Texans offseason dilemmas...

[David's Busted Carr]

The Texans are in a VERY tight spot this offseason. I personally think Capers and his staff will be GONE, but the Charley Casserly will stay. Although I think Casserly is just as much to blame as Capers, the coach will ultimately take the fall. And it is alot easier to replace a coach than it is s GM. Here is what I would like to see happen.

1) Hire Gary Kubiak as head coach. He's an Aggie alum so he'd love to coach at home. He'd be a great FRESH start and be extermely motivated as a first time head coach. Not to mention he has been extremely successful in Denver and it's his time he gets his shot. I really don't want someone else's reject (Mike Martz, Steve Marriuci, etc.).

2) Obtain 2 legitmate starters on the OL either via free agency or the draft. Pitts, Wade, Weigert, and McKinney are serviceable. All the others are just trash.

3) Get an NFL calibur TE. Ever since the start of the franchise we have not had a REAL TE. You get Carr a solid TE, he'll transform into a top 10 QB in the NFL. Just look what Antonio Gates did for Drew Brees.

4) Sign a solid WR to take pressure off of AJ. Reggie Wayne would be ideal if Indy will let him go.

5) Beef up the secondary. The only player worth anything is Dunta Robinson. Marcus Coleman is washed up and Philip Buchanon is awful (what a waste of 2 draft picks). We need to sign a legit VETERAN safety to lead the defense (ala Rodney Harrison), and get another decent corner.

Then comes the draft. If the Texans get the #1 pick they would be in an AWFUL spot. Everyone on the planet knows Reggie Bush is the best talent, BUT the problem is the Texans don't NEED Reggie Bush. Sure they could use him, but DD is arguably our best player. Unless you could trade DD to obtain a top notch starting TACKLE, I don't see how you draft Reggie Bush. So then what do they do? Do you really draft Brick Ferguson at #1 and pay a TACKLE 40 million guaranteed money? And if you decide to trade down and obtain more picks, you then RISK losing out on Ferguson and then what do you do with your #1 pick.

Whoever is making the draft picks this year better be VERY careful or even more fans could jump off the bandwagon! After suffering though this pitiful season, all Texans fans will looking to the draft for something to be cheeful about!

Sorry for the novel, but this is my first post so I just wanted to share my thoughts!

 

[Sarg01]

Do you really draft Brick Ferguson at #1 and pay a TACKLE 40 million guaranteed money? And if you decide to trade down and obtain more picks, you then RISK losing out on Ferguson and then what do you do with your #1 pick.

Brick isn't the only elite player available. He's not even the only elite at positions of critical need. We desperately need someone in the secondary (Jimmy Williams) and we desperately need some more skill in the linebacking corps (AJ Hawk). If the new coach is a 4-3 guy, we probably need another DE (Mario Williams). If we trade down to the middle of the round, how about a Marcedes (sp?) Lewis at tight end. There's even a few other elite-ish OLine prospects like Eric Winston or Max Jean-Giles.

 

[TexanFanInCC]

The Texans are in a VERY tight spot this offseason. I personally think Capers and his staff will be GONE, but the Charley Casserly will stay. Although I think Casserly is just as much to blame as Capers, the coach will ultimately take the fall. And it is alot easier to replace a coach than it is s GM. Here is what I would like to see happen.

1) Hire Gary Kubiak as head coach. He's an Aggie alum so he'd love to coach at home. He'd be a great FRESH start and be extermely motivated as a first time head coach. Not to mention he has been extremely successful in Denver and it's his time he gets his shot. I really don't want someone else's reject (Mike Martz, Steve Marriuci, etc.).

2) Obtain 2 legitmate starters on the OL either via free agency or the draft. Pitts, Wade, Weigert, and McKinney are serviceable. All the others are just trash.

3) Get an NFL calibur TE. Ever since the start of the franchise we have not had a REAL TE. You get Carr a solid TE, he'll transform into a top 10 QB in the NFL. Just look what Antonio Gates did for Drew Brees.

4) Sign a solid WR to take pressure off of AJ. Reggie Wayne would be ideal if Indy will let him go.

5) Beef up the secondary. The only player worth anything is Dunta Robinson. Marcus Coleman is washed up and Philip Buchanon is awful (what a waste of 2 draft picks). We need to sign a legit VETERAN safety to lead the defense (ala Rodney Harrison), and get another decent corner.

Then comes the draft. If the Texans get the #1 pick they would be in an AWFUL spot. Everyone on the planet knows Reggie Bush is the best talent, BUT the problem is the Texans don't NEED Reggie Bush. Sure they could use him, but DD is arguably our best player. Unless you could trade DD to obtain a top notch starting TACKLE, I don't see how you draft Reggie Bush. So then what do they do? Do you really draft Brick Ferguson at #1 and pay a TACKLE 40 million guaranteed money? And if you decide to trade down and obtain more picks, you then RISK losing out on Ferguson and then what do you do with your #1 pick.

Whoever is making the draft picks this year better be VERY careful or even more fans could jump off the bandwagon! After suffering though this pitiful season, all Texans fans will looking to the draft for something to be cheeful about!

Sorry for the novel, but this is my first post so I just wanted to share my thoughts!

very funny. i am surprised u didnt mention anything about the d-line. walker has to go. payne has been a tad inconsistent, but has made strides.

on ur #2 statement, u mentioned 4 linemen that were serviceable. if they were serviceable, then only one lineman wouldnt be serviceable and 4 outa 5 should mean that our offensive line should be much better than it is, but its not. todd wade is a flop. pitts, wiegert, and maybe mckinney are the serviceable ones.

i wonder what kind of offense kubiak would bring. im hoping he will bring an offense that will throw the ball deep...like mike martz. carr has too much arm strength and too fast of recievers like AJ, mathis, and derrick armstrong to not throw deep. DD to me is not the breakaway back we need, but he is very good as a safety valve in the passing game. he needs to be used more like a brian westbrook.

if you are proposing that we seek OL help via free agency, then our first pick in the draft should be on any one of the following: CB, MLB, DE. I think we need to try and draft texas TE david thomas in the later rounds. that would be just what carr needs. that would be the biggest help of all to the offense.

 

[El Tejano]

I think we need to try and draft texas TE david thomas in the later rounds. that would be just what carr needs. that would be the biggest help of all to the offense.

I am a big fan of that statement. However I believe at #1 you take the guy that can get you TDs which is also what this offense needs. Take a look at our two biggest producers on the team DD and AJ. AJ get alot of yards but rarely gets in the endzone the way an elite WR should. DD gets off good runs but gets caught from behind like the game against the Titans earlier this season and this past week against the Ravens. A guy like Bush takes those to the house. The other thing is because of the dual threat he poses for the other team as a runner or receiver.

 

[TexanFanInCC]

I am a big fan of that statement. However I believe at #1 you take the guy that can get you TDs which is also what this offense needs. Take a look at our two biggest producers on the team DD and AJ. AJ get alot of yards but rarely gets in the endzone the way an elite WR should. DD gets off good runs but gets caught from behind like the game against the Titans earlier this season and this past week against the Ravens. A guy like Bush takes those to the house. The other thing is because of the dual threat he poses for the other team as a runner or receiver.

very true. i think david thomas caliber TE would help the offense move more consistently, but you still need to punch it into the endzone, and thats what bush does.

 

[El Tejano]

This team is also lacking a punt returner and he provides that as well. That is 3 skill positions by one player. You gotta be able to take a guy like that. You can spend the rest on lineman all day after you get that guy.

Look we pretty much are going to get David Carr for three more years and we all have discovered the team is not built around him. Why don't we draft the guy we can build the team around and provide us with a very powerful running game?

 

[David's Busted Carr]

This team is also lacking a punt returner and he provides that as well. That is 3 skill positions by one player. You gotta be able to take a guy like that. You can spend the rest on lineman all day after you get that guy.

You really going to let a guy that is guaranteed $40 million return punts and/or kicks? To me that is one of Bush's strong suits in college that would not be a factor in the NFL...

 

[tulexan]

Well first of all, no NFL contracts are guaranteed, so he isn't guaranteed $40 million dollars. I'm sure he will have a large signing bonus, but not a $40 million dollar signing bonus. Second of all, if he is the best person to return punts why not have him do the returns? Would you rather have Phillip Buchanon dance around for 15 seconds after he catches the ball and not take a single step forward or have Mathis fumble the ball? A lot of teams have premier players return punts for them. That is what makes Reggie Bush so dangerous is that you play him a little on the return team, a little as a receiver, and a little at running back. He may be a part time player at one position, but he is a full time player on offense.

 

[Kaiser Toro]

Well first of all, no NFL contracts are guaranteed, so he isn't guaranteed $40 million dollars. I'm sure he will have a large signing bonus, but not a $40 million dollar signing bonus. Second of all, if he is the best person to return punts why not have him do the returns? Would you rather have Phillip Buchanon dance around for 15 seconds after he catches the ball and not take a single step forward or have Mathis fumble the ball? A lot of teams have premier players return punts for them. That is what makes Reggie Bush so dangerous is that you play him a little on the return team, a little as a receiver, and a little at running back. He may be a part time player at one position, but he is a full time player on offense.

Case in point is having Davis returning punts this past weekend. He came off the field after returning one and we had our back up in there for the two most important carries of the game.

 

[GP]

Kubiak makes sense because of how he has developed Plummer, who I might mention was every bit as ridiculed and on the hot seat in Arizona that David Carr is in at Houston. Plus, I think Denver uses a zone blocking scheme for running which we also run...allowing various running backs to thrive (look at Wells, for instance. Nice job, eh?).

I see our team in the same boat Denver was in last year: Underachieving but enought talent to make a few moves and be back in action. Granted, Shanahan is tad bit bit smarter than Capers when it comes to HC'ing. But Kubiak is a product of that system, and I would rather see Kubiak here than any old re-tread like JJ. Those days of Parcells, Gibbs, etc., is just O-V-E-R.

Heck, a new HC and some moves in the other coaching spots can really make a huge difference. Of course, it will require a LOT more patience among us fans next season...we're going to have to brace ourselves for the possibility of another bad season even if under new management.

Anywa, No "one" player is going to solve this problem. If Casserly can just stop the bleeding and play this draft situation the STRAIGHT way and not like a river boat gambler, we can haul in some good talent in the draft.

 

[Double Barrel]

Good points, gpshafer, and we should be prepared for the old "need time to build" mantra under a new regime. We could be serious bottom dwellers for 2-3 more years while a new staff acquires the players for their system.

Or, perhaps, we've got more talent that we realize and they're just not being utilized to play to their strengths.

But I'm in it for the long haul, regardless of what happens, so I can only hope that we see some success sooner than later.

 

[edo783]

I suspect that the NEW coaching staff will look real smart and good, because IMO we have more talent than what you would expect on a 1-11 team. NEW coaching, a couple of FAs and 2-4 starters from the draft and we MIGHT be a real turnaround story next year. We were 7-9 last year and have shown we CAN play at times. I think a different attitude that would come from NEW coaches and a few new players could make a world of difference. A little luck wouldn't be a bad thing either.

 

[tulexan]

Case in point is having Davis returning punts this past weekend. He came off the field after returning one and we had our back up in there for the two most important carries of the game.

Probably because he hasn't been used to running 20 yards at one time.

 

[Kaiser Toro]

Probably because he hasn't been used to running 20 yards at one time.

Would that be Davis returning a punt for 20 or Wells running for 20.

 

[SESupergenius]

Looking back at the previous draft and going through some older posts here in this forum, there seems to be a boat load of opinions as to what the Texans obviously should do, but Casserly does something completely unfathomable. We were 7-9 folks, on our way to our 1st winning season and then the offseason and draft pretty much sealed our fate.

First we draft Greenwood. ok? We needed a replacement for Foreman who pretty much has been vilified through the last few seasons. To be honest I've never really had my eye on Greenwood, much less think he was an upgrade at the position especially when you the likes of Kendrell Bell being released by the Steelers. A guy you wouldn't have to do much in learning the 3-4, same with Hartwell of the Ravens. That was our first non-upgrade.

We then let go of our other OLB and unit leader, Sharper. Now from the get go, no matter if you thought Sharper was getting worn or not, having a new ILB corps has it's difficulties to begin with, especially when no one is waiting in the wings to replace them. This was major flaw in the Texans thinking; That Peek was ready to be the ROLB and the moving Wong over to replace Sharper even though Wong had his best year ever at the ROLB spot. I felt our linebackers were coming along fine and that all we needed was a Foreman replacement, instead we get a complete shifting of our linebackers as a whole. I wasn't in favor of Babin starting right aways, but he had a very successful rookie year. What was really odd to me is that I got the impression after all these doings was that the Texans felt that the linebackers were the problem and it needed to be addressed. ok? But then they trade for Buchanon and give up valuable draft picks and basically showing our best veteran leader the door. Once again, no upgrade. Factor that in too that we let Kenny Wright and McCree slip away and we actually regressed in qualtiy in the secondary.

So then our hopes are centered on the draft but since we traded away to good picks, we should make our first a good one. It couldn't have been any better than to see a widely popular LB from UT slide down to us where we could pick him up to learn the ropes in case any of our other LB's don't pan out. pzzzt. Instead we draft TJ. A player we could have traded down and picked up additional picks if he was our main target. No love would have been lost in my mind if TJ was taken before we had a chance after trading down, especially when the likes of Castillo was still available, whom of which I think is the better player suited for our scheme. Once again, no upgrade.

So then we draft a HB. huh? We have Davis, Wells and Hollings. This pick officalyy declared Hollings a bust. So you think we could have used Justin Tuck, Chris Henry, or Sione Pouha?

I don't trust Casserly to do much if we traded down this year, we are screwed if he's still here.

 

[tulexan]

Would that be Davis returning a punt for 20 or Wells running for 20.

Davis

 

[TexHorns]

I am a big fan of that statement. However I believe at #1 you take the guy that can get you TDs which is also what this offense needs. Take a look at our two biggest producers on the team DD and AJ. AJ get alot of yards but rarely gets in the endzone the way an elite WR should. DD gets off good runs but gets caught from behind like the game against the Titans earlier this season and this past week against the Ravens. A guy like Bush takes those to the house. The other thing is because of the dual threat he poses for the other team as a runner or receiver.

You have good points but If its not broke dont fix it! You can take that strait out of Lessons Learned from This Last Offseason vol. 1. #1 Davis and #2 Wells is all we need at RB. If we draft Bush with this starting Oline and these starting DBs (Dunta not included) then we might as well be just watching replays of this year well into 2007. Not to mention that we are in great need of depth at several other positions.

 

[Bobo]

If its not broke dont fix it! You can take that strait out of Lessons Learned from This Last Offseason vol. 1. #1 Davis and #2 Wells is all we need at RB. If we draft Bush with this starting Oline and these starting DBs (Dunta not included) then we might as well be just watching replays of this year well into 2007. Not to mention that we are in great need of depth at several other positions.

Finally somebody exhibits some good old-fashion common sense.

 

[Kaiser Toro]

Looking back at the previous draft and going through some older posts here in this forum, there seems to be a boat load of opinions as to what the Texans obviously should do, but Casserly does something completely unfathomable. We were 7-9 folks, on our way to our 1st winning season and then the offseason and draft pretty much sealed our fate.

First we draft Greenwood. ok? We needed a replacement for Foreman who pretty much has been vilified through the last few seasons. To be honest I've never really had my eye on Greenwood, much less think he was an upgrade at the position especially when you the likes of Kendrell Bell being released by the Steelers. A guy you wouldn't have to do much in learning the 3-4, same with Hartwell of the Ravens. That was our first non-upgrade.

We then let go of our other OLB and unit leader, Sharper. Now from the get go, no matter if you thought Sharper was getting worn or not, having a new ILB corps has it's difficulties to begin with, especially when no one is waiting in the wings to replace them. This was major flaw in the Texans thinking; That Peek was ready to be the ROLB and the moving Wong over to replace Sharper even though Wong had his best year ever at the ROLB spot. I felt our linebackers were coming along fine and that all we needed was a Foreman replacement, instead we get a complete shifting of our linebackers as a whole. I wasn't in favor of Babin starting right aways, but he had a very successful rookie year. What was really odd to me is that I got the impression after all these doings was that the Texans felt that the linebackers were the problem and it needed to be addressed. ok? But then they trade for Buchanon and give up valuable draft picks and basically showing our best veteran leader the door. Once again, no upgrade. Factor that in too that we let Kenny Wright and McCree slip away and we actually regressed in qualtiy in the secondary.

So then our hopes are centered on the draft but since we traded away to good picks, we should make our first a good one. It couldn't have been any better than to see a widely popular LB from UT slide down to us where we could pick him up to learn the ropes in case any of our other LB's don't pan out. pzzzt. Instead we draft TJ. A player we could have traded down and picked up additional picks if he was our main target. No love would have been lost in my mind if TJ was taken before we had a chance after trading down, especially when the likes of Castillo was still available, whom of which I think is the better player suited for our scheme. Once again, no upgrade.

So then we draft a HB. huh? We have Davis, Wells and Hollings. This pick officalyy declared Hollings a bust. So you think we could have used Justin Tuck, Chris Henry, or Sione Pouha?

I don't trust Casserly to do much if we traded down this year, we are screwed if he's still here.

Cass and Capers have made their bed. Greenwood still has me scratching my head, but as of late he has played well.

 

[edo783]

Greenwood still has me scratching my head, but as of late he has played well.

Yea, I think he is getting used to the defensive scheme. Might wind up working out.