I'm starting to think it's a real possibility. The fans are frustrated with Schaub and have a strong emotional reaction to him. But O'Brien wasn't hear last year. He doesn't have the same type of emotional reaction to Schaub that the fans do. And I don't think he's the kind of guy who will give into fan pressure to cut a guy simply because they don't like him. He's going to look at it from a clearer POV. Are we going to draft a rookie QB? Probably. Do we still want/need a veteran presence on the team? Probably. Are there better FA QB's than Schaub on the Market? Maybe, not really. Maybe Vick or McCown but that would be it, and Vick would probably be too expensive for us. Would you be saving money by cutting Schaub? A little. You save about $5M initially, but then you still have to sign a vet which will eat into that savings. And if Schaub is willing to restructure, there could be no savings at all. There really aren't a lot of replacement options who are better. And the financial incentives aren't that great either. If you divorce fan hate from the equation, I think keeping Schaub is a distinct possibility. If the Texans are going to cut him, they're certainly going to wait until they get his replacement before they do it (which is why he hasn't been cut yet). If they don't sign McCown or if they don't trade for Mallett, then I'm not sure he gets released.
I agree with this and said it several weeks ago. The Schaub contract situation is toxic but he could very well could be O'brien's starter. Coaches typically don't and shouldn't care what fans think/want.
I think this is a rare case where it goes beyond money vs alternative options. Bob Mcnair fired his coach mid-season because he wouldn't quit trotting Schaub out there in favor of getting a look at Keenum. I don't think Bob wants Schaub out there, the fans obviously don't want Schaub out there, and I'm sure O'brien deep down wants a fresh face under center that he can implement his offense under, even if that is a Josh Mccown that really isn't much more talented than Schaub. I don't doubt that Schaub can go elsewhere and be just as good as whatever veteran we end up signing, but I think there's something to be said for the organization morale and getting a fresh start with someone else, even if it's not a rookie.
I'd rather trot Keenum out there to start the year and see what BOB can do with him. Save plenty of money and time by cutting Schaub. His time is done here.
No. We can cut him after June 1. I think that would be the smart thing to do since we have no idea how the draft is going to play out. We'll need to have him as a Plan B in case we don't come away with a starting QB in the draft.
Doesn't mean he's back. Funny how it's swung though. Where it was once a no-brainer, he won't be back, now it's hmm...maybe there's a chance he will be back.
Well initially we all hoped there would be a QB worth taking, upon looking into it, there wasn't. Then we all thought the Texans would take someone like Cassel to work as a stop gap, then they couldn't get him.
Let's not forget that there are really 3 periods of free agent player movement every year in the NFL. Now, June 1st, and training camp. This won't be our only opportunity to perhaps find an average veteran QB to compete for the job. But it'll cost us a lot more to sign a guy now that it will after June 1.
McClain: Thought forever they'd cut Matt but Matt is better than any QB out there. Matt would be a great mentor. They were never interested in Cassel or Mallett. Everyone is trying to put a QB here. McCown had one good year; 35 years old. I think Tampa or Chicago. I can't say no way he's not coming here because I don't know. ... I believe this is the last time BO'B will have his pick of the litter. Pay a lot for a free agent QB, why wouldn't they keep Matt? Vick, no way he's coming here. McCown had one good year, 35 year old, he wants to start. Nobody can say if you sign here, you'll be the starter for a year. I don't think they're going to cut him anytime soon. He's better than any other QB on the market. Mallett hasn't done squat. Baggage out of Arkansas. Patriots QBs are like Patriot coaches. Schaub interested in sticking around as the backup? Not sure why he would. I'm guessing if they were going to cut him, they would have cut him. If they were to restructure, today or tomorrow. If I'm Matt, I'm not restructuring, cut me. Maybe he's fired up about the new coaching staff? Maybe they will draft Clowney, start Matt, draft a QB in the 2nd or 3rd. Telling Matt to wait would be doing him a disservice.
We've done plenty of service to Schaub, in the name of $30 million guaranteed. He can wait till June 1st to see if he'll get cut.
No joke, right? What the hell does this franchise owe Schaub? The Texans will do what is best for them, and do it in the most professional way possible. That's all you can ask of them and it's all they owe him.
For reference, David Carr was released on March 23, 2007. Well after free agency had taken place and after we had traded for Schaub. I expect that they are going to wait until they have a viable replacement before releasing him.
Lulz at this guy trying to lay the seeds to be able to backtrack his way out of eating a ****ty newspaper.
This sounds right. The Texans have zero reason to be in a hurry to dump Schaub. See what comes your way in the draft and in free agency, then if it's convenient to dump him, do so. We are going to be in for a long, long off-season of "will he stay or will he go" talk.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Texans are $13.752 under cap. Schaub would count $3.5 million against cap if they waived him and made him June 1 cap casualty. They're not.</p>— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/McClain_on_NFL/statuses/443847532204916737">March 12, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Matt Schaub is better than any QB who was or is on the market. He's not going anywhere anytime soon.</p>— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/McClain_on_NFL/statuses/443847680142229504">March 12, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It's wise to hold on to Schaub until the draft, to maximize our flexibility and negotiating power for the #1 pick.