I wouldn't put it past him, because he loves QB's, but I don't think it's a sure thing. We found what they view as a perfectly viable backup in Orlovsky, and he got a guy he liked last year in Alex Brink to try to groom. If someone slips they like I could see it, or if they get some extra picks, but I think they'll just sign an arm for camp, then go into the season with basically two QB's on the roster, having Craig Nall on speed dial again if Schaub gets hurt.
yeah I expect Alex Brink to be on the practice squad again and if Schaub gets hurt then I think Brink will get the call up
Bengals cut RB Chris Perry...any chance Texans sign him? http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4105638
ESPN AFC South Blog - Could additional RB for Texans come from Denver? I'd love getting either of those guys, but especially Torain. He's the perfect complement to Slaton.
I know Shanahan loved Torain. Denver has about 10 RBs now after their free agent pickups and draft picks.
Perry was a former 26th pick in the draft. Damn, the draft is such a crapshoot. IF he had gone to a better team, IF he didn't break his leg. I think having money in the bank, losing and injuries can just kill the thrill for high profile athletes (Vince?) Nothing to see here, move along. Bengals part ways with RB Perry: The Bengals released RB Chris Perry a day after the 2009 draft. The team selected a pair of running backs late in the draft, likely costing Perry a spot on the roster. Perry struggled as the starting running back for the Bengals in 2008 and was eventually replaced by Cedric Benson before the midseason even though Benson wasn't on the roster to start the year. Perry finished with 103 carries for 269 yards (2.6 avg.) and two touchdowns. He also added 20 catches for 71 yards. Perry might latch on with another team and fight for a roster spot, but an injury-plagued career combined with poor Perry might latch on with another team and fight for a roster spot, but an injury-plagued career combined with poor play when given the chance to shine has likely ruined him. For now, keep him off of Fantasy rosters. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/493027 Here the report on the Denver RB situation: Broncos backs have company: The Denver Broncos bypassed their many needs on defense and surprisingly picked Georgia RB Knowshon Moreno with the 12th pick of the NFL draft on Saturday. The pick was the first for new coach Josh McDaniels and rookie GM Brian Xanders, who replaced Mike Shanahan after 14 seasons in charge at Dove Valley. The Broncos, who also own the 18th pick, have plenty of needs on defense as they transition to a 3-4 scheme, but the 33-year-old McDaniels needs upgrades on offense, too. Denver signed three running backs in free agency - J.J. Arrington, LaMont Jordan and Correll Buckhalter - to compete with holdovers Peyton Hillis, Selvin Young and Ryan Torain. Fantasy Analysis Arrington will likely remain in his role as a third-down back, and Hillis will probably stay at FB. Jordan, Buckhalter and Young are the most affected by Moreno coming on board, and Torain might still be slow in his recovery from a torn ACL last year. The Broncos to take Moreno hurts all these backs, but we know Denver's history -- regardless of the coach -- they could rotate running backs. McDaniels also comes from a system in New England that used a committee, so don't rule out any of these players getting touches even with Moreno now in the fold.
I will admit that I was a touch lucky and vague enough in the first two rounds to look better than I actually was. I had thought that the Texans would go LB and then CB. I was a bit surprised that they took DE Connor Barwin, after they signed FA DE Antonio Smith. But Barwin looks to be a very solid pick. I am really glad that the Texans took C/G Antoine Caldwell. The OL struggle in getting a push, in short yardage and the red zone. Kubiak et al are saying that Chris Myers job is safe, but I am not believing. I don't know if it has been mentioned here or not but ... The Texans top three picks (Cushing, Barwin, and Caldwell) were all team captains in college. That ought to be good for locker room mojo.
I think we'll see Smith move inside and Barwin at DE for passing downs, having Barwin and Mario coming off the edge could be very big for us. If Amobi pans out, our front 7 could be very good for a long time. While Caldwell doesn't have great size, he supposedly has really good feet and fits in the ZBS. I've also read that we could see Casey in the wildcat formation, that would be very very interesting.
Yeah, that'll be fun to watch with Casey. We tried it a couple of times last year with Jacoby and it failed miserably.
Bengals also have cut RB Russel (former Steeler). Some nice defensive FA's are Hood (CB and former Cardinal) and Foot (LB and former Steeler). Foot would be a dream addition! Unless we cut or trade some LB's for a RB, I think Foot is almost unreachable ... but who knows?
Rick Smith speaks: Texans boost poor rush defense with solid draft April 28, 2009 By Clark Judge CBSSports.com Senior Writer Tell Clark your opinion! It's almost impossible to ace the NFL Draft, but each year someone comes close -- and this year that someone was the Houston Texans. Nearly everywhere they looked they found value with their choices, with pass rusher Connor Barwin in the second round and multi-purpose tight James Casey in the fifth two examples. "We feel like we were very fortunate," said general manager Rick Smith. "But we're clear about where these players fit on our team and what they can do for us. In a couple of instances we got some versatility, but we also got a group of leaders who add toughness, athleticism and speed to our team. I like this group." I do, too. The Texans went into the draft looking to bolster the league's 22nd-ranked defense, and they succeeded -- with three of their first four picks, including first-rounder Brian Cushing, on that side of the ball. They wanted to another running back, too, to complement starter Steve Slaton, but they failed there and so what? They still have Chris Brown, and maybe he's the answer. Besides, they found a couple of running backs Monday in Tennessee's Arian Foster and Oregon's Jeremiah Johnson, both of whom were signed as undrafted free agents. Foster is a big back with deceptive speed. Johnson is short and shifty and a good receiver out of the backfield. Maybe one of them sticks. But if he doesn't it doesn't change my opinion. The Texans circled the bases when it was their turn last weekend. "What we try to do is let the process run itself," said Smith, "and we felt good about the picks we made." Now let him explain why. The floor is yours, Rick: First round Brian Cushing, LB, USC (15th overall) "First of all we love him as a football player. We love his intensity. We love his competitiveness. And we love his versatility. He's a guy who can play all three positions and someone who adds an element to our group and our defense. That's what we liked, and that's what was so great about getting him at 15. We had talked to some clubs about a trade before the draft, and we talked about scenarios where we might want to move back if we didn't like anybody else up there. But those options never materialized because Cushing was someone we identified all along. We felt good about him at that spot, and we were excited when he was there. I know some people say he can't play all three downs, but I don't agree with that. I think he's shown that he has pass-coverage skills, and if you watch the tape you can see he understands route concepts, and he understands underneath zone play. So I do think he could potentially be a nickel linebacker." Second round Connor Barwin, DE, Cincinnati (46) "We were just hoping he would be there. We had him rated as a late first [rounder] and thought he would go late in the first or early in the second. He's a guy who is an unbelievably explosive athlete. We see him as a defensive end, and we're going to have him put his hand down and rush the passer -- which will give us a chance to move Antonio Smith inside in our nickel-rush situations. That was a need for us. We felt like we needed to help our pass rush. That's why we signed Antonio in free agency, and for us to have an opportunity to get this guy at that pick made us really excited. He's going to be dynamic football player. Did we ever consider a trade here? No. As the thing was unfolding, we were wondering if he was continuing to be there. We felt great that he was and turned the card in quickly." Third round Antoine Caldwell, C/G, Alabama (77) "I look at him as a versatile swing guy who can play guard or center. We were looking at a couple of running backs we liked in this round, but those guys came off the board. So at that point we look for value. Our room absolutely fell in love with Antoine Caldwell during the draft process. He's a very good athlete, and he fills a need for us. We were very fortunate last year in the sense that we did not miss any time with our starting offensive line group. But on game day if you have a versatile offensive player who can back up a couple of different positions it allows you to dress some other people. He graduated with two degrees and he did it in three-and-half years. He was a team captain, and he's an explosive and versatile player. We really like him and think he's going to be a pro for a long time." Fourth round Glover Quin, DB, New Mexico (112) "A lot of people had him rated at free safety, and I think that's due in large part to the fact that he's a physical guy with good size. But we think he has the skills to play outside [at cornerback]. More importantly, for our team right now he's a guy who can go inside and play the nickel. He's physical enough. He can tackle. And he has enough athletic skill to cover a man. So that's where we think he may have his best opportunity to help us early." Anthony Hill, TE, N.C. State (122) "We felt like there were two blocking tight ends in this draft. Richard Quinn [of North Carolina] was one. Anthony Hill was another. It just depends whom you talk to, but you can argue that this guy was the best blocker. I will say this: There's a lot of talk this year about teams moving to the 3-4 defense, and when you play those defenses if you want to run the football you better have some guys on the edges who can block. This young man is one of those types of players and athletes. We were very, very fortunate to get him." Fifth round James Casey, TE, Rice (152) Texans coach Gary Kubiak needs to find a place for the elusive Casey. (US Presswire) Texans coach Gary Kubiak needs to find a place for the elusive Casey. (US Presswire) "This is another situation where we talked about being surprised that a guy was still on the board. When we selected James Casey we had him targeted as someone who was still there, but we had a deal in place if he wasn't. Having taken a tight end with our second fourth-round pick, this was not necessarily a need situation. But when you talk about versatility, work ethic and character, as well as someone who adds value to your team, he was too good to pass up. Obviously, being here in Houston we watched him grow and develop as a player and as a man, and I felt real good about that decision and real fortunate that he was still on the board. I'm not sure where we play him, but I don't think we limit him. You can't decide what he's going to be. You just let it unfold and give him opportunities to go out there. Gary [Kubiak, the Texans' head coach] is a very creative offensive mind, and this guy has the ability to do a lot of things. For us to try to paint him into one position or another would be a mistake -- and I don't think we're going to do that. We'll put him out on the field and see what he can do." Sixth round Bruce McCain, CB, Utah (188) "He's explosive and runs a 4.3 [40-yard dash]. He's over 40 inches in the vertical jump, too. But he's 5-9 and 180 to 185 pounds. So he's a smallish, but he has good ball skills, good cover skills and explosive speed. He reminds me a little bit of a guy we took in Denver when I was there but who has passed [on], and that is Darrent Williams. That's who I kept thinking about when I watched this kid. I like him for depth at the position because he's another guy who can go inside. He's a physical defensive back who can go in there and tackle even though he's little. So he gives us another option at the corner." Seventh round Troy Nolan, S, Arizona State (223) "He has good size and he's a very good athlete who started two years there after coming from a junior college. He was very productive, and this is a position where we'd like to add some depth. We were looking at potential running backs in the sixth and seventh rounds because there were some backs still on the board. But we just liked what both Nolan and McCain at those positions and what they could do for our team better than any other guys who were left on the board." http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/story/11688946/rss
What I get from that article: Brian Cushing, LB, USC (15th overall) We had talked to some clubs about a trade before the draft, and we talked about scenarios where we might want to move back if we didn't like anybody else up there. But those options never materialized because Cushing was someone we identified all along. He wasn't our first or second choice, he was the last option between staying and trading back. We're crossing our fingers that he can get to spots quick enough to be passable in coverage situations. Connor Barwin, DE, Cincinnati (46) "We were just hoping he would be there. We had him rated as a late first [rounder] and thought he would go late in the first or early in the second. He's a guy who is an unbelievably explosive athlete. We see him as a defensive end, and we're going to have him put his hand down and rush the passer -- which will give us a chance to move Antonio Smith inside in our nickel-rush situations. We seriously were jazzed that we could get a guy that can sack. Honestly excited he fell back. Antoine Caldwell, C/G, Alabama (77) "I look at him as a versatile swing guy who can play guard or center. We were very fortunate last year in the sense that we did not miss any time with our starting offensive line group. But on game day if you have a versatile offensive player who can back up a couple of different positions it allows you to dress some other people. Not a starter. Not vying for a starting job. Glover Quin, DB, New Mexico (112) More importantly, for our team right now he's a guy who can go inside and play the nickel. So that's where we think he may have his best opportunity to help us early." We're putting him at nickel until he proves to us whether he can be a viable option at CB or S. Anthony Hill, TE, N.C. State (122) "We felt like there were two blocking tight ends in this draft. Richard Quinn [of North Carolina] was one. Anthony Hill was another. It just depends whom you talk to, but you can argue that this guy was the best blocker. Goalline situations. We stunk in the red zone for most of last year. James Casey, TE, Rice (152) I'm not sure where we play him, but I don't think we limit him. You can't decide what he's going to be. Gary [Kubiak, the Texans' head coach] is a very creative offensive mind, and this guy has the ability to do a lot of things. I found this awfully interesting. Is he more than Owen insurance? Could he see time at the slot, or FB? Bruce McCain, CB, Utah (188) "He's explosive and runs a 4.3 [40-yard dash]. He's over 40 inches in the vertical jump, too. But he's 5-9 and 180 to 185 pounds. I like him for depth at the position because he's another guy who can go inside. We're gambling that he might work out better than the other dwarf cover guys we keep trotting out there into foolish man coverage. Troy Nolan, S, Arizona State (223) "He has good size and he's a very good athlete who started two years there after coming from a junior college. He was very productive, and this is a position where we'd like to add some depth. If he learns to make sharp decisions, he might vye for a job. Til then, he's on Special Teams.
One thing that I love about this draft is that it absolutely proves to me that this team is dedicated to drafting almost solely BPA. Did they skew towards defense? Yeah, probably, but that's not a huge deal. They still drafted two TEs when we already have a probowl TE on the roster and they drafted a DE in the 2nd round when we just signed a a semi-big FA at that spot. But those guys have value so they drafted them anyway. I think that is ultimately a MUCH smarter strategy than taking guys because they play positions you know you suck at. If some of these draftees turn out to be good but can't find time on the field, then they become trade bait and still have value.
Exactly. Or when your good-but-not-franchise players want top-level money and won't settle on a reasonable contract, you have someone that can step in and take their place for much cheaper. (*cough OD & Dunta cough*)
