Depth remains big question mark for Texans at linebacker

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Luckily rookie linebackers can start week 1 and become very effective (Wagner, David, Kendricks), and in Wagner's case he even had the green dot. I'm hoping for an ILB in day 2.

 

Such a terrible article.

So James did a good job, Barwin played well, Brooks was injured but good, and Mercilus was a sack man who got more playing time as the season went on. OK, defense is looking good! Go Texans!!!!

 

Everyone is a damn fine player to Kubiak. No wonder that we're set to play the 49ers in the SB.

 

The Texans went through arguably one of the most injury-free season a NFL team can possibly hope. In fact, it's one of the reasons why I'm so down on them. Because the likelihood that they can repeat this sort of relatively injury free season is so slim.

 

ILB should be their first pick in the draft, but we need so many starters we are back to where we were in 2008. Lost 6 starters on both sides from last year, more injured this year and the right side of the O line is a mess. It could take two years to fix that problem.

 

It will be interesting to see how the board starts to look the closer the draft comes. I can easily see 2 LBs being taken. I'm not sure if the first round is required because typically you can get very good ILBs in later rounds, but it shouldn't be completely ruled out either.

at this point, i think, 1st round should be best available between RT, LB, RT or DL.

 

Not really. We lost the heart of the defense. Would the Ravens be in the SB without Ray Lewis? Nope.

Our number one corner was banged up all season. Reed was injured for a few games. Our third/nickle corner was lost for the season. Our second RB was also banged up all season. Our second tight end was out for a couple of games with a concussion and was barely cleared to play against NE. Tim Jamison was lost for the season. The kicker we drafted in the fifth never played in a game, which forced us to trot out a kicker who doesn't have a big leg. Sharpton was in and out all season and was lost for the season before the NE game. Same goes for Dobbins. Newton missed a few games and was not 100% in the latter part of the season.

I'm sure that there are other injuries that I am not accounting for.

 

Tim Jamison was on IR, as was Butler, in preseason. Sharpton had a cup of coffee before getting hurt again.

 

Ray Lewis missed half the season. Terrell Suggs, reigning DPOY was injured for most of the year, Webb, their equivalent of Joseph, out for the year. I don't follow their team so I have no idea how their regular starters are doing, but their entire secondary were banged up against NE along with Ngata.

The Patriots, in their first game against us, was missing Gronk, Edelman, a banged up OLine, just signed a street FA WR the week before, and STILL put up 40 against our defense. GB was missing half of their impact players when they blew us up. The fact that you're referring to LBs that make little impact even when they play, or the 2nd TE, is exactly why the Texans have been lucky this year.

I can almost guarantee that next year, we're going to have more impact injuries.

 

I keep seeing RT on everyone's list. For one, RT isn't a priority position on any NFL roster, that's why nobody takes RT's with the 1st pick.

Second, we already took RT's last year.

Third, Kubiak has proven he can improve lineman over time, we might be fine there. Lineman also improve naturally after a year, its a complicated position.

Fourth, even if Kubiak couldn't develop lineman, history shows me that he's probably confident in what he has and assumes the answers to our RT problems are currently on the roster.

Fifth, Kubiak will have lineman from Miami, Oakland, and a guy in KC he can go after to bandage any lingering problems that he thinks might take 2 years to fix (because there's no way he thinks he cant fix the problem eventually, believe me).

I'm not saying we don't need a RT (although I hope we don't, because I'd rather grow in other areas instead exhausting so many resources on something we could have avoided by simply keeping Winston), but I definitely don't think we're targeting one in the first round.

Last year I wanted a CB in round 1. Phillips wanted to stick with KJ. I was pissed. I was wrong. The problem fixed itself. Kubiak is about to pull the same exact thing. Hopefully it plays out the same way and an apparent problem corrects itself so we can get better in other areas.

 

And this is why this thread exists. Our depth sucks.

We simply cannot afford to lose Schaub o), Foster, AJ, Cush, or Watt. Kareem Jackson makes potentially losing Joseph not as big of a deal anymore. Manning would be tough to replace. Same with Quin.

As far as Baltimore is concerned, they seemed to have gotten healthy at the right time. Outside of Webb, they don't have any glaring injuries. San Francisco seems to have all of their core players intact as well.

 

I actually agree and I think a RT in the first is unlikely but radio guys have slowly allowed convinced me that there is a chance.

 

draft te'o. that's 1 linebacker right there, then he can bring some of his imaginary friends to play D for us as well.

 

My point is that even our starters aren't that good. Hence, the idea of needing to shore up depth is pointless. It's like the days when GARM was talking about needing a reliable center when the team had zero star players.

And they made the most of it. I don't believe they can replicate this level of "luck" next year. And quite frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if several of Foster, AJ, Joseph, Cushing, Schaub and lord forbid Watt miss significant time. Mainly because history of the NFL suggest it's more likely to happen than not.

 

We took Brandon Brooks and Ben Jones last year, both are guards. They did draft Nick Mondek in the 6th round but cut him, later signing him to the practice squad in late October. I wouldn't bet on him being in our future. Newton, however, was drafted 2 years ago in the 7th round.

 

Unless we lose Quin to free agency, ILB should be the main concern for this team in the first round. Outside of Cushing we really didn't have any LBs that could go side line to side line in coverage and as the season wore on that caused a lot of injuries to those that tried and hurt us when we were picked on in that area.

OLB, since we are likely to lose Barwin is also a concern but we can pick up a young player at any point in the draft since they will be playing presumably behind Reed, Mercilus and Brahman.

 

Draft both LB positions with best avail. first, then secondary help. Also a back up RB since Tate doesn't seem strong enough.