Sounds like Schobel wanted to get paid like a starter to be a backup and probably wouldn't have seen action till week 7. Something seems fishy here, either the Texans saw someone out of shape that wouldn't help enough for the money involved or they became cheap at the wrong possible time.
I am glad in a way they didn't sign Aaron Schobel. He is 33 years old, not in good shape, and not sure if he wanted to play. It's Week 4 of the NFL season so while most players have been working out for the last 2 months, he would have just started. Training camp is important in the NFL. See Dunta Robinson last year, see Darrelle Revis and Owen Daniels this year.
Let's bear in mind who's been throwing those passes (Russell, Gradkowski) and their combined 50% completion rate. When he plays with a QB who can sustain a rating above 80, I'll judge him more harshly.
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/sports/nfl/100928-schobel-works-out-for-texans,-doesn't-sign Some quotes in there from Schobel.
So he wants to be a starter, paid like one, but he hasn't been getting in the shape to play at the level. Dream on.
It really makes no sense the Texans need a pass rusher to help out the secondary but decide to be cheap. The only DL that can constantly get to the qb is Mario, A. Smith is mostly talented in the run defense. Maybe Cushing will help out the defense significantly pass rushing wise but I have my doubts.
Why would you pay somebody based on what you think they can do in once they get shape? First of all, no assurances that he would have gotten shape. Second, who knows how long it would have taken. Third, who knows what type of player he would have become if he got in shape. He said it himself that he didn't know if he wanted to be a role player. He wasn't going to start at end if Mario Williams and Antonio Smith here.
Exactly. Quick reaction when it came out was Texans are being cheap asses! But you're right on. Sounded like he wanted to start, be paid like a starter, and wasn't in shape yet.
I reserve the right to overreact on anything and everything Texans. Sounds like we did the right thing afterall.
He said it himself in the Chronicle article that he wasn't in good shape and it would only take a week or two get back in playing. Child please. I would estimate it would have taken 5 or 6 weeks at least. Keep in mind that the last game he played was 01/03/10 which was the last game of last season. So for basically for the last 9 months, he has no incentive to get in shape because he has been thinking about retiring since then. He skipped all of the Bills OTAs, mini-camps, and offseason training programs.
I would pay him because given his history on what he could bring to the table. Maybe I am wrong but I believe Antonio Smith played DT for the Cardinals when he was Arizona. Schobel said it himself it would take him two weeks which is fine by me if it makes the Texans better in the long run. In the end more than likely he would be a starter, the Texans would get to play Shaun Cody and Amobi Okoye a lot less which is a plus, cause they can not get any pressure. The Texans will not contend with only 1 good pass rusher with this young and inexperienced of a secondary. Give the guy a basic salary with incentives of snaps taken and games played. We have given Cody and Okoye enough chances to prove themselves why not give Schobel a couple of weeks to get into playing shape.
Sounds good. It's hard to imagine Schobel effectively admitting that he isn't in shape but wants to be paid/treated like he is, but I suppose we should appreciate his candor, as opposed to the cliched BS that most would say. Hard to believe he wouldn't take a part-time role at this point in his career, but it is what it is and it's certainly his choice. Agree that it sounds like the Texans did the right thing.
I don't understand why some people think Uncle Bob is cheap. Look at some of the money he spent on free agents like Todd Wade, Zach Weigert, Mike Flanagan, Anthony Weaver, Robarie Smith, Ahman Green, and Jacque Reeves. He overpaid for those guys at the time and all turned out to be terrible signings. He overpaid to keep Andre Davis here. He give Andre Johnson a new deal with 5 years left on his contract. If you want to see a cheap owner, look at Bill Bidwill in Arizona.
Well maybe not exactly cheap but he is given an opportunity to possibly make this team better, Texans fans are ready to make the next step to the playoffs. It has been long enough, I am not saying without a doubt he would make the team better but why not in an uncap year? Only one player on the team has a solo sack through three games. I think they are putting too much into the cards by hoping Cushing will change a lot of this teams defensive weaknesses. But right now he refused to pay Dunta Robinson to help teach Jackson, he signed Andre but he had to.
He didn't have to sign Andre if he didn't want to. It was an unprecedented move on Bob McNair to give a player who had five years left on his current contract a new deal. I don’t blame him at all for not guaranteeing Dunta $22.5 million like the Falcons did. He hasn’t been the same player since that injury. Texans defense was terrible last year in the beginning but they turned it around. Cushing is a HUGE part of that and will only help. Last year, defense turned around when Pollard was inserted in the starting lineup and this year I think it will be when Cushing comes back. He will improve all aspects of the defense.
Ah well. Just b/c it's an uncapped year doesn't mean it makes automatic sense to sign the guy. If he was, as he admitted, out of shape and couldn't provide us with any help for 2-4 weeks and also wanted starter money and multi-year as well then it's not worth it. We have Cushing coming back next week and Ogunleye is coming along nicely as a veteran backup from what I'm reading. Secondary is where the rape is.
