How about playing-wise? I'd feel better relying on Ike Taylor or OJ Atogwe to finally get us over the hump than some 22-year old who has never played a single down in the NFL. We've been "building through the draft" for 8 years now and have nothing but one "winning" season and no playoffs to show for it. When is it time to finally change your philosophy and start thinking about now instead of perpetually thinking about 3 years from now? Schaub, AJ, and Mario aren't getting any younger. AJ and Mario are already showing signs of wear and tear. OD and DeMeco are both coming off injuries. I would just assume trade down to get additional picks (for depth only) and look to free agency to fix the defense - lockout or no lockout. Atogwe was there to be had, but we probably didn't call because we're still trying to "build through the draft." The team is putting out mixed signals saying they want to win NOW, since the coach is supposed to be on such thin ice....but still relying on this "build through the draft" philosophy. I don't get it. I know that McNair quote is a year old, but our total lack of activity in the FA market leading up to the lockout would seem to indicate that he still feels the same way.
McNair has said on occasion that he most respects/models after the Rooneys (Steelers) approach. Franchise's history backs that up. Generally disinterested in high dollar FA, show patience and don't breathe down your GM/coach's neck. Unfortunately, McNair has failed in a major way as far as installing a front office and staff capable of building that way.
I overall agree - they've built through the draft, it's time to find final pieces. But I'm not sure Taylor and/or Atogwe are those pieces. Other than players that have been released, there hasn't been a FA market yet. Why pick through discarded scraps? I don't think adding marginal talent like Taylor or Atogwe is what this team needs to do, frankly/unfortunately.
Hey look, the Texans have the #1 WR in tha MUTHAFCKN GAME! http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/33997/power-rankings-top-10-nfl-receivers
fwiw: nflcharlie Source: Former #Jaguars wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker has been contacted by the St. Louis #Rams and Houston #Texans.
Massive, massive upgrade compared to Jacoby Jones. If he comes at a reasonable price, I say sign him up.
Getting Sim-Walker does not mean Jacoby is gone. I think both could end up on the roster. Walter was pretty bad last season imo, as bad as Jacoby, I would have those 2 split time as the #3 guy
Well, to be fair, when we drafted Jacoby, it seemed like we had hit on a firecracker of a kick returner. If I recall correctly, he made waves in the pre-season of his rookie season, and even had a few good ount returns and kick returns in the regular season. Where Jacoby fell off was his dedication to getting better as a receiver, and his lack of maturity. He got too caught up in the showboating, and he never bothered to increase his focus on the mental aspects of what it takes to be a receiver in the NFL. I suppose these are all things that could have been predicted (especially since he was coming from a small college where he was the Man) by the coaching staff, but drafting JJ over MSW isn't exactly Bowie over Jordan. It is, however, just another drop in the bucket of questionable decisions by this organization though.
I agree that the addition of MSW wouldn't necessarily imply the exit of Jacoby, but to me, if it DOES come down to choosing either Walter or Jones, I'm picking Walter. You're right in the fact that Walter had about a 4-5 game stretch where he completely disappeared off the planet (which, not so coincidentally, coincided with the Texans disappearing off the planet), but a lot goes into that. Even if a receiver is open, it's the QBs job to find him, it's the line's job to give the QB time to throw to him, it's the receiver's job to extend that open window, etc., and I would say Walter has a very good track record throughout his career of being an ideal possession receiver. He went through a funk, but I believe the last 3-4 games of the season, he bounced back nicely. Jones however, demonstrates a distinct lack of focus, and an inability to come up with (what some would consider) very catchable balls. I seem to remember him dropping a NUMBER of passes last year, a lot of which came at incredibly inopportune times. Now, I'm not saying that Jones can't get better (he's still very young), but bringing in somebody who is ALREADY good at these things can only help this franchise. If we end up having to cut Jones off the roster to make room for Sims-Walker, then those are the breaks. Jones has had ample time to prove himself here.
I can't see them bringing Jacoby back if they sign MSW. That would likely be too much money wrapped up in the WR position having AJ, KW, MSW, and JJ under contract.
To this day, Jacoby scares the crap out of me fielding punts. It's hard to choose between his inconsistency/fumbles and Slaton constantly running headlong into the first defender on a return.
LOL, therein lies the rub. Agree on Taylor, I think he's a little overrated. I'll take Atogwe on this team though. And obviously both of these guys are infinitely better than anything we currently have in our defensive backfield. So why not at least inquire about them? That's really my point. I'm not necessarily upset that we haven't signed anyone yet. I know the FA market hasn't really started. It's just that everyone in the world knows we have MAJOR problems in our defensive backfield - and we don't even contact a guy like Atogwe? Other teams are at least trying to get better (Saints signing Rogers, Skins signing Atogwe, Chargers signing Sanders, Panthers signing Shockey). We can argue if those moves will actually make them better, the point is they're trying. But as usual, all's quiet on the home front. It doesn't bode well for my hope that we will sign a good FA or 2 once the lockout is over. I think we're going to try to solve our problems through the draft - and that's a HUGE mistake IMO.
I wouldn't miss Jacoby Jones, period. I like Sims-Walker, he's an overlooked guy. Don't know if he's really worth breaking the bank for. I'd be much more excited about Julio Jones*, especially on the new rookie wage scale. *provided all the real D prospects are gone when we pick.
So Jacoby Jones dropping balls is a Bad Thing (tm) while Julio Jones dropping balls is a Good Thing (tm)?
