Because they were looking for reasons to become attached to the Texans since it is easier and more fun to root for a team in the city you live in (and more opportunities to go to games, etc). I assume the majority of those people were already following the Texans since their games were already on, but were just doing so half-heartedly. People act like it's such a surprise. This was all discussed before the draft. The Texans organization was lacking a connection to the city and a heart of the franchise. People were frustrated and it was hard to watch their games because they were so terrible (especially after 2005). There are two ways to rebuild that connection: win or make games fun (preferably both). One of the secondary benefits of drafting VY was that they would have built a strong fan base throughout Texas (Reggie Bush would have provided a similar, through lesser, effect) due to the excitement effect. They went the other route because they felt it was more conducive to winning - nothing wrong with that. If/when they start winning, they'll have their strong fan base and the VY stuff will die down. However, the risk to picking MW and losing was exactly this, especially if the other two had any level of success. It's amazing that people act surprised or confused why its had this kind of effect. It was known pretty clearly a year ago that this is how it would play out if VY/RB had success and/or the Texans didn't.
Or maybe this guy ... Gabe Hall 6-4 313 Texas Tech. Positives: Has a wide frame with big muscle development in the chest, arms and calves … Comes off the line with a good burst to gain advantage and shows quickness on the rise with a strong hand jolt, gaining surge with the force from his extension … His initial step, knee bend and hip roll lets him explode into defenders on contact … Has decent hip swerve and foot agility to adjust and slide out in space … Plays with good strength and will finish once engaged with the defender … Punishes defenders with his powerful hand jolts, getting his mitts up quickly into the defender's chest to forcefully ride his man wide … Sustains blocks and has good foot agility, which allows him to leverage, wall off and screen … Gains good movement on contact and takes good blocking angles on the move … Has a wide leg base and stays up in his stance to adjust and cut off the linebackers working into the second level … Gets good separation with his hands and quickly gets impact on the corner for the ground game … Has the ability to sink his hips, but needs to be more consistent with his hand punch … Shows functional slide and shuffle in his pass-block technique and does a decent job reacting to the defender's second move … His quick feet let him adjust to second-level movement, and he has the range to make plays downfield … Keeps his pads down and feet wide to retreat and mirror the edge rusher's moves. Negatives: Drive-blocking technique is very raw and he sometimes bites on defenders' fakes … Needs to improve his lower-body strength to be more efficient as a drive blocker … When he gets too high in his stance, he starts to bend at the waist, which prevents him from getting underneath the defender's jersey to drive his man off the ball … He needs to do a better job of maintaining his balance when shooting his hands (gets outside his frame and needs to shoot them with better consistency) … Leans into his incline blocks some, which prevents him from steering defenders at the point of attack … When he shuffles and slides inside too long, it prevents him from countering the pass rusher's outside loop … Has a strong punch to shock and jolt, but takes passive swipes at times (seemed to be conscious about keeping his hands inside) … Has enough quickness to recoil his hands, but must display better lock-out ability. Compares to: Roman Oben, San Diego -- Hall has good quickness and could possibly shift to left tackle; he seems to have better foot agility moving to his left than right. He is a hard worker, but still very raw in his techniques, especially when it comes to his hand punch. He has an adequate anchor right now, so additional lower-body bulk and strength are needed, but he is quick to pick up the blitz, and with a little more sand in his pants, he could develop into a nice second-day draft pickup. INJURY REPORT 2003: Missed the season after injuring his hand in fall camp. AGILITY TESTS Combine: 4.94 in the 40-yard dash … 1.8 10-yard dash … 2.92 20-yard dash … 4.68 20-yard shuttle … 7.59 three-cone drill … 29-inch vertical jump … 8-foot-8 broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 22 times. He started as a TE so he already has more quickness and agility than a normal OL. Just throwing out names. Any intellectual insight on any of these two would be good.
Its kind of strange that he hasn't been picked yet if he is all they say he is on his profile. I have a feeling though that the Texans will pick an OT up with the next pick.
I agree. Since they were not able to make a play to land Staley. They have 2 picks BTW on this round.
Harrison leaving his mark on D Senior safety wraps up time on The Farm, but not before November 17, 2006 By Denis Griffin Following last Saturday’s 20-3 victory over Washington, Stanford’s first win of the season, one might expect a celebratory mood from a Stanford squad that had endured 11 consecutive losses. And it certainly was for every player who made the trip, but senior defensive back Brandon Harrison also found himself reflecting on his four years of football at Stanford, which are quickly drawing to a close. “Obviously it was a big team celebration,” Harrison said. “But I kind of felt myself a little bit withdrawn from the crowd, kind of sitting with [senior Trevor] Hooper and talking with him a little bit, and almost dropping a tear or two between both of us. And I told one person, ‘Man it’s just been so hard, it’s just a relief to finally get one.’ I think definitely it was a kind of coming together for some of the guys who’ve been here four or five years and don’t have that many left.” The journey from freshman out of Baton Rouge, La. to senior and team leader has indeed been a trying one, as Harrison has seen four losing seasons for the Cardinal and two head coaches. Nevertheless, he still says his focus is on passing on what he’s learned in those years to the next generation of Stanford players. “I feel that being a senior and being considered one of the leaders on the defensive side, I just owe it to everyone to give everything I have every day,” Harrison said. “If I’m not doing that I’m cheating my teammates. And I just think if [Hooper] and I continue to fight it will rub off on other guys.” As a leader in the secondary, Harrison’s influence certainly seemed to pay dividends for the Cardinal last week, as sophomore Bo McNally intercepted two passes, returning one for a score. McNally credited Harrison and other senior leadership with playing a significant role in his development as a player in the midst of a difficult season. “It has been a really good learning experience,” McNally said. “The seniors and the leaders have set forth a pretty amazing example of how we need to be when we are seniors. Every practice, Harrison and Hooper are on me hard, making sure I don’t make mistakes. They are amazing leaders, and I learned a lot from them.” The respect goes both ways, as Harrison spoke Wednesday about how he views his role as a mentor and elder statesman on the team. “I feel like Bo’s one of my kids running around out there,” Harrison said. “He’s got a chance to be a big time player right away. I try as much as I can to be a mentor and try to help him with those little ins and outs and things you can’t really get without the experience of playing. So to see him throw everything to the wind and make those plays is a great feeling.” Even after four losing seasons and countless difficult losses and injuries on a team that never really found its footing, the senior still found himself reflecting positively on his time at Stanford. “I’ve loved my four years here,” Harrison said. “Obviously we didn’t have as much success as I would have liked, but these four years have been an invaluable experience. The guys that I’ve met, the coaches I’ve played for — I mean we’re talking about guys who are going to be my friends for life, and you can’t substitute anything for that in the world.” Harrison, at least, was optimistic that the team could still finish the season on a positive note if the Cardinal maintains its focus and excitement for the last two games of the season. “If we can just play with the same amount of passion and the same amount of confidence we played with last week I think that would be a huge step in the right direction,” Harrison said. “If we don’t lose that before the season is over, good things are going to happen.” http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2006/11/17/harrisonLeavingHisMarkOnD
Interesting pick. Good size. This is the low down on Harrison on CBS Sportsline. 6-2 227 4.58 in 40. Positives: Has a big frame with room to carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk for a potential move to Cover-2 linebacker … Solidly built with minimal body fat (4.6 percent), well-defined chest, arms and shoulders and tapered thighs … Generally in position to make plays on the ball … Very athletic in his stride, showing ease of movement in attempts to close on the ball … Plays with good effort in pass coverage, but needs to show more aggression in run force … Makes the adjustment calls in the secondary and is good at recognizing the switch-offs when playing in the zone … Has the foot speed and hands to mirror the receiver in man coverage, getting into position quickly to try to reroute his opponent … Has the foot speed and balance dropping back in the zone and is alert to receivers' threats while maintaining eye contact on the quarterback … Shows good recovery quickness and is capable of running with backs and tight ends in the short area … Plays the man better than the ball, but he gets a good jump on the ball in flight, showing the range to close from behind … Has just adequate take-up quickness trying to catch up in pass coverage, but can adjust better to coverage in the zone and is quick to anticipate the pass … Times his hits well and keeps his pads down and arms extended to wrap and secure … Takes good angles in pursuit and uses his hands efficiently to shed blocks … Effective at pushing the outside running game back inside and generates decent pop on contact … Has enough speed to avoid blockers and pressure the pocket on the blitz … Demonstrates fluid hip turn and good hand extension looking the ball in when attempting to intercept. Negatives: Has an imposing frame for a safety, but doesn't play with the physicality that you'd expect from a player that size … Has questionable ball skills in the deep zone, as he fails to get a quick read and is then caught out of position … Has had some maturity issues, letting his academics slip to the point that he was held out of 2006 preseason drills until he improved his grades … Not timid, but seems to shy away from contact, especially in run force … will take several plays off, then make a big hit, then disappear from the action again (lacks consistency) … Has excellent weight room numbers, but they fail to translate to the football field (good wrap-up tackler, but not a physical one) … Has good leaping ability, but just seems disinterested in elevating and combating for jump balls … Tries to run around blockers too much rather than facing up … Generally gets fooled on naked bootlegs and there are questions about his read and diagnose skills … Will bite on the receiver's double moves and fails to generate a second gear to chase down the receiver when the opponent gets behind him. Compares To: Michael Boulware, Seattle Seahawks … Like Boulware, Harrison looks the part of an imposing strong safety, but his weight room strength fails to translate to the field … He is best when playing the man, as he seems disinterested in making plays in a pile … He can be fooled often on naked bootlegs and tries to run around blockers rather than engaging them … He doesn't have the second gear needed to mirror the receivers on deep routes, but if he is to play strong safety at the next level, he will have to perform with more aggression. Kind of mixed reviews here ...
Not a draft topic but, I'd rather hit it with Suzy Kolber then Rachel Nichols, Suzy's got that power executive look that you wanna do on the office desk, Rachel looks like the cute office girl you pass by in one of the cubicles. And I really want to kiss her...
Agreed. Suzy seems like someone you can take to a texan game, then go at it when you get home from the game. Um, I mean talk about poor pass routes and blown coverages. Um, I mean missed coverages...
That's understandable! Yes, she still is hot! Just don't Joe Namath her in front of 80,000 people. LOL!
we already got a corner, but I really think Kenny Scott (CB, Georgia Tech) is a solid value pick at this point..
With the following analysis on him ... I would say pass. Compares To: Phillip Buchanon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers … Like Buchanon, Scott has the size and quickness to excel in man coverage, but he lacks ideal change of direction agility and loose hips, causing him to struggle coming out of his breaks … He has great leaping ability, but poor timing competing for jump balls … He will need to add bulk in order to combat the more physical receivers at the next level … He will entice a team due to his athletic ability, but like Buchanon he is not known for his work ethic. Ouch ...
hahaha ok ok...anything that reminds people of Buchanon or Matt Stevens...might make me say forget it
Let's say, hypo, that the Texans had the sixth pick in the draft, and the Titans had the fourth, Raiders had the third, 49ers had the second, and the Lions had the first pick. Let's say Bush went first to the Lions, VY went to the 9ers, and the Raiders went with whoever, williams i guess. You know it, I know it, a lot of people would have gone to the 49ers website, because they wanted to buy their red and orange 49ers gear. For all the Titans fan claiming to be longtime Oiler fans had their cop out answer. "Hey, I've been an Oiler fance since I was born. How convenient for me." I guess that's fine. When the Texans win, it will make it much better. And for those who said that the name and logo was dumb and boring, man, have you seen the Rockets late 90s logo? That was dumb, but I'm sure you still rooted for the Rockets.
I really like the Bennett pick. If I were a GM and needed defensive help (or offensive help for that matter), most of my 2nd day picks would come out of the SEC. Just about all of them out-play their draft status.
I couldn't think of any awesome cash money dirty souf rap songs from the late 90s. awesome cash money songs. i know, oxymoron. that's why they're still around.... in our memories.
