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Who would you take?

M

mussop

Hall of Fame
These are starting to look more and more like the top 10 players

x-QB Matt Stafford, Georgia: Junior has All-Pro arm and has improved each season in tough SEC.

x-QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: Accuracy, efficiency off the charts, but how much of it is the system?

x-OT Andre Smith, Alabama: Monster left tackle (6-4, 330) won Outland Trophy

x-OT Michael Oher, Mississippi: Physical specimen can dominate, but inconsistency raises questions.

LB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest: Butkus Award winner rising quickly on draft boards

x-WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech: Redshirt sophomore was nation's No. 1 receiver - again.

DE Brian Orakpo, Texas: Pass-rushing ace won Nagurski Award but could play LB in NFL.

CB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State: Four-year starter excels in coverage but can tackle, too.

LB Rey Maualuga, USC: Packs punch with size and speed but slowed by injuries in '08.

x-RB Chris Wells, Ohio State: Big, powerful back has his detractors but hard to overlook.

• x-Draft-eligible underclassman who has yet to declare.

I figure we will be picking 11 or 12. That leaves us with the possibility that all 3 of these guys could be available when we pick.

Terrence Cody*, Alabama
Height: 6-5. Weight: 365.
Projected 40 Time: 5.50.

B.J. Raji, Boston College
Height: 6-1. Weight: 325.
Projected 40 Time: 5.12.

Eugene Monroe, Virginia
Height: 6-6. Weight: 315.
Projected 40 Time: 5.19.

I dont see anyone (IMO) that could be rated higher than these 3. So who do you pick and why? Or do you see someone left that is rated higher IYO?
 
Terrence Cody by far. He would be the big space eater in the middle that we have always needed.

Brandon Spikes would be a good pick up too
 
The teams at the top of the draft really need OL help so this year sets up well for them with 3, maybe 4 very good OT prospects. You never know if one will slip but you can't ever rule it out. If one does, we need to look very hard at them.

It may have been painekiller? that brought up an important thing that was pointed out to me. Regarding the SAM LB position, teams can gameplan by taking him off the field by forcing the defence into nickle/dime packages where the SAM may normally leave the field. So forcing pass happy offenses, he may not be on the field much.

To me, that seems like a really important thing to remember when looking at draft position. With such a high draft pick, you want that player on the field as much as possible and on all downs. I see Brandon Spikes as a really good pass rusher but he may be undersized to move him to DE on 3rd downs.

Players I'm interested in this early for the 1st are top LT's, DE's, DT's and maybe S (Mays) if the previous are gone. I don't think we need to rule out a CB like Jenkins if he's there. I think Reeves, re-signed Dunta, Bennett, Faggins, Moldent may be alright with more play and better help from safeties. 2nd rd pick could be a good one for a S with how players are "projected".

Also in the 2nd, I think some decent DE's may drop. We need a big DT like Raji, and have Okam come in some to keep everyone fresh. At this point we can't afford to groom Okam a few years to be that player.

Hard to tell right now but we should be picking somewhere between 11-15 and will be able to get a really good player. LT, OG, DT, DE, CB, S, LB in any particular order. Trade down maybe look at a top C. But I do think we need to be praying an elite prospect in the TRENCHES falls to us.
 
Ole Miss Texan said:
The teams at the top of the draft really need OL help so this year sets up well for them with 3, maybe 4 very good OT prospects. You never know if one will slip but you can't ever rule it out. If one does, we need to look very hard at them.

It may have been painekiller? that brought up an important thing that was pointed out to me. Regarding the SAM LB position, teams can gameplan by taking him off the field by forcing the defence into nickle/dime packages where the SAM may normally leave the field. So forcing pass happy offenses, he may not be on the field much.

To me, that seems like a really important thing to remember when looking at draft position. With such a high draft pick, you want that player on the field as much as possible and on all downs. I see Brandon Spikes as a really good pass rusher but he may be undersized to move him to DE on 3rd downs.

Players I'm interested in this early for the 1st are top LT's, DE's, DT's and maybe S (Mays) if the previous are gone. I don't think we need to rule out a CB like Jenkins if he's there. I think Reeves, re-signed Dunta, Bennett, Faggins, Moldent may be alright with more play and better help from safeties. 2nd rd pick could be a good one for a S with how players are "projected".

Also in the 2nd, I think some decent DE's may drop. We need a big DT like Raji, and have Okam come in some to keep everyone fresh. At this point we can't afford to groom Okam a few years to be that player.

Hard to tell right now but we should be picking somewhere between 11-15 and will be able to get a really good player. LT, OG, DT, DE, CB, S, LB in any particular order. Trade down maybe look at a top C. But I do think we need to be praying an elite prospect in the TRENCHES falls to us.
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This is exactly what I was thinking. I love Cody and Raji but just dont see either as more valuable than one of the top 3 OL should they fall. Now if all 3 ot's are gone I go Cody without hesitating.
Sam Bradford QB 6-4, 220 Oklahoma
Andre Smith OT 6-5, 340 Alabama
Michael Crabtree WR 6-2, 240 Texas Tech
Matthew Stafford QB 6-3, 237 Georgia
Michael Oher OT 6-5, 320 Mississippi
Malcolm Jenkins CB 6-0, 180 Ohio State
Aaron Curry LB 6-2, 240 Wake Forest
Brian Orakpo DE 6-4, 265 Texas
Eugene Monroe OT 6-5, 315 Virginia
Taylor Mays FS 6-3, 225 USC
Terrance Cody DT 6-4 370 Auburn

These are the elite imo. Thing is Cody might stay in school. If that happens and none of these players are available we really need to trade down because the talent level drops off and is pretty much even for the rest of the 1st and early second round.
 
Players that I think are possible picks at #11 or 12? In no particular order.

Malcolm Jenkins-I wish....Please Santa....highly unlikely.
Aaron Curry-possible and I'd love this pick.
Brian Orakpo-possible but will probably be gone.
Everette Brown-projects more as a 3-4 OLB.
George Selvie-projects as a 3-4 OLB.
Michael Johnson-possible but very risky, he's a project player.
Taylor Mays-I'd love this pick as well.
William Moore-I'll pass, no desire.
Rey Maualuga-possible but I don't think the Texans will go that route.
Chris Wells-possible but I'll pass, good RB's can be had later in the draft.
B.J. Raji-very possible, D-lineman scare me in the 1st round.
Alex Mack-would love to pick him but only if we trade down.
Duke Richardson-same, only if we trade down.
 
I was just watching some clips of Michael Johnson and couldn't help but thinking that I bet Kubiak and Smith are going to like him. He's got great measurables and tons of upside. I understand it seems he takes plays off and is pretty inconsistent, lacks production. I'll also be the first to tell you that we need to get a fundamentally sound football player that's not that risky. I just keep thinking, if we're picking at say #12 and most all the 'star' guys are off the board, I wouldn't be surprised if they get enamored with the thought of having Mario and Johnson as our DE's. He just seems pretty risky.
 
Take this FWIW but Terrence Cody posted on his facebook page that he is returning to school for his senior season.
 
I'm not a Cody fan, and I think Michael Johnson has lazy written all over him.

So I am looking for a trade down as option #1.

The player I go for in this exercise is not on your list, Jason Smith OT from Baylor. Sorry Brown but your moving to ORT and Winston becomes a RG.
 
painekiller said:
The player I go for in this exercise is not on your list, Jason Smith OT from Baylor. Sorry Brown but your moving to ORT and Winston becomes a RG.
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Do you feel more comfortable with Brown at RT and Winston at RG or Brown at RG and Winston stay at RT? Do you think Brown would be better at pass protection on the right than Winston is?
 
I would bring Orakpo home to Houston if he's available at whatever spot we pick at.

If not then I would like to trade down and draft Greg Hardy and acouple of more draft picks along with him.

I wouldn't mind going S either, with William Moore. I wouldn't pick safety unless we trade down though.
 
painekiller said:
I'm not a Cody fan, and I think Michael Johnson has lazy written all over him.

So I am looking for a trade down as option #1.

The player I go for in this exercise is not on your list, Jason Smith OT from Baylor. Sorry Brown but your moving to ORT and Winston becomes a RG.
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I'm a Cody fan personally. I think he needs to continue to trim down. I think another 15 pounds or so at the least, but his strengh is un-matched. He Helps the entire front 7. He isn't going to make a lot of plays in the backfield, but that isn't his job. He is an ideal NG in the 3-4 or a NT in the 4-3. We have two UT's starting next to each other, and while it's clear Amobi has tons of talent, he needs a bigger NT type next to him.

I wouldn't touch Michael Johnson. I would take Mack or Robinson 10 spots early before I thought about Johnson.

I haven't watched much Baylor this year (has anyone?) as I haven't had much need to honestly. I probably won't watch more than a game or two the entire offseason unless it's against a real team, and even then, I keep telling myself that it's Baylor.

Now, as far as Smith: No. Quite simply, no. I do not want another Duane Brown. I want someone who is physically ready and has been on the "scene" for a while. Why? Because they are good enough to be noticed early in their careers. They didn't just "jump" into the 1st round talk. They have all the physical tools of an elite OT and continued to polish their game at a high level with much higher scrutiny.
 
mussop said:
x-OT Michael Oher, Mississippi: Physical specimen can dominate, but inconsistency raises questions. I think Oher is the best fit followed by Monroe. Smith is the best player, but he will be gone for sure and could have a problem adapting to zone reads and rail blocks. I think Oher is physically ready and has all the tools. I think he becomes instant value at our spot.

LB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest: Butkus Award winner rising quickly on draft boards A very safe pick. At worst he should be a solid starter who can earn a starting spot as a rookie and should be entrenched on any team from there on out. He has the ability to shed blockers and from what I have watched thus far, does a good job of reading OG's pulls. A solid tackler, though he needs to hit more straight on instead of wrapping around and throwing down; better said as he needs to drive through the end of tackles more often.

DE Brian Orakpo, Texas: Pass-rushing ace won Nagurski Award but could play LB in NFL. I'm a little warry of him. I don't know if I'm ready to commit that kind of money to a DE with one speciality.

CB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State: Four-year starter excels in coverage but can tackle, too. A lot will be found out when he runs the cone drills and against UT in the Bowl Game. He has good enough straight line speed, and I think he is similar to Aquib Talib last year talent wise. I think Jenkins is more polished, but may be best suited for the Cover-2 type defense.

LB Rey Maualuga, USC: Packs punch with size and speed but slowed by injuries in '08. The question becomes where do you put him? Do you put him outside of Ryans? Do you move Ryans outside? He screams 3-4 ILB. Such a talent. He needs to work on reading the play better; at times he looks hesitant until he decides on the read. He needs to show a better ability to shed blockers at his size. Amazing physical talent. Second best LB in the draft behind Curry, followed by Spkies of Florida.


Eugene Monroe, Virginia
Height: 6-6. Weight: 315.
Projected 40 Time: 5.19.
A very good talent out of a school that produces linemen. I don't think he has the natural talent of Fergueson, but he uses what he has better. He moves well laterally, but is likely to do better developing one more year. Mid-first round talent right now who could slip further. Similar to Oher last year with physical abilities and development. Should be a top 10 type player next year and an instant starter in the NFL if he returns another year to school.
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My stuff in RED.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
I want someone who is physically ready and has been on the "scene" for a while. Why? Because they are good enough to be noticed early in their careers. They didn't just "jump" into the 1st round talk. They have all the physical tools of an elite OT and continued to polish their game at a high level with much higher scrutiny.
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You just described Robert Gallery a few years ago. That worked out well.
 
Ole Miss Texan said:
Do you feel more comfortable with Brown at RT and Winston at RG or Brown at RG and Winston stay at RT? Do you think Brown would be better at pass protection on the right than Winston is?
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Winston has slow feet, has had them since his days at Miami, Brown has shown me quicker feet.

So based on the feet, I move Winston to OG hoping to hide his slow feet in pass blocking.

BTW for the record, Winston is my favorite Texans, I love his attutude and work ethic. So I am not dogging the man.
 
painekiller said:
You just described Robert Gallery a few years ago. That worked out well.
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That's the nature of the draft my friend. You have to consider how much he helped the team and who he competed against. You have to weigh his strengths. It also helps if you aren't drafted by Al Davis, but in the end the draft is just a crapshoot. Talent is obvious, but not all talent is cut out to play in the NFL in the end.
 
Vontae Davis is probably the guy who is going to put in freaky workout numbers and climb up the boards.
 
Spled said:
Vontae Davis is probably the guy who is going to put in freaky workout numbers and climb up the boards.
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Brother of Vernon "I can bench more than Zeus and sprint faster than a chetah to 7th overall" Davis.

Also, look for the Maryland to put out ANOTHER elite athlete in Heyward-Bey. He could be under 4.3.
 
I would take Brian Orakpo any day of the week. I some how feel that his talent will be wasted if we got him and still had RS as a DC
 
steelbtexan said:
Give me some of that

Can you say young Charles Haley
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That kind of quickness in space and the ability to locate the ball screams Demarcus Ware and 3-4 OLB. He'll need some additional bulk and he'll need to show somehow, somewhere that he can actually hold the edge against the run. Teams had great success running right at him.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
That kind of quickness in space and the ability to locate the ball screams Demarcus Ware and 3-4 OLB. He'll need some additional bulk and he'll need to show somehow, somewhere that he can actually hold the edge against the run. Teams had great success running right at him.
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I see what your talking about when it comes to defending the run.

He has the frame to put on more weight & seems to have the desire to play the run. I wouldn't like to see him put on more weight if it hinders his ability to rush the passer.

He is a great pass rusher & those are invaluable in todays NFL.

If he cant play the run he can be paired with Bulman as a situational pass rusher & turn a glaring weakness into strength.
 
Everette Brown reminds me more of Bruce Smith than Charles Haley.

I don't see why he can't be a great DE. Smith played at around the same weight as him without any problem. Also, the Colts have 2 small DE's in Freeney at 6-1 268lbs and Robert Mathis at 6-2 245lbs and they don't seem to have too much of a problem with it.

The other nice thing about Brown is he seems to be familiar with lining up at different positions up and down the line which would mean the Texans could move him around just like they do with Mario.
 
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BattleRedToro said:
Everette Brown reminds me more of Bruce Smith than Charles Haley.

I don't see why he can't be a great DE. Smith played at around the same weight as him without any problem. Also, the Colts have 2 small DE's in Freeney at 6-1 268lbs and Robert Mathis at 6-2 245lbs and they don't seem to have too much of a problem with it.

The other nice thing about Brown is he seems to be familiar with lining up at different positions up and down the line which would mean the Texans could move him around just like they do with Mario.
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Remember that the average weight of linemen has gone up. Smith's weight was comparable to a much bigger DE now. Some of the DE's would need to put on weight to play OLB today.

Also, with the reference to the Colts: They have the undersized DE's but they get run over every year. They are a one demensional DL. They also run a cover-2 scheme which will use smaller DE's to slide into the flats.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
Remember that the average weight of linemen has gone up. Smith's weight was comparable to a much bigger DE now. Some of the DE's would need to put on weight to play OLB today.

Also, with the reference to the Colts: They have the undersized DE's but they get run over every year. They are a one demensional DL. They also run a cover-2 scheme which will use smaller DE's to slide into the flats.
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Sure the average size of lineman has gone up but we aren't talking about someone that played in the leather helmet era here. The average size hasn't increased by that much, since Smith retired.

Smith played around 240 lbs, and could play today if he were just coming out of college. Sometimes too much is made of a player's measurables. If you can play, then you can play, and Smith could flat out play.

I mentioned the Colts because they have been able to effectively use 2 smaller DE's and I'm only proposing that the Texans may want to consider adding 1 smaller DE.

I would think that it would be much easier to cover up any liability that a smaller DE may have with respect to run defense if the other DE is big like Mario.

Of course, it would help to have a real NT, and a group of fast sure-tackling LB's behind the D-Line to additionally cover any possible run defense liability of the small DE.
 
BattleRedToro said:
Sure the average size of lineman has gone up but we aren't talking about someone that played in the leather helmet era here. The average size hasn't increased by that much, since Smith retired.

Smith played around 240 lbs, and could play today if he were just coming out of college. Sometimes too much is made of a player's measurables. If you can play, then you can play, and Smith could flat out play.

I mentioned the Colts because they have been able to effectively use 2 smaller DE's and I'm only proposing that the Texans may want to consider adding 1 smaller DE.

I would think that it would be much easier to cover up any liability that a smaller DE may have with respect to run defense if the other DE is big like Mario.

Of course, it would help to have a real NT, and a group of fast sure-tackling LB's behind the D-Line to additionally cover any possible run defense liability of the small DE.
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Smith's 240 for instance would now be like 265 now. Players have gotten that much bigger on average since his days. My HS coach was a OT at Nebraska in the mid 70's. He was 6'4 220 or so then according to him.

The thing is, in most cases, size DOES matter. Troy Smith could play football, but he won't get a real look in the NFL unless God decides to punish his team like the circa 2008 Browns. Tons of guys can play football, but size really does matter most of the time. Now debating exact pounds and ideal this and that is foolish, but some players just don't cut it.

Having a smaller DE isn't bad, I'm actually in favor of it to an extent, but you can't have someone like Adibi behind him. You need a LB who can take a RB coming straight at him. I brought the issue up with Brown in particular because teams ran to his side with success often this year. He can get after the QB and he is quicker than a hare in space, but he needs a lot of work to be an every-down DE. I think he is the best 3-4 pass rushing OLB. Demarcus Ware 2.0
 
YoungTexanFan said:
Smith's 240 for instance would now be like 265 now. Players have gotten that much bigger on average since his days. My HS coach was a OT at Nebraska in the mid 70's. He was 6'4 220 or so then according to him.

The thing is, in most cases, size DOES matter. Troy Smith could play football, but he won't get a real look in the NFL unless God decides to punish his team like the circa 2008 Browns. Tons of guys can play football, but size really does matter most of the time. Now debating exact pounds and ideal this and that is foolish, but some players just don't cut it.

Having a smaller DE isn't bad, I'm actually in favor of it to an extent, but you can't have someone like Adibi behind him. You need a LB who can take a RB coming straight at him. I brought the issue up with Brown in particular because teams ran to his side with success often this year. He can get after the QB and he is quicker than a hare in space, but he needs a lot of work to be an every-down DE. I think he is the best 3-4 pass rushing OLB. Demarcus Ware 2.0
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Unless I'm mistaken Smith weighed about 270 ... he was a DE in a 3-4 . His rookie year he almost got up to 300 but then he got into shape and the rest is history . Haley weighed in about 255 which was fine playing a 4-3 . I think you can be lighter if you're strong enough to hold the point on the run .
 
Honoring Earl 34 said:
Unless I'm mistaken Smith weighed about 270 ... he was a DE in a 3-4 . His rookie year he almost got up to 300 but then he got into shape and the rest is history . Haley weighed in about 255 which was fine playing a 4-3 . I think you can be lighter if you're strong enough to hold the point on the run .
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You are mistaken. Smith never weighed anywhere near 300lbs. He was a player that never could keep on weight, no matter what he tried, so he always played around the same weight.
 
BattleRedToro said:
You are mistaken. Smith never weighed anywhere near 300lbs. He was a player that never could keep on weight, no matter what he tried, so he always played around the same weight.
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They talked about Smith's rookie year when comparing him to Mario . Bruce Davis , the old Oiler OT , called him a cream puff his rookie year . Then he got motivated and became a dedicated player . Later on in his career he dropped weight to keep his quickness with the Redskins as a 4-3 DE . You can't play a 3-4 DE and weigh 240 .
 
YoungTexanFan said:
Smith's 240 for instance would now be like 265 now. Players have gotten that much bigger on average since his days. My HS coach was a OT at Nebraska in the mid 70's. He was 6'4 220 or so then according to him.

The thing is, in most cases, size DOES matter. Troy Smith could play football, but he won't get a real look in the NFL unless God decides to punish his team like the circa 2008 Browns. Tons of guys can play football, but size really does matter most of the time. Now debating exact pounds and ideal this and that is foolish, but some players just don't cut it.

Having a smaller DE isn't bad, I'm actually in favor of it to an extent, but you can't have someone like Adibi behind him. You need a LB who can take a RB coming straight at him. I brought the issue up with Brown in particular because teams ran to his side with success often this year. He can get after the QB and he is quicker than a hare in space, but he needs a lot of work to be an every-down DE. I think he is the best 3-4 pass rushing OLB. Demarcus Ware 2.0
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Tommy Vaughn the deceased Houston Ford Dealer, weighed 210 when he was an all American center for Texas A&M in the 1930's. Jerry Sisemore played in the 260's in the mid 70's. The Cowboys of the 90's was the first OL to average 300 lbs. The OLs of today almost all average over 300.

In 1985 William Perry was different, a guy over 300 Lbs who was athletic, now every team has many guys over 300 who are athletic.

Yes Bruce Smith was a player then and would be a player today, but he also would most likely would be considered a 3-4 OLB, or asked to put on more weight.

Safeties weigh today what LBs weighed in the 70's. It is amazing to guys who really pay attention. Heck High Schools now have kids weighing 300 lbs playing on a regular basis, unheard of in my day just 30 years ago.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
That kind of quickness in space and the ability to locate the ball screams Demarcus Ware and 3-4 OLB. He'll need some additional bulk and he'll need to show somehow, somewhere that he can actually hold the edge against the run. Teams had great success running right at him.
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If you're talking about Orakpo, he already out lifts every one on the Texas roster. He has long arms and leverage is not the problem. Strength is not Orakpo's problem . It's his height.

The big question is if he falls past the sixth slot do you hold your water and BPA, or do you go up and get him. What would an additional eight sacks per season mean to this football team ? The same holds true with Curry. If he falls and you're certain he can put seven to ten sacks per year on the board for you, do you move up and go get him ? One of the major problems of this football team outside of being unable to score touch downs in side the ten yard line, is when they send five or six no one gets there. And that there thingy has been that way way before Smith & Kubiak got here.

With Dilles and Adibi out, that problem got exasperated last weekend. So....wanna go the the playoffs in '09 they got to solve one of those two problems. Get more athletic with the front four....or find a guy who can get there when they do send the blitz.

Or...score more fricken touch downs inside the ten. Not rocket science. Still trying to figure out how drafting a safety at twelve through seventeen accompishes that.
 
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BattleRedToro said:
You are mistaken. Smith never weighed anywhere near 300lbs. He was a player that never could keep on weight, no matter what he tried, so he always played around the same weight.
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284443.jpg


That man hadn't seen 240 since 9th grade .
 
threetoedpete said:
If you're talking about Orakpo, he already out lifts every one on the Texas roster. He has long arms and leverage is not the problem. Strength is not Orakpo's problem . It's his height.

The big question is if he falls past the sixth slot do you hold your water and BPA, or do you go up and get him. What would an additional eight sacks per season mean to this football team ? The same holds true with Curry. If he falls and you're certain he can put seven to ten sacks per year on the board for you, do you move up and go get him ? One of the major problems of this football team outside of being unable to score touch downs in side the ten yard line, is when they send five or six no one gets there. And that there thingy has been that way way before Smith & Kubiak got here.

With Dilles and Adibi out, that problem got exasperated last weekend. So....wanna go the the playoffs in '09 they got to solve one of those two problems. Get more athletic with the front four....or find a guy who can get there when they do send the blitz.

Or...score more fricken touch downs inside the ten. Not rocket science. Still trying to figure out how drafting a safety at twelve through seventeen accompishes that.
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I was refering to Everette Brown from Florida St.

Orakpo's problems being an every down DE in the NFL is technique. He needs more development holding the edge or contain. He needs to refine his moves. This is typical of almost every good college DE. That what NFL coaching staffs get paid for. I think there is a pretty obvious difference in Orakpo and Brown. Both are great at getting to the QB, but Orakpo could play in the 4-3. Orakpo may add a little bulk, but he doesn't have a huge frame to add much more than he already has, however, he should be able to play around 265 for his career. At that size, his impressive strength will help him overcome the rest. I just can't see Brown ever being an every-down DE in the NFL. He's either a situational pass rusher who still needs refinment or he is a potential monster OLB in a 3-4. Brown displays amazing speed in space and does show the ability to evade blockers. He is quick off the edge. He's the best 3-4 OLB in the draft.
 
Also Pete, a top flight S (between 12 and 17) allows CBs to not give such a large cushion. A top flight S allows our LBs to blitz more often. A top flight S goes a long ways in preventing the deep ball. I'm not saying we have to draft one, but they never hurt a football team.
 
threetoedpete said:
If you're talking about Orakpo, he already out lifts every one on the Texas roster. He has long arms and leverage is not the problem. Strength is not Orakpo's problem . It's his height.

The big question is if he falls past the sixth slot do you hold your water and BPA, or do you go up and get him. What would an additional eight sacks per season mean to this football team ? The same holds true with Curry. If he falls and you're certain he can put seven to ten sacks per year on the board for you, do you move up and go get him ? One of the major problems of this football team outside of being unable to score touch downs in side the ten yard line, is when they send five or six no one gets there. And that there thingy has been that way way before Smith & Kubiak got here.

With Dilles and Adibi out, that problem got exasperated last weekend. So....wanna go the the playoffs in '09 they got to solve one of those two problems. Get more athletic with the front four....or find a guy who can get there when they do send the blitz.

Or...score more fricken touch downs inside the ten. Not rocket science. Still trying to figure out how drafting a safety at twelve through seventeen accompishes that.
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I agree with this theory but if it isn't rocket science why did it take 6 years to find an above average RB & we are going into year 8 looking for a dominate pass rusher & a playmaking LB to pressure the QB?

Also in year 8 why are we looking for a run stuffing DT.

It's hard to be more inept @ your job than the CC regime was.

TTP & BL could have done a better job finding talent than CC.
 
steelbtexan said:
I agree with this theory but if it isn't rocket science why did it take 6 years to find an above average RB & we are going into year 8 looking for a dominate pass rusher & a playmaking LB to pressure the QB?

Also in year 8 why are we looking for a run stuffing DT.

It's hard to be more inept @ your job than the CC regime was.

TTP & BL could have done a better job finding talent than CC.
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I understood him to mean it isn't rocket science when it comes to identifying the shortcomings of the Texans.

It is however much harder to identify the players available in a draft that will without a doubt fill those needs.
 
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steelbtexan said:
I see what your talking about when it comes to defending the run.

He has the frame to put on more weight & seems to have the desire to play the run. I wouldn't like to see him put on more weight if it hinders his ability to rush the passer.

He is a great pass rusher & those are invaluable in todays NFL.

If he cant play the run he can be paired with Bulman as a situational pass rusher & turn a glaring weakness into strength.
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I don't project Brown's frame to hold much more. Every player fills out some as they develop, but Brown is about 6'3 and has a slender build. He has a lot of muscle now as it is. It's not like projecting a 6'7 260 guy who could, in most cases, add 25 pounds to his frame and be ok. Orakpo won't get much bigger. I think Brown and Orakpo will add about 10 pounds or so throughout their careers, but they have an ideal playing weight and range. Most players don't like to deviate more than 2 pounds either way during the season.

In the film I've watched of Brown, he doesn't have the frame to add as much as what you are probably assuming, and he doesn't show the best heart going after the run. A TE often handles him. Though, I will say: he does use his moves in an attempt to shed the blocker, and if he does get free, can find the ball and make the play.
 
looking forward to watching Brown today against Wisconsin. big 10 schools tend to have a good OL so the match-up has some meaning looking forward. also agree with ytf about playing weight for both EB & Orakpo.
 
beerlover said:
looking forward to watching Brown today against Wisconsin. big 10 schools tend to have a good OL so the match-up has some meaning looking forward. also agree with ytf about playing weight for both EB & Orakpo.
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If I remember correctly, Wisconsin has a young (Fr or Soph) LT who is supposed to be near as good as Joe Thomas. Josh Oglesby. I don't know if he has played, but the kid has a ton of talent. #67 is his number.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
Also Pete, a top flight S (between 12 and 17) allows CBs to not give such a large cushion. A top flight S allows our LBs to blitz more often. A top flight S goes a long ways in preventing the deep ball. I'm not saying we have to draft one, but they never hurt a football team.
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Also, when there is a top flight safety on the field like an Ed Reed or Palamalu... the QB has to account for him on every single play.

A top flight S on our team would do just what you've said. Allow the cb's to play the WR closer, will be able to cut off the medium to deep passes. The LB's can concentrate more on the run or able to blitz more b/c the CB is closer on the WR. The DL has that extra 1/2 second to get to the QB and make him rush the throw.

How many times have we seen Mario and Amobi right there in the QB's face before he gets it off? Forcing the QB to hold onto the ball a split second longer will make him force more throws that can lead to turnovers.

That's the thing about all these players, they can make the entire team better- not just one position. A true NT would change the whole defense, a stud Safety would change everything... the addition of Slaton changed our whole offense.
 
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