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Rating the FA period

mancunian

mancunian

Old Timer
:)
How would you all rate the FA period so far. I'm going to say B-.

I like the Flanagan signing as we upgrade two positions with McKinney going to guard.

Putzier means we know have a TE threat and I loved to see Joppru get fit.

Comments on the board have talked about how Weaver is good against the run. Well in my opinion thats good as we were awful in run defence last year.

I get the feeling that Kubiak likes tough physical players who are seen as "solid".
 
Well see yall are not looking at the fact that we went 2-14 last year so any play who comes here will demand a large amount of money.

Sam Cowart- Good MLB - A veteran..Xpro-bowler...Teach our D a few things.

Jeb Putzier- Good receiving TE- Will actually give us a threat in the TE spot.

Anthony Weaver- Good run stopper...Will form into a good pass rusher..

Jameel Cook- Receiving FB...Therefore giving Carr another option to dump off to when in need.

Kevin Walters- I really beleive this guy may prove to be a #2 receiver. He was deep in line in the Bengals WR pack but look at there top 2 receivers...If anything he will be a solid 3 and good special teams player.

Mike Flanagan- Instantly changes our line by moving people to different places...Great improvement.

I think we really have done a A- job...Another star linemen and WR and its a A+.
 
I'm with Hulk--B+. Although I like all of the signings, both Flanagan and Cowart have had injury issues. Although they appear healthy now, it's always a concern. However, the leadership/experience that they bring should do wonders for our offense and defense.

All of the signings fill key need areas. Maybe with not big name stars, but certainly with players that have potential and offer certain specialties. Weaver solidifies our line. Putzier gives Carr a decent TE. Cook provides versatility from FB position. Finally, Walters adds height and hands to our WR core.

Overall, as a fan, I'm happy. Of course, I'd love a big splash like Arrington, but then again that's why I'm not a pro GM/Coach.
 
I'd say a solid A.

We got a good head coach and a great assistant in Sherman.

We retained our special teams coach who is simply amazing at what he does.

We got a GOOD tight end, which has never happened until now.

We dumped aging, under-performing vets in Walker, Coleman, and Bradford who were eating up roster spots under the old Capers regime.

We let go a great guy (Gaffney) but a guy who is NOT a number 2 receiver in this league up to now. Best of luck, and I seriously hope he does well in Philly.

A solid center, and a great pass catching FB who compliments our run blocking FB Norris.

A run stuffing LB which was desperately needed. And we retained hard-working LBs who will flourish in the 4-3. I expect a break-out season. In fact, I think Wong is done. Great guy, great leader. Time is almost up, though.

Signed a WR from Cincy that cost a 7th round pick, which is where he was drafted at, and the guy is as big as AJ and is a possession-type receiver like Keyshawn...a guy who can make the 3rd & 4 catch and haul it in.

I think we've done well. I give us a low A. I don't think you have to land Terrell Owens or Shaun Alexander to deserve an A in free agency. And my grading is definitley skewed since the previous off seasons were all C's, in my opinion. So maybe I'm over-optimistic. Sue me. :cool:
 
id say a B+ but if we can get someone to compliment D. Rob on the otherside, than it will be an A. i mean noone wants to throw d.robs way so we need somone who can step up to the challenge and make our secondary one of the best in the league.
 
SIGNED

Terry Pierce
Good LB who could play Strongside LB or Inside LB.. Good intangibles and at the VERY LEAST provide great backup in a number of positions.
Grade = B- (81)

Jameel Cook
Pass Recieving FB, Not Much of a Blocker but adds another threat to our offense, Giving another dump off option to Carr when all else fails.
Grade = B- (80)

Sage Rosenfels
I'm not a fan of this guy at all.. i mean the dolphins QB lineup was dismal last year and this guy was 3rd up to bat..
Grade = D- (68)

Kevin Walters
6'3, 214lbs Sure Handed.. In all honesty i havent heard much from this guy but how could you with the likes of Chad Johnson, Housmezadah (sp?) and Chris Henry on the team with you.. but judging from what the scouts are saying about him and his hands I think he could end up being the complement to Andre Johnson. And a Big Sure Handed Target for Carr to Throw too. Lets have him and Mathis battle for the 2 spot and see how it turns out..
Grade= B- (82)

Anthony Weaver
This guys is STRONG at the point of attack and he did help clear the way for a strong Raven's LB corp when he was with them. Facing numerous double and triple teams in their 3-4 should've helped him prepare for going to 4-3 where 1 on 1s happen a lot more often.. speciality is run stuffing but I really believe that he could give us about 7-10 sacks a year in our defense.
Grade= B (85)

Sam Cowart
Veteran Leadership that our Defense was missing last year is now here.. He can really stop the run big time.. Could end up with 110-130 tackles for us.. and have The Bear and Travis Johnson in the middle our run defense should be patched up alot more..
Grade = B (84)

Jeb Putzier
Averaged 13 yards per catch, played with Kube so he knows exactly what's going on in this offense and he could not only help the O-Line with blocking Techinique in this new system but he could help the rest of the offense's transition even easier cause he's been there and done that. Great intangibles good reciever and a good blocker
Grade = B+ (86)

Mike Flanagan
Talk about veteran leadership.. he's up there in age but with age come knowledge and for an offense that was as horrible as ours was.. he will provide GREAT leadership, provide a better center and allow us to move McKinney to his natural position at Center. He's played with Sherman, who's with our staff, so that will make the transition to our team alot easier. He could hold down the center spot for at least 2-3 more years.
Grade = A- (90)

So Far..
OVERALL FA GRADE: B- (82)
 
HeartofHouston said:
SIGNED

Terry Pierce
Good LB who could play Strongside LB or Inside LB.. Good intangibles and at the VERY LEAST provide great backup in a number of positions.
Grade = B- (81)

Jameel Cook
Pass Recieving FB, Not Much of a Blocker but adds another threat to our offense, Giving another dump off option to Carr when all else fails.
Grade = B- (80)

Sage Rosenfels
I'm not a fan of this guy at all.. i mean the dolphins QB lineup was dismal last year and this guy was 3rd up to bat..
Grade = D- (68)

Kevin Walters
6'3, 214lbs Sure Handed.. In all honesty i havent heard much from this guy but how could you with the likes of Chad Johnson, Housmezadah (sp?) and Chris Henry on the team with you.. but judging from what the scouts are saying about him and his hands I think he could end up being the complement to Andre Johnson. And a Big Sure Handed Target for Carr to Throw too. Lets have him and Mathis battle for the 2 spot and see how it turns out..
Grade= B- (82)

Anthony Weaver
This guys is STRONG at the point of attack and he did help clear the way for a strong Raven's LB corp when he was with them. Facing numerous double and triple teams in their 3-4 should've helped him prepare for going to 4-3 where 1 on 1s happen a lot more often.. speciality is run stuffing but I really believe that he could give us about 7-10 sacks a year in our defense.
Grade= B (85)

Sam Cowart
Veteran Leadership that our Defense was missing last year is now here.. He can really stop the run big time.. Could end up with 110-130 tackles for us.. and have The Bear and Travis Johnson in the middle our run defense should be patched up alot more..
Grade = B (84)

Jeb Putzier
Averaged 13 yards per catch, played with Kube so he knows exactly what's going on in this offense and he could not only help the O-Line with blocking Techinique in this new system but he could help the rest of the offense's transition even easier cause he's been there and done that. Great intangibles good reciever and a good blocker
Grade = B+ (86)

Mike Flanagan
Talk about veteran leadership.. he's up there in age but with age come knowledge and for an offense that was as horrible as ours was.. he will provide GREAT leadership, provide a better center and allow us to move McKinney to his natural position at Center. He's played with Sherman, who's with our staff, so that will make the transition to our team alot easier. He could hold down the center spot for at least 2-3 more years.
Grade = A- (90)

So Far..
OVERALL FA GRADE: B- (82)
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Are you a teacher??:spy:
 
It's a low B or maybe a little better. Improved the team at several key positions, but the improvements are incremental, not extraordinary. I like it so far. Shows a real orderly football mind at work. Congrats to the FO.
 
TexansNeedRBin05 said:
Alot better than capers ever did though.
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If your grade was just between Capers and Kubiak - even on a curve - Kubiak would get an A+. :yahoo Comparing those two is like pitting a kid who rides the short bus against the National Merit Finalist. :)
 
Low A. They were able to get what should be solid players that can step in and fill holes immediately. Cowart and Flanagan bring much needed leadership and Putzier already knows the system. Your getting things stats really don't measure.

They did all this coming off a 2-14 season without really overpaying. The draft could make this team very interesting, to say the least. Pretty impressed so far. :redtowel:
 
Compared to every other off season we have had.... A++!!

Its a whole nother feel these days...and I like it.
 
Terry Pierce: Special team player at best. Grade = D (65)
Jameel Cook: Suppose to be a receiving FB, but he only had 7 catches in the each of the past two years. I don’t see how this helped us. Grade = C- (72)
Sage Rosenfels: Ragone is probably better then this guy. Grade = C- (72)
Kevin Walters: This is actually a downgrade from Gaffney. Still don’t have a proven no. 2 receiver. Grade= C- (71)
Anthony Weaver: Filling in a hole with a journeyman. Grade= C+ (78)
Sam Cowart: Journeyman middle linebacker who has fallen off in recent years. Grade = C (76)
Jeb Putzier: Finally, an acquisition I like. Grade = B (86)
Mike Flanagan: Another acquisition I like. Would get a better grade if Flanagan wasn’t so old nor hurt so often. Grade = B- (82)

So Far..
OVERALL FA GRADE: C (75) Still, this is an upgrade from last year.
 
I would go B-. This has been our best FA season to date, not including, expansion year, with the way we have filled needs with average to good players and not breaking the bank. Cass deserves a bunch of credit in my opinion. Now it is up to Kubiak to do what Capers and staff could not do and that is put together an executable gameplan that the players will tacitly sign off on and have fun finally.
 
i'm going with B- the main reason i say B- instead of an A is because yet again we have failed to land a proven number 2 receiver
 
C+
I think they brought in some decently talented role players to fill some holes for us while we continue to build thru the draft, but we didn't really bring in any great players. Jeb Putzier is probably my favorite move because he filled a big need and it means we don't need to look for a TE high in the draft, and I think releasing Gary Walker could end up helping the team in terms of locker room chemistry, and once his signing bonus is off the cap next year we'll have a nice bit of cap room to make some more moves. I would have liked to see them go after one top-end talent on both sides of the ball as a longer-term solution as a significant player, but they had to overpay for many of them as it is, so we'll see what they can do with the team they've assembled before passing final judgment.
 
A- I give them that grade not because of who they got, but because they got all the players they wanted at reasonable prices. Had they gotten Givens it would have been an A++ however I am thoughroughly impressed by their activity this offseason. They've given no indications of making a mistake which is a breath of fresh air.
 
mancunian said:
:)
How would you all rate the FA period so far. I'm going to say B-.

I like the Flanagan signing as we upgrade two positions with McKinney going to guard.

Putzier means we know have a TE threat and I loved to see Joppru get fit.

Comments on the board have talked about how Weaver is good against the run. Well in my opinion thats good as we were awful in run defence last year.

I get the feeling that Kubiak likes tough physical players who are seen as "solid".
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Like I said, I don't think much about it. People claim Weaver is good against the run, and he'd better be because his sack numbers are below par. Putzier certainly doesn't impress me because -- until the Texans get some pass protection -- they'll need to still keep the TE in to block or else it will be even worse for Carr than it was last year. Cook and Rosenfelds are non-issues and Walter has been very, very unproductive and would be a below-par WR2.
 
dat_boy_yec said:
A- I give them that grade not because of who they got, but because they got all the players they wanted at reasonable prices.
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One look at the bargain bin in the grocery store shows you that you can get a lot of stuff nobody wants or cares about very cheap. So why does that rate an A-?
 
MorKnolle said:
C+
Jeb Putzier is probably my favorite move because he filled a big need and it means we don't need to look for a TE high in the draft
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I see Putzier as a waste. The OL is still very, very weak and unproven and the Texans will still have to keep the TE in to block until that situation is worked out. The last thing the Texans need is a pass-catching TE when the OL is in such woeful shape. Heck, like Gaffney said, the receivers they have now can't even get halfway through their routes before Carr gets sacked -- and that's when the TE was in help out!! It will be even worse if they send out the TE.
 
WildBlackBear32 said:
Are you saying Weaver is a journeyman?? He's 26 and played for one team his entire career. Hardly a journeyman at all.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: A journeyman is a tradesman or craftsman who may well have completed an apprenticeship but is not yet able to set up their own workshop as a master.

Yep, I'd say the definition suits him. Any other question?
 
Bobo said:
One look at the bargain bin in the grocery store shows you that you can get a lot of stuff nobody wants or cares about very cheap. So why does that rate an A-?
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Name a TE that was better than Putzier available in the market this off-season. Name 3 centers better than Flannagan this period. Name a MLB better than Cowart this offseason and don't give me we could have gotten Peterson or Arrington and converted them. Name me 3 DE's better than Weaver that HIT the market this off-season. Oh and name be a better coach that was available. They filled holes without breaking the bank and got solid talent. Don't make a stupid comparison to the grocery store because this is a completely different situation.
 
Wharton said:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: A journeyman is a tradesman or craftsman who may well have completed an apprenticeship but is not yet able to set up their own workshop as a master.

Yep, I'd say the definition suits him. Any other question?
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Gee, is it appropriate to use antiquated language to describe modern roles. Also that does not answer a damn thing because no football player set up workshops as it concerns to their job with the NFL. Ok here's a question what percentage of player's start and end their career with the same team?
 
I wouldn't say that Weaver is a journeyman. Saying he is a journeyman is like saying Edgerrin James is a journeyman.

In the sports world, a journeyman is someone who plays for many teams and never really stays on one team for too long. Something like playing for 4 teams in 6 years, not playing for one team for their entire career and playing for a second one 5 years later.
 
tulexan said:
I wouldn't say that Weaver is a journeyman. Saying he is a journeyman is like saying Edgerrin James is a journeyman.

In the sports world, a journeyman is someone who plays for many teams and never really stays on one team for too long. Something like playing for 4 teams in 6 years, not playing for one team for their entire career and playing for a second one 5 years later.
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Bingo.
 
dat_boy_yec said:
Name a TE that was better than Putzier available in the market this off-season. Name 3 centers better than Flannagan this period. Name a MLB better than Cowart this offseason and don't give me we could have gotten Peterson or Arrington and converted them. Name me 3 DE's better than Weaver that HIT the market this off-season. Oh and name be a better coach that was available. They filled holes without breaking the bank and got solid talent. Don't make a stupid comparison to the grocery store because this is a completely different situation.
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A.) Just about ANY blocking TE would be better for the Texans. Like I've said many times before, the Texans had a decent pass catching TE in Billy Miller but they got rid of him because Carr needed more protection and they went to D-Davis more rather than the TE so the TE could stay in or block. Until the OL can prove it can block without the help of the TE, then they need a blocking TE -- NOT someone like Putzier.
B.) Flanagan is old. There are tons of centers better than him.
C.) How many sacks did Weaver have last year?
D.) If I were to name all the coaches that were better than Kubiak who were available, I would use up all the bandwidth available on the internet.
E.) I don't know of any holes the Texans have filled with FA thus far. QB wasn't a hole, neither was FB or TE. They need more sacks and Weaver certainly didn't fill that need. Flanagan has been around for 10 years and certainly isn't the right guy for a team that is several years away from a playoff berth.
F.) The grocery store bargain bin analogy certainly does work in this case because the bin is filled with stuff nobody else wants or cares about and people buy it simply because it's cheap -- even if they really don't need it.
 
bobo said:
A.) Just about ANY blocking TE would be better for the Texans. Like I've said many times before, the Texans had a decent pass catching TE in Billy Miller but they got rid of him because Carr needed more protection and they went to D-Davis more rather than the TE so the TE could stay in or block. Until the OL can prove it can block without the help of the TE, then they need a blocking TE -- NOT someone like Putzier.
B.) Flanagan is old. There are tons of centers better than him.
C.) How many sacks did Weaver have last year?
D.) If I were to name all the coaches that were better than Kubiak who were available, I would use up all the bandwidth available on the internet.
E.) I don't know of any holes the Texans have filled with FA thus far. QB wasn't a hole, neither was FB or TE. They need more sacks and Weaver certainly didn't fill that need. Flanagan has been around for 10 years and certainly isn't the right guy for a team that is several years away from a playoff berth.
F.) The grocery store bargain bin analogy certainly does work in this case because the bin is filled with stuff nobody else wants or cares about and people buy it simply because it's cheap -- even if they really don't need it.
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Way to name better people....
 
[[Gary Kubiak]] said:
F- these fools have not proven anything. Gimme till mid season and I'll give out a true grade.
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So what your saying is no matter who we get you would give the offseason a F- because they have not proven anything yet. No matter how good a player has they have not proven anything until they do it in a Texans uniform.
 
Bobo said:
A.) Just about ANY blocking TE would be better for the Texans. Like I've said many times before, the Texans had a decent pass catching TE in Billy Miller but they got rid of him because Carr needed more protection and they went to D-Davis more rather than the TE so the TE could stay in or block. Until the OL can prove it can block without the help of the TE, then they need a blocking TE -- NOT someone like Putzier.
B.) Flanagan is old. There are tons of centers better than him.
C.) How many sacks did Weaver have last year?
D.) If I were to name all the coaches that were better than Kubiak who were available, I would use up all the bandwidth available on the internet.
E.) I don't know of any holes the Texans have filled with FA thus far. QB wasn't a hole, neither was FB or TE. They need more sacks and Weaver certainly didn't fill that need. Flanagan has been around for 10 years and certainly isn't the right guy for a team that is several years away from a playoff berth.
F.) The grocery store bargain bin analogy certainly does work in this case because the bin is filled with stuff nobody else wants or cares about and people buy it simply because it's cheap -- even if they really don't need it.
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A) So your saying Bruener who is already on our roster and considered a premier blocking end is not good enough. Your saying you want to bring in another Bruener type end instead of having picked up a balanced tight end. That would be such a good idea to let everybody know our TE's will be non-existent in the passing game.
B)Let me help you out. Bentley who the Browns made the highest paid center this off-season, Mawae who went to the Titans and they paid what over 10 mill. for a guy who might be better than our guy who we paid less than 10 million. Besides those two guys I just want to see you come up with 1 other center available this offseason that's better than Flanagan.
C)It's not the ends job to get sacks in the 3-4 but to occupy the linemen the fact that he had any sacks speaks well of him.
D)Go ahead, name them. Name them their credentials and unbiased reasons why they would be better head coaches.
E)Probably because you don't know jack about what the Texans needs were.
F)Millions of dollars are not cheap. Players aren't just sitting there waiting to be picked up. They know they'll get picked up if they're good, if we hadn't signed the guys we signed. I guarantee you they would have found other homes and might have even gotten paid better.
 
i dont see how some of you can be negative about this offseason, i mean the FO is really trying to turn this into a pretty good football team, what did capers and co ever really do in the offseasons to help us. only move they ever made in FA was bringing in R. Smith.
 
TexansTrueFan said:
i dont see how some of you can be negative about this offseason, i mean the FO is really trying to turn this into a pretty good football team, what did capers and co ever really do in the offseasons to help us. only move they ever made in FA was bringing in R. Smith.
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I totally agree with that this off-season has been great. I shudder to think what this off-season would be looking like if Capers were still here. We would be talking about how many holes we still had and why didn't we go after so and so and why didn't we do this and that. As it stands i'm all Mickey D's. I'm lovin it.
 
tulexan said:
I wouldn't say that Weaver is a journeyman. Saying he is a journeyman is like saying Edgerrin James is a journeyman.

In the sports world, a journeyman is someone who plays for many teams and never really stays on one team for too long. Something like playing for 4 teams in 6 years, not playing for one team for their entire career and playing for a second one 5 years later.
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Fine, if you don't like journeyman, then insert whatever word you like for a player who is an average overall NFL professional with little to no potential to become exceptional. The Pro Bowl is not in his future.
 
Wharton said:
Fine, if you don't like journeyman, then insert whatever word you like for a player who is an average overall NFL professional with little to no potential to become exceptional. The Pro Bowl is not in his future.
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You must have consulted the magic 8-ball to determine that Weaver will "never" get to the pro-bowl. :twocents:

I will grade the Texans high. They get an A. They are revamping the team and changing the offense and defense. I am sure it will continue to improve. I would like to encourage everyone to be positive. The FA's haven't even practiced yet. They could be great. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.
 
Wharton said:
Fine, if you don't like journeyman, then insert whatever word you like for a player who is an average overall NFL professional with little to no potential to become exceptional.
Click to expand...


my word for this ..... functional components (I know that's 2 words) .... every Super Bowl team has them .... for every Joey Porter you need 2 Casey Hamptons .... for every Ray Lewis you need 2 Jamie Sharpers .... for every Shaun Alexander you need 2 Max Strongs ....


would I rather have Mario Williams, Dwight Freeney, or Deacon Jones? Yes, but it's about what you can get, not what you want ....

:twocents:
 
So, among the journeymen definitions and grocery store lists from a Titan fan, I give the FA acquiring a high C (as opposed to the drink) as I think they're good acquisitions, but till I see how they mesh on the field - hard to grade. If nothing else, they keep the Texans from being "forced" to select players in the draft for a need and could go more towards BPA.
 
Bobo said:
A.) Just about ANY blocking TE would be better for the Texans. Like I've said many times before, the Texans had a decent pass catching TE in Billy Miller but they got rid of him because Carr needed more protection and they went to D-Davis more rather than the TE so the TE could stay in or block. Until the OL can prove it can block without the help of the TE, then they need a blocking TE -- NOT someone like Putzier.
B.) Flanagan is old. There are tons of centers better than him.
C.) How many sacks did Weaver have last year?
D.) If I were to name all the coaches that were better than Kubiak who were available, I would use up all the bandwidth available on the internet.
E.) I don't know of any holes the Texans have filled with FA thus far. QB wasn't a hole, neither was FB or TE. They need more sacks and Weaver certainly didn't fill that need. Flanagan has been around for 10 years and certainly isn't the right guy for a team that is several years away from a playoff berth.
F.) The grocery store bargain bin analogy certainly does work in this case because the bin is filled with stuff nobody else wants or cares about and people buy it simply because it's cheap -- even if they really don't need it.
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Nice post...:sarcasm:
 
this offseason gets an A from me simply because we scrapped the 3-4 defense! :redtowel: That is a bad defense to run when you are drafting college DE's and trying to teach them LB in the NFL. The teams that run it well have veteran players starting and groom guys to fit in. we were in a no win situation. at least now we can plug college players in to their normal positions.

I like the FA's we signed. We need more vets on the team. Especially guys that dont accept losing.
 
Bobo said:
A.) Just about ANY blocking TE would be better for the Texans. Like I've said many times before, the Texans had a decent pass catching TE in Billy Miller but they got rid of him because Carr needed more protection and they went to D-Davis more rather than the TE so the TE could stay in or block. Until the OL can prove it can block without the help of the TE, then they need a blocking TE -- NOT someone like Putzier.
B.) Flanagan is old. There are tons of centers better than him.
C.) How many sacks did Weaver have last year?
D.) If I were to name all the coaches that were better than Kubiak who were available, I would use up all the bandwidth available on the internet.
E.) I don't know of any holes the Texans have filled with FA thus far. QB wasn't a hole, neither was FB or TE. They need more sacks and Weaver certainly didn't fill that need. Flanagan has been around for 10 years and certainly isn't the right guy for a team that is several years away from a playoff berth.
F.) The grocery store bargain bin analogy certainly does work in this case because the bin is filled with stuff nobody else wants or cares about and people buy it simply because it's cheap -- even if they really don't need it.
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LOL. I totally disagree. We signed guys to fill our positions of need so we can draft BPA. Flanagan was a 2004 Pro Bowler. He allows McKinney to move back to his natural position at LG. He provides leadership, something that has been lacking from the offense since Day 1.
Putzier was top 10 in the league in yards for his position. We already have Bruener if we merely want a blocker. Putzier allows us to take advantage of those Cover 2 defenses that have killed us to date.
Cowart is definitely a stop-gap that allows us to draft a prospect this year or wait until next year to take one.
Sage is a wasted signing for sure. That is one I agree with you on. I could have come up with about 50 QB's I'd rather have.
Weaver is good (not great) against the run, and has enough pass-rush skills to keep him on the field on 3rd downs (granted at DT rather than DE). We overspent for him, but he will be a good addition to the team.
N.D. Kalu provides a viable alternative to Weaver at LDE.

Overall I think we have filled almost all of our needs adequately, and are setting ourselves up to draft for good players instead of needs.
 
I would give it a B to B+ so far. I'm sure we can find ways that they might've been able to add somewhat better talent, but all things considered, they've addressed multiple need positions with capable vets. Picking up a veteran center of the caliber of Flanagan should go a long way to improving that line. Putzier gives you that receiving TE which was never utilized under the old regime. Weaver gives you that run-stuffing DE which in a 4-3 should help improve the D in a major way. Cowart gives you a guy to anchor the LBs in the 4-3. Cook gives you a nice receiving back. Rosenfels gives you someone decent in case Carr goes down. Walter gives you a solid #3 who can push to be the #2 in a couple of seasons. They're still active in free agency, looking for a vet who can be a #2 today. Now they have the draft to add a phenomenal player at #1, someone who can flourish in the new offense and also 3 picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds (high picks in each round, nonetheless) to address other areas of need which were not touched on in free agency or to add great prospects at spots you've already signed guys for.

At least there is a much better rhyme to the reason why these free agent moves have been made. I think the coaching change was the most significant and most positive move of the offseason. If you have leadership that knows what it is doing, then you can have a great impact from signing solid role players.
 
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