If we draft Bridgewater, is Playoff in 2014 too much to ask for?

I think the Bengals have more talent than given credit for (hell, when healthy, they may have the most talent in the AFC). I think the Ravens and Dolphins also have more talent on both sides of the ball. The Jets have more young defensive talent. The Chargers have more offensive talent and a defense that just held Peyton Manning in check.

New England has never looked good on paper, and yet has 10 wins every year... I don't think the Texans can ever be compared against them until either Brady or Belicheck is done. Same goes for the Steelers who likely will have a bounce back season.

I actually think Denver is slowly crashing down, similar to what happened to the Texans in 2012... I think their best football is behind them, regardless of what happens the rest of the season. Kansas City has a solid window of 2-3 years.

TBH, the least amount of "talent" in the conference is currently dominated by the AFC South. I agree the Colts aren't anything special... but they're fairly well-coached, disciplined, and minus the Luck brain-farts tend to protect the ball.

I hate playing the "schedule" game, since things do change... but the truth is, the Texans have 6 games every season against teams they "should" have more talent then (yet still struggle against, each and every season). The NFC East and AFC North will also likely have bounce-back seasons (this would have been the best year to play both divisions).

Every team's core has a shelf life... the Texans had a solid run of 4-5 years where the team developed, peaked, and now faded. Yes, there should have been more playoff appearances... and largely due to coaching and mis-managed personnel, they only made 2 real runs.

I just don't see the turnaround capability without some radical changes (which would include hitting some HR's in the draft). I don't see quick-fixes on both sides of the ball.

 

This is part of my concern. I think Rick Smith will still be here in April making those picks. And I don't trust him with those picks at all.

 

It would be a huge mistake to hire a coach that has little say in which players fit his system best. That includes both offensive and defensive coordinators. Meanwhile, Smith is complaining that the coaches have too much draft input as is.

Seriously, what qualifications does Rick Smith have to warrant being entrusted to "build" a team?

The best draft/off-season this team has ever had was 2006... the first year of Kubiak, and pre-dated Rick Smith's hiring. That went a long way to "righting" the ship.

The Texans need a very similar off-season this year... they CANNOT miss on some of these draft picks like they have the last 5 years.

 

depends on a healthy arian and cush. you can win in this division if you play defense and run the ball.

 

The Colts are honestly nothing special. The Texans are the perfect team to play to get your offense on track, but as far as the season goes, Luck has been very up and down, their running game is completely non-existent (that Richardson trade is looking like nails from a Browns perspective), and their defense is susceptible to giving up the big play (as we saw the first time we played them). They have one and done written all over them when the playoffs come around unless Luck has a phenomenal game.

As far as the Texans are concerned, there are just too many holes to address before we can truly get a gauge for how good the team can be with a good QB. The offensive line is ATROCIOUS, as well as the middle of the defense, and the secondary. Jonathan Joseph is officially a problem that we have to address, as are MLB and safety. If the Texans can have a strong draft combined with a very strong free agency period, I'd say they can get back to competing for the division, but I'd say realistically we're still a minimum of two years away.

 

I think the Bengals and Chiefs are, top to bottom, the two best teams in the AFC. And you can never count out Brady or Manning (well, until January with PeePee; hey ho). But the rest of the AFC is a big bag of mediocre, including, as you mentioned, a very sad AFC South. Luck is a very good QB. If we get luck-y with Bridgewater and close that gap...

This sounds like 2010-11 all over again. I think too many fans discount what a tremendous impact a new - competent - regime can have on a team.

 

I feel your pain on that.

Also I wonder (since they so eloquently made the excuse for him recently) how much the head coaching having "too much say so" in terms of drafting players has to do with Smith's almost immunity to the whole cleaning house the Texans are planning.

He should be far from untouchable given that Kubiak is the guy that helped get him that seat in the FO. I'd place the blame 50/50 on both parties as far as drafting underwhelming talent goes.

Does this make about a lick a sense to you guys as it does to me? The GM immunity thing....

 

The NFL is all about coaching and QB play...bring on a very competent coach along with the Bridgewater everyone is hyping him to be, and you can most definitely make a playoff push given the division we are in.

Im pretty sure our OLine will be better next season with the return of some of the injured...plus probably at least 1 draft pick.

Cushing and Manning returning...along with a draft pick for the DLine, LB, and secondary. I think each level of the defense needs to be addressed during the draft.

Basically, assuming no trades in the draft, we should end up with the following, in no particular order: QB, OL, DL, LB, DB, TE, and one more pick to the defense going to best available.

We will lose at least Schaub, Tate, Daniels, and Antonio. I think we should replace Tate through free agency or from the undrafted FA pool. If Foster cant stay healthy next season, then we need to cut ties with him and address that situation in the following draft.

Basically, with just the draft, we can shore up the QB, OL, TE...we have the two solid receivers, and crossing fingers to have Foster healthy. On the defensive side, 4 of the 7 picks will go towards them (hoping for 2 starters out of the bunch)...and we need to address the depth through FA.

I think we can get back to 8-9 wins, at the least. After all, even with this crap team we've trotted out, we've lost 8 of our games by 7 points or less...and really, we were in all of those games and just couldnt pull it out. Have a competent coach and capable QB, and many of those games would have swung the other way. Unfortunately, the Texans lacked the 2 biggest things any NFL team needs: Coach and QB. Luckily, those two components are about to change.

I'll say 10-6 with a division title next year. :grin:

 

He gets Bob McNair to himself for three hours every Sunday as the team implodes on the field, able to shape the narrative with no counter. It makes perfect sense.

I never advocate for losing - but seeing the Texans ring up 14 penalties yesterday probably sealed Phillips' fate (along with the staff). But beyond that, I hope it put the spotlight on Smith - they fired the coach and literally nothing changed. If 2-14 gets the house cleaned top to bottom... I can't root for it; but I can root against it, either.

 

Well, if the reports are true that the coaching staff had too much input into the draft picks, then that makes me feel a little better. Sam Montgomery and Tevardo Williams were players that the coaches wanted....on the flip side, we draft Chris Jones, the coaches cant do anything with him...and he goes on to have a very good year for the Patriots.

Coaching is more critical than the pick itself...look what good coaching did for Jacoby and Trindon...they were scrubs for us, but they make impact plays for Superbowl calibur teams.

Therefore, I do understand the hesitation of the Rick Smith picks, but if we have coaches that can actually coach, I'd be much more comfortable with Smith's picks.

 

There is seriously one reason i think Rick Smith is still the GM on this team...he must have been the biggest voice that garnered JJ Watt. For that reason alone, he deserves to remain on this team and gets one more year with a new regime. I remember that the coaches were so high on Aldon Smith and were bummed out when he went to San Fran.

If the coaches were responsible for the rest of the draft picks the Texans may have had...they all deserve to get fired. The Texans have missed on so many of their middle of draft picks, hence the reason for a lack of talent.

 

We have problems, but Bridgewater wouldn't need to mask all of them. He just needs to outplay Keenum and Schaub. There's no doubt Kubiak's non-adjustment making self was holding us back, probably more ways then we realize. Upgrades at QB and HC (and other coaches) will be huge. Better health is a bonus.

'14 Playoffs are definite possibility

 

I don't discount what regime changes can do... I've already seen it twice in the short existence of the Texans franchise (first with Kubiak rebuilding the offense in 2 years, then Wade doing the same to the defense in 1 year).

But, you also need personnel changes to make it happen.

In 2011, in addition to Wade coming on, the team got Jonathan Joseph, Daniel Manning, drafted Brooks Reed (who had his best season thus far), drafted J.J. Watt, had a healthy "prime/pre-injury" Cushing playing ILB (a huge change from what he was drafted to do), and the return of Connor Barwin from injury (who was a better fit for the 3-4 as is). They also got 5 games of OLB Mario Williams, who was able to get a sack/game and probably would have made the Pro Bowl if not for the injury.

If this team can come anywhere close to "re-building" the defense in that manner this off-season, then I'll start to get excited. The Wade hiring alone didn't get me excited... it was that + the additions.

Same thing has to happen with this team. They need new coaching + additions in personnel.

 

He wasn't. Wade was... hence Wade never hesitating to announce he would be a future HOFer. They also wanted Aldon Smith, but couldn't get him. Hell, neither one would have been a bad choice.

Rick Smith was never hired to be a talent evaluator. That has always been entrusted to the coaches. The fact that he now feels its entitled to him to be the main talent evaluator doesn't put this team in a "better" position, as he is largely unproven in this role.

Even if you do consider him to be the main talent evaluator, you then lay all the "bad" picks since 2006 as his responsibility (which we've already gone over in multiple other threads).

He can't only take credit for the good picks, while blaming the coaches for having too much input on the bad ones.

 

Pay cutler Draft that defensive dude.

 

Any chance Rick Smith is just keeping the seat warm for when the new coach comes in and brings his own GM?

 

Of the changes you cited on the defense, two were draft picks (they'll draft 4 of the top 97 prospects) and three were already on the team and saw their stock improve with a better system (Cushing, Barwin and Williams). I'm not discounting how important Joseph and Manning were; just that the draft and a new regime alone can do wonders.

Perhaps a new regime maximizes Reed, Merciless, Swearinger; and/or the right-side of the OL, Hopkins... If Foster and Cushing return healthy (and Cushing is all but assured), the new staff inherits a #1 overall pick (not to mention #33, #65 and #97), Foster, Johnson, Brown, Myers, Watt, Cushing... with young talent we think has potential (Hopkins, OL, Merciless, Swearinger)...

If Bridgewater is the pick and proves worthy of it - I wouldn't trade our roster for Indy's; no way. Ours is appreciably better.

 

Smith's going to hire him, isn't he?

 

For middle 24 teams in the NFL the biggest determinant of the +2 or -2 wins that make or miss the playoffs are 1. turnover ratio and 2. impact player injuries/depth. And #3 might be penalty yardage.

Sure we are in the midst of a nightmare but we have a OLT, WR DE and if Foster comes back a RB and if Cushing comes back a MLD that are all All-Pro candidates. You also get the lower ranked opponent schedule. There's n0 reason good coaching can't get the Texans right back in the hunt next year.

NFL = not for long, luckily that can be sucking too.

 

Barwin was injured all of 2010... so getting him back was likely to improve the defense, regardless of regime change. He was a 2nd round pick, so good things were expected from him, and we saw it in what was basically his 2nd season. Cushing naturally slipped into the ILB spot after Ryans' departure... really utilized his versatility there, and his god-given talent to make that switch.

Reed may seem better suited to be a 4-3 OLB, if only because he's been pretty bad as a 3-4 OLB and the team needs to salvage what they can from him. Mercilus, however, does not seem to have great coverage or run-stopping skills... traits pretty important for a 4-3 system. In the 3-4, he's had moments... but until he starts commanding the occasional double-team or teams even think twice about game planning against him, he isn't doing anything above average.

The right side of the line is talent-less. I expected Brooks to make some improvements this year. Newton and Ben Jones are undersized and likely won't do well in a power blocking scheme.

Much of the year does depend on not only Foster and Cushing coming back healthy, but playing at an elite level (a level both have not performed at since their peaks in 2010)... big ifs. And it does depend on hitting some HR's (plural) in the draft... something this franchise has not done multiple times since 2006

I get where you're coming from... nobody likes to hear that the talent level that was once there (while the team was underachieving) is now dwindled (while the team, while keeping games close, is now likely playing as well as their talent is allowing). Coaching things up work to a point... but the lack of overall talented players cannot be ignored.