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LB corps is a major concern to the team...

Porky

Porky

Hall of Fame
I have been saying for some time that the back 7 on this team will be it's downfall, and will be one of the main reasons we will struggle to reach the 500 mark. I am sticking to 6-10 at this point. The secondary is less than average sans one player, and the same can be said for the LB corp. Now, I have some validation that the team itself feels this way.

This is from the Way We Hear It section of http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/The+Way+We+Hear+It/default.htm?mode=afcsouth

The way we hear it, Houston’s LB corps is a major concern to the team. The lack of depth is especially troubling, and the loss of veteran Wali Rainer to a season-ending broken ankle didn’t help matters. Rainer had been likely to back up veteran MLB Sam Cowart. According to a source close to the team, the only sure thing among the Texans’ linebackers is that rookie DeMeco Ryans will be on the field as much as possible, and perhaps at middle linebacker in place of the 31-year-old Cowart. The coaching staff feels Ryans is among the team’s three best ’backers, and he will get a chance to learn on the field. Veteran Morlon Greenwood is the early favorite to start on the weak side, but his play will be watched closely. Shantee Orr has the edge at strong-side linebacker, though veteran Kailee Wong could push for playing time once he returns from a knee injury that will likely keep him out at the start of the season.
 
Excellent title - no room for guessing what the topic is here!

Anyway, as poor as we were last year and with some of the problems we've had all four years, I think one thing is to be expected:

It will take more than one year to fix this thing.

If they had fixed LBs this year maybe we wouldn't have had the resources to fix the receivers, TEs, or some other area. So yes, LBs and DBs are weaknesses, but maybe we'll fix them next off-season as well as we (apparently) have fixed our d-line and TEs this year.

I'm willing to follow the process along - that's part of the fun.
 
Even though its the best its ever been... depth is still a big concern for this team. Rick Smith even mentioned this the other day on 610. He is currently nonstop looking at ways to address this concern though. LB is definitely one of those areas where we could use some more depth. The good news is Ryans is supposedly the real deal and will make our starters that much better around him hopefully creating a domino affect.

But 6-10 isnt necessarily a bad thing imo. I say 6-7 wins anyway. As long as we show fight and are in most games till the end. I am just excited to see a new team really. With our brutal schedule.... shown improvement is all I ask.

To get to the playoffs you better be injury free... OR have some serious depth. Only 1 offseason into this new era probably isnt going to get us where Kubs and Smith want us to be just yet.
 
Definately agree with Runner. This is a marathon, not a sprint. I just think many of our esteemed members here have kind of put the cart before the horse. Talk of the playoffs is at least one yr off imo. Let's learn to walk, and then perhaps we can run. This team is still talent and depth deficient at certain key spots, and I think this just points out that the Texans are aware of it, and I think we will really concentrate on the back 7 next offseason....then perhaps it's on to greater glory. Good post runner!
 
The way I see it is this team is where it was during the 7-9 season. I really feel that if we would've kept some of those guys and just simply added to that. We would've been in better shape last year.
 
Porky said:
I have been saying for some time that the back 7 on this team will be it's downfall, and will be one of the main reasons we will struggle to reach the 500 mark. I am sticking to 6-10 at this point. The secondary is less than average sans one player, and the same can be said for the LB corp. Now, I have some validation that the team itself feels this way.
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I mentioned the linebackers as a weak spot earlier also...except, um.... unlike Porky, I don't need any validation since I'm usually right. :redtowel:

http://www.houstontexans.com/fan_zone/messageboards/showpost.php?p=385681&postcount=174
 
I do agree SuperBowl talks is a bit on the farfetched side...... my 13-3..... a little optomistic..... but a playoff spot?? I think we are in reach.

I have absolutely no concerns about the starting backfield...... safeties & Corners... I think we are strong there.... not really strong, but strong... LBs of course I beleive is our weekest area, but...... I don't think we have to shutteams down completly on defense....... we just have to slow down their scoring...... and get a few stops...

Depth(I think) in the back 7 is more of a concern than the strength of our starting LB corps.

at this point, I think 6 or 7 wins is more pessimistic than realistic....... & I do agree 13+ wins is more than just optomistic.
 
As much as I like Ryans and look forward to him developing into a dominant LB, it is kinda' scary that our top LB is a rookie. This situation could easily be our Achilles’ heel.
 
How about James Posey, our former LB from the past? Angelo Crowell made him excess in Buffalo, so he is available. Do we, or should we, have any interest in picking him up?

I think we are a draft, or two, away from being a playoff contender, and the LBs and DBs, especially CB, are the worrisom spots. Having said that, I think we are capable of equalling or beating the 7-9 season we had a couple of years ago. 8-8 is about where I think we will be.
 
Double Barrel said:
As much as I like Ryans and look forward to him developing into a dominant LB, it is kinda' scary that our top LB is a rookie. This situation could easily be our Achilles’ heel.
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Possibly. There is hope though. Everyone knows what the Seahawks second round LB pick from last year did for them. Lofa Tatupu was awarded Diet Pepsi's NFL Rookie Player of the Year at the end of the season, shattering reports saying he was too small to play middle linebacker in the NFL.
 
however big our linebacker concerns are right now, getting demeco ryans is a great start to building a corps for the future. Second best linebacker in the draft hands down
 
yourfavoritetexan42 said:
however big our linebacker concerns are right now, getting demeco ryans is a great start to building a corps for the future. Second best linebacker in the draft hands down
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By the end of the season it could be that he's the best linebacker from the draft.

While I agree that overall the linebacking corps is a weakness it is improved over the past years. The problem I see is I think there are only 2 clear starters in my mind at least (Ryans and Greenwood). I don't think Posey is the answer, but I wouldn't be surprised if Rick Smith finds someone that gets cut that can help this squad out.
 
Clearly things are less than desired from the LBs back. However, I think they will be up to the tasks. Probably not outstanding, but "OK". Maybe I'm just whistling past the grave yard, but I think we will be OK in the secondary and very possible outstanding at the D-line.
 
edo783 said:
Clearly things are less than desired from the LBs back. However, I think they will be up to the tasks. Probably not outstanding, but "OK". Maybe I'm just whistling past the grave yard, but I think we will be OK in the secondary and very possible outstanding at the D-line.
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This is my hope as well, if our D-Line excels and we have let say "average play" at LB and DB, then it might be enough to keep us in a lot of games. The pressure up front should lighten the load a tad, and I am hoping good coaching will help bridge the gap. I do agree these are our weakest areas, that is as long as the O-Line turns things around as it appears is the case.

Very happy about TE, DL, WR, RB (with the exception of Davis possibly being out, man we can get by without him if we have to but I don't want to). And with good OL protection Carr will blow it up this year!
 
To me the biggest hope for the LBs is the date that Wong returns. If he missess the first six games, that would suck, but the most winable games are towards the end.

If Ryans starts, Cowart gets cut, so I really the idea of Ryans comming off the bench plus I think he would be the top back up at several positions. Yeah depth is thin put I still think we have enough talent for a 10 win season.
 
AFD1717 said:
How does the crop of LBs in college look for next years draft?
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Pretty good. Depending on where we pick, we have a shot at OLB Paul Posluszny Penn St , ILB Patrick Willis Mississippi, OLB Rufus Alexander Oklahoma in the 1st round. But we may go DB in the 1st.

But I would bet :poker: we go defense in the 1st again this coming year. (only a small chance the Texans #1 is a WR.)
 
I definately think we will grab a FA LB and probably a FS before the season starts. not sure posey is the guy, we need another true LB, MLB or SLB, but they are tuff to come by, we would prolly have to make a trade to get a decent one.
 
Listening to Rick Smith on NFL Network's Inside Training Camp, we are still on the top of the list for the waiver wire....... supposedly, he is looking for talent that might help this team, that might get cut from other teams.

with that said, keep a look out for DBs and Linebackers that might hit the waivers, and make good backups/roll players on our squad.
 
[[Gary Kubiak]] said:
Hrmmmm.... I tend to think 2nd CB is the problem now. Saving grace might come in the form of Earl and CC Brown. They have to be on their toes. 2nd CB behind dunta is super weak.
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i have to disagree and say that there is not a big of a gap between dunta and pbuc as you might think. phillip is in a contract year, has huge athletic ability, and is getting an improved dline. he has worked extremely hard this offseason on technique as well. from the impression i have gotten, showtime is over and its all about business and winning
 
ccdude730 said:
he has worked extremely hard this offseason on technique as well. from the impression i have gotten, showtime is over and its all about business and winning
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I had that impression too, but why isn't he first on the depth chart? I don't believe that it was his injury. Mathis is first on the depth chart as our KR and he hasn't returned a kick all year. PBuc may be better than last year, but I'm afraid he still has a long way to go. We'll know more in the coming weeks.
 
I'm not all the worried about the lb's to be honest. Greenwood was part of a very stout miami defense before coming to the Texans and I know he gave up 6.8 yrds per tackle or something like that last yr, but i dont feel like any of our linebackers had a chance in that scheme. And i feel that not enough people are excited to see Orr develope, he is a very solid lb as well and if Ryans or Cowart can lead them, we should at least have an average group behind an above average line. I just worry about the CB's (not Dunta of course)
 
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