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Texans random thought of the day

Looks like the Texans are still looking for veteran help at safety. They are bringing in Marcus Gilchrist for a look. He was originally drafted in 2011 by the Chargers as a CB, but was converted the next year. For the past 2 years, he has been a Jets starting safety...............29 consecutive starts. But the problem is that in week 14 (Dec 11) last season, he suffered a patellar tendon rupture, and has only been cleared to return to play July 27. The Jets used their first 2 picks in the recent draft anticipating that Gilchrist would have a tough road back. He would make a perfect selection for the Texans growing collection of players coming off of serious injury.

[BTW, Gilchrist is another Clemson guy]
 
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Nice to see Brandon Weedon having a good camp - a calm vet who knows Bill's offense is always valuable with younger guys out there.
I think Watson should be the guy unless he stinks it up in the pre-season games - at least we know we have some ready backup.
 
If we had Marone and (DC), and Titans had O'Brien and Romeo Crennel, this division would belong to them - without a doubt.

If we had Marrone and (DC) who would be HC of the Jags, and which (DC would we be getting, Titans or Jags or Colts?

Now if we could get Mularky and LeBeau from the Titans in exchange for O'Brien and Crennel I would think our chances would be as good or better
 
I guess the hardest thing for the common fan to understand is that no team is going to have the best player group at every position
 
I guess the hardest thing for the common fan to understand is that no team is going to have the best player group at every position

Those 49ers teams of the 80s were close though. Different era yeah yeah but talk about hoarding talent.
 
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Another Texans player hardship story.

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The Chopping Block has not Slowed Daniel Ross

Daniel Ross has not let a rough road in his life stop him from his ultimate dream on playing for the Houston Texans.

When the Houston Texans started building their plan for training camp, little did they know that film would be sent to them non-stop from Canada highlighting the rookie defensive lineman Daniel Ross. Ross had his tape sent to scouts in Houston, more than once, until the Texans finally took interest in the young, experienced man, who most people would call a "survivor." Ross did not have the best plan laid out for him as kid growing up. His Mother did not have the means to take care of him and sent him to live with his grandmother. Ross leaned on his grandmother to help push him through the tough times and now he is working to make her happy.

“My Granny always told me she is going to see me on that big screen one day. I am trying to live that dream and just trying to be successful for her,” Ross explained. “It didn’t tear me down, I didn’t let it take me down.”

Despite his childhood struggles, Ross ended up at Northeast Mississippi Community College and played two years before heading to the Canadian Football League to play with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2014 at the age of 20. Spending the entire time on the practice squad, he was cut the following off-season and sat out of football for the entire 2015. While focusing on staying in shape and waiting to get the next call, Ross did not let the road blocks stop him from getting back on the football field. One more stint with the Eskimos in 2016 did not go well. He played in a single game that season and after that, he was back out there looking for a job.

“From going to JuCo, playing two years there, then going straight to the CFL in 2014. Having some struggles in that process but trying to find a home was a struggle. I maintained it and kept my head on straight.” Ross said.

His agent (Matt Striegel) went to work and, as Ross explained it, his opportunity came from the hard work of his agent sending game film to NFL teams and finally getting the attention of the Texans. That led to a phone call late in the draft on which Ross found out the Texans wanted him on a rookie free agent deal.

He was sold.


“The Houston Texans called me and I am trying to enjoy it.,” Ross said with a smile.

It was a slow start for Ross at the start of camp but he has picked up his play since pads have been put on. Ross is all in to push for a place on the roster but knows that this is going to be a challenge, finding a new home in Houston. Leaning on other veteran players to follow their examples, Ross is an example of being a survivor and not falling victim to the chopping block called life.

“Sometimes I wake up and look to the sky and just thank the Lord for this opportunity because this opportunity doesn’t come often,” Ross explained. “A few, one in a million people, get this chance and I am just lucky that I am one of them and I am just trying to embrace it, just be a good teammate, learn the plays and stay humble.”
 
Houston Texans Sign DeAndrew White to a Two-Year Deal
The Houston Texans sign wide receiver DeAndrew White to a two-year deal to help the wide receiver group.

The Houston Texans sign wide receiver DeAndrew White to a two-year deal according to Mark Berman (Fox 26) to help the wide receiver group.

White played his college football at Alabama and won two national championships with the Crimson Tide. Going undrafted White signed with the San Francisco 49ers and appeared in four games and played maninly on special teams returning kicks

in 2016, White signed with the New England Patriots practice squad late in the season and was with the team when they won Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons
 
Houston Texans Sign DeAndrew White to a Two-Year Deal
The Houston Texans sign wide receiver DeAndrew White to a two-year deal to help the wide receiver group.

The Houston Texans sign wide receiver DeAndrew White to a two-year deal according to Mark Berman (Fox 26) to help the wide receiver group.

White played his college football at Alabama and won two national championships with the Crimson Tide. Going undrafted White signed with the San Francisco 49ers and appeared in four games and played maninly on special teams returning kicks

in 2016, White signed with the New England Patriots practice squad late in the season and was with the team when they won Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons
Wonder why NE cut him....
:hmmm:
 
Wonder why NE cut him....
:hmmm:
New England had 11 wideouts under contract and the depth chart appeared set. Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and Malcolm Mitchell, as well as core special teamer Matthew Slater, were all locks to make the 53-man roster. Devin Lucien, next in line had more experience, and undrafted rookie Austin Carr was felt to have a higher ceiling. All that, and the fact that NE needed help at LB more than another WR on the roster, heralded White's release.
 
Just an FYI - Branden Albert and Ryan Clady have both just retired, one day after the other. Both were taken in the first RD of the 2008 draft. That is the same draft and same round where Duane Brown was drafted.
 
Just an FYI - Branden Albert and Ryan Clady have both just retired, one day after the other. Both were taken in the first RD of the 2008 draft. That is the same draft and same round where Duane Brown was drafted.
I think Albert was to be the Jags LT this year but I dunno were Clady has been playing most recently ? But that's got to be a big setback for Jags.
 
NFL teams most likely to improve -- and decline -- in 2017
Five teams most likely to decline

2. Houston Texans (9-7)

Point differential: -49
Pythagorean expectation: 6.5 wins
Record in games decided by seven points or fewer: 8-2 (.800)
Strength of schedule: 0.512 (12th-hardest in NFL)

One of the way those Colts teams held on to their throne was by dominating a mostly putrid AFC South. Indianapolis was 12-0 vs. the division between 2013 and 2014, and the Texans filled the void once the Colts dropped off. The 2014 and 2015 Texans were genuinely good teams, but the 2016 Texans are about as bad as a division winner can get. Consider that they ranked a lowly 29th in DVOA, safely ensconced between two teams that fired their coaches, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.

While Houston was in a relatively easy division, it didn't play a particularly charitable schedule; by my accounting, the Texans faced the 12th-toughest slate in the league. The Texans did beat the Kansas City Chiefs by seven points, and they had another seven-point victory over the Detroit Lions, although the latter team ranked 27th in DVOA. Otherwise, Houston was eking out wins against the AFC South and the likes of the Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals.

Meanwhile, its average loss came by 13.3 points, including a 27-point loss to the Patriots with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback on a short week. The Texans were really 8-1 in meaningful one-score games, given that they lost a meaningless Week 17 game to a Matt Cassel-led Titans team -- and even that required a late Brock Osweiler rushing touchdown to make it close. Houston's largest win of the season was over the lowly Bears in the opener by nine points. Meanwhile, it had three losses of 18 points or more.

The Texans joined the privileged ranks of those teams that posted a winning record while being outscored over the season. Houston posted the fourth-worst point differential for a team with a winning record since 1989, and things don't often go well for teams in that bracket. The 10 winning teams with the worst point differentials declined by an average of 1.8 wins the following season. Squads that exceeded their Pythagorean expectation by two to three wins -- a group the Texans squeeze right into at 2.5 wins -- declined by an average of three wins the following season.

Neither of those numbers bode well for the Texans, nor does one element of the game that often regresses toward the mean from year to year. Houston was terrible on special teams last season, finishing dead last in DVOA while finishing well below league average on everything except punt returns. Normally, teams will make a change in their coaching staff or personnel, and that, combined with some randomness, will push a truly bad special-teams unit toward the middle of the pack.

The problem, though, is that the Texans were also last in special-teams DVOA last season, at which point they fired Bob Ligashesky and hired Larry Izzo. They were 28th under Ligashesky in 2014, 29th in 2013 and last in 2012. It has been five seasons since Houston peeked out from the bottom five in the league in special teams. You would think that might inspire personnel changes, but the Texans brought back kicker Nick Novak and punter Shane Lechler on one-year extensions and will return four of their six most frequent special-teams players from a year ago. None of this inspires any confidence that things will be different in 2017.

Things will likely be tougher in the AFC South. The Jacksonville Jaguars imported arguably the two best defensive players in free agency with Calais Campbell and A.J. Bouye, the latter of whom was Houston's top cornerback in 2016. Indianapolis hired general manager Chris Ballard and spent the offseason finally making coherent moves for its defense, although Andrew Luck's shoulder is a concern. The Titans profited from robbing the Rams last year by adding two first-round picks to their roster at positions of notable weakness.

The Texans weren't able to do much in free agency this offseason, thanks to their spending spree from a year ago and the $9 million in dead money they're eating on Osweiler's contract. The one downside to winning its division is that Houston will be stuck playing the Patriots and Chiefs in 2017, while the rest of their division plays lesser teams from the AFC East and West. That might be enough by itself to swing the South.

Comebacks: There are two strong personnel-related arguments for the Texans. One is the return of a Hall of Fame-caliber talent in J.J. Watt, who missed virtually all of the 2016 season with a back injury. Watt matters, of course, but he played at a superstar level in 2013 and a Texans team with many of these same concerns (notably a 5-0 record in one-score games in 2012) fell from 12-4 to 2-14. The Texans defense was also relatively good without Watt last season, finishing seventh in DVOA; even if Watt pushes them into the top five, they would have far more to gain from adding a star on offense.

Of course, the other argument revolves around a serious upgrade at quarterback, where Osweiler was deposed after one season. Will the Texans get better play from their passers at 2017? I find it hard to believe Tom Savage is likely to be better than Osweiler over any stretch of time.

Remember that the Texans drafted Savage in the fourth round of the 2014 draft and thought so highly of him that they signed Brian Hoyer and gave him and Ryan Mallett the passing reps in 2015, then gave Osweiler a huge deal during the subsequent offseason. After a 73-pass sample in which Savage averaged a pedestrian 6.3 yards per attempt, the Texans were sufficiently convinced by Savage to trade two first-round picks and move up for Deshaun Watson this April. If Savage is a viable pro quarterback, it will be a surprise to the franchise that keeps trying to replace him.

It's more plausible that Houston would get better quarterback play from Watson. Osweiler averaged 4.3 adjusted net yards per attempt last season. There have been 10 other passers since 1990 taken between picks 11 and 20 of the first round who have thrown passes as a rookie. Those passers have combined to average 4.9 ANY/A. Watson is certainly a higher-upside option than Osweiler or any of the replacement-level quarterbacks the Texans would have brought in on a backup's salary to compete.

As a rookie, Watson is a high-variance option, as is the case for any debuting quarterback. That's hardly unreasonable, but it doesn't necessarily push the Texans forward more often than it holds them back. As a team built to win now, the Texans should be able to rely upon a dominant defense and put together a passable offense. If they're right about Watson, they could angle for a Super Bowl spot, but it's more plausible that the team goes with Savage before turning to Watson, who mixes flashes of brilliance with the sort of mistakes you make when you're a rookie in a new league.

Certainly a change of pace from the fluffery that is local camp coverage.
 
I guess the hardest thing for the common fan to understand is that no team is going to have the best player group at every position

But they should try to have the best player group possible at every position. Something that's currently impossible to do with the constraints McNair puts on how the Texans aquire talent.
 
The Lions are using strobe glasses to improve their WRs' "vision" to catch and ball. It's a technology I wonder why the Texans has not incorporated.
 
Hard to take them serious when they project 6.5 wins. Where did the other .5 go.

Did we forfeit one of the games at halftime?

Kinda like saying I gave 110% effort.. WTF is that? 100% is the most you can give damnit.

Or is that an excuse for only giving 90% the next time?

Gotta go mow the back pasture, damn grass just keeps growing, even without rain.

:coffee:
 
The Lions are using strobe glasses to improve their WRs' "vision" to catch and ball. It's a technology I wonder why the Texans has not incorporated.

What did they use for Savage when he was a rookie? They had him wear some sort of glasses to improve his vision and see what he was looking at when he was on the field.
 
NFL teams most likely to improve -- and decline -- in 2017


Certainly a change of pace from the fluffery that is local camp coverage.
I think these are legit reasons for pessimism and I hate to say I think he might be right. For me, this is the year that Bob shows me if he's legit. I think my bar is lower than others on this board, but since I'm expecting the type of year described in this article, another division championship would be enough for me to be a believer in BoB.
 
Hard to take them serious when they project 6.5 wins. Where did the other .5 go.

Did we forfeit one of the games at halftime?

Kinda like saying I gave 110% effort.. WTF is that? 100% is the most you can give damnit.

Or is that an excuse for only giving 90% the next time?

Gotta go mow the back pasture, damn grass just keeps growing, even without rain.

:coffee:
don't be so literal grumpy one. The 0.5 is so there cannot be a 'tie'.
If we win 7 (or more), they were wrong. If we win 6 (or fewer) they were right.
 
don't be so literal grumpy one. The 0.5 is so there cannot be a 'tie'.
If we win 7 (or more), they were wrong. If we win 6 (or fewer) they were right.

The .5 is just the result of the equation. They're saying that our record outperformed our play last year by 2.5 'points' (last year's 9 wins minus the 6.5 their formula indicated for us) and we should regress based off of previous teams results with the same calculations.
 
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Hard to take them serious when they project 6.5 wins. Where did the other .5 go.

Did we forfeit one of the games at halftime?

Kinda like saying I gave 110% effort.. WTF is that? 100% is the most you can give damnit.

Or is that an excuse for only giving 90% the next time?

Gotta go mow the back pasture, damn grass just keeps growing, even without rain.

:coffee:
well you better give 100% on cutting that grass and don't forfeit half way through. It can happen on any given Sunday but I think you have potential with your ceiling being a pro bowl grass mower and a floor of at least realizing grass has to be mowed. My sources tell me you probably will not be invited to combine but a pro day is possible. Hydrate, stretch those muscle and think of JJ Watt. You will succeed grass hopper.
 
Hard to take them serious when they project 6.5 wins. Where did the other .5 go.

Did we forfeit one of the games at halftime?

Kinda like saying I gave 110% effort.. WTF is that? 100% is the most you can give damnit.

Or is that an excuse for only giving 90% the next time?

Gotta go mow the back pasture, damn grass just keeps growing, even without rain.

:coffee:
well you better give 100% on cutting that grass and don't forfeit half way through. It can happen on any given Sunday but I think you have potential with your ceiling being a pro bowl grass mower and a floor of at least realizing grass has to be mowed. My sources tell me you probably will not be invited to combine but a pro day is possible. Hydrate, stretch those muscle and think of JJ Watt. You will succeed grass hopper.
 
Hard to take them serious when they project 6.5 wins. Where did the other .5 go.

Did we forfeit one of the games at halftime?

Kinda like saying I gave 110% effort.. WTF is that? 100% is the most you can give damnit.

Or is that an excuse for only giving 90% the next time?

Gotta go mow the back pasture, damn grass just keeps growing, even without rain.

:coffee:
hmm well you better give 100% on cutting that grass and don't forfeit half way through. It can happen on any given Sunday but I think you have potential with your ceiling being a pro bowl grass mower and a floor of at least realizing grass has to be mowed. My sources tell me you probably will not be invited to combine but a pro day is possible. Hydrate, stretch those muscle and think of JJ Watt. You will succeed grass hopper.
 
well you better give 100% on cutting that grass and don't forfeit half way through. It can happen on any given Sunday but I think you have potential with your ceiling being a pro bowl grass mower and a floor of at least realizing grass has to be mowed. My sources tell me you probably will not be invited to combine but a pro day is possible. Hydrate, stretch those muscle and think of JJ Watt. You will succeed grass hopper.

Pro Bowl grass mower!?!

With those weak legs, and acuracy issues. I don't think so. We should sign the best grass mower available in free agency.
 
Today our sea shipment from London finally arrived at the house. I've had the penile compensating-sized TV sitting on the floor in an empty game room upstairs. I've got one week of Astros games to get my recliner-to-TV sports watching angles all set up and in place before the first pre-season game. The wife can take care of the rest of the house. I've got priorities.
 
Strange that you mentioned Pro Bowl grass mower.

I was just presented a 61" cut 46 HP Bad Boy zero turn mower.

Yard mowing just became a lot faster / easier.

Just hope I can learn how to steer the thing before I cut down all the boss's shrubs. So far her poodle has been agile enough escape getting a hair cut.

Not as simple as the pro's make it look.

Reflex's at 78 a lot slower than they used to be. Otherwise I'd have nailed that damn poodle by now.

Nothing to do about the Texans, sorry.

:coffee:
 
When twice is not enough.... hit post reply once again
There was a post somewhere about deleting the draft but I never got it to work nor find that post now. Seems like something that should be fixed at home office. Many of the "likes" I get are double posted. Also, if I don't click post reply it just keeps spinning. I waited 20 minutes once only to get double post.
 
Strange that you mentioned Pro Bowl grass mower.

I was just presented a 61" cut 46 HP Bad Boy zero turn mower.

Yard mowing just became a lot faster / easier.

Just hope I can learn how to steer the thing before I cut down all the boss's shrubs. So far her poodle has been agile enough escape getting a hair cut.

Not as simple as the pro's make it look.

Reflex's at 78 a lot slower than they used to be. Otherwise I'd have nailed that damn poodle by now.

Nothing to do about the Texans, sorry.

:coffee:
Hey..am I not to get a royalty or something off that?
 
Sarah Barshop‏@sarahbarshop 6h6 hours ago

Kid reporter to Bill O'Brien: "Do you like the media?"
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DGVG-EKWsAEk1jy.jpg

1:53

Houston Texans
Verified account@HoustonTexans

Kid: I’ve heard rumors that you don’t like the media…

O’Brien: It’s very similar to going to the dentist. …

:spit::spit::spit:
 
The .5 is just the result of the equation. They're saying that our record outperformed our play last year by 2.5 'points' (last year's 9 wins minus the 6.5 their formula indicated for us) and we should regress based off of previous teams results with the same calculations.
Went back to re-read the article. Couldn't find the equation you referenced. I'll just take your word for it. :)

There was a post somewhere about deleting the draft but I never got it to work nor find that post now. Seems like something that should be fixed at home office. Many of the "likes" I get are double posted. Also, if I don't click post reply it just keeps spinning. I waited 20 minutes once only to get double post.
When the page "just keeps spinning" I always click the "reload the page" thingie on my browswer; works every time. Note you don't see double posts from me and it ain't 'cause the page never hangs up. :D
 
Can we fuse Austin Howard's back and Giacomini's shoulder together to give us a healthy competent RT?

The end of last season, was IR'ed the beginning of December with the designation on the Injury Report of "back....shoulder.....and calf." His coach put out a statement Giacomini's shoulder was very sore, but the back was the main issue. He later stated that that despite the fact that Giacomini's back was feeling better and that his calf and shoulder were giving him the most trouble, the back would require immediate surgical attention.

I think I would choose another part of Giacomini's body to give to Howard.
 
The end of last season, was IR'ed the beginning of December with the designation on the Injury Report of "back....shoulder.....and calf." His coach put out a statement Giacomini's shoulder was very sore, but the back was the main issue. He later stated that that despite the fact that Giacomini's back was feeling better and that his calf and shoulder were giving him the most trouble, the back would require immediate surgical attention.

I think I would choose another part of Giacomini's body to give to Howard.

So much for the siamese twin RT strategy
 
So much for the siamese twin RT strategy

Let's not put this to bed just yet. Couldn't we just 7 on one guy and another 7 on the other guy and list them as #77 Austin Howard Giacomini? We can just line them up hip to hip. No one will notice...
 
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