The thing about Casey that concerned me last season was that he virtually disappeared from the passing game for most of the year. He had a couple great games in the early going and then almost nothing the rest of the way. I think it is a situation where he is incredibly athletic and dynamic, but has difficulty getting separation, for whatever reason. The converse is a guy like Owen Daniels who isn't one of these physical freak tight ends, but has a knack for getting open (which I guess speaks to his ability to read the defense). I hope I'm wrong on Casey. I remember Matt Jackson got me real excited over the radio about Casey when we drafted him because of his physical skills and wide assortment of abilities, but I've been largely disappointed so far in his career.
Well, you have to consider that Casey really only played in five games at FB. He played in four to start the year, got hurt early in the Oakland game, and didn't get time again until the Tennessee game when most starters were pulled after one drive. After his injury, Vickers went in at FB, the winning streak started - and Gary didn't want to rock the boat (I can't blame him) and switch back with things in rhythm. Casey did get plays as TE3 from time to time, but hardly ever at FB. I agree with your analysis on Casey the tight end. That's why he slipped to the 5th round, even with his terrific hands and solid athleticism. But for a fullback, receiving has less to do with separation and more to do with subtle moves, IQ (fullback is often the emergency valve, not a designed play) and route-running. That's where I think Casey's skillset can best be used, if and only if he's capable enough as a blocker. That remains to be seen, but I was encouraged by what I saw last year. I'm not saying he'll average five catches per game... fullbacks will never have THAT significant of an impact on the passing game on the entire year. Nature of the position. But I think Casey at FB can give you some big plays in big moments and create matchup advantages in situations where you otherwise might struggle. For example, he was most useful on the road in New Orleans... when an elite team had the Texans in their house and took away some of the go-to plays. That's when having an emergency valve with his level of speed and IQ pays off. Remains to be seen how it fares over a full season, but I'd like to find out.
Casey played with a pectoral strain all year that removed him from being a receiving threat. When healthy, he gave the Texans an added weapon at a position that isn't normally a threat.
