have FA to help solve some of the woes...

But as we found out in the draft last year, some of us will NOT get what we want. It is what Kubes and his staff and the GM want...

Did anyone really think Kubes was gonna come in here and run us into the playoffs being in the same division with Indy and Jacksonville?

Give me a break...
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Misconceptions. First, we have some posters that thought we'd win right away under Kubiak. Second, we've got posters that think it will take years just to get the players that Gary needs in his 'schemes,' which means winning is out in the 'stratosphere' somewhere....

So, hey, what about us posters that would just like to see a 'tiny' ray of light at the end of the 'tunnel?' Do we have to play like 'garbage' up until the 'magic' moment that we- at some time off in the future-become winners. Can we just be a 'little' competitive on the field now, with an occasional 'inflection' of emotion by a player or even 2 players?

Please.Please. I'm not talking about 'moving mountains' or 're-inventing the wheel' here--maybe one or two fewer missed tackles or dropped balls or maybe every once in awhile (not every game) a pass thrown down field....is that too much to ask?...if so, I'm sorry........
 
thunderkyss said:
As far as next years draft.... I think we need help at RG, and Center. Hogdon, may actually be better than Flanagan. But Flanagan isn't a dog..... he's been getting better every week, and if hogdon does the same, we more than likely won't be investing in a center in the draft.
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Mike Flanagan is getting better? LOL! He's an 11 year vet who knows Sherman's 'system' better than any other lineman on the team. He should have been getting better 10 years ago, not now.
 
JackDizzle said:
Mike Flanagan is getting better? LOL! He's an 11 year vet who knows Sherman's 'system' better than any other lineman on the team. He should have been getting better 10 years ago, not now.
Click to expand...

He's not playing in Sherman's system.
 
HomeBred_Texan said:
Did anyone really think Kubes was gonna come in here and run us into the playoffs being in the same division with Indy and Jacksonville?

Give me a break...
Click to expand...

First, screw Jacksonville, and screw Indy. They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like we do.

Just because we went 1-5 against the best offenses in the NFl, and bumbled and fumbled our way through our offensive possessions, and have yet to decide on who our
Defensive starting front four are, doesn't mean that this season is lost.

I look to jacksonville as the game we'll turn it around, and start playing mistake free football, and the next four after that we'll get to see lots of progress on both sides of the ball. We won't be out of the play-off race, till late in December. If nothing else, we'll knock Indy out of the play-offs.
 
The question of the day is .... what five positions have to be in place to become a contender.

To me its a QB , force on defense , shut down corner , LT , a playmaker .
 
NATHANHALE said:
Can we just be a 'little' competitive on the field now, with an occasional 'inflection' of emotion by a player or even 2 players?

QUOTE]

I have to agree that being a little competitive is sufficient for me right now. It drives me up the walls that the players look like they lost their best friend even in the beginning of the game. I am glad I am not the only notices that these guys aren't very enthusiastic about playing. At least try to convince people you think you can win.
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I think alot of people do know we are rebuilding, they do know we will not be a playoff football team this year, but that doesnt mean we dont wanna at least appear that we are doing our best to win games while we are rebuilding. I'm sorry but the morency trade was lame, morency could be gaining 60 to 80 yards a game in this system, and I'm sorry but releasing smith AND wand was also lame, they saved nothing releasing wand, smith they lost money, so why not keep them in the first rebuild year and try to win some games, at least wand could run block. and why did we get all these new targets for david carr so we can just turn the ball over on 3rd and 2 cuz we keep trying to run a play that we cant do. so I for one am fine with rebuilding, I'm fine with going 5 and 11 or 6 and 10, but do it while still trying to win the game.
 
The Texans began this season with 3 rookie starters on offense and 2 on d. They also started 3 free-agents on offense and 1 on defense. They have a new head coach and coaching staff who brought in new offensive and defensive schemes. They have faced playoff contending teams, who went through their growing pains many years ago, in 3 out of the first 5 games. This team is doing what it should be. They should be 1 - 4 just based on their schedule. I see about 5 other winnable games on the schedule in which they should probably win 3 of them. They are a young team with a new coaching staff. 4 - 12 should be about right for this season and that would be a great start towards continuing to build this team into next season.
 
You guys are definitely on the way up. On the whole this year was a solid draft, and looking ahead, I'm hoping that together we can push the Colts down to third place, which isn't out of the picture in say 2 years with a couple more good drafts and the Colts beginning to have serious cap problems. I've been impressed with Carr showing his ability now that he has an average o-line, and with an above-average o-line and keeping a solid WR corps around him in the future, he could become really dangerous.
 
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