If you are the GM, what are your plans for the Texans next year?

Let Carr go perhaps trade him come the trade deadline if there is any takers....

Beg Jimmy Johnson out of retirement or give Kubiak a call. Nab one of those guys. Fire the rest of the staff, than apologize to the fans for this seasons diaster. Hire an OC that is an agressive play caller. I'd make sure that AJ approves him because I sense that he extremely upset about how the last staff ran things...

Draft Leinhart and sign a guy like Kurt Warner to take the hits and maybe teach the rook a few things. It might not be the safe thing to do, but after an 0-16 the city is going to need a reason to watch the Texans.

If we dont have the #1 pick grab Rod Wright out of UT. Not a sexy pick but he should clog the middle for years.

Revamp the whole O-Line. I'm not sure how to elaborate on that but 0 starters are coming back.

Instead of cutting our veteran guys (Glenn and Sharper). I'm looking to grab some big name guys in July.

That's it.

I'd do it just like I would in Madden

 

I wanted to, but I'll stay away from quoting that long thread from Old Man Bernie.

The shotgun would be great, but the problem is beyond physical with the pocket right now, it's also psychological.

The offensive line needs changes. I actually still believe that Carr should be kept, because teams can change drastically during the offseason. I do not believe that the next few years are all developmental years. St Louis changed in a year, other teams have too. Indy and NE used to be laughing stocks a decade back.

I agree immensely that we need a catching TE, but that won't work with our personnal so stuck on using them for blocking issues. WHY NOT JUST ADD ANOTHER OVERWEIGHTED LINEMAN if we only use our TE to block anyways. I have always been very supportive of my Houston sport teams. In fact, RARELY do I ever go off on a team... not the 2-14 Oilers, not the Francis-led Rockets, not the old Astros teams. I always feel that these GMs and coaches should know waht they'er doing. However, in this case, I don't see any changes being made. Against Cincinnati, it looked like we're heading towards the right direction with the playcalling... then it's back to the same old thing again against Tennessee and Seattle.

I just hope that we can find a short term fix without trading Carr. If we can improve the O-Line, maybe he can adjust and be the franchise QB we wanted. If that doesn't work, maybe the facelift is needed after all and we build our team around Andre johnson somehow. I would NOT blame AJ if he wanted to leave, because his value is decreasing PER GAME at this moment.(injury or not)

 

But we're younger and faster !

 

Read it and weep: http://www.houstonprofootball.com/review/review35.html

September 16, 2005
Carr Trade In
by Bob Hulsey
HoustonProFootball.com

After the poor showing of the past three weeks, it is hard for me to look forward to the rest of the season, especially as the hated Steelers come to town. Just eight months ago, the Texans appeared ready to challenge for a playoff berth but the train has appeared to jump the tracks. It's not too late to get back but it will mean fixing some serious holes that the team hasn't fixed over the course of three years.

Since I can't look forward with much anticipation, I'm going to look backwards for a moment. What if the Texans had taken a different approach in building the franchise? I thought about how the dominoes might have fallen if the Texans had not decided to do the PR-savvy thing and draft a "franchise quarterback" fresh out of the expansion gate.

I like David Carr, both as a person and as a player. He's a stand-up guy and a great athlete who has had to endure a lot in his first three seasons with little complaint. This isn't meant as a knock against him - more like constructing an alternate universe. Back in 2002, before the Carr bandwagon started rolling out of the Texan front office, I had another idea of what direction the team's first draft should take.

Imagine for a moment the Texans' situation as they approached the 2002 draft. They just picked up nine players in the expansion draft, made some free agent signings and now they’re on the clock...

The best athlete in that draft was Julius Peppers but the Texans had already committed to Dom Capers and a 3-4 defense. Peppers would have been a tough fit so the Texans looked elsewhere. The top brass decided picking a quarterback at the top would be too much pressure to put on a new franchise's first pick. Better to find someone the press can't pick apart for every incompletion and interception. Who wants to be remembered as the next Tim Couch? So they pass on David Carr and Joey Harrington.

The Texans decide that, with the defense already stocked through the expansion draft, they would start with a ball-control offense and, for that, you need linemen. So they take mammoth Miami LT Bryant McKinnie. Knowing the first quarterback would be in for a rough ride, the Texans sign Tony Banks and Jeff Blake as their first quarterbacks. Though unspectacular, the two veterans provide solid performances during the team's debut season.

I'm sure some of you are saying "Wait. We stilll thought Tony Boselli would be our LT then. We had Ryan Young, too, so why take McKinnie?" Even some of the best LTs started their careers as guards or RTs while they adjusted to the pro game. McKinnie's projected start as a Texan would be no different, with an eye to moving him to LT if Boselli wasn't able to return. Boselli, as we all know, didn't play and McKinnie winds up getting his baptism at the LT slot where he will become an anchor.

Instead of Jabar Gaffney, the Texans need a runner and the best one on the board is McKinnie's Miami teammate Clinton Portis. He becomes their franchise runner. With their second second-rounder, the Texans choose guard/tackle Chester Pitts. With Pitts, McKinnie and C Steve McKinney, the Texans have a solid wall for Portis to run behind.

Having devoted two of their first three picks to the offensive line, the Texans decide their best option in the third round is OLB Ben Leber of Kansas State instead of OG Fred Weary. Passing on NT Charles Hill, the Texans take FS Chris Hope.

In the fourth round, the Texans look to tight end and find Randy McMichael out of Georgia. Their other fourth-rounder is traded for a third-rounder in 2003, as actually happened. For this and all future years, I'm going to assume that choices in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds happen the way Charley Casserly actually made them.

Finishing 4-12, the Texans draft third in their second draft and take WR Andre Johnson with their first-rounder. With a glut at wide receiver, with their second-rounder they choose Anquan Boldin rather than Bennie Joppru (we have McMichael, so TE is not a priority). The Texans traded down with New England to pick up a third rounder, as actually happened, giving them four choices in the third. One gets traded to Oakland for a second in 2004 and with the other three, the Texans choose LB Antwan Peek, G Derrick Dockery and QB Dave Ragone. In the fourth, the Texans take a third-down back named Domanick Davis with an eye to returning kicks and injury insurance for Portis.

Improving to 6-10, Houston has the tenth choice in 2004. Although looking for defense, the Texans can't resist taking QB Ben Roethlisberger when they see him available. Big Ben is dubbed their QB of the future now that they have a solid offensive line built around him and some quality receivers to throw to.

They are tempted with a trade to get Tennessee's first-rounder but decide the price is too steep, keeping their own second, third and fourth-rounders. Outbid for Tony Hollings in the supplemental draft, the Texans use the second-rounder they got from Oakland to tab DL Igor Olshansky. For their own second, the Texans take C Jake Grove. In the third round, they add OT Max Starks and in the fourth they add NT Isaac Sopoaga and SS Glenn Earl.

Having phased out the veterans, the Texans enter the 2005 season with a young talented offensive line of Bryant McKinnie, Chester Pitts, Jake Grove, Derrick Dockery and Max Starks. They have two good young quarterbacks with weapons like Clinton Portis, Andre Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Randy McMichael and Domanick Davis at their disposal. They've begun, too, to replace their aging defensive line with Olshansky and Sopoaga who provide depth while players like Walker, Payne and Robaire Smith start.

Now they must address the back seven defensively. They are thrilled to see OLB Derrick Johnson drop to them at the 13th pick and take him. They consider the asking price for Phillip Buchanon too high and use their second-rounder for CB Justin Miller. With a pair of third rounders, thanks to the trade of Drew Henson, the Texans choose ILB Alfred Fincher and CB/KR Antonio Perkins. In the fourth, they add even more speed with WR Jerome Mathis.

<b>So what do they have when they take the field against Buffalo to open the 2005 season? They have Roethlisberger at QB with a receiving corps of Johnson, Boldin, McMichael and newcomer Mathis. Portis and Davis are there to carry the ball behind a young solid offensive line. Defensively, the line is a healthy mix of veterans and young big bodies like Olshansky and Sopoaga to keep them fresh and prepare for bigger roles as the vets move on. The linebackers feature Derrick Johnson, Leber, Peek and Fincher to go with veterans Kailie Wong and Morlon Greenwood. Aaron Glenn and Marcus Coleman would be giving way to young Miller, Perkins and Demarcus Faggins while Hope, Earl and C.C. Brown play safety.</b>

What's missing? Well, David Carr and Dunta Robinson for starters. But so are Jabar Gaffney, Bennie Joppru, Seth Wand, Fred Weary, Charles Hill, Tony Hollings, Jason Babin and Phillip Buchanon.

Of course, it's easy in hindsight to make a few changes, undo a few bad trades and cherry pick some surprise stars who never would had fallen as far if we knew then what we know now. That's really not the point.

The point is that personnel moves beget other personnel decisions. The choice of David Carr had a ripple effect for many decisions thereafter. Had we started with McKinnie and waited on a "franchise" quarterback while a retread took the lumps, we might have someone like Byron Leftwich or Ben Roethlisberger throwing right now before a more stable offensive line. Maybe we wouldn't have beaten Dallas on opening night or maybe we would have missed some thrilling comeback wins. Or maybe we'd be better off now than we appear to be.

When you go back through the past drafts you also see how Charley Casserly has made some great picks and some horrible ones as well. That's the nature of drafting college kids based mostly on potential. You're never sure what you truly have until you get them on the field.

Bob Hulsey hopes Carr and the Texans can put their poor start behind them and push into playoff contention but he also wishes he had a time machine where he could go back and undo a few mistakes.

 

Lionheart is a sissy.

 

I think the problem lies within Carr getting a haircut. I knew he shouldnt have done it, but all you punks chided him too much.

 

Leinart might petition the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility if he's in danger of getting draft by the Texans...

 

IF they do wind up with the no. 1 pick, I'd like to see them trade down and try to get Reggie Bush. At this point, the Texans need playmakers and Bush is just that. Matt Leinart would end up getting killed behind this O line and I'm just not sold on Vince Young's QB skills translating to the next level. The problem I see is that San Francisco and the Texans may be neck and neck for the 1st pick and I don't see SF passing on Bush if the Texans don't pick him. But more importantly, it's not who they pick that'll be the key - it's WHO will be doing the picking. If it's Casserly, expect more of the same crap that you are seeing this year.

 

I wonder if McNair is planning to dump Capers and Casserly at the end of the season. 1) the season is lost, 2) it would be classy to let them play it out, 3) you're not going to find anyone better right now.

 

Yea, this post should be "If you are the OWNER"
because basically, everyones butt is on the line right now.
From Coach, to GM, maybe even QB since Carr is coming up on a $10 Mill bonus. I dont even know where to start.

I dont know whats more pathetic, the O Line or the Defense.
Most likely the Defense since that is what we supposively poured the heart and soul into and they are basically non-existant.
I cant believe some of these guys even get a pay check.

Im seriously thinking about not re-newing my season tickets next year.
Its not that I dont want to support them, but they've basically driven this team into the ground. Its back to square one, and it will be more difficult this time with out the benefit of an expansion draft. I think we are looking at 4-5 years here before we can expect a winning season again.

 

1. Trade down a few spots for a extra 2nd and 3rd. Use the top pick on D'Brick Ferguson.

2. Use the top second round pick on a RT to replace Wade. Then use the rest of the picks for the best players available.

3. Sign Carr for the two year extension instead of the three year. See if he can come around behind a better oline.

4. Bring in a offensive minded HC that runs a West-Coast system.

 

If the Texans dont draft Reggie Bush ... somebody needs to die.

 

Fix the offensive line, yes. Add some weapons on offense, yes. But it was our defense that got goosed for 320 rushing yards and 42 points on National TV last night.

I think talent-wise Carr is fine as our QB, but a problem arises because of his contract. If they do keep David, assuming a new regime will want to retain his services, the FO will have to get creative with his contract.

There just seem to be so many holes on this team, and we have almost nothing to show after 4 years of drafts and free agents.

 

Yeah. For example, trade down from the first overall pick to the #3 or #4 overall with a team that is hot over Leinart. Hopefully, that should get us an additional 2nd and 3rd round pick. I think if the Texans traded down any further you would have to ask for another 1st round pick in next year's draft.

 

1) Ride out the season with the coaching staff. Nothing will save this team at this point.
2) On Monday, Jan 2nd officially liquidate the entire coaching staff as well as Casserly and his assistants. Not sure about the scouting department.
3) Field offers for both the first round pick (probably #1, but no lower than #3) and David Carr; not as a package. Find the best offer (for either Carr or the pick) and make the trade. If the deal is for Carr, try to recieve draft picks or linemen in return and draft a new QB (with the #1 - wasn't traded). If the pick is traded (and Carr is kept), recieving a top lineman should be the reason.

Potential list of trading partners in need of a QB upgrade (#1 draft pick or Carr):
Washington
Chicago
Buffalo
NY Jets
Oakland
(Baltimore)
(Detroit)
(Dallas)

What to do about the coaching vacancy is a tough one, imo. I just know we don't want to make the most common mistake in the NFL: grab a guy that's already failed miserably in the pros but resurrected his career in college. P.C. is your first hint. Belichick's cuboards got raided last year, but grabbing a top assistant from someone like him would be my first option. I'll groan if we just play the rotating coaches game and pick up Tice or Norv Turner.

Evan