you're right. let's lose, so that our players become accustom to it, draft players who are every bit as likely to fail as they are succeed and then watch our fan base erode because the average sports fan has the attention span of a gnat on speed. it's the same plan the cardinals have been using for about 25 years now... seems like a winner.
Huh??? Rooting for the sake a rooting, and then pat yourself on the back for being a "true fan." That's what I have issue with. Your accusation! We need draft picks, period. The key is to build a strong foundation of players. It's a means to an ever changing ends. Now, if we keep having 4-12 seasons, then we have a problem. Here's what you want: A lot of 1st round draft picks, but at the same time a 9-7 season. That's called "Have your cake and eat it..." I don't want to be just "good (and root, like a nice little fan)" I want to be dominating! We must suffer now, to be great later.
I see the Titans making a move for Travis Henry when (and if) McGahee rounds into shape. Eddie George is just not quick enough to exploit defenses. Maybe he should become the fullback?
Yeah, I never liked George as the RB. He's improved, but his upright running style isn't idea for an every-down back. It will be interesting how McGahee turns out. I'm glad we have DD. I hope he keeps up the good work. He could be diamond in the rough. I mean, the guy was a 4th rounder!
You still get draft picks even when you win. They just come later in the draft, but plenty of teams have built solid foundations while drafting lower. Arizona and Cincinnati consistently draft high and can't win to save their lives. And at what point do the 4-12 seasons become enough? Two? Three? Five? You get first round picks even when you win. I don't know. It sure seems like those teams that consistently have high draft picks never get any better. And look at a team like the Titans. Other than getting McNair in the 1995 draft after their 2-14 season, the Oilers/Titans have always won at least 7 games. Yet they are as dominating a team as there is out there right now. That's not a team that was built through having high draft picks. Playing worse than your team is just isn't a good strategy. Getting consistently better would seem a better way to go even if it means moving down in the crapshoot that is the NFL Draft.
Getting consistently better is done with a lot of factors. I never said lose on purpose. You automatically get hard work from players competing for jobs. But as a fan, it doesn't worry me that don't win this game, or that game. It's too soon to freak out for a loss here or there. That's my point. There's always the draft to build from, since, we are, building a new team. There's balance. Getting consistently better is made up of a lot of factors. I have to say, that no matter how much "getting consistently better" would have occurred in Dallas, they would never had won the titles they did without Aikman, Smith and Irvin. And to me, building up your "star" base is more important that getting a bunch of "good" players in mid-level drafts while being still competitive. Being just "competitive" reminds me of the Bud Adams days. Scary!
Of course, Smith wasn't a high 1st rounder (17th overall), and neither was Irvin, really. You could argue that the Texans already have their Aikman in David Carr (both #1s overall) and their Irvin in Johnson, though Johnson was a higher pick (#3 overall vs. #11 overall). The Texans could be pretty good this year and still end up with the 17th overall pick and have the ability to draft just as high as the Cowboys took Smith. And the chances are that the Texans won't be drafting that low anyway. The team that earned the 17th pick last year went 9-7 in the regular season. It's unlikely the Texans will do that well this season. The point is, you don't have to tank games to get better. And having a losing attitude can be a problem for a team. String too many losing seasons together, and the players seem to forget how to win.
I agree with this sentiment, but that's not what you said before when you seemed to echo the talk about hoping for losses in order to get higher draft picks.
Put it this way, I doesn't bother me that much. Not yet. Because I know we NEED more help! See? That's when science of scouting is a tricky thing (1st though 30th picks). You have to give props to the Texan staff for putting together the best players possible. But it is their job to see the intangibles of players. We are shielded from the war room. The one thing I remember that Jimmy Johnson said once was that he would trade two high 2nd rounders, for four or five 4th or 5th rounders. He would use those lower picks as "stuffing." Or blue collar workers. Those guys are great to have when you've ALREAD built the "stars" of the team up. And maybe, just maybe you'll get a few diamonds in the rough. So, getting better should happen gradually. But once you get to a certain level (competitive), you better have your "stars" picked already. If not. We'll be almost most good enough to win a title. But never good enough. Right now, are "stars" have yet to be decided. So, far we have: Carr, Johnson and maybe DD? Not sure. I hope.
By the way, I'm also hoping for a BAD-AS*, monster-like, offensive-Linemen THROWING, defensive tackle/end! A Bruce Smith, Warren Sapp, or Reggie White! We need one of those...purrdy please?
Best post in this thread. K2 Winslow is a luxury. Defensive help is a necessity. Draft for defense (and O-line) and fill in offensive holes via free agency.
Nope, Pastorini was worse than Luck or Nielsen. For one, both Luck and Nielson each had a season with more TDs than INTs, something Pastorini can never claim. More importantly, though, Nielsen and Luck both did their majority of sucking when the Oilers also sucked. Pastorini sucked even when the Oilers were good.
DavidS, seeing as you don't actually watch the games (unbelievable!) since you don't have the wherewithal either to get NFL Sunday Ticket or get off your ass and go to a sports bar somewhere that's showing the Texans, you are absolutely unqualified to make any assertions whatever regarding the team's play. And you geniuses do know that the Texans drafted a TE in the second round this year, right?
