In progress Awtysst Mock

[awtysst]

So, I know I said no more mocking for me till the end of Feb, but plans changed. Also, I wanted to spread a couple of rumors going around Denver that may or may not be known in Htown.

1. The not so unknown rumor is that Josh McDaniels does not like FB/RB Peyton Hillis. Even with the problems in the running game, he rarely gave Hillis a chance. There are some people in Denver that believe that McDaniels wants to get rid of Hillis ASAP.

2. The possible unknown rumor concerns RG Chris Kuper. From what I am hearing, McDaniels is not happy with him. McDaniels sees Clady and Harris as his long term OTs and likes their work. He however does not seem thrilled with Kuper. Rumor has it that he will make a big spash and use one of his 1st's (that he will get for Marshall) to pry Mankins away from NE. He will then use Olsen at RG, Mankins at LG, and keep Hamilton at Center as a stop gap. He will then draft his center of the future in this draft (possibly Walton). What all this means is, he pretty much does not see any value in Kuper. If we offer one 5th and one 6th we may be able to get Kuper and Hillis from him. With McDaniels, anything can happen, but from what I am hearing now, Kuper and Hillis are practically on the trading block.

So, with that in mind, the Texans make the trade, one fifth and our sixth rounder for Hillis and Kuper.

I am also operating under the assumption that Daniels will be tendered, Meco gets a nice new contract, and DR accepts our offer to stick around.

Keep in mind, this is an in progress mock. I am still thinking. Next Mock will be mid to late February.

1. Sean Weatherspoon, OLB Missouri
I originally had him as a second rounder, but his performance at the Senior Bowl shot him up. While LB is certainly not a need position, I think he would be an upgrade over Diles and would bring the same type of energy to the WILL that Cush brought to the SAM. Can you imagine a LB core of Cush, Meco, and Spoon with Diles and Abibi as reserves?! Sick! He can start from camp.

2. Maurkice Pouncey- Florida C
With the trade to get Kuper, we need a Center. He can slide into the LG slot next to Brown, while Caldwell starts at RG next to Winston. The only spot left to address is Center. Pouncey will be the big tough center that can hold his own against the big 3-4 noses and is athletic enough to do the zone scheme work. He can start from camp.

3. Morgan Burnett- FS Georgia Tech
A FS with excellent hands and is a ball hawk. Not quite the ball hawk of say an Earl Thomas, but he would be an excellent compliment to Pollard. While he could be an immediate starter, he will start in week 8 and never look back.

4. Linval Joseph, DT ECU
Beer lover recommended him and I am drooling over the possibilities. He is the kind of guy that will come in and be a solid rotational DT. He won't start, but he will be a valuable rotational player.

5. Traded for Chris Kuper, OG Denver Broncos
I already detailed why Kuper will be available. Long story short: McDaniels may not like him and think he is replaceable after getting Mankins. Give him a 5th and McDaniels may pull the trigger. All we get is an immediate starter at LG who is zone ready. He can start from Day 1.

5. Rafael Priest, CB TCU
You can never get enough CBs in a division with Peyton Manning. Priest is a nice player that had 18 tackles and 6 pass deflections. Basically, teams avoided throwing at him or in his direction. I think he would make a great 5th round selection.

6. Traded for Peyton Hillis, FB Denver Broncos
Again, Hillis has been in the McDaniels dog house for some reason. Perhaps we can get him if we wait till he is cut, but I say offer a 6th and prevent Washington from getting him in FA. Would split carries with Slaton and Foster.

7. Some Kicker
I don’t care who. Lawrence, Tiffin, or somebody else (cue the Simpsons reference for someone else. Bonus point if you can identify the episode and who the someone else refers to).

 

[theanswer000]

I could see us getting Kuper but thats about it. I doubt the Texans will trade for both of them. And taking a LB first is not exactly what we need. Zac Diles does a good job on the weak side. Idk why people are always taking away from him.

 

[awtysst]

I could see us getting Kuper but thats about it. I doubt the Texans will trade for both of them. And taking a LB first is not exactly what we need. Zac Diles does a good job on the weak side. Idk why people are always taking away from him.

Like I said this was a "mock in progress." Whether we get both or none, I was simply making a projection based on rumors I heard.

I am glad you brought up the notion of me taking away from Diles. This needs to be made abundantly clear. I am not taking anything away from Diles. I am a fan of the Houston Texans, not any specific player. The point of a mock is to improve the team. Is Diles a solid player? Yes, is Witherspoon better? I think so. I see Witherspoon as the BPA in this spot. Smart teams like the Steelers take the BPA and deal with player shuffling later. Bad teams like the Browns choose to fill needs and reach rather than go BPA. Good teams like the Steelers draft a few key positions (like QB) and then are available for upgrade in almost every other position. The key in a drafting is not to get too attached to your own personnel. Diles is a solid OLB, Witherspoon is a playmaker. This is a certain upgrade in my mind.

We may not "need" a LB today, but who knows about tomorrow. We did not "need" a cornerback or LB in 2007, so we passed on Revis and Patrick Willis. Now in 2010 we look back and say, wow, maybe we should have gone BPA. We became too attached to our own guys and instead took a reach for a kid with "potential." Okoye may turn out great, and I hope he does, but taking BPA is always the best strategy towards building a stable contending football team. Draft a few centerpieces and then be prepared to upgrade other pieces throughout.

 

[HouSportsWriter]

i dont see us geting a olb because zac did relly well lest year and he is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy underrated

 

[Wolf6151]

I think we'd be extremely luck to get Kuper and Hillis for a 5th and 6th round picks but if it happened I'd jump on it.

1. Weatherspoon, along with Cushing and Ryans would give us a sick set of LB's, probably best in the NFL, but I just don't see WLB as that big of a need. Diles isn't great but he's sufficient for now while we address bigger needs like CB, OG, RB, FS, and DT. Change this pick to Kyle Wilson and this mock is outstanding.

2. Pouncey, I love this pick, I just hope that he's still available when we pick. I think he's a high 2nd rounder and is probably gone by the time we pick at #51. I don't think there's any chance that Kubiak plays a rookie at C to make the blocking assignment calls so I think he'd play at either LG or RG for a year to learn alongside Myers and then take over the next season as starting C.

3. Burnett, Love this pick as well but again I'm not sure that he lasts this long, he could slip into the bottom of the 1st round and I think that he most likely goes in the 2nd round but with a Safety class as deep as this one it's possible he could fall. We'd be very lucky to get Burnett in the 3rd round.

4. Joseph, I don't know anything about him but as long as he has the size and motor to play he could be a rotational DT in our lineup.

5. Priest, I don't know anything about him either but your right about never having enough good CB's, I'd also consider using this spot for some added OG or SS depth.

7. A kicker for TC competition is a good idea.

 

[theanswer000]

On draft day if C.J. Spiller is off of the board I would for sure take Kyle Wilson. The guy is really good he reminds me a lot of Quentin Jammer.

 

[b0ng]

I don't like OLB in the first round as it is not a position of need. I believe we would be much better off getting either a secondary or DL player in the first round with that pick. While Weatherspoon would be nice, I believe he would be a luxury pick rather than one of need.

 

[Jackie Chiles]

Weatherspoon would be interesting because he is very talented and Bush has shown the ability to get a ton of production from his LBs but if you draft him which LB comes out on third down? Cushing was very good in coverage last season and you would have to kneecap DeMeco to get him off the field. Do we scrap our nickel package and stick in our base defense until the offense goes to 4-5 WR sets? Would certainly make substitutions easier and keep some of our less talented DBs off the field but it would open up a lot of potential for mismatches in coverage. Maybe we make up for it by blitzing the LBs often?

 

[awtysst]

i dont see us geting a olb because zac did relly well lest year and he is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy underrated

Remember, when you draft you need to think LONG term not short term. Just because he is fine now, does not mean he is above getting an upgrade.

I don't like OLB in the first round as it is not a position of need. I believe we would be much better off getting either a secondary or DL player in the first round with that pick. While Weatherspoon would be nice, I believe he would be a luxury pick rather than one of need.

Who would you take in the secondary? Sounds like you might reach for a player that fits a need rather than taking the BPA. Remember when we reached for Amobi when Willis and Revis were still there? We said what both of yall are saying now, "our cbs and lbs are serviceable, we need a DT."

Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

I think we'd be extremely luck to get Kuper and Hillis for a 5th and 6th round picks but if it happened I'd jump on it.

1. Weatherspoon, along with Cushing and Ryans would give us a sick set of LB's, probably best in the NFL, but I just don't see WLB as that big of a need. Diles isn't great but he's sufficient for now while we address bigger needs like CB, OG, RB, FS, and DT. Change this pick to Kyle Wilson and this mock is outstanding.

2. Pouncey, I love this pick, I just hope that he's still available when we pick. I think he's a high 2nd rounder and is probably gone by the time we pick at #51. I don't think there's any chance that Kubiak plays a rookie at C to make the blocking assignment calls so I think he'd play at either LG or RG for a year to learn alongside Myers and then take over the next season as starting C.

3. Burnett, Love this pick as well but again I'm not sure that he lasts this long, he could slip into the bottom of the 1st round and I think that he most likely goes in the 2nd round but with a Safety class as deep as this one it's possible he could fall. We'd be very lucky to get Burnett in the 3rd round.

4. Joseph, I don't know anything about him but as long as he has the size and motor to play he could be a rotational DT in our lineup.

5. Priest, I don't know anything about him either but your right about never having enough good CB's, I'd also consider using this spot for some added OG or SS depth.

7. A kicker for TC competition is a good idea.

 

[steelbtexan]

So, I know I said no more mocking for me till the end of Feb, but plans changed. Also, I wanted to spread a couple of rumors going around Denver that may or may not be known in Htown.

1. The not so unknown rumor is that Josh McDaniels does not like FB/RB Peyton Hillis. Even with the problems in the running game, he rarely gave Hillis a chance. There are some people in Denver that believe that McDaniels wants to get rid of Hillis ASAP.

2. The possible unknown rumor concerns RG Chris Kuper. From what I am hearing, McDaniels is not happy with him. McDaniels sees Clady and Harris as his long term OTs and likes their work. He however does not seem thrilled with Kuper. Rumor has it that he will make a big spash and use one of his 1st's (that he will get for Marshall) to pry Mankins away from NE. He will then use Olsen at RG, Mankins at LG, and keep Hamilton at Center as a stop gap. He will then draft his center of the future in this draft (possibly Walton). What all this means is, he pretty much does not see any value in Kuper. If we offer one 5th and one 6th we may be able to get Kuper and Hillis from him. With McDaniels, anything can happen, but from what I am hearing now, Kuper and Hillis are practically on the trading block.

So, with that in mind, the Texans make the trade, one fifth and our sixth rounder for Hillis and Kuper.

I am also operating under the assumption that Daniels will be tendered, Meco gets a nice new contract, and DR accepts our offer to stick around.

Keep in mind, this is an in progress mock. I am still thinking. Next Mock will be mid to late February.

1. Sean Weatherspoon, OLB Missouri
I originally had him as a second rounder, but his performance at the Senior Bowl shot him up. While LB is certainly not a need position, I think he would be an upgrade over Diles and would bring the same type of energy to the WILL that Cush brought to the SAM. Can you imagine a LB core of Cush, Meco, and Spoon with Diles and Abibi as reserves?! Sick! He can start from camp.

2. Maurkice Pouncey- Florida C
With the trade to get Kuper, we need a Center. He can slide into the LG slot next to Brown, while Caldwell starts at RG next to Winston. The only spot left to address is Center. Pouncey will be the big tough center that can hold his own against the big 3-4 noses and is athletic enough to do the zone scheme work. He can start from camp.

3. Morgan Burnett- FS Georgia Tech
A FS with excellent hands and is a ball hawk. Not quite the ball hawk of say an Earl Thomas, but he would be an excellent compliment to Pollard. While he could be an immediate starter, he will start in week 8 and never look back.

4. Linval Joseph, DT ECU
Beer lover recommended him and I am drooling over the possibilities. He is the kind of guy that will come in and be a solid rotational DT. He won't start, but he will be a valuable rotational player.

5. Traded for Chris Kuper, OG Denver Broncos
I already detailed why Kuper will be available. Long story short: McDaniels may not like him and think he is replaceable after getting Mankins. Give him a 5th and McDaniels may pull the trigger. All we get is an immediate starter at LG who is zone ready. He can start from Day 1.

5. Rafael Priest, CB TCU
You can never get enough CBs in a division with Peyton Manning. Priest is a nice player that had 18 tackles and 6 pass deflections. Basically, teams avoided throwing at him or in his direction. I think he would make a great 5th round selection.

6. Traded for Peyton Hillis, FB Denver Broncos
Again, Hillis has been in the McDaniels dog house for some reason. Perhaps we can get him if we wait till he is cut, but I say offer a 6th and prevent Washington from getting him in FA. Would split carries with Slaton and Foster.

7. Some Kicker
I don’t care who. Lawrence, Tiffin, or somebody else (cue the Simpsons reference for someone else. Bonus point if you can identify the episode and who the someone else refers to).

I suggested a trade for Kuper and Hillis in another threar. Here's my proposal.

Hiils and Kuper for a 2010 5th and Okoye or a 2011 3rd. A good trade has to hurt a little.

With this trade in mind here is my mock

Rd1 Kyle Wilson I was really impressed at Sr Bowl. He is what Dunta is supposed to be. 2nd choice Patrick Robinson
Rd2 Lamar Houston Playmaker at DT,Makes Mario and Barwin better might even help AO (I doubt it) 2nd choice Cam Thomas
Rd3 Jon Asamoah Ill. Perfect for ZBS,can play G/C he falls this far only because he has short arms 30.5 in. and was injured (minor leg injury) 2nd choice Mike Johnson.
Rd4 Myron Rolle S Fla St. Rhodes Scholar,team leader who looked like he hadn't missed a beat at the Sr Bowl. Kept in great shape by working out at 6am every day while in England Showed he can play either S spot. 2nd choice Terrell Skinner.
Rd 6 Lamarcus Coker RB Hamptom Dynamic RB in the Chris Johnson mode. Got kicked out of Tenn. (smoking pot) appears to have turned hi life around. 2nd choice Stafon Johnson
Rd 6 Brett Swenson Mich St. Best K in nation. IMO 2nd choice Z.Mesko P Mich.
Rd7 O'Brien Schofield. Would've been a 2nd or 3rd rd choice if he hadn't torn his ACL. Dynamic playmaker, if he recovers from his injury after a year on IR Smithiak will look like geniuses. 2nd choice Brandon James Fla. PR/KR

 

[steelbtexan]

The Texans OL will look like this LT Brown LG Kuper C Myers/Asamoah RG Caldwell RT Winston.

Texans Defense will look like this

DE MW DT Houston DT AO/Cody DE A.Smith/Barwin

SLB Cush MLB DR WLB Diles

CB K. Wilson FS Wilson/Rolle SS Pollard/Barber CB Quin Nickle Reeves

Not bad defense

Add a vet RB like Chester Taylor and the RB corps would be Taylor, Slaton, Hillis, Coker (because he can KR/PR) Foster goes back to the PS. This would be the most depth the Texans have had since their inception.

Get it done Smithiak, This kind of bold move will help save your jobs.

Sorry I didn't mean to Hijack your tread Awt.

 

[awtysst]

I suggested a trade for Kuper and Hillis in another threar. Here's my proposal.

Hiils and Kuper for a 2010 5th and Okoye or a 2011 3rd. A good trade has to hurt a little.

With this trade in mind here is my mock

Rd1 Kyle Wilson I was really impressed at Sr Bowl. He is what Dunta is supposed to be. 2nd choice Patrick Robinson
Rd2 Lamar Houston Playmaker at DT,Makes Mario and Barwin better might even help AO (I doubt it) 2nd choice Cam Thomas
Rd3 Jon Asamoah Ill. Perfect for ZBS,can play G/C he falls this far only because he has short arms 30.5 in. and was injured (minor leg injury) 2nd choice Mike Johnson.
Rd4 Myron Rolle S Fla St. Rhodes Scholar,team leader who looked like he hadn't missed a beat at the Sr Bowl. Kept in great shape by working out at 6am every day while in England Showed he can play either S spot. 2nd choice Terrell Skinner.
Rd 6 Lamarcus Coker RB Hamptom Dynamic RB in the Chris Johnson mode. Got kicked out of Tenn. (smoking pot) appears to have turned hi life around. 2nd choice Stafon Johnson
Rd 6 Brett Swenson Mich St. Best K in nation. IMO 2nd choice Z.Mesko P Mich.
Rd7 O'Brien Schofield. Would've been a 2nd or 3rd rd choice if he hadn't torn his ACL. Dynamic playmaker, if he recovers from his injury after a year on IR Smithiak will look like geniuses. 2nd choice Brandon James Fla. PR/KR

Couple of thoughts:
1. Wilson is a solid pick. I have no problem with him. In my scenario we end up resigning Dunta, so if we do, I doubt we take Wilson.

2. While Houston is good, this is a deep draft for DTs. In contrast, I see Pouncey as a BPA selection & in a need position.

3. Both of your Oline here are more suited to OG than OC. I think if you trade for Kuper (which you did) I am not sure they are still BPA. I like Burnett, again BPA and in a need position.

4. LOVE Rolle. I just don't see him here. I think he goes late 2nd early 3rd round. I like Rolle, but I prefer Pouncey.

After Rolle you can debate who you like/don't like. I like the thought process of getting returners and kickers.

 

[theanswer000]

Couple of thoughts:
1. Wilson is a solid pick. I have no problem with him. In my scenario we end up resigning Dunta, so if we do, I doubt we take Wilson.

2. While Houston is good, this is a deep draft for DTs. In contrast, I see Pouncey as a BPA selection & in a need position.

3. Both of your Oline here are more suited to OG than OC. I think if you trade for Kuper (which you did) I am not sure they are still BPA. I like Burnett, again BPA and in a need position.

4. LOVE Rolle. I just don't see him here. I think he goes late 2nd early 3rd round. I like Rolle, but I prefer Pouncey.

After Rolle you can debate who you like/don't like. I like the thought process of getting returners and kickers.

Exactly, if we sign Dunta there is no reason in drafting Kyle Wilson unless like you said earlier if we are building for the future.

I really like Asomoah in the second but Pouncey is a really good lineman also.

Runningback is what I see us doing in the first round. It could be C.J. Spiller or Jonathan Dwyer even a surprise pick of Ryan Matthews.

 

[TexansSeminole]

Exactly, if we sign Dunta there is no reason in drafting Kyle Wilson unless like you said earlier if we are building for the future.

Your always building for the future when it comes to the draft.

If we like Kyle Wilson at 20, I don't see why having Dunta should deter us from getting him.

This is a strong secondary class in the first two rounds, if we like someone and think he is worth the 20th selection, we should take him.

 

[awtysst]

The Texans OL will look like this LT Brown LG Kuper C Myers/Asamoah RG Caldwell RT Winston.

Texans Defense will look like this

DE MW DT Houston DT AO/Cody DE A.Smith/Barwin

SLB Cush MLB DR WLB Diles

CB K. Wilson FS Wilson/Rolle SS Pollard/Barber CB Quin Nickle Reeves

Not bad defense

Add a vet RB like Chester Taylor and the RB corps would be Taylor, Slaton, Hillis, Coker (because he can KR/PR) Foster goes back to the PS. This would be the most depth the Texans have had since their inception.

Get it done Smithiak, This kind of bold move will help save your jobs.

Sorry I didn't mean to Hijack your tread Awt.

Its all good, you didn't hijack, you started thinking, which is what this mock was supposed to illicit!

Now, remember that Rolle is more suited as a SS not a FS, so you would need to make that change to your lineup.

Also, with the possibility of a lockout in 2011, would a team really accept an additional pick? Would there be a draft? It seems too risky to me.

I would say no to Chester Taylor. Remember if the trade goes down here is who we have:
Slaton, Moats, Foster, Hillis, Brown, Henry, and Johnson. Brown will get cut and likely Henry too. So that leaves us with Steve Slaton, Ryan Moats, Arian Foster, Peyton Hillis, and last year's IR Jeremiah Johnson. Thats five potential backs right there. I figure Slaton starts, Foster is #2, and Hillis can be the change of pace/short yardage back. Moats slips back to 4 and JJ stays on the PS with an UDFA. In my opinion you have plenty of backs. For us, its all about the line, not the backs.

 

[awtysst]

Exactly, if we sign Dunta there is no reason in drafting Kyle Wilson unless like you said earlier if we are building for the future.

I really like Asomoah in the second but Pouncey is a really good lineman also.

Runningback is what I see us doing in the first round. It could be C.J. Spiller or Jonathan Dwyer even a surprise pick of Ryan Matthews.

Yeah, I did say that. Good catch. I think i had a brain fart.

Thing is, I really like Witherspoon and have him ahead of Wilson. Part of that is competition based. One guy played in the Big XII the other played in the WAC. Nothing against the WAC, but when prospects are that close, I'll take the guy that did it against the better competition.

We really do not need a RB. I know I am alone on this, but we have at least 5 of them if we get Hillis (after we cut Brown and Henry).

 

[Wolf6151]

We really do not need a RB. I know I am alone on this, but we have at least 5 of them if we get Hillis (after we cut Brown and Henry).

Your not alone with that thought, an upgrade at RB would really be nice, but if we fix the O-line then we have RB's that can get the job done and would free up a draft pick to be used elsewhere. The key to fixing our terrible running game is fixing the O-line.

 

[steelbtexan]

Its all good, you didn't hijack, you started thinking, which is what this mock was supposed to illicit!

Now, remember that Rolle is more suited as a SS not a FS, so you would need to make that change to your lineup.

Also, with the possibility of a lockout in 2011, would a team really accept an additional pick? Would there be a draft? It seems too risky to me.

I would say no to Chester Taylor. Remember if the trade goes down here is who we have:
Slaton, Moats, Foster, Hillis, Brown, Henry, and Johnson. Brown will get cut and likely Henry too. So that leaves us with Steve Slaton, Ryan Moats, Arian Foster, Peyton Hillis, and last year's IR Jeremiah Johnson. Thats five potential backs right there. I figure Slaton starts, Foster is #2, and Hillis can be the change of pace/short yardage back. Moats slips back to 4 and JJ stays on the PS with an UDFA. In my opinion you have plenty of backs. For us, its all about the line, not the backs.

I also could see Burnett in the 2nd and Joseph in the 4th.

I really want a reliable RB this year. If Taylor isn't signed my pick in the 2nd would be Mathews if he's available. I might even take Dwyer or Spiller in the 1st and take a DB in the 2nd. I really like Spievey from Iowa.

The lack of reliable RB cost this team big time last year. Although Smithiak dont usually draft RB's in the 1st rd this year could be the exception. Slaton had neck surgery 2 weeks ago so you cant count on him.

If they go RB in the 1st then look for Smithiak to pick up a DT or S in FA. Most likely a S, it seems as though Kubes likes experience at the S position.

I really like Terrell Skinner S Maryland in the 4th rd. He is a big former CB. He can play slot WR's and had a really good Sr.Bowl. He's underrated.IMO

the good thing is Smithiak can trade down, get more draft choices and still draft Dwyer or Mathews.

 

[awtysst]

I also could see Burnett in the 2nd and Joseph in the 4th.

I really want a reliable RB this year. If Taylor isn't signed my pick in the 2nd would be Mathews if he's available. I might even take Dwyer or Spiller in the 1st and take a DB in the 2nd. I really like Spievey from Iowa.

The lack of reliable RB cost this team big time last year. Although Smithiak dont usually draft RB's in the 1st rd this year could be the exception. Slaton had neck surgery 2 weeks ago so you cant count on him.

If they go RB in the 1st then look for Smithiak to pick up a DT or S in FA. Most likely a S, it seems as though Kubes likes experience at the S position.

I really like Terrell Skinner S Maryland in the 4th rd. He is a big former CB. He can play slot WR's and had a really good Sr.Bowl. He's underrated.IMO

I get why people want a reliable running back. The thing is though a rb is only as good as the oline that is in front of him. I think we have solid backs here(Slaton, Foster, Hillis-from trade, Moats, and JJ). I believe Hillis is the guy you give the ball in short distances. He is 250lbs of muscle. When you use Foster and Hillis you save the tread on Slaton's tires.

I grade rbs relatively low because of their incredibly short shelf lives. A lot of people like the flashy glory position of the RB, but given the same level of ability, give me a OG any day of the week.

 

[theanswer000]

Saying if we get Kuper though.

It could be Brown,Kuper,Myers who sucks, Caldwell, Winston

That is not a bad line to run behind.

 

[steelbtexan]

I get why people want a reliable running back. The thing is though a rb is only as good as the oline that is in front of him. I think we have solid backs here(Slaton, Foster, Hillis-from trade, Moats, and JJ). I believe Hillis is the guy you give the ball in short distances. He is 250lbs of muscle. When you use Foster and Hillis you save the tread on Slaton's tires.

I grade rbs relatively low because of their incredibly short shelf lives. A lot of people like the flashy glory position of the RB, but given the same level of ability, give me a OG any day of the week.

I'm a build the trenches 1st kind of guy.

I just dont want to go into the season with Hillis Foster and Moats as the RB's

Neck surgery is a serious thing particularly for a RB. Slaton cant be counted on. IMO

If this trade is made (I hope so) Spiller would be my 1st choice. He would add to an already dynamic offense. Spiller would be a home run threat at RB. Imagine having AJ and JJ at WR with OD at TE and Spiller at RB. defenses couldn't cover everybody. Hillis could be the short yardage RB. If Slaton makes it back all I can say is WOW. Spiller will also be an awsome weapon as a KR/PR.

Kuper and 3rd rd pick Asamoah along with Caldwell will be the upgrade on the interior OL that will make this offense not only one nf the best statistically but also a juggernaut in the red zone.

With this offense the Texans will have no problems scoring points with the Colts.

The Defense can also have 2 of its main 3 weaknesses adressed. CB (Cox,Spievey,Ghee or K.Jackson) One should be availabe in the 2nd rd.

S or DT in the 4th I would draft a S and sign Jolly in FA. They will probably draft a DT Joseph and sign a S in FA.

Either way with this trade and smart drafting most of the holes will be filled.

Smithiak have to do something that they are not known for, thinking outside the box.

 

[steelbtexan]

There will be a draft 2011 draft.

If there's a lockout the owners wont sign the draft picks until the new labor agreement is reached but there will be a draft.

 

[b0ng]

Who would you take in the secondary? Sounds like you might reach for a player that fits a need rather than taking the BPA. Remember when we reached for Amobi when Willis and Revis were still there? We said what both of yall are saying now, "our cbs and lbs are serviceable, we need a DT."

I don't understand how without listing what players would already be gone by that pick how you can say that any secondary player at 20 would be a reach. Kyle Wilson had a good senior bowl and he fits more of a need than Sean Witherspoon. You could also fit a DL player in there as well (Like I said in my previous post).

 

[mussop]

Just random thoughts here.

If the BPA available at our pick is an OLB and can be a difference maker it would be silly to pass on him. Look at the difference Cushing made to the defense and how much it improved the team. We now have 2 tackling machines that cover 2/3 of the field in Ryans and Cushing. If we can add another player of that caliber to play with those two we could have something special.

That talk about them having to come out is silly too. If we draft a LB in the first he going to be good enough to not have to come out. There are only 2 maybe 3 players like that in this draft. Weatherspoon, Washington and possibly Bowman though im not convinced on him just yet. Any one of these guys is a huge upgrade over Dyles. Im not haten on Dyles either. I like him, I think he is a decent player that plays solid consistently. Thats great to have but lets not make it out like he is a playmaker. Sure he'll make the sure tackle and not make too many mistakes but he's not going to make alot of big plays.

You put another big play guy next to Cushing and Ryans and you now have a playmaker across the board on the second level. Not many teams can say that. Now whether teams go left, up the middle or right they will have to contend with one of them.

Slaton and Spiller are not redundent. Spiller is well worth the #20 pick even if he is just our third down back and return guy on kickoffs. He will still get 12 to fifteen touches a game.Thats worst case scenerio. Thats if Slaton even comes back and can beat out Spiller. Spiller would be more than just a RB for this offense. He could even play in the slot. Imagine him catching the balls that have been thrown to Anderson. He would be the most explosive and dangerous weapon this team has ever had.

Yes even over AJ who by the way would really benifit from having a gamebreaker on the field to take away some of the extra attention he recieves all the time. AJ is the best WR in football but he is not a big YAC type of guy that can make guys miss and go all the way.

Adding a weapon like that to AJ, OD and an quickly improving J Jones would make our offense scary for opposing D's. You keep hearing it over and over now, this is a passing league now. Its true it is and I hope Kubiak realizes what we are and doesnt try to make to many drastic changes and try and turn us back into what he had originally thought he wanted us to be.


Dont understand what people have seen that make them so sure that Caldwell is a sure thing as a future starter. Did he ever beat White completely out?

 

[Jackie Chiles]

That talk about them having to come out is silly too. If we draft a LB in the first he going to be good enough to not have to come out. There are only 2 maybe 3 players like that in this draft. Weatherspoon, Washington and possibly Bowman though im not convinced on him just yet.

If you are referring to my post I would ask you to read it a bit more closely. I agree that Weatherspoon is a 3 down LB, the dilemma would be that we would then have 3 3 down LBs. So even if Weatherspoon is not the LB that comes out you are potentially turning Ryans or Cushing into a 2 down LB. A possible solution would be (as I stated) to scrap the nickel in favor of more base D. That route opens up opportunity and it opens up the potential for some bad mismatches on our end.

 

[awtysst]

Saying if we get Kuper though.

It could be Brown,Kuper,Myers who sucks, Caldwell, Winston

That is not a bad line to run behind.

Its not a bad line, but we have seen Myers get pushed into Schaub too many times. Drafting a guy like Pouncey gives us a strong Center who can stand his own and even push forward on those 3rd or 4th and short plays.

 

[awtysst]

Just random thoughts here.

If the BPA available at our pick is an OLB and can be a difference maker it would be silly to pass on him. Look at the difference Cushing made to the defense and how much it improved the team. We now have 2 tackling machines that cover 2/3 of the field in Ryans and Cushing. If we can add another player of that caliber to play with those two we could have something special.

That talk about them having to come out is silly too. If we draft a LB in the first he going to be good enough to not have to come out. There are only 2 maybe 3 players like that in this draft. Weatherspoon, Washington and possibly Bowman though im not convinced on him just yet. Any one of these guys is a huge upgrade over Dyles. Im not haten on Dyles either. I like him, I think he is a decent player that plays solid consistently. Thats great to have but lets not make it out like he is a playmaker. Sure he'll make the sure tackle and not make too many mistakes but he's not going to make alot of big plays.

You put another big play guy next to Cushing and Ryans and you now have a playmaker across the board on the second level. Not many teams can say that. Now whether teams go left, up the middle or right they will have to contend with one of them.

Slaton and Spiller are not redundent. Spiller is well worth the #20 pick even if he is just our third down back and return guy on kickoffs. He will still get 12 to fifteen touches a game.Thats worst case scenerio. Thats if Slaton even comes back and can beat out Spiller. Spiller would be more than just a RB for this offense. He could even play in the slot. Imagine him catching the balls that have been thrown to Anderson. He would be the most explosive and dangerous weapon this team has ever had.

Yes even over AJ who by the way would really benifit from having a gamebreaker on the field to take away some of the extra attention he recieves all the time. AJ is the best WR in football but he is not a big YAC type of guy that can make guys miss and go all the way.

Adding a weapon like that to AJ, OD and an quickly improving J Jones would make our offense scary for opposing D's. You keep hearing it over and over now, this is a passing league now. Its true it is and I hope Kubiak realizes what we are and doesnt try to make to many drastic changes and try and turn us back into what he had originally thought he wanted us to be.


Dont understand what people have seen that make them so sure that Caldwell is a sure thing as a future starter. Did he ever beat White completely out?

Well said. I like Diles too, but the purpose is to assembly the best team, and I think our Defense is improved with him over Diles.

 

[awtysst]

I don't understand how without listing what players would already be gone by that pick how you can say that any secondary player at 20 would be a reach. Kyle Wilson had a good senior bowl and he fits more of a need than Sean Witherspoon. You could also fit a DL player in there as well (Like I said in my previous post).

I said "might reach". No, I do not know who is there but my point is you take BPA. Yes, Wilson is a fine player, at the moment I have Weatherspoon ahead of him. You may have Wilson ahead. Its just opinions!

 

[mussop]

If you are referring to my post I would ask you to read it a bit more closely. I agree that Weatherspoon is a 3 down LB, the dilemma would be that we would then have 3 3 down LBs. So even if Weatherspoon is not the LB that comes out you are potentially turning Ryans or Cushing into a 2 down LB. A possible solution would be (as I stated) to scrap the nickel in favor of more base D. That route opens up opportunity and it opens up the potential for some bad mismatches on our end.

I wasnt refering to you specifically. Just the notion that any OLB we draft would automatically have to come out on third down making him a 2 down player. I have seen more than one person with that opinion.

As per your solution, any coach would rather have 3 ouststanding playmaker LB's on the field on third and long rather than taking out a LB and replacing him with a 3rd or 4th string CB.

 

[threetoedpete]

Your not alone with that thought, an upgrade at RB would really be nice, but if we fix the O-line then we have RB's that can get the job done and would free up a draft pick to be used elsewhere. The key to fixing our terrible running game is fixing the O-line.

From your fingers to God's ears. How many years have we been trying to fix the o-line ?
Like Roseanna Roseanna Dana said "it's always something".

 

[threetoedpete]

Well said. I like Diles too, but the purpose is to assembly the best team, and I think our Defense is improved with him over Diles.

My knee jerk is this: If I were going to draft one high, a linebacker,....I would do exactly what I did last year. Take the highest upside guy I could get my hands on. And from My prospective after the senior bowl week that would be Washington of TCU. Now what you're going to do about Adibi , I don't know. What I think is Smith and Kubiak love their grey beard back ups. And Adibi is a lot of like Keith Bullock of the Titans early in his career. The light bulb hasn't quite come on yet. Bushing is the same way too. The only thing wrong with Dilles is that Ryans, Pollard, and Cushing sucked up all of the tackles. I never saw him get beat or move himself out of position. I'm kinda indifferent on Gerhart and Whitherspoon. At least your picking at the sore spot with the trade. That's progress. I have no problem if Dennison thinks we're ready to go Studard-Myers-Cladwell. But I sure hope they have something....massive... in the pipe line locked and loaded just in case. And I sure hope they pick it fairly early.