Texans Horror
All Pro
Then dispute what he is saying.
No disrespect to the NCAA, but you are seriously not comparing college ball to the NFL. That article is nice and all, but it doesn't necessarily translate to the pro game.
So, are you saying that Carr would be doing the same as Schaub behind this exact same team?
Are you disagreeing that Carr was making the line look bad?
You say the line is a "major flaw" that the Texans have "covered up". hmmmm, just add a RB and you get protection, poise in the pocket, and good QB decisions? Your math is not adding up. Maybe your perception of "major flaw" is the problem, because nobody - including the talking heads who used to say the same thing - agrees with your take. You do realize that this is the same line we had last year, yeah?
I am comparing NCAA and NFL lines, yes. A good o-line can make even half-way decent quarterbacks look good. A bad o-line can make good quarterbacks look bad. I do think Carr would be doing much better this year if he were still on the team because the run game would be much better, and so would the defense. I've always said I would have predicted the Texans to go 8-8 this year with Carr. That should show that I think the kid had at least something in there. I'm not selling him as the next great thing. I never thought he was more than serviceable goods that had been damaged, but I still think he could have taken the team to 8-8 this year. Along those lines, I'll restate that I think for Matt to pay off, the team needs to be 9-7.
I think the line still has a long ways to go before becoming even an average line. To be a good line, I want to see more than Schaub getting rid of the ball with a lightning release. I know that's why he was brought here, and I can see its very positive results (I won't dispute that), but I don't think that's made any of our front five guys better players. Rather, what the Texans did is instead of fixing the problem, they found a way around the problem. In the end, though, the problem of poor o-line play still exists and will eventually come back to haunt them this year.
What the Texans did to fix David Carr: throw more quarterback coaches at him.
What the Texans did to fix the line problems: pay good money for a pro-bowl running back and pay top-dollar for a new starting quarterback, both of which specialize in making the line look good.
In my opinion, it would have been easier and more expedient to simply buy or draft a top-tier left tackle and/or center.
I have not drunk the kool-aid, and I have not jumped on the bandwagon. Are the Texans improved? No doubt, but it's going to take a lot more than wins against a bottom-feeding Chiefs team and an NFC South team to make me feel confident. Is the play of the o-line still the major problem area? Only defensive secondary looks weaker to me.