He's not marquee and his dedication to football was in question. However, it would have been worth taking the risk on.. Asomugha is the premier FA that fills the position we need most help at. To not even attempt to go after him would really be a joke, even if we don't get him.
Disagree. He was nearing retirement. No need to break the bank on him. I would have rather traded for Cromartie...but then again a lot of people though Cro was a flash in the pan guy that had a few good years with the Chargers and not much more at the time. Schobel would have been a nice get...but it wasn't a sure fire thing. Not everyone would have agreed to signing him to a big deal. Plus the Texans had pretty good DEs, it's not like they were getting no production from that spot unlike the CB position. Aso is pretty much the biggest FA to hit the market since Haynesworth. I know one thing. The Texans will make a attempt at Aso. I'm very positive of that. They always 'do their research' on players out there. It's just a matter of what kinda attempt will it be? A 'Meh' we want you but oh well if we don't get you or a 'WE NEED YOU!' kinda thing.
I'd disagree that Schobel isn't marquee. He's a two-time Pro Bowler who had double-digit sacks a season ago, all playing a position of desperate need following the Barwin injury. justtxyank can help me with this, but the information that came out after the fact strongly indicated that Schobel wanted to play, but had the rug pulled out from under him by the Texans' weak financial offer.
With Smith and Williams, its not like DE was a super glaring need. Plus, Scho was a unique case, since he basically retired. I think that the way the FO handled that was terrible, but I don't think Schobel would've made a ton of difference in the end.
Rick Smith has always advocated for building through the draft, but I think things could change this offseason. First, he knows his job is now on the line! Second, our recent drafts havnt been very good and Mr McNair even mentioned this in a recent interview. Third, well....his job is on the line! Sometimes owners listen to there GM's and tend to let them make personnel decisions, like free agency spending over draft building! I'm sure if Rick Smith makes a case for Asomugha, McNair might open his wallet. We are 5th in NFL revenue, and lord knows we have the money to spend. McNair might finally be seeing the light! He might finally just tell Smith who he wants like some owners do! Granted he didnt fire Kubiak, but he did demand a big name DC! Thats a start, and you got to remember that Phillips has to have some say in personnel decisions. So if he wants a couple big name free agents, then I'm sure he will be begging for them. What sucks is that we are talking about this now, but players arent gonna be signing until after the labor agreement is signed. Could be 6 or 7 months until this signing could go down! End of football season always sucks, but this is gonna be a terribly long one!
It wasn't signing him to a big deal. It was offering him $2 mil vs. $4 mil for one season in an uncapped year. And the Texans absolutely did NOT have good DEs! Nading and Ogunleye were complete jokes. They got lucky later in the season with the Mark Anderson release/signing, but they didn't have him on the roster when the Schobel debacle went down. It was completely inexplicable not to sign Schobel for what he wanted given the gaping post-Barwin hole, and it didn't happen. I think the Texans will make an "attempt" at Aso, just like they did at Schobel. Ultimately, I don't think it'll even be competitive.
I don't think so. I think both sides will cave this will be done around superbowl time. It benefits both sides to get this done before offseason.
We'll see. I don't think they ever wanted him as much as the fans wanted him. He was nearing retirement and while he could have helped I doubt he would have made a big difference. Aso is a completely different case though still. A top player at his position in his prime.
I'm not. You're talking about a high profile team, one of the NFL's most iconic. So iconic that, in spite of what's been a pretty dreadful decade, NBC tapped them to open the 2010 NFL season in their regular season Sunday night debut. Playing for the Redskins, against equally iconic teams in Dallas, New York and Philadelphia every year, games that ESPN, Fox & NBC all love, is a big-time incentive for players.
Somebody will overspend for this guy, and it won't be McNair. I expect the Texans to make a "token" offer to him and then stick with their well-worn strategy of "building through the draft" with more ends both tight and defensive. That, gentlemen, is the right track, you see. Simply put, the Texans have never gotten serious in free agency and I don't see anyone itching to change that over on Kirby.
They were playing the Dallas Cowboys, arguably the most storied franchise in sports, and it was Donovan McNabb's first game away from Philadelphia. Those issues had a lot more to do with NBC's decision to open with them than the fact that they're the Washington Redskins. The Redskins get these players because they spend the money. What other team would potentially spend $100 mil on Haynesworth, or $77 mil on an aging Donovan McNabb? There are several other deals just like those. Again, I'm not arguing that those decisions were necessarily wise - but they show that if you offer the money, players will come. I would argue that the contracts had a LOT more to do with why those players went there than the fact that those players would be playing against Dallas, New York and Philadelphia.
LanceZierlein This RT @StephStradley: Texans couldn't sign Schobel, despite him wanting to play in Hou and needing a pass rush. Nnamdi? HAHAHAHA! Asked Lance Z; his reponse: they appear to be too cheap
I don't understand the comparison of Nnamdi-Schobel. It's like comparing going after Camby or Dwight Howard. With Schobel being Camby of course. Besides the real reason the Texans have no rush is because of their DTs lack of productive play.
Seriously, this idea that Schobel was just some mediocre free agent is crazy and cracks me up. He was a very good player. He wanted to play, but only here because he wanted to be back home and didn't want to play in a 3-4 (ruling out Dallas) After see-sawing back and forth, he finally thought he had an agreement to play for the Texans, went in to the facility to finalize everything and the offer was lower than discussed. He pulled out and refused to play for this team or work with them in anyway going forward. The sources close to his family that leaked news reported that he was furious with the team.
That's the keyword there. Teams are more reluctant to sign guys nearing retirement or at a certain age. Look at Thomas Jones who has been producing and producing. Not saying he was a mediocre FA target...but Nnamdi as a FA right now is levels above that.
The only reason we didn't have a salary cap this year is because the owners opted out of the CBA. When they do come to an agreement with the players, the cap will be back in place.
Not trying to be combative but is there any link to this? From what what I understood some owners (including McNair...) were against the cap.
Keep dreaming folks not gonna happen. Bob McNair is so cheap, he kept Kubiak around to save money on that extension. As much as I would love Asomugha, the Texans aren't exactly a winning contender if that is what he is looking for in his next team. Raiders 8-8, Texans 6-10, a lateral move even with the homer shades on. Most likely suitors would be the Ravens who lack a good corner. Plus, playing with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed would be the most appealing destination. All the other contenders especially New England and NYJ lack the financial flexibility to pay for a huge contract. Pittsburgh might be in the hunt if Ike Taylor leaves and the Steelers are willing to pony up the money. In the NFC, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago and Philadelphia are all out of the run because of the money they have already invested in their secondaries. Green Bay might a possibility if Woodson retires and they draft a RB in April.
