Today's John McClain column in the Chronic

[threetoedpete]

Isn't Fresno State like a junior college or something? Since when did it become big time college football?

Cute. The fact IS everyone and I mean everyone in the pack-Ten has been ducking Fresno St. for the last decade. Yeah USC stomped'em this year. But even undermaned the didn't quit. We'll see who has the most guys drafted in April. You play Pat Hill's club, you better pack a lunch
and get the ice tubs ready. They bring it. I'm just wondering which part of your anatomy you'll show next. You stuck your south end out prety good on this one.

 

[threetoedpete]

As I've said elsewhere, the ONLY reason N.O. is getting play now is that the Texans have played the #1 pick hand very poorly.

We've got to back off Bush and be ready to take Leinart with the #1 pick. We also should be actively courting offers for the #1 pick (I do not know that we aren't doing this) and we should be doing it VERY publicly--the #1 Pick is For Sale. Make Offer. People need to know we want out. Charley and the other Deadheads think they're cagey, I guess.

Any trade with N.O. with the idea that the trading up team will get a specific player can be trumped by a trade with Houston for the #1.

But if we don't take Leinart we lose all leverage. We should announce now that we are taking Leinart and begin contract talks. Bush will fall to 2,3,4,5. If you want the top QB in the draft you have to talk to us.

If we get "stuck" with Leinart (not likely one way or another), we keep him behind Carr for a couple years and then keep the best one and trade the other for good value.

I admit this is potentially weak point. If Carr continues Dumpster diving he's not going to bring good value two years from now, not in a league where Culpepper went for a 2nd. Imagine what Carr's real worth is today! A mid-third? Less? No wonder they don't want to trade him.

Anyway, unless the Texans start playing hardball we're going to have our a55es handed to us in the draft.

They have to say it and they have to mean it. Leinart.

Well you were on a roll what the hey......

If they don't fix this thing, Carr won't be worth two six packs and a ham sandwich. The problem is not leinart.....the problem is VY and RB. The league has NOW seen the game tapes and they are not worth what you feel they are worth. N.O. don't care. There are seven great prospects who are not QB's and if they don't trade back too far, they gonna get one. And they don't care who it is. They got their QB. So you suggest we pay two #1 QBs for how many years Einstien ? And on top of that balderdash you're expecting NFL people to buy it ? Nope it comes down to what Reese and Chow want to do. Risk the Jets moving up with us or standing pat and taking one of the
best position prospects who is not a QB. Either way Tennesse & N.O. are smiling. Cutler has moved ahead of VY in most books I've seen. That has muddy the waters. RB goes one. leinart 2, Best position prospect or cutler 3. Jets hold 4 with Mario and Brick and Hawk and Huff and Davis starin at them. Not bad pickins. No one wants to trade their 2's and threes this year. Too many great prospects between 32 and 64. It's nothing CC "did". Just they way it worked out.

 

[Marcus]

We've got to back off Bush and be ready to take Leinart with the #1 pick. We also should be actively courting offers for the #1 pick (I do not know that we aren't doing this) and we should be doing it VERY publicly--the #1 Pick is For Sale. Make Offer. People need to know we want out. Charley and the other Deadheads think they're cagey, I guess.

Well, I guess when I decide to sell my beachfront property on the dark side of the moon, you'll be numero uno on my sucker list.

Casserly is "playing his hand" very well, IMO. Neither he, or anyone else in the Texans organization, McNair included, has come out and publicly announced that they are taking Bush. They ARE though, indeed talking him up. BIG DIFFERENCE!

 

[Marcus]

That's his consent to what he now believes is inevitable. The guy changed his mind. So what?

It's not so much that he "changed his mind". It's just that he was so emphatic about it. "They WILL take Vince Young, count on it, bet on it." "The fans will burn down Reliant Stadium if they don't take him" "All Kubiak has to do, is interview Vince Young, and he will be convinced that Young is the man." All that huey. As if he thinks we all get amnesia or something.

As for you "not thinking McClain is a moron", you didn't always feel that way. What changed your mind?

 

[bdiddy]

What, you can't read well? It's a pro-Bush, Bush-all-the-way article in which McJerk comes to terms with the Texans not drafting Young.

And when it comes right down to it, with Vince falling in the draft, it's really a Carr/Bush vs Young/D.Davis/Unknown Player-Or-Late-1st/Top-2nd plus other picks, because now you can trade down to 7, maybe even 10, and still get Young and a player or 2 other 1st day picks, and maybe a 1st day in 2007.

I never understand why people won't look at the whole picture.

I have no problems reading, you can ask the Texas Medical Examiners Board!

If you look to my point, even when McClain starts on another topic, i.e., the Drew Brees signing, he manages to find a way back to how great Vince Young is and the Texans are going to may a huge mistake by not drafting him. I do not think it is impossible to right an article regarding the Texans without mentioning Vince Young, especially during free agency period.

This is coming from the guy who would rather have an "exciting" year than win the Super Bowl. That is enough said.

 

[jerek]

If you are right bdiddy, its carr + Bush vs Young only because the rest of the NFL would not give a top player or draft pick in trade for carr. Accordingly, carr is worthless on the NFL market and its back to Bush vs Young. Noone spends the top draft pick and $50MM on an undersized running back, especially one with no proven track record of running between the tackles. Running backs don't lead teams to championships and Bush is no leader. VY is a proven championship leader.

The truth is that no one but the Texans thinks that carr has big time NFL potential or they would be offering the Texans top draft picks for carr instead of offering huge money to QBs (Miami and New Orleans) with injury problems. carr is an overrated disaster and only the Texans can't see it and this franchise will suffer until they are forced to accept that reality. The problem is that VY will be leading someone else to championships long before then.

Culpepper demanded a trade, he got it. Brees was an unrestricted free agent.

We resigned Carr to a heavy guaranteed-money contract. At no point in time were we were shopping him around. Meanwhile, a couple of "proven winners" like Kubiak and Sherman (what the hell do they know, any way?) have chosen Carr to be our QB.

Do you see the difference here?

"No one" spends 50M on an "undersized RB" with "no proven track record of running between the tackles."

Right.

Because we should spend 55M+ on an "unproven" QB with questionable throwing mechanics who played a kindergarten offense at UT and who has done nothing but work his damndest to drop his draft stock ever since? These same analysts whom you so proudly agreed with after the Rose Bowl are now dropping Vince, and now they are all just *****s?

Your post isn't about winning, or "proven" anything, as you blatantly ignore the only things proven about any of the people you target. It is about your favorite hero Vince Young.

Enjoy watching him wherever he lands. I know I will.

 

[thunderkyss]

Scratch New York from the list(for the sake of Argument).... Who else may be interested in trading up for Bush??

regardless how far down they are in the first round, who are they, what do they have to offer, and why does it have to be Reggie Bush for them, and not D'Angelo, Lendale, Adai, or any of the other RBs in the draft.

 

[Huge1]

Cute. The fact IS everyone and I mean everyone in the pack-Ten has been ducking Fresno St. for the last decade. Yeah USC stomped'em this year. But even undermaned the didn't quit. We'll see who has the most guys drafted in April. You play Pat Hill's club, you better pack a lunch
and get the ice tubs ready. They bring it. I'm just wondering which part of your anatomy you'll show next. You stuck your south end out prety good on this one.

Totally agree with you on this one, except......USC got their butts kicked up and down the field by Fresno State's offense this year. I unfortunately live in Pac-10 country (Arizona) and watched every USC game this past season. If it wasn't for Bush's heisman clinching performance in this game USC would not have met UT in the Rose Bowl. Final score USC 50 Fresno State 42. Fresno State led for most of the game until USC pulled a rabbit out of their *** late for the win.

 

[MorKnolle]

I am shocked to see John McClain sticking up for David Carr like this, it is a refreshing alternative to his usual articles.

 

[aj.]

As for you "not thinking McClain is a moron", you didn't always feel that way. What changed your mind?

On the contrary, I haven't changed my mind about McClain's work. I think I've been fairly consistent in that regard.

I thought his best work was back in the 80's when he was the beat writer for the Oilers. Part of that issue is that it's easier now for people to keep up with NFL news since it's right here at our fingertips and we don't need to rely on the newspaper to bring us the news. Another issue is that the Chronic is the only paper in town so those guys don't have to hustle nearly as hard as a two paper town. I think he's too consumed in his movie interests and his titans love was hard to handle - but he's toned that down quite a bit since he started Texans beat writing vs. his NFL gig.. I know he's heard an earful from me and about a thousand others on that subject.

So I'm not quite sure where you're coming from on this since that's the same stuff I've always criticized McClain for ... on the boards and to his face.

I've also had the opportunity to meet John several times over the past three or four years and he's a lot of fun to hang out with... Plus, he's a Baylor grad so he must have at least average intelligence.

 

[thegr8fan]

I've also had the opportunity to meet John several times over the past three or four years and he's a lot of fun to hang out with..aj

hey, lets not get too radical now. I said he was fairly intelligent, for a newspaper boy. I don't recall anything about 'fun to hang out with'.

 

[aj.]

Okay, let me clarify: let's try "fun to listen to" since I enjoy listening to people (like you) who are full of ****

 

[thegr8fan]

Okay, let me clarify: let's try "fun to listen to" since I enjoy listening to people (like you) who are full of ****

hmmm, how come when I type 'news' it doesn't put astericks like it did yours.

 

[Carr Bombed]

As I've said elsewhere, the ONLY reason N.O. is getting play now is that the Texans have played the #1 pick hand very poorly.

We've got to back off Bush and be ready to take Leinart with the #1 pick. We also should be actively courting offers for the #1 pick (I do not know that we aren't doing this) and we should be doing it VERY publicly--the #1 Pick is For Sale. Make Offer. People need to know we want out. Charley and the other Deadheads think they're cagey, I guess.

Any trade with N.O. with the idea that the trading up team will get a specific player can be trumped by a trade with Houston for the #1.

But if we don't take Leinart we lose all leverage. We should announce now that we are taking Leinart and begin contract talks. Bush will fall to 2,3,4,5. If you want the top QB in the draft you have to talk to us.

If we get "stuck" with Leinart (not likely one way or another), we keep him behind Carr for a couple years and then keep the best one and trade the other for good value.

I admit this is potentially weak point. If Carr continues Dumpster diving he's not going to bring good value two years from now, not in a league where Culpepper went for a 2nd. Imagine what Carr's real worth is today! A mid-third? Less? No wonder they don't want to trade him.

Anyway, unless the Texans start playing hardball we're going to have our a55es handed to us in the draft.

They have to say it and they have to mean it. Leinart.

Are you serious, any GM with half a brain KNOWS WE AREN'T TAKING LIENART. Saying that we are isn't going to help our trade down efforts. How do you expect Casserly to do this, do you expect him to say, " Um, guys were going to take Lienart, even though we extended our very expensive QB 3 years, so we must be deadset on Lienart, since were going to take on that outragous cap hit at the QB position, but if you guys want him you can have him", does that make any sense. You are asking Charlie to play roulette with the draft, either some GM is dumb enough to bite, which isn't likely or the gun goes off and Charlie is stuck with a player he nor Kubiak ever wanted, yeah I would like him to sell that to Bob Mcnair.

That would make us more of a laughing stock than we already are. Any GM including Millen would see straight through that bluff.

If fact whens the last time you've ever seen a GM do that. Casserly is doing what other GMs do in his spot and that is give the company line "We are evaluating all options, including trade down offers, we are just excited we have the opportunity to draft a great player", and then tries not to show his hand to much.

Plus the only teams that are in extremely in dire need of a QB are slated to have one of the top 3 fall to them, which only weakens our trade down options.

NO has all the trade power, GMs know they aren't taking a QB and they KNOW Tenn. is.

We don't have hardly any trade down power anymore, because teams KNOW we aren't taking a QB and the KNOW NO isn't taking a QB either and that isn't even half of it.

If a team knows they don't have to go to the top spot to get their QB (or any other player) and can grab him at #2 then thats what they are going to do, first off the trading price is less and they don't have to worry about the kind of signing bonus a QB drafted #1 ovrl. is going to command.