Did the Houston Texans pull a goofy on Free Agency.

No, they didn't, but the fact that we're unable to despite having the worst record in the NFL shows how poorly we've managed the cap. That's the point. Mock them to demonstrate how they've been so pitiful at cap management since the franchise's inception.

The way things are going... it's almost as if O'Brien is tanking free agency as a ploy to get Rick Smith removed from the front office. That's how ****ty we look right now.

 

I think it also kind emphasizes a need to trade down in this draft for more picks. We have way too many holes and no money to pay players. Like some one said, need to find undervalued players and draft well. More so than win with D, this is the formula that worked for Seatle.

 

Let's just wait and see how this all plays out.

 

The only teams spending big money on the first two days of free agency are the teams that are potential Super Bowl contenders (Broncos, Patriots, Eagles) or teams that are just plain stupid and/or have a ton of cap room (Jets, Bucs, Dolphins, Raiders).

We are neither of those (at least I hope not in the case of the latter) and should wait until the market dries up some.

 

2-14 is how it played out last time.

 

Cap mis-management is going to be this offseason's gigantic lazy crutch for the vast majority of fans. But here's the thing... they really haven't mismanaged their cap. And to prove it, I'll ask you to list all of their cap-crippling deals... go on. I know Matt Schaub will be ticked off; Ed Reed... Neither are remotely harmful.

They had to keep - and pay - too many good players because they have failed so spectacularly at drafting and/or developing players: that's their biggest shortcoming.

 

Isn't that just saying it a different way though?

Rick was god awful at drafting secondary help...so we HAD to go pick up Joseph and Manning...drafting was clearly no longer an option for that.

Either way, it's led to the same spot. Two really good seasons and immediate cap hell for it on the heels of a 2-14 season. That's not a stellar record.

 

Boy this team could use a Daryl Morey type GM!

 

Sounds like a lot of horse **** to me. It's the old Chicken or egg argument.

Smith Sucks at cap management because he suck at drafting. What's to say Smith didn't just get lucky drafting and signing say, 10 good players out of 100 picks and free agents he's acquired? What make things worse is that's even more leverage for player agents WHO KNOW how bad Smith is at drafting.

 

In so much as the end result is that they cap issues; sure. But I think it's instructive to understand *why* they have cap issues - and it's not because they were irresponsible; they are not the Cowboys or Washingtons.

Again, I would challenge people to pinpoint their egregious financial decisions. Sure, three years later, the Joseph/Manning signings don't look great - I'll patiently hang out while everyone looks for their post where they ripped the deals at the time. And I know there's a line to Singapore to scream, "Schaub!!" - but they can't not play a QB, and QBs - good ones, at least (and Schaub was certainly, at the very least, above average) generally don't play for free.

If you can draft effectively, you can avoid drastic salary cap issues - or, at the very least, hold them off a little longer. And you can sustain success. The Texans have lost five very viable starters the past 2-3 years with no back-fill (Breisel, Winston, Williams, Barwin and Ryans); they overpaid to keep Myers (at a non-premium position); probably overpaid to keep Foster (but, again, I'm not sure they could let him walk), and then had a glut of really great players come due (Brown and Cushing; Watt next year - again, hard to let those guys walk) while needing to pay AJ. Good drafting mitigates a lot of these decisions.

I think it's hard to pinpoint really terrible financial decisions that crippled the team (which is not the same as really terrible decisions, ie Ed Reed). The team was really good; they wanted to keep it together.

This, though we can't dismiss how terrible they were at developing their players, either - with Kareem Jackson being a prime example. One year under an above-average coordinator and a first round bust turned into a valubale asset very nearly overnight.

IOW, there are A LOT of factors: poor drafting, some questionable (but necessary) deals, poor coaching/developing, etc.

 

I know, because I'm not bleeting the same tired, lazy yelling point, and veering off script - even while still criticizing the team - confuses and enrages everyone. Again, I invite people to pinpoint bad decisions that cripped the team financially.

 

But there in lies the problem... the front office (including when Kubiak was there) looks to not have any sort of long-term vision/plan in place, and that shows the lack of foresight/experience that permeates this team and why I think Rick Smith is not only an unproven GM... but a BAD GM.

They resigned Foster to a huge deal... a guy they found for cheap on the practice squad, who plays a grueling position. Could they have possibly worked in a better "out" clause, or a more cap friendly deal? Who knows... you need a better GM to answer that. Or maybe a GM that can make the tough decisions like "we aren't going to overpay for a RB in today's NFL".

They resigned Cushing to a huge deal... before he even played a down after his injury. Yes, he proved to be the difference between stable and HORRIBLE defense over the last two years... but even when healthy, I questioned whether or not he would ever get back to the all-pro level that he showed his second ("juiced"?) year.

They signed Joseph/Manning because they failed to develop/cultivate a secondary.

They extended Schaub before they had to, at a level likely no other team would have paid.

You see the contending teams today get a ton of value from their rookie-contract/unfrafted FA players that allow them to go out and get impact FA's. You see teams with the flexibility to either let go of players, and have their replacements ready to go... or not be crippled by a bunch of long-term/low-value deals.

Yes, no team can be immune to all problems such as injured/underperforming players/bad contracts, etc.... but I don't think Rick Smith has done a good job here, either by talent acquisition, draft results, or cap management.

 

I agree with that, generally. I think it's instructive...but the result, either way, points to a GM who doesn't do his job very well.

 

Oh, I’m not arguing Smith is a GOOD GM. I thought he should have been shown the door right alongside Kubiak. And I think the team *did* have a long-term vision/plan in place – it just failed spectacularly. They thought they had the resources to replace Breisel/Winston; those players failed. They failed to developed competent WRs and DBs; they let Williams and Barwin walk and, again, had lesser player fail to step up.

They tried to do it the right way; they just bungled it. That, and they squandered opportunities in 2009 and 2010 – they hired ineffective coaches, blew games, etc.

I think the Foster deal is absolutely up for criticism – but with the proper context. He was an elite RB and inarguably the best offensive player on a very good team at the time of the deal – a very smart, progressive GM may have seen it at the opportune time to move on. But I can’t really fault their decision, either. I mean, letting Arian Foster walk at that point?...

He was playing at an All-Pro level in 2011. Smart teams jump on an opportunity to lock a guy like that up earlier because he’s cheaper. Same goes for Schaub. As much as people gripe about the deal, it’s a FAR LESS egregious deal than Flacco’s. And if they hadn’t extended him when they did, and he had a Flacco-like run (which, with this team, was possible)… I mean, the Schaub situation could be sooooooooo much worse. And as is, he’s NOT killing them. Sure, he’ll eventually cost them $10MM – not too many good QBs play for less.

This has nothing to do with cap mis-management. If they had properly developed/cultivated the secondary, they don’t have to do both or possible either free agent DBs. Having said that, those two guys had a seismic impact on the improvement of our defense, a defense that was good enough to go to the Super Bowl.

Again, this has nothing to do with cap mis-management. Although it speaks to how oblivious too many fans are to the cyclical nature of the cap. You don’t think the Broncos are going to be cashing the checks they’ve written these past two years for the next 4-5 as their aging roster declines? The cap is specifically designed to punish good teams.

 

Agreed... but the problem is, this Texans team is NOT a good team... and they have cap issues that aren't going away in the next 2-3 years.

THAT frustrates fans more than anything else.

 

Oh, he's bad. I'm not defending him so much as shifting the spotlight: I think he's bad at drafting/finding talent, not necessarily managing the cap.

(And, again: some of this IS beyond his control. I don't blame him for the team underachieving in 2009 and 2010; I don't blame him - totally - for hiring consecutive incompetent DCs; I don't blame him for the collapse of our talent development...)

 

So what you're saying Hey Now is there is no such thing as Cap mismanagement in the NFL?

In theory you can cut a guy almost as fast as you can sign him anyway with non guaranteed contracts. Unless that one player is Fat Albert you don't really lose.

 

I understand that - their biggest misstep was underachieving in 2009 and 2010. Those WERE good teams. This would be viewed soooo much differently if they make the playoffs in 2009 and, at the very least, play competently in 2010 (and those rosters those years were capable of doing both). A four-year stretch with three playoff appearences and a disappointing 8-8(ish) season recasts this COMPLETELY.

 

I'm saying it's nearly impossible to field a good team and NOT have cap issues - eventually. Unless... you just nail each and every draft. It's akin to having a good farm system in baseball if you're a successful small market team - you can maintain success (ala Oakland or Tampa) if you can consistently replenish the top-level talent you can't afford to keep.

 

The Patriots are the embodiment of good cap management.

They are ruthless when it comes to the balance sheet, and yet maintain a winning program.

Anyone looking for an example should use them as exhibit 1A.