No. I just don't think WR2 is a team priority; I'd rank these needs higher (in no paticular order): QB TE LG, RT Wes Welker type DT OLB ILB CB S Overall team speed Plus, again - people need to stop underrating/forgetting about DeAndre Hopkins. They don't need to spend any resources - especially multiple resources - on a WR when they've got him.
Based off Hey Now!'s list of needs and NFL.com's free agent list, these are some FAs I would like the Texans to try to bring in. TE - Jordan Cameron OL - Orlando Franklin/Dan Connolly WR- Torrey Smith/Jeremy Maclin/Wes Welker/Eddie Royal DT - Barry Cofield/Terrance Knighton/Kevin Vickerson/Dan Williams OLB - Dwight Freeney/Dan Skuta/Malcolm Smith ILB - Rey Maualuga/David Harris CB - Perrish Cox/Antonio Cromartie/Chris Culliver/Sterling Moore/Tramon Williams S - Mike Adams/Tyvon Branch/Sergio Brown/Stevie Brown/Rahim Moore I doubt we will sign any players from my list but I tried to have a mix of veteran value/depth type players and players looking to get paid.
I wonder how much of an opportunity, if any, Devier Posey will get this year. Nuk as WR1 and if signed you got Hartline as your slot guy. Posey could be a nice downfield threat on the other side. I always wondered if Posey's lack of play last season was really just a numbers thing or if he was just in BoB's dog house.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Hartline will take less $ to play w/ a QB such as <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Patriots?src=hash">#Patriots</a> Brady, will require more $$ to play w/ a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Browns?src=hash">#Browns</a> McCown or <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash">#Texans</a> Mallet</p>— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryKayCabot/status/573589195324833793">March 5, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
If we're going to get into a bidding war for Brian freakin' Hartline, I say we just preserve our dignity and move on...
Agreed, there's too many options out there to get bogged down in a bidding war for a guy of that caliber.
I think we are disciplined enough to not overpay for mediocre talent. See, McCown from last year. Now on the Reem front.... <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Spoke w <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash">#Texans</a> FA CB Kareem Jackson -did not want to get into free agency but said "i think we are doing things the right way, MORE <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/abc13?src=hash">#abc13</a></p>— David Nuño (@DavidNunoABC13) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidNunoABC13/status/573602792721412096">March 5, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Kareem Jackson said"i think we are doing things the right way, I think we took some strides and steps in the right direction" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/texans?src=hash">#texans</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/abc13?src=hash">#abc13</a></p>— David Nuño (@DavidNunoABC13) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidNunoABC13/status/573603040613158912">March 5, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Getting Kareem back has to be priority number one. I'm surprised we are hearing nothing on Brooks Reed. Isn't he a free agent? He's not great but he's decent for a couple million. Would like to keep him. I have to believe Hartline would be coming in to make Martin expendable. No way, in my opinion, you try and sell the fan base on cutting the best player in franchise history for that. But then again, O'Brien has some balls. My hope is we resign Kareem, resign Reed, trade our fourth round pick for Brandon Marshall, sign someone like Cecil Shorts for the slot, sign someone like Gresham at TE, then draft a CB or Nose in the first, and the other in the second. Get an inside linebacker in one of the first three rounds, too. This is all assuming we get Mallett back, too. I'm a dreamer, but that seems realistic to me...
You can't think about it that way. Nobody's going to pass that test. One, you have to forget about what Andre had been and accept what he is now, and how much money he was making for what he was. Two, you have to look at the big picture and where they end up spending that money which in all likelihood is not going to be receiver. You can't say "those dumbasses, getting rid of AJ for Hartline" and ignore any improvements we might make in other areas using the money we freed up.
But many will. The offense is very obviously going to look radically different this year. There's really not going to be a 1:1 comparison. I think BOB's going to prioritize getting a big, athletic TE and a durable, catch-everything slot receiver. And as such, it's looking more and more like O'Brien was being completely honest with AJ; the second WR is not going to be a priority here any more, much like NE and, albeit in a much different system, the height of the Kubiak era. As others have speculated, if the idea is to have a burner opposite Hopkins, I wonder if Posey is in the mix? If you look at the '07 Patriots (BOB's first year there), Welker caught 112; Moss 98; Faulk (RB) 47; Stallworth 46 (didn't he tell AJ he might only catch 40 balls?), Watson 36. This was obviously pre-Gronk/Hernandez - they caught 170 passes in 2011 when BOB was the OC.
Andre still has a lot left in the tank. A big part of AJ having a down year was due to Fitzpatrick's ineptitude at QB.
I look at it that way too. He was showing Andre Johnson respect by not lying to him and being blunt about it. Andre's skills are in decline and he's not the WR he once was, he's not the best WR on the team anymore so if he were to stay around he'd have to take a back seat because that's what his remaining skillset called for. Obviously he didn't like that, but I think it would have been worse if they had just lied to him and pretended like he was still a top tier WR or that they were planning on using him as one.
What's funny about this is that it's Hartline saying it... The more talented players may say the same. The Texans may have to overpay to get certain players they want.
Vince Wilfork just got released! Another old vet with Bill O'Brien ties. Wonder what he's up to right this moment.
I'm sure that's in the works through the draft, but you still need at least 3 wideouts, and as of right now we've only got 1. Picking him up wouldn't hurt, so long as he's pretty cheap.
