Is Travis Johnson going to be our future DE or another bust?

You know what? If the Texans make the playoffs this year and are good cap-wise, you have to say that Capers and Casserly have done a great job. If they only finish .500, you can still say they've done a fair job. I don't think you can make any judgments until this season is over. So chill.

 

no we need to make judgments RIGHT NOW.

cut them. fire them.

 

I'll go on record right now and say the Texans will again go 7-9 and miss the playoffs. They're not that good.

 

I'm not sure how the Texans will be this year just because football is so unpredictable and as with all teams there are so many variables, but what I CAN tell you is that Travis Johnson will be a stud in the pass rush. He's quick, strong, and can put pressure and eventually force double teams. In the 3-4 he can play DE and NT which just adds to his value.

I think the only negative about him is that he's not really your average bubble butt, Vince Wilfork 350-lb nose tackle that will clog up the middle for the linebackers to make plays. But he will be valuable on third downs as a good pass rusher.

 

What have you seen from Babin that makes you think he's going to ever do anything? This guy was a first round draft pick, not some 5 round project. Just watch the guy during the game. He gets blocked way to easy. He's not quick off the corner and has a weak ass spin move. Hell, even the tackle he made last game against jones in the open field, he basically got ran over and just held on to a leg.

 

For all practical purposes in a 3-4 defense the front three are all dt's. Technically the two on the outside are ends but with a down linebacker in most situations they becoem ends. If Johnson were to play on team using a 4-3 defense he would be a tackle.

 

Is this actually true? There's been a lot of rookie linebackers and lots of teams played 3-4 defensive fronts back in the 1980's. I'm pretty sure lawrence Taylor, Cornelius Bennett, even busts like Aundray Bruce etc etc etc didn't sit on the bench their whole rookie season. Likewise, Pass rushing isn't something that requires a lot of teaching, many guys seem to be able to do it or not when they enter the league - not saying the don't develop, but playing OLB isn't like playing QB. Maybe he's the first that Capers ever coached, but I truly doubt that no rookie ever has ever been a starter before.

 

Ridiculous. There was a terrific one on one collision of two people of size and speed. Jones had more momentum. Babin took him straight on, neutralized him and secured a leg that Jones didn't escape from. Great open field play.

 

Dude relax, how many rookie linebackers do you see making a big name for themselves their first year? Exactly.

Here you have a young player who has played DE his entire life and converted to LB for his rookie season in the NFL. So he gets blocked easily, he'll get stronger, faster, and learn his way through them. BTW, it's easy to say he gets blocked too easily when you're not having 350lb lineman running full speed at you. Players take time to develop, I don't see why that is so hard to comprehend.

ROOKIE SEASON: 76 Tackles, 4 Sacks, 2 Fumble Recoveries. While he isn't LT, those are decent enough stats to think he can be a good player.

Keith Bulluck (Leading Tackler last season) had 33 tackles and 0 sacks his rookie season in 16 games. Had 51 tackles and 1 sack his 2nd season. He had 125 tackles his 3rd, 135 his 4th, and a 152 last season.

 

Stop trying to prove things with facts.

 

I'm pretty sure Kieth Bulluck didn't start his rookie year so bad comparison.

Ware was a DE in college but palys LB now.

 

I hope I'm wrong, but just do me a favor and watch him play tonight. The OLB in the 3-4 biggest asset is speed and quickness. He has neither. When all of a sudden to players get suddenly 'faster'? And just to let you know of some pretty good rookie LB in the past few years..Vilma, Suggs, Kendrell Bell, and Brian Urlacher. And just to add, the 'tackles' stat is a highly over-rated stat. Tackleing someone after they run off 5-10 yards doesn't mean a whole lot. Sacks and tackles for loss are a lot better stats to judge a OLB.

 

The point was that Ware was off the boards when we picked, so complaining that we didn't pick him is moot.

Give me a break. The "tackles" stat is overrated? That's what linebackers do...they tackle. Whether they were 5 or 10 yards away, they were still the first and only person to stop them.

I agree with sacks being important, since OLB are also pass rushers. Babin was 2nd on our team in sacks last season, either that shows that he was our 2nd best pass rusher last season or that our pass rushing in general (not invidually) is bad. If tackles for losses are a lot better way to judge OLB than regular tackles, how come they don't keep those stats?

You're right, players don't suddenly get faster. But they can LEARN to react faster, which in turn, will make them faster on the field. Players will learn how to read offenses better and anticipate plays. Like I said, players (especially rookie OLB who have played DE their entire life) need time to develop and learn the ropes. It's not going to happen their rookie season.

Let's resume this debate after this season or possibly after next next season. We'll then have a good evaluation of how this pick turned out, not after a rookie season at a new position.