Things I'd like to see happen during the Texans offseason: Hiring of a defensive coordinator that is not Frank Bush. This is just my gut feeling, really. Bush may turn out to be great, if he is promoted. But since he's been on the team's payroll for over a season now, I feel like if the guy were really the DC we are hoping to get, this team's defense wouldn't have been so crappy the last 2 years even with Richard Smith's involvement. The firing of Jacoby Jones. I loved his potential when we drafted him and he immediately turned into a fan darling with his amazing preseason showing in his rookie season, but the guy has shown literally NO improvement on the receiver side and his occasional TD punt returns are not enough to offset the seemingly more and more frequent punt muffs he has shown. I hated seeing JJ Moses get chased down from behind as much as anyone in the team's early years, but at least that guy NEVER put the ball on the turf. A capable, bruiser type RB to back up Slaton. I think Slaton is actually pretty decent at converting 1st downs on 3rd and short type situations (for his size anyway) but I'd rather see that duty given to someone bigger with a body more suited to taking a pounding. This could be a need addressed through the draft, but if there is a 2nd or 3rd string guy out there somewhere who can do the job then I would prefer free agency. A draft comprised mostly of defensive players. This is a desire I think will definitely be met. The offense looked spectacular this season and that was WITH Schaub being injured for 5 games and us having to see Rosencopter give the football away. Schaub was great when healthy (overall) and seemed to improve as the season crept on. The offense is good enough to win with (save for the red zone offense...but I think that is more scheme than talent). I'd like to see one of the following drafted, if possible: good pass rushing DE to play opposite Mario, a safety that can rattle heads and cover, a cornerback that understands the concept of looking back for the ball, and maybe a LB if a good one comes available (although I would be fine with Diles, Adibi and Demeco to start the season if it came to that). I'd also like to see the Texans cheerleaders perform naked on a regular basis.
Totally agree. Bob McNair hasn't seemed like the type of owner that would tighten the purse strings when it comes to hiring personnel, so I would imagine that Gary gets who he wants. I hope that whomever gets the job is not only an aggressive play caller, but also someone that will not let Mario become complacent. He's made enormous strides, but I think that we can all agree he hasn't come close to his potential. Agreed. I feel like Jacoby's issues are COMPLETELY mental. It's kind of a double-edged sword...we could get rid of him, but I have a bad feeling he'll come back with another team and stick it to us in the future. Having said that, between him and Rosenfails I've managed to invent quite a few new bad words. I think as a whole, the Texans need to re-commit themselves to special teams. According to NFL.com, they went from 2nd in 2007 to 26th in 2008 in kick returns. I realize that Andre Davis missed games due to injury, but he never did regain his effectiveness as the season wore on.
Before anything else, I want them to lock up Dunta Robinson. I don't want to have to address CB in the draft with all of our other concerns, and I think it would depress me to see him in another team's uniform.
Actually, this should have been in my list as well. I no longer believe that Dunta is an elite level corner (I did at one time) but he is damn good and even damn good corners are hard to find. So even if we have to pay the guy more than he is really worth, lock him up.
Peppers will be franchised if the panthers can't sign him long term. Personally I dont want to draft a CB or DE in the first round. Most DEs that were drafted in the first round haven't really panned out well.
I would like to see the Texans pick up a 2 to 3 yards and a cloud of dust type back. Not being able to run on 3rd down and short is a problem. I would also like that back to have good hands so he can catch passes in the flat. Javorskie Lane, from what I have been told, is projecting to be a 3rd or 4th round pick. He may be worth a look at the combine.
I went to A&M and have been watching the soap opera that is Jorvorskie all season. He will be going the way of our last big back, Jamaar Toombs and not even get drafted if he doesn't get himself in shape before the combine. For those who don't know the story of Toombs, he was a svelte 240 lbs who dragged half of the oklahoma defense into the endzone on a 15 yard run in 2000; a real thing of beauty. He then declares for the draft as a junior and shows up the combine at 270 and was only 6'0. He was telling everyone that he often gains weight during the offseason and loses it during training camp. Well, the NFL guys weren't convinced and Toombs went undrafted. J-Train would benefit himself by studying history. He butted heads with Sherman all season because Sherman wanted him DOWN to 260-270, because he was approaching 300 at 6'1. Add to the fact that he didn't like blocking and often whiffed on his assignment. J-Train's senior season was a very disappointing one. The strong Aggie Network will get him a job somewhere if the NFL isn't in his future, but he's going to have to do a bunch on his own to make it in the NFL. I'm completely ignorant on what kind of kid J-Train is, but you can be assured that Kubiak will know the entire situation with his close relationship with Sherman. I would love J-Train to be around 250-260 and be the short yardage runner for the Texans, but I just don't expect him to get himself in that kind of shape, hopefully he proves me wrong.
Speaking as a fat person, i hate to see these big guys gain weight--on the one hand, I say, "dude--just stay slim, you're gonna get paid millions!" but on the other hand, those millions of dollars would only make it harder for me to keep weight off! I could buy a lot of pizza with that green.
Absolutely. J-Train has all the physical skills (ability to catch short passes, etc). That being said, his future depends entirely on how he shows up for the combine.
I am an A&M grad also and from a sentimental standpoint would love to see him come to the Texans and do well. But, he didn't seem to impress Sherman this year, and I am sure Sherman will pass on his impressions to Kubiak - so I don't see this happening.
Sherman will pass on his impressions, but I do expect the Texans to watch his combine performance. If he drops 20 pounds and performs well, all expectations are that he will go in the 3rd or 4th round. Shanahan and Kubiak will be watching. If he performs well, they may take a chance on him. If not, then somebody else will get a versatile back. If he shows up out of shape, he will be doing something other than football.
I don't think Lane is a NFL caliber running back. He can only go north to south, or catch out of a power formation. Fullback maybe.
Some innuresting (to quote Rich Lord) 2008 numbers. I think a lot of us have the impression that the offense was improved this year, including me, but they actually scored 13 fewer points this year (366 versus 379). The D gave up 10 more points, 394 to 384. The Texans were outscored this season by 28. They were outscored by only 5 last year. I wonder how much Ike, and the fact that there was no bye halfway-to-late-season for guys to recover, had to do with that?
...come to think of it, I wonder what the yardage numbers are from this year compared to last, and the red zone numbers? That might be pretty telling.
