Charles Spencer/Abbate/Powell Waived

[TEXANS84]

Leaves me feeling kinda sad.

I echo those remarks.

Kinda sad to hear, but somewhat expected. Hopefully he can get his career back on track.

 

[alphajoker]

damn shame

 

[TexansLucky13]

I'm going to cry.

 

[RobbC]

Adam mentioned to us that it may have also had to do with his unwillingness to move to RG. Working on details.

 

[Double Barrel]

Damn, that's a shame.

But, such is life in the NFL. What might've been...

 

[mussop]

With Abbate gone, that leaves only 2 FBs to get through camp. I hope these guys are ready. Maybe Ryan Krause can take some snaps at FB?

Hey Lucky, waiving Abatte could mean that were keeping Taylor as a FB. He was listed there before right? It would make sense considering our current crop of RB's health issues. If Brown or Green goes down then Taylor slides over to RB.

 

[ATXtexanfan]

Hey Lucky, waiving Abatte could mean that were keeping Taylor as a FB. He was listed there before right? It would make sense considering our current crop of RB's health issues. If Brown or Green goes down then Taylor slides over to RB.

interesting

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Hey Lucky, waiving Abatte could mean that were keeping Taylor as a FB. He was listed there before right? It would make sense considering our current crop of RB's health issues. If Brown or Green goes down then Taylor slides over to RB.

With only an 80 man roster, it was all but a given that Abatte was going to be the odd man out. And even with this in mind, Kubiak has discounted Taylor at FB as recently as 48 hours ago. I'm not crazy about Cooke (I don't know how he's earned his stripes while with the Texans), but evidently Kubiak has been his biggest supporter.

Megan Manfull

May 20, 2008
For now, Taylor not being looked at as a fullback
Some of you have asked in the past about the possibility of moving Chris Taylor to fullback. I asked Gary Kubiak about that this week. Taylor has been looking good in practices, but he's at a position where the Texans are full of talent.

At this point, Taylor is staying put though.

"I think you need a player that you think can maybe play a little bit of both spots when you go to game day because it helps you just suit so many players, but at this point we've got enough guys, so we'll leave him where he's at," Kubiak said.

 

[barrett]

in regards to Spencer, it would be possible for him to return. less likely since he's not even participating in TC but if he's not picked up, any player that has spent time with the team is going to be on their short list if injuries happen. same could be said for abbate.

 

[markn]

Had Spencer fulfilled his undoubted potential, 2006 could have gone down as one of the great drafts of all time. As it is, with Eric Winston, Owen Daniels, DeMeco Ryans and Mario Williams all more than meeting expectation, the Texans 2006 draft is relegated to the ranks of merely 'fantastic'.

 

[nunusguy]

I think the hiring of Alex Gibbs was the death nail for Spencer on this team. He fit Sherman's scheme much more.

I dunno, are you saying he may have been retained if Sherman or another coach besides Gibbs was running the OLine ? That there's still hope for him to land with another team ?
I took this release to be the Texans definitive statement that Spencer's NFL career was now terminal ?

 

[Texans Horror]

Another left tackle bites the Boselli Curse and flops out with the Texans. Hopefully Brown is the cure.

 

[Runner]

I dunno, are you saying he may have been retained if Sherman or another coach besides Gibbs was running the OLine ? That there's still hope for him to land with another team ?
I took this release to be the Texans definitive statement that Spencer's NFL career was now terminal ?

I think the Texans gave him all the time he needed to recover and he couldn't, and now they are bowing to the inevitable. I don't think he'll play for another team.

 

[beerlover]

I don't think he'll play for another team.

Pittsburgh might be a possiblity, at least take a lookie see

 

[Texans Horror]

You know, I kept hearing so much back and forth on the guy. It seems his buds were saying he was always on the verge of being healthy enough to play, but then I would hear reports that he was nowhere near where playability. The Texans front office was no help either. A tackle could be mauled by bears and run over by a rig - backwards and forwards - and the front office would say he was questionable for next week, or at least doing real well in his recuperation from death. Whatever the case for Charles, I hope he is able to compete for a position somewhere.

 

[b0ng]

As sad as it really is, I think this should really surprise nobody about Spencer. Me and my dad both think that a team running a power running game will pick him up and take him into TC.

 

[painekiller]

I dunno, are you saying he may have been retained if Sherman or another coach besides Gibbs was running the OLine ? That there's still hope for him to land with another team ?
I took this release to be the Texans definitive statement that Spencer's NFL career was now terminal ?

Oh Charles had a huge punch, it paralyzed the DL in front of him, and with proper technique he still has enough potential to get a look from a team running a power OL. Teams like Pittsburgh, Washington (If Todd Wade can play for them....).

So yes IMO Spencer will get a shot at another team.

 

[nunusguy]

I think the Texans gave him all the time he needed to recover and he couldn't, and now they are bowing to the inevitable. I don't think he'll play for another team.

You called Spencer's demise with the Texans way, way back there didn't you Runner ? I know you weren't trying to be pessimistic, you were just predicting what you thought would be the ultimate outcome as I recall ?

 

[Wolf]

With Spencer cut, I had a samuel L Jackson quote ready to go (time to kill) but I will not say it .. not nice but my initial reaction wasn't nice either

but I won't quote it

 

[BSofA04]

Sad to see him leave, as he seemed like a likeable guy. But as long as he doesn't end up with the Titans, I'll still wish him the best. Not that he cares, but don't make me hate you.

 

[Runner]

You called Spencer's demise with the Texans way, way back there didn't you Runner ? I know you weren't trying to be pessimistic, you were just predicting what you thought would be the ultimate outcome as I recall ?

I cheated. I had a little insight into how bad his leg was messed up to start with. As I recall, I tempered what I heard by saying I thought he might make it back after a full year's lay-off (31 games after the injury), even though I really thought he was done for good. It was pretty well confirmed he had an immediate and hefty weight gain very early in his recovery on top of the injury, so it looked bleak.

I guess the Texans deserve credit for keeping him around and working the rehab as long as they did. His salary was fairly low and his PUP status kept him from taking a roster spot, so it was a fairly cheap investment (in NFL dollars), but it was decent none-the-less.

I wasn't one to predict the Pro Bowl for him after a couple of quarters in the pre-season, but on a personal level it's too bad for him. From all I've heard he's a pretty good guy.

 

[Overalls]

As much as I hate to see him go we did improve both in the sack colume and the win colume without him. We drafted a guy to replace him in the first round this offseason and hopefully he will work out. It is like with Boseli, we are missing what we never really had.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Oh Charles had a huge punch, it paralyzed the DL in front of him, and with proper technique he still has enough potential to get a look from a team running a power OL. Teams like Pittsburgh, Washington (If Todd Wade can play for them....).

So yes IMO Spencer will get a shot at another team.

It's hard to have "a huge punch" or utilize "proper technique" or realize "enough potential" for "a power OL" when you don't have 2 strong stable knees. If he is indeed picked up for a TC, I suspect he will be released by the end of TC. If he has any chance of returning to football at all, he will need an extra year of strengthening for a "definitive" outcome...........a year that the Texans certainly could not afford to give him.

 

[El Tejano]

To me it's not a matter of can he comeback, it was a matter of can he comeback and not get hurt again. If we have someone with no injuries that is a backup, that guy deserves reps and a chance to make the team. If we want to be a playoff team we have to be healthy and our depth has to be healthy as well.

 

[Dancerdog]

I don't know how close Charles Spencer was to playing shape. I think one factor that came into play was that he wasn't considered a good fit for the ZBS. Good luch Charles. I hope you catch on somewhere (outside the AFC South!)

 

[Mr teX]

Hey Lucky, waiving Abatte could mean that were keeping Taylor as a FB. He was listed there before right? It would make sense considering our current crop of RB's health issues. If Brown or Green goes down then Taylor slides over to RB.

Cooke is probably going to be the 2nd FB but will mainly play ST; he's already got a leg up on Taylor in that regard. I think if taylor doesn't show anything on ST he could be out of a job too. Remember he's in the same position as Spencer was, coming off a season ending injury & plenty of depth at his position makes it unlikely he's seriously in competition for reps at RB.

 

[TexanBacker93]

After a quick look around, I can't find a link verifying this. This would not make sense, well to me at least, why not just put him on the PUP, that would give him another couple months to rehab or is he just too close to coming back to be medically eliglible for the PUP list? If so, what about the PS?

The team could put him on the PUP, but he'd still count against the 80 player limit going into training camp. Only those on IR don't count and they're not eligible to play this season. The demise of NFL Europe led to this move. I think Kubiak wanted to see what he could do, but since he was unable to do any on field things during the OTAs they were forced to part ways. You need healthy bodies on the line that can take a pounding during 2 a days. You can't afford to bring someone who won't be able to practice.

DRob is a different situation. His injury was not nearly as severe as Spencer's injury. He might not be as fast as he was, but ligaments and muscles heal well. Spencer broke the tibia plateau, possbily the worst place to break something for a football player. Well, outside of the spinal column that is.

 

[infantrycak]

Hey Lucky, waiving Abatte could mean that were keeping Taylor as a FB. He was listed there before right? It would make sense considering our current crop of RB's health issues. If Brown or Green goes down then Taylor slides over to RB.

I wonder if Kubiak regrets having Taylor take a few reps at FB for all the speculation and questions that have resulted from it? That's all he did was take a few reps at FB during one TC while taking the vast majority of reps at HB. Kubiak was just experimenting. The possibility of Taylor playing FB is just a mustard grain of truth blown by the internet into a possibility.

 

[Texans_Chick]

I wonder if Kubiak regrets having Taylor take a few reps at FB for all the speculation and questions that have resulted from it? That's all he did was take a few reps at FB during one TC while taking the vast majority of reps at HB. Kubiak was just experimenting. The possibility of Taylor playing FB is just a mustard grain of truth blown by the internet into a possibility.

McClain talked about it some more in his recent blog post. Don't know if he has heard anything real about it or if he is just guessing. (He also says that Weaver is more suited for DT which makes me go huh so you can't put your brain in escrow when you see what he says on stuff).

You want to be able to keep Chris Taylor on the roster with your two experienced guys having bigtime injury histories and Slaton being a rook that you want to develop.

 

[Vinny]

McClain does better when he gathers information. He is better at documenting and relaying tidbits from contacts. It's just my personal pov but I wouldn't consider his eye for the game all that nuanced despite all the time he puts in his craft.

 

[HoustonFrog]

What Spencer said following this. Interesting what he says about his health and getting in football shape

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/5902253.html

“They just didn’t feel I was healthy enough to compete in camp, so that’s why they made their decision,” Spencer said. “Only I know how I feel, and I feel like I can compete and be a starter for the Texans. But they make their decisions. I respect that.”

Spencer remains focused on playing again. He said his leg is stronger than it was before the injury, and he is simply working to get back in football shape.

“Of course I’m going to play football again,” Spencer said. “I’ll find a job.”

 

[Hagar]

The player I'm most disappointed in losing is Abbate. I guess I have a soft spot for UDFA. Particularly for the guys who really love to play the game as much as Abbate.

 

[HOU-TEX]

What Spencer said following this. Interesting what he says about his health and getting in football shape

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/5902253.html

I read that too, Frog. Kinda made me wonder a bit, but soon realized he was probably not the best fit for the ZBS. So, he might be better off without the Texans. I wish the Big Nasty well.

The player I'm most disappointed in losing is Abbate. I guess I have a soft spot for UDFA. Particularly for the guys who really love to play the game as much as Abbate.

I agree. His story would've been a nice addition to our team. Hopefully he can land on his feet somewhere.

 

[Insideop]

The player I'm most disappointed in losing is Abbate. I guess I have a soft spot for UDFA. Particularly for the guys who really love to play the game as much as Abbate.

I'm not sure we've seen the last of Abbate. You never know what can happen with players in TC. Look what happened with Walker last year. He was cut before TC, Taylor got injured the 1st day of TC, Walker gets resigned and then put on PS at the end of camp, and by the end of the year, he's playing in some games! I'm not saying Abbate will have the same kind of luck, but he does have another year of PS elegibility left. JMHO!

 

[texasguy346]

It looks like Spencer was claimed by the Panthers. I wish him the best of luck, but at least he knows he can't possibly do worse than the last Texan the Panthers had.

link

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

What Spencer said following this. Interesting what he says about his health and getting in football shape

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/5902253.html

Quote:
“They just didn’t feel I was healthy enough to compete in camp, so that’s why they made their decision,” Spencer said. “Only I know how I feel, and I feel like I can compete and be a starter for the Texans. But they make their decisions. I respect that.”

Spencer remains focused on playing again. He said his leg is stronger than it was before the injury, and he is simply working to get back in football shape.

“Of course I’m going to play football again,” Spencer said. “I’ll find a job.”


I support Spencer's dreams. However, I would have to question the validity of his statment.

 

[ObsiWan]

Quote:
“They just didn’t feel I was healthy enough to compete in camp, so that’s why they made their decision,” Spencer said. “Only I know how I feel, and I feel like I can compete and be a starter for the Texans. But they make their decisions. I respect that.”

Spencer remains focused on playing again. He said his leg is stronger than it was before the injury, and he is simply working to get back in football shape.

“Of course I’m going to play football again,” Spencer said. “I’ll find a job.”


I support Spencer's dreams. However, I would have to question the validity of his statment.

Like some others have kinda said, I'm beginning to believe the Spencer cut was more about the question of whether he fit into the Gibbs' ZBS and less about him not being completely healthy.

Compare Weary's rehab to Spencer's... Weary actually lost weight and is in fairly decent shape. Remember how the local talking heads were saying during OTAs that Weary looks better now than he did before he was hurt.

Spencer... not so much. And with other, more agile OL prospects, I dunno if Spencer would have made this squad.
So maybe its good, in a way, that Smithiak cut him now. Carolina didn't waste much time picking him up.

I wish him well.

 

[Lucky]

Hey Lucky, waiving Abatte could mean that were keeping Taylor as a FB...If Brown or Green goes down then Taylor slides over to RB.

It's for me hard to imagine Taylor at FB. He doesn't really look like the type of FBs that are prevalent in the league, today. Besides a practice or two, I don't think Taylor has any experience at the position.

Having said that, I looked back at some of the FBs in Alex Gibbs ZBS and found that he has often employed smaller, quicker FBs. Aaron Craver was a RB/FB hybrid for the Broncos during the mid '90s. Howard Griffith was an outstanding FB during Denver's Super Bowl seasons, and was only 230 lbs. When Gibbs moved to Atlanta, he had a similar sized FB in Justin Griffith.

Still, you would think Taylor would have seen some time at FB during minicamp and OTAs if he were going to be an option at FB. I'm not sure what the Texans plan to do there. It's just that I'm a little surprised the Texans plan to go through camp with only 2 FBs.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Like some others have kinda said, I'm beginning to believe the Spencer cut was more about the question of whether he fit into the Gibbs' ZBS and less about him not being completely healthy.

Compare Weary's rehab to Spencer's... Weary actually lost weight and is in fairly decent shape. Remember how the local talking heads were saying during OTAs that Weary looks better now than he did before he was hurt.

Spencer... not so much. And with other, more agile OL prospects, I dunno if Spencer would have made this squad.
So maybe its good, in a way, that Smithiak cut him now. Carolina didn't waste much time picking him up.

I wish him well.

I would have to point out that coming back from Weary's injury would be a piece of cake compared to Spencer's. Weary's improvement could be due to his weight as much as his repair/recovery. For any chance of recovery from Spencer's type of injury, it would mandate for him to get his weight down substantially from his original playing weight. His weight has unfortunately maintained on the wrong side of his original playing weight, let alone his optimal playing weight. I don't think that agility is the question now, I think that the real question is mobility..........especially against resistance.

I share your well wishes.

 

[ObsiWan]

I would have to point out that coming back from Weary's injury would be a piece of cake compared to Spencer's. Weary's improvement could be due to his weight as much as his repair/recovery. For any chance of recovery from Spencer's type of injury, it would mandate for him to get his weight down substantially from his original playing weight. His weight has unfortunately maintained on the wrong side of his original playing weight, let alone his optimal playing weight. I don't think that agility is the question now, I think that the real question is mobility..........especially against resistance.

I share your well wishes.

I think we're saying the same thing.

from a mini-camp interview with various linemen regarding what they thought of Gibbs and the ZBS....

“It’s all about movement,” [Duane] Brown said. “It’s not just about brute strength. It’s (about) being fast and getting up to the second level quickly and being able to cut guys. And that helps me a lot because that’s my kind of game. I’m an athletic left tackle.”

Guard Chester Pitts said Gibbs pushes his lineman to play at the next level on every snap.

“It’s the attitude and everything he brings with him,” Pitts said. “He expects and demands your absolute best, and not just your absolute best but doing it the right way all the time.”

Gibbs’ zone scheme is not simple, so he methodically works with players on the field and in meetings.

“He’s a great teacher,” right tackle Eric Winston said. “He’s very specific in what he wants to do and he just knows exactly how to teach the guys, and I think he finds exactly what each guy can do and really tries to develop on that.”

The Texans’ offensive line already looks quicker and more agile than it did last year. Pitts even lost 10 pounds. During training camp, Gibbs will be cramming reps down the players’ throats, making sure they have perfected their technique and can move in unison.
And he won’t let down. Not until the Texans consistently cut block, keep defenses guessing, create lanes for the ball carrier …and win a championship. That’s what Gibbs’ scheme is all about.

bottom line:
Spencer's level of mobility (I agree that's a better term) was probably deemed insufficient for the new ZBS. He still may be able to play fairly well in a power scheme where he can be a straight ahead mauler. If what Carolina does, or is planning to do, he may land a job.