I agree that he might not be the best suited for NT in the 3-4 due to lack of size...i think he can a quality player
Got to love lower expectations. I know I would be happy with a top 20 defense compared to what we have now. Anything is better then what we have now. For some reason I like the Phillips pickup I just do not agree with Kubiak staying. I would have been okay with Kubiak being demoted to OC and a new head coach with Phillips as the DC.
@Hillboy - no one was clamoring for Phillips a month ago. No one was celebrating when he signed this week. All we're doing now is gauging what good he may do now that we're married to him. You can rest assured that everyone is aware of your opinion of him after a dozen C&P posts. Re: DTs I'll start by saying that sooner or later, the team has got to find a real NT. With the lockout pending and few NTs to be found in FA or the draft anyway, Phillips probably has to make do with what we have for at least a year. Thankfully, it seems that he realizes that Okoye is gutter trash. Cody has the brawn but has never struck me as skilled. Earl Mitchell isn't very big, but he looked okay this year. He's still a bit of an unknown...we have to see how he does. The nice thing is, the Wade Phillips' 3-4 is something of a blitz happy 4-3 hybrid. It doesn't require a traditional, space eating NT. Which is great since we don't have one....but is not so great in that I don't believe this will be anywhere near as effective as a real 3-4. Everytime I read about this scheme, it reminds me of when I used to try and send the major blitzes every down in Madden. Re: CBs As much as they killed us this year, the simple addition of Jason Allen seemed to help a lot. They're still well below average as a group, but should be better next year if only from experience and the benefit of a real coach that wasn't hired because of his daddy. Install a capable FA corner and rotate the rest in as #2/nickel, and I think they could go from liabilities to tolerable weak links. If Prince or Peterson falls to us at #11, you HAVE to take him, back to back #1 pick CB criticism be damned. Re: FS Wilson is clearly washed up and done. Can't remain as starting FS. I put Nolan there and see how he does. Even with limited minutes this year, he was 9th on the team in tackles, (tied for) 3rd in pass deflections, and led the team with 3 INTs (tied with Quin and Allen). He easily outplayed Wilson, in a huge way once you consider PT. He made mistakes, but this was also his first year getting time - every rookie will blow coverage at times. I don't think there's a pressing need to fill this position in the draft or FA until CB and NT are taken care of...unless a prime guy falls into our lap. Re: SS Pollard is who he is, and we all know it by now. I saw it mentioned that he should only play in nickel situations, but I'd argue it should be the other way around. I'd want him in there on 1st and 2nd downs. He's a quasi-LB, and is a nice threat to either blitz, cover the responsibilities of a blitzing LB, or help on run coverage. Leave your FS deep and let him help with short yardage plays or plays across the middle. In nickel situations, I'd pull him and either see if Jackson can handle SS or bring in someone this offseason for that role. Jason Allen is the bigger of our CB trio, so he may be a better fit there.
I going to go out on a limb and say the Texans take Von Miller with the first pick. I like his speed of the edge.
it i very possible. I wouldnt besurprised at all to see the texans take a LB. It's one of the few positions that can make an immediate impact. CBs and DTs usually take some time to develop...
Lance Zierlein looks at the Texans D for 2010 and who fits going foward. Only going to post the 'Moving forward' part.
I wish Dom Capers was our defensive coordinator... he's turned Green Bay into a beast of a defensive team that figured out how to neutralize Vick completely.
CBs a lot moreso than DTs. I'd be satisfied to trade down and go after Paea. His strength will impact immediately while learning technique for the future.
Wow. nfldraftcountdown.com has Von Miller now going #3 overall in the draft. http://www.draftcountdown.com/sub/Mock-Draft-A.php
Link Didn't see this posted Bruce Smith: Thoughts on Texans' 3-4... Mario can be dominant at times but then we all know he just tends to vanish. We'll have to see what happens... A student of the game? Not sure if he fits that description.
Very enjoyable read. Bruce Smith seems to be an intelligent player. I wonder if he's considered a go at DL coach.
Texans' Phillips lays out defensive mindset [rquoter]In Wade Phillips' past five jobs as a coordinator, his defenses averaged 45 sacks in his first season, an improvement of about 10 per season. ... More important, though, is keeping defensive end Mario Williams healthy and making sure he's productive from the first game to the last. "I think Mario fits in well with what we're going to do," Phillips said. "He's a five-technique, an outside rush guy. That's what he is. I don't see any difference for him. He's going to be outside all the time." The philosophy of Phillips' 3-4, which he says is closer to a 4-3 than a traditional 3-4 because the linemen have to control one gap rather than two, is to get up the field when the ball is snapped and pressure the quarterback. That kind of pressure will start with Williams, 26, who'll be in the last year of his contract. Phillips has no plans for Williams (6-6, 295) to stand up. While watching film of Williams and seeing the few times he did rush from a standing position, Phillips noticed he took a false step when the ball was snapped. "When they did stand him up, he took that false step every time, and that made him late on his rush," Phillips said. "You don't want him late on the rush. That's just fundamentals, something you have to work on. That's what happens when you have a player who's not used to standing up stand up. "I don't think you need to stand Mario up. He comes off the ball so well with his hand on the ground I don't know that you'd ever want to stand him up." Antonio Smith will start opposite Williams. The more Phillips sees of second-year defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, the more he likes the idea of Mitchell's becoming an effective nose tackle. At 6-3 and 300 pounds, Mitchell isn't the traditional 330-pound nose tackle whose job is to tie up two blockers and allow the inside linebackers to make tackles. Phillips wants his nose tackle to be quick off the ball and penetrate. Value in Mitchell "I like him a lot," Phillips said. "His strength is in his legs. Guards don't move him. I know the center won't move him. He's got the quickness and speed that make him a good player wherever he is. I think we'll be versatile enough to put him in a position where he can help us." Shaun Cody, 28, who started at tackle the past two years and signed a new contract, also figures in the equation. "I think it was important to re-sign Cody because we know who we have," Phillips said. If his linebackers are healthy, DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing probably will start on the inside. Praise for linebackers "I think they can be awesome," Phillips said. "You're talking about 100 tackles for each guy. Those positions are like a middle linebacker (in a 4-3). They can get the football because they can go left or right. They're your leading tacklers, and they'll make plays. Cushing gives us flexibility because he can play outside." Ideally, the Texans will get a 3-4 outside linebacker who can rush the passer in the first or second round of the draft. When the NFL lockout ends and things return to normal, Phillips and new linebackers coach Reggie Herring will excitedly be working with Connor Barwin, who was expected to be the second-best pass rusher before being injured last season. "We liked him coming out of college as an outside linebacker," Phillips said. "It's going to be interesting to see what he can and can't do. We'll try to utilize him to take advantage of what he does best." The biggest problem for the NFL's 30th-ranked defense will be improving the 32nd-ranked defense that allowed 33 touchdown passes — 14 more than in 2009. "Obviously, it's a concern," Phillips said. Safeties Bernard Pollard and Eugene Wilson won't return. Glover Quin, the best cornerback, could be moved to free safety if the Texans find a player to replace him in the starting lineup opposite Kareem Jackson. "If we get another player, he could go someplace else," Phillips said about Quin. "He's versatile enough to play corner or safety. I like having that kind of flexibility. Ease Jackson's load "We've got to get Jackson playing better and not put him in some of the situations the corners were put in last year." Phillips has a simple philosophy. "It's what they can do," he said. "You look for their strengths, and then it's up to us (coaches) to put them in situations to take advantage of those strengths."[/rquoter]
And no surprise that McClain penned it - being fair, he simply omitted that it was the 32nd ranked (pass) defense. What I take away from this: There is no internal pressure to bring in a host of new starters. Looks like they're only on the hunt for two: one OLB (draft) and one DB (FA). Given that Barwin is a pure rush guy, my guess is that you'd slot him for WOLB and draft a guy that can be more versatile and watch the TEs and runners. I like guys like Quinn...but he would *need* to be WOLB and necessitate getting an additional guy for SOLB. But maybe Sharpton can fill that role. I'm not in love with the leaning toward moving Quin to safety, unless they bring in a seriously top notch CB. Wade's system is high risk, sending 4 or 5 most downs and puts pressure on the DBs to be able to play tight and handle hot routes. Given the disaster that Jackson was with an 8 yd cushion, he would seem to me to be a better candidate for moving to safety. Why leave him to do a job he couldn't handle last year when the pressure's about to go way way up? Get your vet, move Quin to the #2 receiver, let Allen be your nickel back, and I think you've got a decent chance.
Quin is the only capable starter in the secondary right now, it would be dumb to move him out of position and make the group of corners even weaker Quin and a legit vet would be the ideal situation at corner, based on last year, Jackson is completely incapable of playing the position
lol @ moving Quin to safety while keeping Jackson at CB. If anything, move Jackson to safety and find a CB to pair with Quin. Just putting Jackson's name amongst the starters in the secondary gives me heart palpitations...He traumatized me way too many times last season.
hopefully this means he will not be a starter and only a situational player "We've got to get Jackson playing better and not put him in some of the situations the corners were put in last year."
