He's the best player on THAT list. Connor Barwin was a 2nd round pick. Ben Tate was a good back when healthy. Brandon Brooks looks like he's developing into a very solid guard. Jury is still out on Swearinger. I don't know if you'd call any of those players great, but it's not like it's been a total black hole after the first round.
isnt it amazing that a routine catch by jacoby jones is dubbed "the catch" here on CF.. jacoby is terribly inconsitent everywhere hes been, he was the absolute same player for the texans that hes been for the ravens. it just so happens that the few big plays he made for baltimore happened in the champ game and super bowl..
I can't believe someone tried to term that reception "the catch" like it was something special. It was a terrible defensive play and a bread basket of a catch that I think the majority of people on this board could make. I'll give him his special teams credit but as a WR...ehhhh
I always got the impression that that was Wades decision as much as anyones... but we dont really know
When I hear "Jacoby Jones" and "Special Teams", all I think of is the 2011 Divisional Game against the Ravens. A horrible, horrible, horrible decision on his part.
The poster David Rocket said Manning wanting Houston just a rumor and Peyton never actually mentioned it. Schaub was an above average, at times good, QB. He was also a primetime chump.
My understanding is that Archie manning told Spencer Tillman that Peyton would consider playing for the Texans. Tillman then told Bob Allen who reported it on air.
It's already been understood and basically released that Smith had his hands held by Kubiak. Kubiak told him what he was looking for, and Smith conducted the drafts accordingly. What I would hold Smith accountable for is not the selections (which were clearly Kubiaks) but the very terrible scouting department we have. Even when Wade came along it was still status quo. Wade picked every defensive player, including Watt. It's the scouting departments complete failure of evaluating talent. Smith as a former DB apparently things he sees talent in that department, he's clearly failed every one of those picks. As you can see with the O'brien regime, nearly all these pet projects of Kubiaks era are being waived, or have never panned out. I do also believe that the ability of past coaching staffs were severely lacking in the ability to develop the necessary players to build a true contender. The only talent that seems to ever really make it are 1st round picks and nearly all 2-4 round picks are busts or never sniff their potential. I have hope that O'brien's squad can do a much better job of nurturing each players talents, and also know when to cut the cord.
I think everyone is way over estimating how much influence RS had on draft picks. Perhaps he has real power, perhaps he's nothing more than a yes man. The truth is hard to know. My hunch is that if McNair felt RS was as responsible as everyone here thinks, he would have been canned right along with Kubiak.
I think, in hindsight, Kubiak/Smith drafted rather decently (you can hang some of the draft failures, I think, on player development): they routinely hit on their first round picks; they were actually pretty good after the third round (Daniels, Slaton, Quin, Casey, Graham, Jones, Crick); they found undrafted free agents who could play in the NFL; etc. I think their greatest shortcoming - one they never shed even as the team progressed and got better: they spent WAY too much time drafting "projects." It technically started with Kubiak's first-ever pick (Mario) and continued for years. Even when it worked out (Duane Brown), it was still a pick steeped in potential, as opposed to actual production. JJ Watt was a productive college football player; so, too, was Cushing. Guys like Okoye, Jacoby, Molden, Barwin, Posey... When you're 2-14, you can take a flier on a guy. But when you're 8-8/9-7 and trying to get over the hump... man, you absolutely, positively HAVE to add contributors to your team, not guys who might need a year or two to learn this, or heal from that, or...
When you're 2-14 you definitely can't afford to blow draft picks... And you can't afford to blow draft picks when you're a mediocre 8-8 team either. The draft is essential for any team in any position to make their team better but it's usually the contending teams/playoff teams that are in better position to "take a flier" on a player... And usually good teams aren't in a position where they are depending on "rookies" to push them over the top. And the draft is no exact science so it's all educated guess work... But the Texans haven't made consistently good guesses other than the 1st round.
I just started a new thread regarding the recent cut. Didn't know there was already another thread. You can delete it or merge whatever.
