Brice McCain on IR, might return late in the playoffs

sugrlndkid · Dec 3, 2012

Hope the Texans give Cliff Harris a chance...a really young kid..that could be a good pick up...has some off the field issues...but he has talent...

in terms of experience they will just have to go with what they have...I really dont know what they'll be able to get now...

DonkeyMagic · Dec 3, 2012

Yeah, McCain isn't getting enough respect. He played well for the most part but, of course, he's at a big disadvantage to bigger TEs....but most are. I thought McCain did fairly well against slot WRs

Hopefully Carmichael and/ or Harris step up

Pringles · Dec 3, 2012

We just need to get Joseph and Ball healthy again.

Naija Texan · Dec 3, 2012

Frankly, haven't love McCain this season, sure some of the problems have been him on TEs, but overall I keep seeing him make mistakes at times. With this being a contract year for him, I think this will be a good testing period to see Harris at the slot and to know if we need to draft/sign another CB or just stick with him.

josephnicks · Dec 3, 2012

harris has some real good natural talent and instincts. i just hope hes been making the most of his pro tutelage under vance, because hes about to be thrown into the fire vs welker. they are about the same size, brice took a step last year as a legitimate nickel. hoping harris can take advantage of the opportunity..

harris was a 2nd rounder vs mccain as a 6th rounder.. he has to step up to justify his 2nd round selection..

David Stern · Dec 3, 2012

McCain statisticly was the best Nickle corner in the league last year.

Nimo · Dec 13, 2012

Anyone missing McCain yet?

emjohn · Dec 13, 2012

Nimo said: ↑

Anyone missing McCain yet?
Click to expand...

McCain wasn't going to change the outcome of MNF.

We'd stand a slightly better chance with him and Ball and an up-to-speed Routt and 100% Joseph....but none of them were going to shut down Welker, Lloyd, and Hernandez.

The guy we missed most was Cushing - he could give a decent showing against Hernandez and allow Wade to employ a good nickel zone package.

sammy · Dec 13, 2012

Nimo said: ↑

Anyone missing McCain yet?
Click to expand...

Nope. We do know that Brandon Harris isn't the answer either.

The Texans need to incorporate Routt into this position full-time ASAP.

David Stern · Dec 13, 2012

emjohn said: ↑

McCain wasn't going to change the outcome of MNF.

We'd stand a slightly better chance with him and Ball and an up-to-speed Routt and 100% Joseph....but none of them were going to shut down Welker, Lloyd, and Hernandez.

The guy we missed most was Cushing - he could give a decent showing against Hernandez and allow Wade to employ a good nickel zone package.
Click to expand...

Lloyd has shut himself down this season....well....up until the texans game

David Stern · Dec 13, 2012

sammy said: ↑

Nope. We do know that Brandon Harris isn't the answer either.

The Texans need to incorporate Routt into this position full-time ASAP.
Click to expand...

Brandon Harris is still basically a rookie...not ready to throw him out just yet. McCain is better than this board believes. Like i said earlier...Brice had the best season of any slot corner in the NFL last year....He'll be back in 2013....

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/05/29/secret-superstar-brice-mccain-cb-houston-texans/

Slotting In

In 2009 and 2010 McCain had spent most of his career playing outside corner with just 22% of his coverage snaps coming in the slot. But a new defense had different ideas on how to use him, and from Day 1 of the regular season he was deemed the team’s slot cornerback. With Johnathan Joseph on one side and either Kareem Jackson or Jason Allen on the other, McCain found himself on the field whenever the Texans brought on their nickel or dime defense; a role far more important than people give it credit for.

As the NFL evolves, we’re seeing more and more three- and four-receiver sets. It means teams are forced to turn to their nickel and dime units more often than ever before. In 2011 the NFL average saw teams spend 52.17% of plays with at least five defensive backs on the field, and while Houston were at the low end (39.9%), that’s still a considerable amount of plays you’re getting your slot cornerback on the field. The need to have one who can match up with guys over the middle of the field is something that is only going to increase as team’s continue trying to spread a defense out.

With the importance of the role growing, it’s key to have someone who can hold up to life in the slot. In that respect, McCain’s 2011 was something of a revelation, with the Texan slot cornerback earning a +8.5 coverage grade (including postseason) while managing the seventh-most slot snaps of all corners. The table below is a look at some of the key metrics for McCain in the slot which show just how good a player he is (the table looks at those who played at least 150 snaps in the slot).

NFL Rating Coverage Snaps/ Target Yards/ Coverage Snap Coverage Snaps/ Reception
Metric 48.5 6.9 0.76 13.2
Rank 2nd 8th 2nd 1st

Numbers don’t always tell the whole story, but in this case they paint a pretty good picture at showing just how effective the former sixth-rounder was when he was moved into the slot. With the role seeing cornerbacks matched up with the likes of Wes Welker, Victor Cruz, and Marques Colston among others, it’s a position of increasing importance. So while it won’t garner attention like a shutdown corner, it certainly shouldn’t be overlooked. Indeed, it’s arguably a tougher position to play than being an edge corner. Playing outside you can set up in such a way that you only have to defend one release, whereas in the slot you have to watch out for a receiver going either way. You’re also closer to the snap of the ball so have greater responsibilities in the run game, and have to contend with playing through traffic over an often congested middle of the field.

It’s an area of the game teams are exposing more with the emergence of players like Welker, and it’s something defenses need to adjust to if they’re going to contend. After all 31.4% of all wide receiver yardage came from guys lined up in the slot. So having a sure tackler like McCain (just two missed tackles in 2011) who can keep track of these guys and make plays on the ball (no touchdowns allowed, two interceptions and nine pass break-ups) is becoming more and more of a necessity, especially with them being so hard to find.

It’s why Brice McCain is more than just a role player. He’s a Secret Superstar whose importance to the Texans’ defense is much more than you’d think.
Click to expand...

Scolalist · Dec 13, 2012

sammy said: ↑

Addition by substraction. Mccain was a liability this season.
Click to expand...

He was still playing better at Nickel CB than Harris is at the moment

Naija Texan · Dec 14, 2012

Nimo said: ↑

Anyone missing McCain yet?
Click to expand...

Naw, its a contract year for McCain, so it is better to let Harris get his lumps here and proceed. I think he will get it, eventually, he is a lot better in his second year then McCain was and while getting too many penalties, he has been in on some plays in the two games he played.

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Brice McCain on IR, might return late in the playoffs

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Brice McCain on IR, might return late in the playoffs

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