I think he ends up sneaking into the late 1st round. The biggest thing going against Kevin is the ghosts of Andre Ware & David Klingler. He's a better QB prospect than Troy Smith or Chris Leak IMO.
OK, HillBoy. I didn't mean to call you out or anything, but it looks like we're just going to have to agree to disagree on this. I just don't think Carr is going to be here next year. IMO, all the signs are there. I think the positive things being said about Carr by the Texans are just disinformation to keep his trade value from plummenting, but you seem to think they're being sincere. I also think the Texans are going to draft a QB on the first day. How 'bout a signature bet?
My brain is so emotionally spent thinking about the QB position. Ive never once said I would have drafted Vince Young, but now I wish that happened just so that my brain could focus on another area of need for the Texans. I just cant handle discussing the QB position anymore... With that said, Im not sure if I'd want Kolb with our 2nd pick. Im a big defense guy, so I'd be more comfortable taking a solid defensive player in the 2nd round. As for Carr, Im not down with waiving him. Too much of a loss financially. I'd trade him for a 3rd rounder and nothing less. Otherwise, I'll keep him and try to shore up the other areas of concern. Okay, now Im done discussing the QB position At least for another half hour or so...
I would say the odds are good that he will be there and I think the Texans are going to strongly consider taking him
IMHO, I think there is a good 75-90% chance Kolb will be available come the 2nd Round. I think there is a much smaller chance that we will actually take him however. I like Kolb a lot and would love to have him behind a clip board for a season, but I'm not sure the Texans are willing to spend a 2nd Round pick on a QB.
I agree that Kolb is a better prospect than Leak, but no way is he a better prospect than Smith IMO. The one knock on Kolb at this point is the question of whether or not he is a system QB, I'm not saying he is or isn't but according to the article, he didn't throw all that well. Smith played in a pro-style offense and produced big time. Obviously his last game was horrific, but he has an incredible arm to go w/ good mobility. His size is the biggest question but Brees has shown that it can be overcomed. If we had to take a QB in the 2nd Round, I'd probably go w/ Smith. But I would love to pick up Kolb in the 3rd if available.
Troy Smith's size is what works against him. The OL & DL guys are just too big now that a guy that short will have lots of problems finding receivers downfield. Kolb has the same QB tools plus he has the height you look for. He definitely has the smarts because Art Briles' system was very complicated and from what I saw on the NFL network this weekend, once coaches sat down and talked to him they were simply blown away. As I pointed out, the "system QB" tag applies more to what happened to the previous UH QBs who went pro and should not be used to describe Kolb. Troy Smith did play in the big games on the big stage but that, in and of itself, is not a definitive indicator of his ability to do so at the next level. Funny you mentioned Smith's last game working against him because that's happening to Brady Quinn right now. This is another classic case of over analyzing because Quinn played on a team with fewer offensive playmakers than did Smith. If he does indeed drop to the Texans at #8, they would have a shot at a legit franchise QB but I still expect the Vikings to grab him up because they need a QB in the worst way.
The more I think about this, the more I lean towards the camp that says that NFL organizations can't be that stupid. I mean, I even take everything in the media--including interviews--with a grain of salt. What if I were actually on the inside of the business in addition to knowing a blessed thing about running an NFL franchise? I just can't see that interviews and media reporting in general can sway personnel decisions for an NFL franchise. I don't see the Texans in a board meeting saying, "Now, Gary, if you tell the press this, and Rick you say such-and-such, we just might get the Vikings or Raiders to bite!" Sorry bro, I don't see it.
Like I said, Smith's size is his biggest question mark, but Drew Brees' success (at the same height) has proven that a good arm and accuracy can overcome the lack of height. Besides Russell, Smith may have the biggest arm in the draft. I didn't really think of past UH QBs when I used "system QB." From what I recall, Kolb ran the exact same offense during high school and at UH. So I do somewhat question how well he can learn and adapt to a completely different offense he has never worked with. Also, I remember Kolb having a lot of trouble during Senior Bowl practices because of the new offense. I'm not saying Kolb won't be able to learn a new offense, but I think Smith's experience in a more pro-style offense makes him a better prospect.
I disagree. notre dame's offensive talent was pretty strong at the skill positions. overall ohio st has more talent, but I don't know about skill positions.
The Texans may be saying all of the right things right now (in order not to further alienate fans whom they need to re-up for season tickets) but the reality is that they effectively locked themselves into a corner last year when they gave DC the extension and passed on the bumper crop of QBs. You see, the mistake wasn't in deciding to go with Carr and blowing off looking at other QBs. That I attribute to Kubiak's hubris more than anything. In his mind he probably believed that if he could resurrect a Jake Plummer, then doing so for Carr would be a piece of pie (cake?). What he didn't see was that Carr had come to accept losing and no longer had the stomach to fight or lead. I think he was legitimately shocked at how bad Carr played in winnable games. For me, the Tennessee game was the big turning point. Up until that time, I, too, had been a proponent of the "Carr is OK he just needs a better team around him" theory. But when I saw how Carr did all but run away from the challenge of confronting and putting to rest the VY issue, I realized then that he wasn't the right guy for the job here in Houston. No, their big mistake was in not having a contingency plan in case DC didn't rise to the occasion. When he didn't do so and Sage got hurt, they were left up the proverbial creek. By then, the VY tidal wave had roared in and washed away any lingering goodwill left toward this franchise. A lot of what I'm hearing today is carefully worded PR so as to not further piss off the casual football fans because the hardcore fans have already drawn their lines in the sand and picked sides. As I see it, they are stuck with David. They know it and the rest of the league knows it so all that can be done now is to smile for the camera and make the best of a baaaad situation.
I believe that Ohio State had much better receivers than did ND and that's what I based my comments on here. Also, Charlie Weiss was campaigning for Quinn in Indy and he also referred to the lack of talent issue. All in all, Quinn projects to be a fine QB prospect in the pros and this situation looks to be yet another example of how teams go overboard on analysis before the draft.
Now that's entirely possible. Personally, I am just not a fan of shorter QBs. There's just too much to overcome on their part. Did you see the mood at the combine when Smith was measured and weighted. When 6' 0" was announced you could just see the negativity flow around the room. The talking heads on the NFL network pounced on it like it was a buffet line. You better believe that the lack of pro success of Ware & Klingler is something that Kolb has to deal with. I agree that Smith has more experience in a pro style offense but, as the old saying goes, you can't coach height.
I don't think there was a lack of talent issue at ND, I thought it was just a case of a team being overhyped. Weiss has done a great job at ND but I didn't feel that ND was a Top 3 team going into last season (for the record, I didn't think UT was #2 either).
I do to. I think they were saying on NFL Network that he threw the ball well. Also, Utah's qb, whoever that is, supposedly threw extremely well.
kolb is scoring major points for having just completed 4 straight years of consecutive starts in what almost any college scout worth his salt would say is one of the most complicated and QB intensive position in all of D1.. when kolb sits down with GMs and coaches in the interview room and explains to them what his responsibilities were in UH's offense, most of them go "holy crap, most NFL QBs couldnt even pull that off" they call him kolonel kolb for a reason... the dude is mr. offensive game manager
