Chronic: The scoop on Travis Johnson

[Bobo]

sOOoooo... does this apply to Carr too? Or did this apply to Carr too?

David Carr in 2004 -- 466, att, 285 comp, 61.2 3531 7.58 16 TDs 14 ints

This is not bad for a guy in just his third year on an expansion team. I really don't know why everybody is down on Carr. The guy has shown he can do the job. You put him on a team like the Bears and they make the SB.

 

[thunderkyss]

Warren Sapp? Ummmm nooooooo! Fat Bastard? Yes!

He has gilligan's upperbody and a huge ***** belly. You cant spin this anyway. Travis is on his way to busting. THAT MAKES ME REAL SAD... When Coach Karmel tells ya "you need to tell your self to work hard". Your F'ed!


The real question is can Kubes afford to lose the respect of his team by keeping this pile of dog poo based on his potential alone. He cant even make the third team. This is sickening. Kubes must cut him, no other way.

Have we gotten reports saying his weight is a problem?? Or do we just not like fat people?? Warren Sapp is a big man, who can play football. Hollis Thompson of the Eagles..... another big man who get's in the backfield and cause havok....... It would be nice, if everyone in the world looked like Simeon Rice, but it is not a prerequisite for playing the DT position.

He's on the practice squad as of now..... But he's playing behind Payne, Weaver, Smith......... there will be a four man rotation, at defensive tackle, and he will be part of that rotation....

Right now, their just trying to motivate him a little bit, trying to get in his head....... it means nothing.

 

[thunderkyss]

yeah I know but it's past two years... so does that mean he is not going to be great and have a long career in the NFL?

I am kinda just kidding around because development of QBs is a little bit of a different animal.

( plus I don't want to accept the reality that 3 of our 1st round picks have not produced anything good yet, worthy of being in the 1st round that is )

If anything, TJ ought to be given more of a pass than has been afforded to David Carr...... without a doubt, TJ has been asked to play outside his game more than David.... so has Babin...... I don't understand how the same people that say give David some more time(we're going on year 5)...... but want to bust TJ & Babin right away.... 1 year, & 2 years respectively...

It goes beyond any reasonable football explanation.... it's deeper than that. I fear Mario will face the same scrutiny....

is it because they're black?? is it because they were not the consensus pick?? is it because they were reaches?? The front seven of a 3-4 are always reaches.....

 

[Brandon420tx]

Its because they have bigger muscles then the "Haters" also because they aren't the "face" of the franchise.

 

[Exascor]

is it because they're black?? is it because they were not the consensus pick?? is it because they were reaches?? The front seven of a 3-4 are always reaches.....

I won't address the first question at all.

I'm fairly patient with Babin and TJ but hold them to perform at the level of their draft positions. TJ was a reach AND I wanted DJ instead. TJ needs to be at least as good as a player we passed on imo. TJ is getting ragged on for being out of shape and not being hungry for football.

Babin was a jawdropping pick. When I saw the Texans on the clock I was excited and confused. When I heard who they picked AND what they traded for him I was floored. He needs to perform. He was a reach at that spot as well. I expected 3 years for Babin and with the change to the 4-3 it may take him longer.

Why does Carr get more of a free pass than TJ and Babin? Maybe because Carr was the best QB coming out in 2002. Carr plays at a position that takes time to develop. Carr was supposed to take some time to get into the NFL game. Carr was also hyped to be the "face" of the franchise and many will ignore his faults because of that. Carr has also been an obvious victim of weak talent and poor coaching. Carr has his flaws and if they continue I expect the anti-Carr crowd to grow this year. Carr could turn out to be a decent QB even though he's started weak. If TJ doesn't fix his body and attitude he will never be a starter in the NFL.

 

[aj.]

Relax, tk, not everyone is bustin' on TJ. There's a pile on mentality partially at work here and frankly it's not worth engaging that element. As far as your question of race, I guess you have conveniently missed how this board treats guys like Steve McKinney and Todd Wade.

As far as the front seven in a 3-4 "always" being reaches, that's just not right. The hardest postions to fill in the 3-4 are usually the OLBs and nose, but the front three are generally tackles taught a slightly different scheme - and in the case of Pittsburgh's 3-4, the front three attack mode isn't all that much different from the 4-3 front.

In Travis' case, he was a one gap penetrator at Tallahassee and was being asked last year to do something that wasn't used to doing. This year, the scheme better suits his game, but from some of the quotes from his coaches in the article, it sounds like he has motivational issues which has nothing to do with the color of his skin, whether he was a reach, or if he was or wasn't a consensus pick.

I fail to see any deep dark conspiracy at work here and it sounds pretty straightforward when you read what the coaches said. And yeah, I saw TJ at practice last week and he looked flabby and unusually winded, like someone who didn't do much of anything to stay in shape since January.

 

[GP]

If anything, TJ ought to be given more of a pass than has been afforded to David Carr...... without a doubt, TJ has been asked to play outside his game more than David.... so has Babin...... I don't understand how the same people that say give David some more time(we're going on year 5)...... but want to bust TJ & Babin right away.... 1 year, & 2 years respectively...

It goes beyond any reasonable football explanation.... it's deeper than that. I fear Mario will face the same scrutiny....

is it because they're black?? is it because they were not the consensus pick?? is it because they were reaches?? The front seven of a 3-4 are always reaches.....

It's not that. He happens to BE black.

This past season, I rode Carr's rear worse than any other Texans player. 90% of this board rode Carr worse than any other player, and it's dropping to about 50% with the arrival of Kubiak...but there's still a nice-sized group of posters here who wish Carr to be on another team.

I don't buy into the idea that TJ is on Kubiak's hit list and that he's already cut and doesn't know it. I think a few posters here are going way overboard in their analysis. TJ is being placed at the bottom of the depth chart because basically that's where he placed himself due to his attitude, work ethic, and weight problems. We've still got the big training camp and scrimmages for him to get serious and work his way up, and we're going to need him for depth even if he's not playing or starting the majority of downs.

He's not a bust yet, but he's teetering on the verge of it. We need him to be the force that he was at FSU.

 

[Kaiser Toro]

This whole incident has gone over board. Kind of reminds me of the photo being passed around work, years ago, where a dude on our floor was dressed up in a dress drinking straight from a fifth of JD.

Perfectly normal dude, but caught in one moment the image that he worked so hard to maintain was pretty much destroyed.

I keep hearing why not Bush given Davis' knee. Well maybe the defense saw that TJ was having some issues and felt that Weaver was not the only answer as an addition to the DL.

 

[kingh99]

Bust.

Next.

Seriously they didn't do their due dilligence on this fellow just like they didn't on a bunch of others. If Casserly and Capers were gamblers, after picking the wrong team on the umpteenth bet in a row, they would have been smarter to make a choice and then automatically go with the other guy. Could not have been any worse, I say. That's how bad they were at trying to pick winners.

And as far as saying it's overboard, come on, this player's done zero to this point. Also if you are a young person or have kids, the thing KT is describing above will be commonplace 5 -10 years from now when co-workers will be looking up other co-worker's Myspace pages cached by forward thinking people today. Think Classmates only much much worse.

 

[Tex Trenches]

He can't play like Decon Jones from the sidelines.

 

[swtbound07]

If we are measuring players by the performance of players we passed for them, then David Carr has to answer to Julius Peppers caliber performance. TJ had ONE SEASON. ONE. In a system he hadn't played, in the jump from college to the nfl, in a pretty deep d-line rotation. Now, I thought this was the new kubiak era of clean slates. All of you Carr apologists should be the first ones in line to give travis another shot. Everyone else....In kubiak we trust right? So if the man decides TJ is right for the defense, we have to trust him dont we. We dont know how Tj will perform next to mario, now do we? Give him time, and Babin too.

 

[Vinny]

If we are measuring players by the performance of players we passed for them, then David Carr has to answer to Julius Peppers caliber performance. TJ had ONE SEASON. ONE. In a system he hadn't played, in the jump from college to the nfl, in a pretty deep d-line rotation. Now, I thought this was the new kubiak era of clean slates. All of you Carr apologists should be the first ones in line to give travis another shot. Everyone else....In kubiak we trust right? So if the man decides TJ is right for the defense, we have to trust him dont we. We dont know how Tj will perform next to mario, now do we? Give him time, and Babin too.

It's amazing that we will give the clean cut good looking kid 6 years to show his stuff but the big ugly kid gets one year.

*edited for sanity

 

[Kaiser Toro]

It's amazing that we will give the clean cut good looking kid 6 years to show his stuff but the big ugly kid gets one year.

*edited for sanity

You are not kidding.

 

[swtbound07]

It's amazing that we will give the clean cut good looking kid 6 years to show his stuff but the big ugly kid gets one year.

*edited for sanity

I wonder how much of that is left over resentment over the derrick johnson passing. The thing is, I talked to a scout who told me unequivocally (who i also trust implicitly) that if DJ was at 16 we pass on him again. Don't hate Travis because you wanted DJ. dj was never going to be a texan.

 

[thunderkyss]

It's amazing that we will give the clean cut good looking kid 6 years to show his stuff but the big ugly kid gets one year.

*edited for sanity

hmpff.....

 

[Texans86]

I'm ready to give him a chance in pads. He became a Texan at the worst possible moment to become a Texan, in meltdown time. He moved positions and now is forced to move back to his normal position. This is like year one for him again. Almost everything he learned last year is wasted and he has to learn the tempo all over again. Given, he hasn't made a good impression so far, but maybe pushing him will get him to push back. I just hope it doesn't crush him beyond reparation.

 

[the wonger need food]

If anything, TJ ought to be given more of a pass than has been afforded to David Carr...... without a doubt, TJ has been asked to play outside his game more than David.... so has Babin...... I don't understand how the same people that say give David some more time(we're going on year 5)...... but want to bust TJ & Babin right away.... 1 year, & 2 years respectively...

It goes beyond any reasonable football explanation.... it's deeper than that. I fear Mario will face the same scrutiny....

is it because they're black?? is it because they were not the consensus pick?? is it because they were reaches?? The front seven of a 3-4 are always reaches.....

Yeah, it's because he's black. We (white people) don't like this recent infusion of black players into the NFL and this is our way of showing our discontent.

But seriously... is Babin black? He looks mostly caucasion to me.

Davie Franchise will get a pass for as long as he's here because he's pretty.

 

[texan279]

First all of the race stuff with Vince Young, now with TJ. Seems pretty ridiculous to me. Is Peek ahead of Babin right now because Babin's white? Sheesh. This is the NFL, the coaches are going to put the 11 players on the field who give their team the best chance to win, whether someone is black, white, green, or purple, it doesn't matter as long as they get out there bust @#$ and get the job done.

 

[thunderkyss]

First all of the race stuff with Vince Young, now with TJ. Seems pretty ridiculous to me. Is Peek ahead of Babin right now because Babin's white? Sheesh. This is the NFL, the coaches are going to put the 11 players on the field who give their team the best chance to win, whether someone is black, white, green, or purple, it doesn't matter as long as they get out there bust @#$ and get the job done.

I believe that.. but for some reason, some folks on this board are extremely lenient(sp) with certain individuals on our team..... yet unfairly critical of others...

'sides...... nobody said it was because he was black, it was a question.

 

[the wonger need food]

I believe that.. but for some reason, some folks on this board are extremely lenient(sp) with certain individuals on our team..... yet unfairly critical of others...

'sides...... nobody said it was because he was black, it was a question.

In my honest opinion, no one (at least on this board) gives a crud about skin color. The NFL is about 70% black. If race were an issue, these people would not be NFL fans at all. We are a results-based group. Matt Stevens received as much criticism as anyone else on this board.

Davie Franchise gets a pass for whatever reason... but I don't believe it's race-related.

 

[texan279]

In my honest opinion, no one (at least on this board) gives a crud about skin color. The NFL is about 70% black. If race were an issue, these people would not be NFL fans at all. We are a results-based group. Matt Stevens received as much criticism as anyone else on this board.

Davie Franchise gets a pass for whatever reason... but I don't believe it's race-related.

LOL Stevens STILL receives criticism on here and I don't think anyone even knows where he is now!

 

[Brandon420tx]

He's in Mexico, making a in the ring fighting bulls OLE!.

 

[texan279]

He's in Mexico, making a in the ring fighting bulls OLE!.

As long as he doesn't have to tackle the bull he'll be alright!

 

[TexanFan881]

In my opinion it's discusting how much effort both Travis Johnson and Jason Babin have put into getting in shape in the offseason. This is the NFL. C'mon! They're both recent 1st round picks and have both been disappointing in some ways so far in their careers. They will pay for this and it's already showing on the depth chart.

 

[thunderkyss]

In my opinion it's discusting how much effort both Travis Johnson and Jason Babin have put into getting in shape in the offseason. This is the NFL. C'mon! They're both recent 1st round picks and have both been disappointing in some ways so far in their careers. They will pay for this and it's already showing on the depth chart.

The depth chart means nothing right now. All it means, is that Kubiak is letting these guys know they cannot take for granted that they will have a spot on the team.

Peek over Babin?? hmm.....

TJ...... practice squad??

I'll believe it when I don't see him in the pre-season.

 

[texan279]

In my opinion it's discusting how much effort both Travis Johnson and Jason Babin have put into getting in shape in the offseason. This is the NFL. C'mon! They're both recent 1st round picks and have both been disappointing in some ways so far in their careers. They will pay for this and it's already showing on the depth chart.

Do we really know how much effort they have put into their offseason workouts? And sure neither have wowed anyone, but Babin played a 4-3 DE and TE in college and came into the NFL to play OLB in Fangio's 3-4 and Johnson played DT in college and came to us and Fangio put him in at DE. And now they are both being asked to go back to doing what they did in college. I mean usually when a QB comes out of college and into the NFL it takes some time for him adjust to playing QB in the NFL as compared to playing QB in college. Think about playing one position in college, being drafted by the Texans, put into Fangio's system and asked to play a different position on defense for a year or two, then a new coach comes along, implements a different scheme, and then you have to go back to what you did in college. I don't expect anyone really on the whole team to come out looking like superstars in these camps with a new coaching staff and schemes in place.

 

[Marcus]

'sides...... nobody said it was because he was black, it was a question.

You . are . so . full . of . it! You knew exactly what this thread would turn into when you played the 'card'. All because you didn't like the criticism of his maturity and work ethic.

 

[thunderkyss]

You . are . so . full . of . it! You knew exactly what this thread would turn into when you played the 'card'. All because you didn't like the criticism of his maturity and work ethic.

People have been extrapolating on speculation since this thread started. The particular article you quoted said absolutely nothing about his work ethic, or lack there of, or his maturity... or lack there of, to the extent that he has been criticized by the fans on this board who'll give the QB 6 years to prove he should be earning ProBowl money.

He's a kid........ he needs to look at this like a job..... 'nuff said.

"His hands and feet aren't working together at all, and it's making him play high, and he's giving up the fleshy part of his body too much," defensive line coach Bob Karmelowicz said.

This is about his playing, his technique..... his old coaches didn't fix these problems...... for all I know, they may have been things they thought him to do....... you know like teaching a quarterback to run out of bounds, behind the line of scrimmage, with the ball......... or taking a sack to kill the clock.

"A lot of times guys go, 'Hey, come on; it's May. We have no pads,' " Karmelowicz said. "They give you a list of reasons why they shouldn't do anything hard. But you must give yourself permission to do it. That's what's got to click on with him right now. That's what he's fighting. As soon as he allows himself to do it, he'll pick it up in a New York minute."

Now this does imply TJ isn't giving 100% on the field.... doesn't allude to him being a slacker in the weight room, or just being there to collect a paycheck, or any of the other things he is being accused of here. Nothing to signal bust.

Karmelowicz said he still views Johnson as a legitimate first-round pick.

"Athletically, you would take him," Karmelowicz said. "But maturity level - the way people's visions are of how they perceive things - is where he is off a little bit. That's just my opinion. It comes back to allowing yourself to say, 'Hey, I'm going to give myself permission to do this.' He needs to make a courageous step and take a chance."

Again, he is saying TJ should look at OTA as a time to give 100%.... to go all out.......

Again...... this is may..... we're talking about practice.

Don't forget...... he is effectively a rookie this year.

No mention of any weight concerns what-so-ever.

 

[ComstockLode]

But what you forget, Sapp was a beast in college and a beast in the NFL. Travis Johnson has done neither.

Travis Johnson will never be good enough to touch sapp's jock strap. He will be lucky to get half the production of Sapp in his career. Comparing the two is like comparing favre and carr.

Favre is a hall of famer and one of the greatest ever at his position. Carr throws hard and is not good.

So yes, both sapp and travis johnson are fat. Just like carr and favre throw hard.

 

[kingh99]

But what you forget, Sapp was a beast in college and a beast in the NFL. Travis Johnson has done neither.

Travis Johnson will never be good enough to touch sapp's jock strap. He will be lucky to get half the production of Sapp in his career. Comparing the two is like comparing favre and carr.

Favre is a hall of famer and one of the greatest ever at his position. Carr throws hard and is not good.

So yes, both sapp and travis johnson are fat. Just like carr and favre throw hard.

I wonder what up with Florida State's program? It produces a lot of potential that doesn't translate to the NFL. Every year teams keep rolling the dice. This year it's Bunkley.

"Wadsworth, Alexander, Wilson and Carreker have been major disappointments, and 2000 Lombardi Award winner Reynolds appears headed for a similar fate. Boulware and Simon have been the exceptions."

I remember hearing one of the analysts say that when they made the pick for Travis Johnson last year. I thought it figures but hey hope springs eternal. Then I heard him interview with the local media. Oh **** we're in trouble. And indeed that's how it's played out. ****ty pick.

 

[thunderkyss]

But what you forget, Sapp was a beast in college and a beast in the NFL. Travis Johnson has done neither.

Travis Johnson will never be good enough to touch sapp's jock strap. He will be lucky to get half the production of Sapp in his career. Comparing the two is like comparing favre and carr.

Favre is a hall of famer and one of the greatest ever at his position. Carr throws hard and is not good.

So yes, both sapp and travis johnson are fat. Just like carr and favre throw hard.

Warren Sapp went straight into the NFL, with a real defensive minded coach, with a real NFL defense.

All I'm saying, is stick to the facts...... we have no reports of any weight concerns......

All we have is that the coaches would like him to turn his motor up more often in practice.

He was not asked to get after the QB, or to do any of the things we like to see a DT do in the nfl....... Name one DT playing in the 3-4 that you'd like TJ to be more like......

He was asked to occupy offensive linemen, to allow the linebackers to get the goods..... sacks, tackles for losses...

He didn't do that well....... none of our DLinemen did.

The comparison to Sapp, is meant to only draw comparison to the physique & point out that he can have success at that position, looking like he does.

 

[aj.]

Good god enough with the Barret Robbins comparisions. ADD and ADHD isn't quite the same as bipolar disorder. jeez....

At least let TJ play one season in a 4-3 (badly) before you crush the guy.

 

[Ibar_Harry]

If Vinny and I looked like TJ because we sat around on the pourch and watched our dogs run around it would be one thing. However, for TJ to look like he does right now is scary for him personally. He is simply to young to look like that.

Its one thing to come out in shape and try hard and not make it and its another to simply be not prepared at all. It would appear that TJ is not ready to really participate in team activities.

Almost everyone on this board knows how bad the coaching staff was last year and has stated on more than one occassion to not evaluate a player based on what happened last year. Base your thoughts on what they are doing under the new coaching scheme and how they are looking under that scheme.

Many players came in in very good shape looking forward to a new season. It would appear that TJ hasn't and he looks miserable in those dark clothes on a hot humid Houston day.

One thing of note is that only Denver is starting TC's later than we are. In other words on most teams he would be in serious trouble with no time to recover. I guess he has until June 9 to get some weight off and get in shape. If he really tries he might be able to do it. I hope he does for his own sake if not for the team.

 

[Texans86]

He's young. And it is possible that he came to OTA's out of shape. He screwed up because he is out of shape. Got it. We don't have to crucify the guy now. It's only his second year. And he probably didn't get a lot of help last year. It's a simple fact in the NFL that you don't cut a second year rookie. First, there's too much invested in them, and second, there's too much left in potential. Drafts are not scored immediately afterward, a year later, or even two years later. In the next season we'll get a good idea of where he is at, but it won't be for two more years that we can really tell.

Will everyone please stop trying to find a scapegoat for last year. The entire team screwed up, from coaching staff down to kicker. There's a reason almost all the coaches are gone, and only like 38 of the 95 or so players on the roster were from last year. We cleaned house. And by the time training camp is over, half the team may be different. But we won't know until after training camp and the real games begin.

 

[Texans86]

Alright, I finally took a minute to think about TJ's picture from OTAs, and realized that he is not wearing pads. Wait a second, I thought to myself, I wonder what he looked like in college. So I took a little time and searched for a Florida State pick with him in pads. And guess what I realized? When he had pads on, he still had a little pudge in his stomach. So basically, I saw that without pads, he is just a large guy, not incredibly fat. I used a little bit of my imagination, and saw that with pads, the TJ in that pic would also have just a little bit of pudge, not a whole lot. Those jersey's are not the jersey's they wear during games, they are practice jerseys, and are tight so they dont get in the way. Yes, TJ may be a little out of shape, but I don't think he is nearly as bad as most people are assuming.

 

[Ibar_Harry]

Alright, I finally took a minute to think about TJ's picture from OTAs, and realized that he is not wearing pads. Wait a second, I thought to myself, I wonder what he looked like in college. So I took a little time and searched for a Florida State pick with him in pads. And guess what I realized? When he had pads on, he still had a little pudge in his stomach. So basically, I saw that without pads, he is just a large guy, not incredibly fat. I used a little bit of my imagination, and saw that with pads, the TJ in that pic would also have just a little bit of pudge, not a whole lot. Those jersey's are not the jersey's they wear during games, they are practice jerseys, and are tight so they dont get in the way. Yes, TJ may be a little out of shape, but I don't think he is nearly as bad as most people are assuming.

I think if you put the other picture beside the ones you are showing you would see a decided difference. No, I think he has a very large stomach in the Texan's camp which is not nearly as evident in the game pictures you are showing. I don't think its the jerseys that make a difference in this case.

 

[GP]

Bust.

Next.

Seriously they didn't do their due dilligence on this fellow just like they didn't on a bunch of others. If Casserly and Capers were gamblers, after picking the wrong team on the umpteenth bet in a row, they would have been smarter to make a choice and then automatically go with the other guy. Could not have been any worse, I say. That's how bad they were at trying to pick winners.

And as far as saying it's overboard, come on, this player's done zero to this point. Also if you are a young person or have kids, the thing KT is describing above will be commonplace 5 -10 years from now when co-workers will be looking up other co-worker's Myspace pages cached by forward thinking people today. Think Classmates only much much worse.

Bingo.

We have a guy who flipped the switch during interviews. A guy who is basically a chameleon who adapst to whatever is needed at the moment.

The knock on D'brickashaw Ferguson was that he was so interested and passionate about other things (martial arts, for instance) that mayyyyyyybe he wasn't going to play very hard in the NFL--A potential slacker.

TJ, up to this point, makes me think along these lines. Although, I guess his passion is eating small runaway children.

And the slams on David Carr, saying we give a pretty boy 6 years and TJ only one, is funny because David's the only guy playing football out there. The o line couldn't even extend a hand for a handshake as defenders poured through the line like a leaky bathtub, and Carr gets pounded play after play for four years. I guess that doesn't count in some people's eyes. Four years of completely incompetent coaching, resulting in a keystone cop offense and protection plan, and Carr is to blame. Oy.

Do yourselves a favor before rushing to execute Carr and exonerate TJ: Please do an apples-to-apples comparison and not apples-to-oranges.

And "Thank you" to the one member posting on this thread who has degenerated this thread down into a race question. Hooray!

 

[Kaiser Toro]

Perfectly good comparision between a four year QB drafted at #1 and a 1st year player drafted at #16 playing out of position his first year. Yes I can totally see the similarities in pay and opportunity to date.

 

[GP]

Perfectly good comparision between a four year QB drafted at #1 and a 1st year player drafted at #16 playing out of position his first year. Yes I can totally see the similarities in pay and opportunity to date.

Sir Trot-A-Lot (Travis Johnson) made himself out to be the second coming of Deacon Jones, and all I saw was a trotting blob of goo out there. Mostly, it's a case of mouthitis where the mouth overruns the rear end.

I've seen David Carr make plays and take the tough hit to try and scrounge out SOMETHING from the childish playcalling of Dom and The Doolittle Gang.

David's here. Dom's gone. I guess the "professionals" have seen enough to think the QB is not as bad as you and others are making him out to be. And now they are "concerned" about the large, round guy.

Man, you guys really hate David Carr don't you? I hope he lights it up this year. And for those of you living in Austin, "lights it up" means playing well...not lighting up another doobie on the way to a Willie Nelson concert where you sing and cry to "Cowboys are frequently..." (had to jab that one at you, Kaiser.)

 

[Texans86]

I'm really thinking that the one pic that everyone is using is just really unflattering, the only other stuff I can find doesn't look nearly as bad. He's a lineman. And one of the bigger ones at that, the DT. Just his posture and the way his jersey is rolled up makes him look fat. I found another pic that I added thats up just a couple of posts, where he doesn't look as out of shape. He may still be out of shape, but he's not Victor Riley.

 

[Wolf]

wish I had a picture of him from last season to see if he did gain weight or not

 

[Ibar_Harry]

The previous picture and this one show something very interesting. He's the only one wearing a long sleeve shirt. I would guess he's wearing what he is to loose weight. I wonder if he's wearing one of those weight reducing vests underneath that shirt.

 

[Runner]

I admit that I had some questions about how TJ is doing in the OTA's, but that was tempered by it being early in the training cycle. I hope he reaches his perceived potential, but that remains to be seen.

However, the negativism that has exploded on the subject reminds me of sharks scenting blood in the water. Nothing like a little bad press to churn up the waters around here.

 

[wags]

And for those of you living in Austin, "lights it up" means playing well...not lighting up another doobie on the way to a Willie Nelson concert where you sing and cry to "Cowboys are frequently..."

Is that before or after us Austinites burn the flag and drive our hybrids to the local coffee shop?

 

[Kaiser Toro]

Sir Trot-A-Lot (Travis Johnson) made himself out to be the second coming of Deacon Jones, and all I saw was a trotting blob of goo out there. Mostly, it's a case of mouthitis where the mouth overruns the rear end.

I've seen David Carr make plays and take the tough hit to try and scrounge out SOMETHING from the childish playcalling of Dom and The Doolittle Gang.

David's here. Dom's gone. I guess the "professionals" have seen enough to think the QB is not as bad as you and others are making him out to be. And now they are "concerned" about the large, round guy.

Man, you guys really hate David Carr don't you? I hope he lights it up this year. And for those of you living in Austin, "lights it up" means playing well...not lighting up another doobie on the way to a Willie Nelson concert where you sing and cry to "Cowboys are frequently..." (had to jab that one at you, Kaiser.)

Hold on a second professor, you made the comparision between the two I was simply poo pooing on it. If you do not want this to turn into a Carr thread then do not bring him up.

 

[Kaiser Toro]

Is that before or after us Austinites burn the flag and drive our hybrids to the local coffee shop?

Maybe some burning of the US flag, but never the Lone Star. Home rule forever is my motto and something that scares the GOP in Texas. There is a reason why Austin is the largest city in the nation that does not have it's own congressional district. We threaten due to our open minds, comraderie and money in Austin.

 

[DominickDavisFan76]

He is getting less reps then Alfred Malone, i always release that dude when i play madden cuz he sucks.

So i really hope TJ does something or try to trade him for maybe a 2nd or 3rd if he doesnt get his act together.

 

[ComstockLode]

Warren Sapp went straight into the NFL, with a real defensive minded coach, with a real NFL defense.

All I'm saying, is stick to the facts...... we have no reports of any weight concerns......

All we have is that the coaches would like him to turn his motor up more often in practice.

He was not asked to get after the QB, or to do any of the things we like to see a DT do in the nfl....... Name one DT playing in the 3-4 that you'd like TJ to be more like......

He was asked to occupy offensive linemen, to allow the linebackers to get the goods..... sacks, tackles for losses...

He didn't do that well....... none of our DLinemen did.

The comparison to Sapp, is meant to only draw comparison to the physique & point out that he can have success at that position, looking like he does.

Casey Hampton, Vince Wilfork, Marcus Spears, LaRoi Glover.

And these are all off of the top of my head. None of them put up any stats whatsoever, and yet are key players to their team.

I dont think hampton had a single sack last year, and he made the pro bowl.

Travis Johnson will never have more than 6 sacks in a season. If he ever gets a chance to make another one for the rest of his life. He was a disappointment and joke at FSU, and he continues the trend in the NFL.

I repeat, he was the number 1 DT in the nation out of high school and pissed it away. Then casserly thinks its a great idea to see if he can do that in the NFL as well? Instead of drafting a guy who was a known playmaker in college ie. marcus spears. Or hell, drafting a guy who might be at a need position instead of someone to add depth.

Stupid pick. Bottomline. Defend it anyway you like, but in three years you will laugh remembering that you ever defended him.

 

[ComstockLode]

He's young. And it is possible that he came to OTA's out of shape. He screwed up because he is out of shape. Got it. We don't have to crucify the guy now. It's only his second year. And he probably didn't get a lot of help last year. It's a simple fact in the NFL that you don't cut a second year rookie. First, there's too much invested in them, and second, there's too much left in potential. Drafts are not scored immediately afterward, a year later, or even two years later. In the next season we'll get a good idea of where he is at, but it won't be for two more years that we can really tell.

Will everyone please stop trying to find a scapegoat for last year. The entire team screwed up, from coaching staff down to kicker. There's a reason almost all the coaches are gone, and only like 38 of the 95 or so players on the roster were from last year. We cleaned house. And by the time training camp is over, half the team may be different. But we won't know until after training camp and the real games begin.

Its called a trend. He did the same thing in college. Lazy lazy in workouts, never worked as hard as he should have.

 

[F-minus67]

Man good thing we don't need to see him play in an actual game in the new 4-3 defense. I mean even though new he is second or thrid all time on florida states list for tackles for loss and could dominate for periods of time, he must be a bust since he played out of position last year. Just cause he gained some weight he is terrible? Give me a break. I'll wait until august until I make my decision on him, I mean everyone remembers these are OTAs right? If he didn't care or was a slacker, then why does he even show up?