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Vernand Morency

Vinny

Vinny

shiny happy fan
morency_main042905.jpg


By JOHN MCCLAIN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Casserly, Capers and offensive coordinator Chris Palmer aren't stupid. They know they have to protect Carr. One way they plan to do it is to run the ball more effectively and consistently.

A productive running attack helps the play-action game, keeps the opposing defensive players on their heels and keeps the Texans defense off the field.

Common sense dictates the offensive line will improve in its second season under Joe Pendry and in his zone blocking scheme. The more efficient the running game is, the better the pass protection becomes, because the defense can't tee off on Carr.

That's one reason the Texans drafted Oklahoma State running back Vernand Morency. He's tough, strong and durable. He also has quick feet. Several teams have predicted that he'll be the Texans' most surprising rookie and perhaps one of the NFL's biggest surprises.

Since last weekend's draft, two teams have told us they had Morency ranked among their top three running backs. Those teams say they had the four best backs — including Cedric Benson, Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams — grouped tightly together but that Morency was third on both of their boards. One had Benson fourth, and another had Brown fourth.

One burning question

So why did Morency (5-9, 212 pounds) last until the third round? Morency, who grew up in Miami, is a 25-year-old rookie who played baseball for four years in the Colorado Rockies minor league system. He's an older rookie playing in the position with the least longevity.

Morency didn't run at the combine. When the Miami native did run at the University of Miami's pro day, he was timed in the 4.6s. He also needs to do a better job of protecting the ball.

Those are his weaknesses, but what about his strengths?

The scouts we trust say when they timed him, he ran as fast as 4.51, but they said to forget about his 40 time because that's not his biggest asset. They say his quick feet enable quick cuts, including when he's running inside.

That quick change of direction and an explosive burst help him get into the open field, where he's very instinctive. Morency squares his pads in a hurry and keeps them low. He's strong enough to run through tackles, and he's terrific at gaining yards after the initial hit.

Praise for his play

At the Houston Football Dinner on Wednesday night and at the Mavericks/Rockets game Thursday night, two of Morency's Oklahoma State coaches were singing his praises.

"He can do so many different things, and he's a lot faster on the field than his 40 time showed," Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy said. "We even lined him up wide a few times."

Associate head coach Joe DeForest, who began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at Rice, raved about Morency's toughness and dependability.

"Just wait until he gets on the field; you'll see," DeForest said.

Morency and the Texans' other draft choices and undrafted free agents are on the field this weekend for four workouts over two days at the rookie minicamp.

No matter how well Morency does, he's probably not going to get on the field much if Domanick Davis stays healthy.

Listening to Gundy and DeForest, as well as a few respected NFL scouts, you'd think that if Davis suffers another injury, he may be mentioned in the same sentence with Wally Pipp.
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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3161345
 
I stated on another thread.. I know we need lineman, but I like this pick just as I liked the pick of Ragone a few years ago.

With Backups like this.. we don't have to change our offensive philosophy (and in reality Palmer DOES like to go deep,just OL woes keeps us "vanilla")
 
I'd rather have the OL to block for Carr than have to bring in ANOTHER RB in hopes of more playaction.

Sounds like an excuse as to why we picked him up more than a good reason for bringing him in.

A 25 yr old rookie at RB? I mean any other position I'd be ok with but RB's have a 3-4 year shelf life coming in at 21.

I'd rather us drafted the G out of UVA.
 
Texas_Thrill said:
I'd rather have the OL to block for Carr than have to bring in ANOTHER RB in hopes of more playaction.
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It does no good to take a OL if you don't think he can beat out your other OL's.
Texas_Thrill said:
A 25 yr old rookie at RB? I mean any other position I'd be ok with but RB's have a 3-4 year shelf life coming in at 21.
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Age at RB isn't even an issue like it is at most other positions. RB's come in to the NFL ready to play and have much less of a learning curve than the other positions. Morency is not going to need a year or two to figure out his position at the next level as say a WR or Lineman usually have to do.
Texas_Thrill said:
I'd rather us drafted the G out of UVA.
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Most teams passed on him because he is lazy and has a questionable work ethic. He fell out of the first round much like Nat Dorsey did last year. Dorsey didn't do much to impress last year in the NFL.
 
Texas_Thrill said:
A 25 yr old rookie at RB? I mean any other position I'd be ok with but RB's have a 3-4 year shelf life coming in at 21.

I'd rather us drafted the G out of UVA.
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I got no problem with taking a depth RB. I DO have a problem with that depth RB being older than 2 of the other 3 backs on the squad. Fason still on the board. Barber still on the board. All younger and "better" as projected by a lot of analysts.
 
Who's that #10 throwing the ball in the back ground? I thought #10 was Nick Narcisse a WR? Or is that him but he's just standing there?

Awesome pic BTW Vinny! :thumbup
 
elton brown made a lot of questionable decisions in the months leading up to the draft...he left the senior bowl early for a "personal reason"...he passed on the combine if i remember correctly...only doing a couple of drills before leaving...and then on his pro day ran a slow 5.5ish 40...to make up for that he didn't impress many scouts by doing i believe 23reps on the bench...adam snyder was a way better prospect and didn't get half the attention brown did...as for morency as someone who has seen him play i can tell you that a lot of big XII people thought he was the better back at OSU when they had tatum bell...personally i thought both were excellent backs and we will see how good Bell is gonna be at denver this year...i know they took clarett but he's not their starter yet...bell is...morency will get his shot here...and if DD goes down you will see our new starter in morency for the next couple of years
 
This is a make or break season for Domanick Davis. What he does this year will determine how the Texans front office handles him and his agent when contract talks come up in the future. Had we not taken Morency, it pretty much would have looked like a slam-dunk for DD to get whatever he wants. After all, who else is there to turn to? Wells? Hollings?

The Lions and Chargers game last year really shook DD up. It wasn't until late in the season that he was able to get his confidence back--back to the point where he could protect the ball AND make his cuts/jukes like he always has. Up until those last few games, DD was solely focusing on protecting the bal in a crowd. You could even see the other teams knifing at the ball because they knew he had been careless earlier in the season. I know defensive players all around the league grab at the ball, but it was especially apparent when they tried to tackle DD.

The shaky season last year, coupled with the fact that he's a year older and a year wiser, has probably got the Texans scared that at some point DD will ask for big money. And the Texans might not be sure about giving it to him even if he has a great year this coming season.

Thus, in my opinion, the Texans took Morency as better-than-average insurance against the possibilities that are out there: Namely, the possibility that DD will ask for big money. With more backs to choose from, the Texans give themselves more room to negotiate with DD when that time comes. Now it doesn't like so easy for DD and his agent to leverage against the front office since we took a pretty decent back this draft.

And if the rumor about us and Shaun Alexander was true (negotiations during the draft) it only points a bigger finger toward that direction, as well. If we're going to shell out big bucks to a RB...I'd rather have Alexander or someone on his level than DD. I'm a big DD fan, but I look at the bigger picture when it comes down to it.

I think Morency will be 2nd on the depth chart by mid-season. Or, starting if DD struggles or has injury problems.
 
Dionysus22 said:
Who's that #10 throwing the ball in the back ground? I thought #10 was Nick Narcisse a WR? Or is that him but he's just standing there?
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#10 in the background is Chance Mock,QB,Texas. He was an undrafted free agent this year and we brought him in for a tryout.
 
#10 is Chance Mock.

My biggest worry with Morency isnt whether or not he is good.. we will find that out here eventually.. my worry is that if he IS good.. and Davis stays healthy.. is Morency going to be our Travis Henry?

How long before he starts asking to be traded because he isnt getting enough playing time? He seems to have that kind of attitude to me.
 
Grid said:
#10 is Chance Mock.

My biggest worry with Morency isnt whether or not he is good.. we will find that out here eventually.. my worry is that if he IS good.. and Davis stays healthy.. is Morency going to be our Travis Henry?
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No, that would be Dom Davis. If Morency is all that, Davis will get a high tender since he is in his option year next year and if someone wants to give us a 1st round pick for him we make out like bandits.
Grid said:
How long before he starts asking to be traded because he isnt getting enough playing time? He seems to have that kind of attitude to me.
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Why do you say that? Why make up imaginary conflicts?
 
Grid said:
#10 is Chance Mock.

My biggest worry with Morency isnt whether or not he is good.. we will find that out here eventually.. my worry is that if he IS good.. and Davis stays healthy.. is Morency going to be our Travis Henry?

How long before he starts asking to be traded because he isnt getting enough playing time? He seems to have that kind of attitude to me.
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Dont you mean, is Morency going to be our Willis McGahee?
 
Grid said:
#10 is Chance Mock.

My biggest worry with Morency isnt whether or not he is good.. we will find that out here eventually.. my worry is that if he IS good.. and Davis stays healthy.. is Morency going to be our Travis Henry?

How long before he starts asking to be traded because he isnt getting enough playing time? He seems to have that kind of attitude to me.
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And this would be a bad thing?

I hope he is good.. I also hope that Ragone is good.. that is nothing but good news to me..Why? The guys are young and they don't have HUGE contracts..They have trade value.. We shouldn't be pulling a sharper and Glenn were we have to release them because noone wants to trade for them..due to salary ...

I would welcome any extra pics at this moment,because I have the feeling Coleman Walker and Payne will be the next Sharper and Glenn (in the next 2 years)..(i.e too much salary to get a trade for)
 
Vinny :)... I know we are all shell shocked from the amount of negative posts on this board lately.. but no reason to jump down MY throat.

Im not making up imaginary conflicts. I didnt say "this is going to happen" I said "im worried this could eventually happen".

Morency has said many times now that he wants the starting job and intends to take it. It is good that he is fired up and ready to play, but we HAVE a starter... a quality starter. And if Davis stays healthy, Morency will most likely only get a limited number of carries. With this attitude of "im going to take the starting spot".. if he feels he is as good as Davis (which he does) and if he feels that he has shown that he is as good as Davis in practice.. then it seems to me that he could start getting perturbed if he isnt getting as much playing time as Davis. Basicly.. he doesnt seem to have much respect for the fact that Davis is our starter, and he is a rookie.


Its good to have depth at RB, but I worry that Morency has the kind of attitude that is going to make him want to start or be traded.


Geez :).. you would think I said something terrible. I think the problem is that I see Davis penciled in as our starter, and Morency as depth unless he proves otherwise. If he does prove otherwise, I dont see us trading Davis unless forced to. While you are looking at Davis as a potential first rounder if Morency is as good as we would like him to be.
 
Responding to your post is not 'jumping down your throat'. We won't trade Dom, he is a RFA next year.
 
Grid said:
How long before he starts asking to be traded because he isnt getting enough playing time? He seems to have that kind of attitude to me.
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Ok, show me where you see he has a poor attitude then. Otherwise you are making up something out of thin air.
 
well if we have two good backs this season, why not use a rb by committee strategy. we would always have a fresh back and this would also help keep davis healthy.
 
Didnt say he had a poor attitude :).. as a matter of fact, i said
It is good that he is fired up and ready to play,
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I just wonder if he doesnt take the starting spot from Davis, is it going to become an issue with him.. because of comments like this:


(on how he feels he will fit into the Texans running back corps’ playing time) “That is my main goal. I’m going to compete. My main goal is to help the program and the organization over the hump into the playoffs and further on. As a rookie my goal is to play in 24 games. That’s my whole mindset. I’m just going to bring that Miami swagger up there. I’m looking forward to coming to Houston .”
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I saw him say similar stuff a couple times.. but id have to go hunt it down.

Like I said, its good that he is confident, but he doesnt show all that much respect for the fact that he is a Rookie and we have a starter.


(We sure did pick up a lot of Miami swagger this offseason didnt we)
 
I can see your point, but just about every rookie seems to come in with hopes of attaining the starting job. They're coming from a situation where they were the star player on their team, and they often expect to be a star in the NFL as well. In other words they're big fish in small ponds, and they're making a jump to big fish in the ocean. I'm sure TJ believes he's capable of taking the starting job away from Walker, and I'm sure Mathis believes he's capable of taking the starting job (#2) from Gaffney. Morency just seems to be more vocal about it early on than either TJ or Mathis. I don't believe Morency will unseat DD as the starter, nor do I believe Mathis or TJ will start early on in their careers. All of them will likely see plenty of playing time as they rotate in and out early on in the season. Honestly, I'd be more concerned if Morency wasn't of the mindset that he could earn the starting spot.
 
Wolf said:
I hope he is good.. I also hope that Ragone is good.. that is nothing but good news to me..Why? The guys are young and they don't have HUGE contracts..They have trade value.. We shouldn't be pulling a sharper and Glenn were we have to release them because noone wants to trade for them..due to salary ...
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All good points ! Yup, when players are still young, productive, with the best part of their careers in front of them and not behind them, and working under contracts that are reasonable cap friend they are valuable to us but at the same time still attractive to others teams.
 
Grid said:
Like I said, its good that he is confident, but he doesnt show all that much respect for the fact that he is a Rookie and we have a starter.
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We have 22 starters. The idea behind the draft is to get players you feel can start in the NFL. That comment has nothing to do with respect.
 
That is basicly where im coming from texasguy. Yah, every rookie comes in with the mindset that they are going to take the starting job.. but most of them do not vocalize it, and they show respect towards the current starter on the team.

The fact that Morrency is very vocal about it, it makes me wonder if he is they type of guy who is going to want to start or be traded :P.. that is all.
 
I really don't think he was disrespecting DD. I think it's coming more from the fact that he hasn't seen the talent he's going to be playing against up close and personal yet. It's one thing to see a guy play on TV, but its quite another when you're watching him play 20 feet away from you. His respect for DD will grow as the two compete throughout training camp, and keep in mind that Morency is trying to earn the veterans respect as well as the coaching staff. If he came in with the mindset that there was no way he could unseat DD as the starter, or came in looking to only compete for the #2 spot on the depth chart at RB other players and coaches wouldn't have much respect for him. On the other hand if he comes in and feels he's capable of challenging for the starting spot, and he competes at a starter quality during training camp and the pre-season then the coaches and players will have more respect for him. He has to earn respect just like any other rookie. By him vocalizing it he's just being honest about his ambitions. Doesn't make him a bad guy. Some players are just more vocal than others. In a way he's just stating the obvious, and I'm sure TJ and Mathis feel the same way but perhaps they just motivate themselves in less vocal ways.
 
*********************
" The more efficient the running game is, the better the pass protection becomes, because the defense can't tee off on Carr.
That's one reason the Texans drafted Oklahoma State running back Vernand Morency. He's tough, strong and durable. He also has quick feet. Several teams have predicted that he'll be the Texans' most surprising rookie and perhaps one of the NFL's biggest surprises."
*********************
I dunno.. sounds like McClain has already given Morency DD's job as RB starter.
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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3161345
 
nunusguy said:
*********************
" The more efficient the running game is, the better the pass protection becomes, because the defense can't tee off on Carr.
That's one reason the Texans drafted Oklahoma State running back Vernand Morency. He's tough, strong and durable. He also has quick feet. Several teams have predicted that he'll be the Texans' most surprising rookie and perhaps one of the NFL's biggest surprises."
*********************
I dunno.. sounds like McClain has already given Morency DD's job as RB starter.
*********************
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3161345
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Doesn't really sound that way to me. Just sounds like he thinks we may have got a good one. I see the deal as DD is the guy and gets most of the touches for the first 4-5 games. After that Morency get 8-15 touches a game. Keeps DD fresher and hopefully not hurt. The end result is then a more effective running game. One thing to keep in mind is that DD is a real good pass catcher and blitz pick up guy, and we don't know about Morency yet.
 
speaking of Miami Swagger, we sure did bring in alot of florida guys this year.

Morlon Greenwood(played for the Dolphins for 3 years)
Philip Buchanon(went to the U)
Travis Johnson(went to florida St.)

I think we are looking at Florida as a hot spot to build our defense or something.
 
DD has everything it takes to be a success but he has been unable to stay healthy.

Morency looks like a DD clone and will be able to provide little or no dropoff in production.

It remains to be seen if Morency is the better back or if DD will reach his goal of 2000 yards, but either way it will be good competition and make the Texans a better team.
 
Texansbacker said:
DD has everything it takes to be a success but he has been unable to stay healthy.

Morency looks like a DD clone and will be able to provide little or no dropoff in production.

It remains to be seen if Morency is the better back or if DD will reach his goal of 2000 yards, but either way it will be good competition and make the Texans a better team.
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Wouldn't it be nice if DD got 1,400 yards which is very obtainable (1188 last year with bad start) and Morency got 800 or 900 yards. That would be the 2,000+ yard back that we would need and everyone would be happy. A Healthy DD if we made it to the playoffs, less carries and a hellova back up. Would be like Curtis Martin and La Mont Jordan. I'd be happy....very happy and with a situation like that, I could see Carr passing for over 3600 yards and 25 sacks like the year before this last one.
 
"The scouts we trust say when they timed him, he ran as fast as 4.51, but they said to forget about his 40 time because that's not his biggest asset. They say his quick feet enable quick cuts, including when he's running inside."

so basically he is a dominack davis clone? i don't mean that in a bad way, just trying to get a grip on the type of player he is.
 
travfrancis said:
"The scouts we trust say when they timed him, he ran as fast as 4.51, but they said to forget about his 40 time because that's not his biggest asset. They say his quick feet enable quick cuts, including when he's running inside."

so basically he is a dominack davis clone? i don't mean that in a bad way, just trying to get a grip on the type of player he is.
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Sort of. Probably faster, but may not have the hands that DD does. Unknown how well he can do in blitz pickup and other blocking.
 
Texas_Thrill said:
I'd rather have the OL to block for Carr than have to bring in ANOTHER RB in hopes of more playaction.

Sounds like an excuse as to why we picked him up more than a good reason for bringing him in.

A 25 yr old rookie at RB? I mean any other position I'd be ok with but RB's have a 3-4 year shelf life coming in at 21.

I'd rather us drafted the G out of UVA.
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RBs wear down because of the pounding, not because of their age. He has been pounded on very much. I'd expect Morency to be in the league after Cedric Benson has retired.
 
edo783 said:
Doesn't really sound that way to me. Just sounds like he thinks we may have got a good one. I see the deal as DD is the guy and gets most of the touches for the first 4-5 games. After that Morency get 8-15 touches a game. Keeps DD fresher and hopefully not hurt. The end result is then a more effective running game. One thing to keep in mind is that DD is a real good pass catcher and blitz pick up guy, and we don't know about Morency yet.
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My thoughts exactly
 
DD lost one full start last year, but he has consistently been nicked up, causing him to lose effectiveness. Worse, his backup has had a perputual hamstring injury.

As to Morency's attitude, critizing him for wanting to come in here and take DD's job, has to rank as some of the more ridicoulous critisms I have heard in a while. I would be much more concerned if I saw a quote like this "I know DD is the man, and I am just hear to goof off, hopefully collect a paycheck, and retire fat and wealthy in five years". Would that make you happy? To think that a player actually wants to unseat an incumbent. Wow! Who would guess that a draft pick actually has the nerve to think he should start. How dare he. I say send him back to reform school to learn some manners. Please. Don't make up sheet that isn't there. :thumbdown

I have already gone on record that Morency will be starting by opening day 2006, at the very latest. I will not at all be surprised if he takes DD's job some time this year. I have been saying that since draft day. All it will take is for D to get nicked up like always. Morency and the Texans won't look back.
 
Porky said:
DD lost one full start last year, but he has consistently been nicked up, causing him to lose effectiveness. Worse, his backup has had a perputual hamstring injury.

As to Morency's attitude, critizing him for wanting to come in here and take DD's job, has to rank as some of the more ridicoulous critisms I have heard in a while. I would be much more concerned if I saw a quote like this "I know DD is the man, and I am just hear to goof off, hopefully collect a paycheck, and retire fat and wealthy in five years". Would that make you happy? To think that a player actually wants to unseat an incumbent. Wow! Who would guess that a draft pick actually has the nerve to think he should start. How dare he. I say send him back to reform school to learn some manners. Please. Don't make up sheet that isn't there. El Stupido. :thumbdown

I have already gone on record that Morency will be starting by opening day 2006, at the very latest. I will not at all be surprised if he takes DD's job some time this year. I have been saying that since draft day. All it will take is for D to get nicked up like always. Morency and the Texans won't look back.
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RACK IT!!! :thumbup
 
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