This doesn't answer the question on who actually decides on the player. Rick does the paperwork but is probably just going out and signing who OBrien wants.
On this week's episode of the Texans **** Show: Will B'ob use Miller/Foreman as a tandem back? Will B'ob still want to make Miller run up the middle even though the guy is a beast on the outsides and when catching? How long before Watson is subbed out? Stayed Tuned.
Rick doing paperwork was probably his role with Kubiak. But he outlasted Gary, got promoted, and BOB had no HC experience at this level beforehand. To me, all three of those signs point to Rick having a bigger role than just getting who BOB wants.
This is by McNair's design. There has never been a clear delineation on who decides what going all the way back to Kubiak. And it's really the perfect way for Rick to shield himself, regardless of what happens, you cannot pin anything directly on him.
Why would Rick want that role? His job is safe putting it all on the HC. And O'Brien said in a recent interview that Rick doesn't get guys they don't want.
Kubiak didn't have HC NFL experience either. To me, our personnel problems have been mainly the same through Kubiak's tenure and BoB's thus far. No reason to believe Rick is just doing the paperwork with that alone.
Kubiak got some great personnel. We had a top 10 OL, playmakers, and a QB who was at least above average.
CBS SPORTS: (It's convenient to try to discredit Brown's stance, claiming not to re-do contacts with two years remaining, but what about all those players routinely asked to take pay cuts with multiple years left on their deals? Is that not a renegotiation of sorts itself?)
Kubiak's system was light years ahead of BoB IMO which helped a lot. But it's mainly our drafting outside of the 1st round that has been a huge issue since Rick took over. Below are the non-1st round picks Rick had with Kubiak. Not to mention splash decisions in signing Ahmad Green, basically trading out Glover Quin for Ed Reed, along with some very questionable extensions. Sounds familiar... 2013 2 D.J. Swearinger 2013 3 Brennan Williams 2013 3 Sam Montgomery 2013 4 Trevardo Williams 2013 6 David Quessenberry 2013 6 Alan Bonner 2013 6 Chris Jones 2013 6 Ryan Griffin 2012 3 DeVier Posey 2012 3 Brandon Brooks 2012 4 Ben Jones 2012 4 Keshawn Martin 2012 4 Jared Crick 2012 5 Randy Bullock 2012 6 Nick Mondek 2011 2 Brandon Harris 2011 4 Roc Carmichael 2011 5 Shiloh Keo 2011 5 T.J. Yates 2011 7 Derek Newton 2011 7 Cheta Ozougwu 2010 3 Earl Mitchell 2010 4 Darryl Sharpton 2010 4 Garrett Graham 2010 5 Sherrick McManis 2010 6 Shelley Smith 2010 6 Trindon Holliday 2010 7 Dorin Dickerson 2009 3 Antoine Caldwell 2009 4 Glover Quin 2009 4 Anthony Hill 2009 5 James Casey 2009 6 Brice McCain 2009 7 Troy Nolan 2008 3 Antwaun Molden 2008 3 Steve Slaton 2008 4 Xavier Adibi 2008 5 Frank Okam 2008 6 Dominique Barber 2008 7 Alex Brink 2007 3 Jacoby Jones 2007 4 Fred Bennett 2007 5 Brandon Harrison 2007 5 Brandon Frye 2007 6 Kasey Studdard 2007 7 Zach Diles
oh God... seeing the Texans draft history outside of the first round...just gouge my eyes out and spare me the torture.
That is why the Texans under Smith is always robbing Peter to pay Paul. It is a shell game...... using resources to plug a hole because of poor depth of drafting and exposing another one. Look at last year...... we lose starters on the offensive line to get a QB...... the Texans have to use 2 #1's and a #2 to basically get someone with a possible chance of a future at the position..... and in doing so they throw together a GARBAGE offensive line. Some of the guys on the line are so bad that we cannot fairly grade the other ones like Martin because there is NO protection..... and without a line they wasted money resigning Hopkins, or spending cap space or draft picks on a running back.... and to top it all off, there is no point in having a good QB at this point because he isn't protected. By the time the Texans have the offensive line adequately fixed, the players on defense are going to be free agents and the defense will struggle..... because we have a GM that cannot draft in rounds 2-7.
Still too early to tell for some of them but XSF, Nix, Pagan have been garbage from the 2014 draft. Trading up for Strong looks to be a big bust and Mumphrey/Cliett/Hilliard aren't even on the roster. And guys like Braxton, Ervin, and Dillon haven't contributed at all. In other words, more of the same...
Right, so right. By the hypothetical time that Watson is a good QB and the offensive line is good enough to be a NFL line, Clowney will have been up for a huge payday, Watt will have left his prime, JJO will be gone, Kareem still won't turn his head to look for the ball, Cushing will be (mercifully) retired, McKinney will be owed a new deal, Kevin Johnson will be owed a new deal and on and on it will go.
The reason Rick Smith still has a job is his first round picks. I don't know if there is any other GM that can rival his first round success. He has also been pretty good with UDFAs. It seems the story of this franchise is that they are good but never good enough or bad but never bad enough
Um like Derek Carr? Being a Clements graduate... I am homer, I admit. But I can proudly say that my high school quarterback can beat Andrew Luck.
Without injuries and holdouts, last year they had Duane Brown, Nick Martin, Greg Mancz, Sua Filo/Allen, and Newton. That is not a bad line. Newton's injury and Brown's holdout really handicapped the line. There was no way to predict that when the let Brooks and Jones go. If both Brown and Newton were still playing we probably wouldn't be complaining much about the line. I would halfway be okay with the line if they got Brown in or got a top available FA tackle. But they did neither which I think is where they really are messing up. I'm perfectly fine with the Watson pick. Savage is not the future. They had to go draft them a QB in the first two rounds for the first time since David Carr. I don't think getting an lineman in the 1st round would get me more excited about the future with Savage and Weeden as the QBs.
Picks are a crapshoot but are low risk, high reward. That's why you have to be careful about not wasting them. Look at Morey and Lunhow. They picked plenty of busts and have passed on superstars But they are great at accumulating assets. The Texans are good at giving away great assets for next nothing.
