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No take aways from Buffalo game?

vtech9

All Pro
Fair enough. However, I will not be too harsh on DM1O at this time. He did have an all time bad game for a quarterback drafted anywhere in the draft but I found one Qb who struggled almost as much as DM1O and he was drafted first in an NFL draft.

Alex Smith
Drafted: No. 1 overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 2005.

First start: Loss (28-3) to the Colts in Week 5 of 2005; 9 of 23 (39.1 percent) for 74 yards, zero touchdowns, four interceptions, five sacks and a passer rating of 8.5.

No the 49ers didn't get blown away near as badly as our Texans did but none the less Alex Smith really stunk up the joint that first game and for the most part, the rest of that season. It is safe to say that Alex Smith ended up being a pretty good quarterback. Not an all time great but a more than serviceable starter.

Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning among QBs with bad first starts (nfl.com)

DM10 was far from the first player picked in the NFL draft so his struggles are even more to be expected. He may never amount to much but I am not outright going to write him off after one really bad showing. One poor start on a bad football team against a really good football team with one of the highest rated defenses does not equate to the automatic end of a football career as a starting quarterback in the NFL. At least is shouldn't.
Check out Brady's game against New Orleans last season. I'm not sure if Brady will ever turn out to be any good, but that was a pretty bad game also. :sarcasm:
 

OptimisticTexan

2024 / Rebuilding Block 4 After Playoffs / Texans
Fair enough. However, I will not be too harsh on DM1O at this time. He did have an all time bad game for a quarterback drafted anywhere in the draft but I found one Qb who struggled almost as much as DM1O and he was drafted first in an NFL draft.

Alex Smith
Drafted: No. 1 overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 2005.

First start: Loss (28-3) to the Colts in Week 5 of 2005; 9 of 23 (39.1 percent) for 74 yards, zero touchdowns, four interceptions, five sacks and a passer rating of 8.5.

No the 49ers didn't get blown away near as badly as our Texans did but none the less Alex Smith really stunk up the joint that first game and for the most part, the rest of that season. It is safe to say that Alex Smith ended up being a pretty good quarterback. Not an all time great but a more than serviceable starter.

Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning among QBs with bad first starts (nfl.com)

DM10 was far from the first player picked in the NFL draft so his struggles are even more to be expected. He may never amount to much but I am not outright going to write him off after one really bad showing. One poor start on a bad football team against a really good football team with one of the highest rated defenses does not equate to the automatic end of a football career as a starting quarterback in the NFL. At least is shouldn't.
It took both Lawrence and Wilson 4 games to finally put together decent games resulting in a close loss and a win. Mills just finished 1.5 games....he's got 2.5 games to go, or add .5 or 1 more game since he was selected in RD3 versus RD1, for a better idea as to how he’s progressing.
 
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That terrible first start might be the reason Smith became a really good game manager who always took the "safe" pass without challenging defenses.
Playing behind some make shift O-lines with some crappy coaches those first few seasons didn't do Alex Smith any favors.

I have no problem with so called game managing quarterbacks. The game manager crap is played out. If a quarterback manages to have a good completiton percentage and does not turn the ball over a whole lot than by all means let them manage games like their lives depend on doing so.

While it is true that Alex Smith did not do so well in the playoffs he was a good quarterback none the less and his playoff record does not tell the whole story. Regardless, after a rough first season, Alex Smith ended up having a good career. Game management label be damned.
 
Check out Brady's game against New Orleans last season. I'm not sure if Brady will ever turn out to be any good, but that was a pretty bad game also. :sarcasm:
Love the sarcasm.

All I know is that there is precedent with some of the best quarterbacks in as much as them struggling when they started out as well. A few had some pretty putrid early games in their careers.

It is not like I am predicting DM10 will be a sure fire HOF enshrinee someday. All I am saying is that we don't need to be prisoners of the moment. We need to be fair in regards to DM10!
 
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but his inability to consistently make plays to challenge defenses or be a play maker when it was needed, always led to him being replaced
I get your point. Valid argument. Still he ended up having a better career than his early start gave people the impression he would have. He was not the kind of quarterback to put a team on his shoulders and carry them to victory but those kind of quarterbacks are very hard to find.
 
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vtech9

All Pro
Love the sarcasm.

All I know is that there is precedent with some of the best quarterbacks in as much as them struggling when they started out as well. A few had some pretty putrid early games in their careers.

It is not like I am predicting DM10 will be a sure fire HOF enshrinee someday. All I am saying is that we don't need to be prisoners of the moment. We need to be fair in regards to DM10!
I agree. The game I was referring to for Brady was last season. A season in which Brady won another Superbowl. That was week 9, so even though it was his first season with a new team, it was in the middle of the season. Brady was 22 of 38 for 209 yds. He had 3 INTs, and 0 TDs. It was a close game though. Tampa lost to the Saints 38-3.

My point is that every QB has a bad game. I don't remember when it was, but I know Brady also had a 4 INT game earlier in his career.
 

Texansballer74

The Marine
I agree. It is more common for a young quarterback to struggle though. Some on here don't seem to get that.
We all know they will struggle a lot.It’s the way he’s struggling.

I remember when some people were high on Tom Savage when we first drafted him and throughout preseason. He was also a very tough kid. But he struggled with reading defenses, ball placement and other facets of the game. I see th same things with Mills. Pep and Kelly better get a handle of this or just like Tom Savage, in 4 years he will be damaged goods.
 

justmy2cents

All Pro
Contributor's Club
We all know they will struggle a lot.It’s the way he’s struggling.

I remember when some people were high on Tom Savage when we first drafted him and throughout preseason. He was also a very tough kid. But he struggled with reading defenses, ball placement and other facets of the game. I see th same things with Mills. Pep and Kelly better get a handle of this or just like Tom Savage, in 4 years he will be damaged goods.
David Carr ! OLine has to find a way to pass block AND run block !
 

Speedy

Former Yeller Dweller
I agree. It is more common for a young quarterback to struggle though. Some on here don't seem to get that.
Some on here don’t seem to get that it’s a struggle enough for 1st rounders with at least a ton of experience between high school and the NFL.

This Mills kid played in 13 games in 4 years between high school and the NFL. That’s it. This kid either needed another year in college, or a season or two in the XFL, or both. He is not ready, and throwing him to the wolves like they have isn’t going to help much, I don’t believe.

We’ll see if any progress can be made in the next few games, if any, but through 3 preseason games and 2 1/2 regular season games, I haven’t seen it.

I think the Texans were idiots for drafting him as high as they did, and even more so making him QB2 and 1 play away from being the starter, which is where we’re at. But it seems no matter who is in charge, that’s the Texan way.

Not that it really matters in a throw away season, other than the fact you wasted a 3rd round pick. But draft picks really don’t seem to matter much with this new regime so far. They’ve given away at least 4 on guys they’ve cut, 3 of those were before the season started, and 1 happened before OTAs even took place. And 3 of those players could have been picked up on waivers or signed as FAs, and they could have kept the ******* draft picks. Not to mention what all they gave up to move up to get Wallow, who has 13 snaps in 4 games, and Nico, who has an incomplete grade on his pre report card so far. A guy who hasn’t played organized ball since 2019, by the way, and had just 2 catches in the 45 snaps he has played.

As much as I’m willing to give Caserio a mulligan this season, I just do not like too much of anything I’ve seen from him so far. It’s like they’re throwing darts at a ******* dart board with no actual plan or direction.
 

leebigeztx

Keep it Movin!
Under the impression maybe but that's an assumption again based on him being the first draft pick. Its also possible they just saw a solid backup for whichever QB they draft in the future or a project QB. Even if you are right you said it yourself, 3rd round experience so even if he was the second coming of whoever you want to compare him to he still wouldn't get there 4 games in and certainly not against the 3 defenses he just played against. I'm not defending Mills per say, could be he does suck that bad, but the knee jerk reactions around here boggle the mind.
Even if you thought he could be a solid backup down the line, you could get that solid backup 2 or 3 yrs from now after everything else is settled. When Wilson was drafted, he was in the 3rd rd strictly because he was 6'0. It was arms strength, mobility, leadership, or any other knock. If he was 6'2 or 6'4 like Mills, he would've been a 1st rd qb. Davis Mills doesn't have any special traits to play qb other than being 6'4. He doesn't have production or physical attributes that says special. Even with a guy like Foles with his limited college starts was 6'6, a great athlete, and a plus arm. He was taken in the 3rd rd by a guy who had a history of developing qbs. Caserio nor anyone else on this staff has a history of developing qbs other than maybe Pep Hamilton
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
I remember when some people were high on Tom Savage when we first drafted him and throughout preseason. He was also a very tough kid. But he struggled with reading defenses, ball placement and other facets of the game.
Again, Tom Savage was three years into learning the "system" & looked worse than Mills does 3 months in.

Granted Savage did not have a good OL, & his OC/play caller didn't do him any favors.
 
I am not sure Mills is talented enough to be a starter in the league either.
A lot of y'all were a lot more positive about DM10 after his performance against the Panthers. It is understandable that people would be more skeptical after his performance against the Bills which was terrible. Still, against the Panthers defense, DM10 didn't exactly showcase great promise beyond one two minute drive against a prevent defense and for the duration of the game he was not a turnover machine.

I think people are jumping to conclusions too soon on either side of the debate. In my opinion his body of work at this time is too small to make a fair determination. At this time I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. However if he has another stinker like the one he had last Sunday, I think that would be enough to tell us quite a bit about his future in the NFL. If he is at least average it will mean we still have hope. I am not expecting much but I am hoping he has a great game next Sunday. How DM10 and our team respond will tell us a lot about both.
 

OptimisticTexan

2024 / Rebuilding Block 4 After Playoffs / Texans
I fear DM10 will be another Mitch Trubisky.
Tribusky like Mills had what amounted to as one year as a starting QB at the CFB level.....then both were thrown to the wolves with questionable OL's and OC's.

Both QB's could've or could be completely different had they/or been given the A-A-Ron Rodgers method of development for 2+ seasons before taking the reins. There are QB's who can step in from day 1 and there are QB's who just need the time to properly develop.
 

76Texan

Hall of Fame
Tribusky like Mills had what amounted to as one year as a starting QB at the CFB level.....then both were thrown to the wolves with questionable OL's and OC's.

Both QB's could've or could be completely different had they/or been given the A-A-Ron Rodgers method of development for 2+ seasons before taking the reins. There are QB's who can step in from day 1 and there are QB's who just need the time to properly develop.
I never had any problem with Mills as a developmental guy.

I have a problem with taking a QB now, with a 3rd round pick while there are holes needed to be filled.

As a GM, Caserio is supposed to field a competitive team first.

Like I had said, if a Watson's trade brings two first, NC is on net zero ground, in my book.

The Texans ought to be at least competitive next year (for a wild card spot).

Otherwise, it should be a negative grade for him (NC).
 

steelbtexan

King of the W. B. Club
Contributor's Club
Some on here don’t seem to get that it’s a struggle enough for 1st rounders with at least a ton of experience between high school and the NFL.

This Mills kid played in 13 games in 4 years between high school and the NFL. That’s it. This kid either needed another year in college, or a season or two in the XFL, or both. He is not ready, and throwing him to the wolves like they have isn’t going to help much, I don’t believe.

We’ll see if any progress can be made in the next few games, if any, but through 3 preseason games and 2 1/2 regular season games, I haven’t seen it.

I think the Texans were idiots for drafting him as high as they did, and even more so making him QB2 and 1 play away from being the starter, which is where we’re at. But it seems no matter who is in charge, that’s the Texan way.

Not that it really matters in a throw away season, other than the fact you wasted a 3rd round pick. But draft picks really don’t seem to matter much with this new regime so far. They’ve given away at least 4 on guys they’ve cut, 3 of those were before the season started, and 1 happened before OTAs even took place. And 3 of those players could have been picked up on waivers or signed as FAs, and they could have kept the ******* draft picks. Not to mention what all they gave up to move up to get Wallow, who has 13 snaps in 4 games, and Nico, who has an incomplete grade on his pre report card so far. A guy who hasn’t played organized ball since 2019, by the way, and had just 2 catches in the 45 snaps he has played.

As much as I’m willing to give Caserio a mulligan this season, I just do not like too much of anything I’ve seen from him so far. It’s like they’re throwing darts at a ******* dart board with no actual plan or direction.
Did you like the Caserio hire to begin with?

Go ahead and cut Mills now.
 

CWTexansFan

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Contributor's Club
Ok yes both are QBs but by that line of thinking you can compare a Lamborghini to a Honda civic because both are cars.
I’m not worked up at all I just think people are forgetting that just because he was our first pick of the draft doesn’t mean he was a round 1 level talent.

Actually I find the whole thing to be amusing because if we have had a round one pick or even round two pick, assuming neither of those was Mills, then they would be under the microscope and Milks would be a “also selected in the draft”. Makes me wonder if we have had no picks till the 7th round then would we have analyzed them like this? My money is on yes because for a lot of people the draft is more fun than the season particularly right now.
Who in the heck is Milks? Or did you mean to type Milfs?
 
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