http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/dr_z/04/29/draft.report.card/4.html TEXANS -- D+ When will they learn? They've already ridden David Carr out of town in a sackmobile, and I guess now it's time to start working on Matt Schaub. They simply will not address their offensive line, unless you call a couple of guards at five and six addressing it. OK, top draft Amobi Okoye is an intriguing defensive tackle, and Jacoby Jones is a wideout who'll contribute something to the passing game. But without the big wall up front there ain't no passing game, and without the right drafts there ain't no big wall. Wait a minute. I forgot that they signed Jordan Black, a tackle from K.C. They managed to find the only guy worse than the ones they already had.
The grade doesn't bother me. I don't think Black will be a starting left tackle for the Texans. The Texans did get two tackles last year that I expect to start this year if healthy. The Texans didn't make a draft pick on any area that they didn't need help.
The truth is that everyone is going to keep killing the Texans for not drafting OL help early untill the team shows that its quarterback can stay upright. Everyone of the talking heads has the pity party for David Carr but if they had actually watched the games they might realize that many of the problems intially attributed to "poor offensive line play" rest squarely on the shoulders of David Carr.
Reaching for an OL is just as bad. If they couldn't trade down or up for one, they did well getting a legit starter for the DL. Casserly constantly reaching for sh*tty prospects for the line hurt us just as much. Evan
There wasn't an OL worth drafting at 10 and the texans have a big gaping hole at #2 wr right now. This guy is just looking for an excuse to rip the organization rather than actually "grade" the draft.
I agree with synopsis (Texans's OL sux and was only marginally helped in the draft) but not the grade. Picks #1 (DT Amobi Okoye) and #4 (CB Fred Bennett) should make the D better. Pick #3 (WR Jacoby Jones) should add a break away threat to the O. PIck #2 is essentially QB Matt Schaub, who is an upgrade sheerly because of who he is not.
I am not one for taking a running back or a ol in the first round. Williams and Okoye>>>>>>>>>>>>Bush/any OL that would of been on the board this year in the first for us
Obviously they weren't in the position to get Thomas or Brown... after that, who does he advocate getting... using the #10 on Staley? Please. The offensive line will always be an issue... until it isn't. It sounds moronic to say it that way, but obviously Kubiak feels they can compete with what they have, otherwise you know he would have done everything possible to address the line (as he did last year), since he knows that without a line you can't hope to compete (something the previous regime put zero stock in).
Analysts are idiots. The Texans were in the bottom 3 in the league in both DL play as well as defensive passer rating, and they had made zero additions to either of those areas in free agency. They needed to be addressed. Is the OL still an issue? Absolutely, but there's only so many picks per year, and there's only so much you can do. The DL and secondary were every bit the needs the OL was, and perhaps even bigger.
Right you are Crisco. Once Levi Brown was picked, that about did it for OL in the first round. I must confess that this draft did nothing to "jazz" me up at all. My biggest concern is that all of the past mistakes (especially the big one last year concerning you know who) have begun to snowball on this team and it may be some years before they are respectable. In retrospect, I feel that this draft sort of got away from them in that many players that they probably wanted ended getting drafted right before they were to make their pick. Finally, until they (Texans) start showing real progress on the field, NOBODY has to look for an excuse to rip this organization.
They do if they want to be considered objective analysts. You have to evaluate drafts from a neutral standpoint, not based on how much you like the team or the organization. These grades aren't supposed to be a soundoff board for how the writer feels about the organization as a whole - it's about the performance in one individual draft. So, writers can do what they want, but when you consider other irrelevant factors (like the 2006 draft) in how you evaluate the 2007 draft, you lose credibility.
BING-O it looks like some very short-sighted analysis. Who exactly should we have taken for the OL at #10? who? We need special teams help and a #2 WR. Check. We needed fast, mobile OL for the zone blocking scheme. Check. We needed some depth in the secondary and better competition in training camp. Check. We needed some serious help in the pass rush. Check. What did we do wrong with these picks, exactly?
