the point is that the "excuses" we all made for carr -- poor OL play, no running game, the lack of a playmaker on offense -- have not gone away with his departure. there's still A LOT left to be fixed.
the texans lost their best player and their 30 year old back struggled in first game back. the o'line isn't the only problem
Well, the offense is currently #12 in the NFL in scoring. Last year, it was #28. Its #6 in passing yards; last year, it was #26. The running game is certainly worse, but all the other peripheral stats have improved as well - time of possession, first downs, 3rd down conversions, etc. It also blows up the idea that without a running game, it's impossible to throw the ball. The team still has problems, but QB was a major one and it's made a huge difference in the team thus far.
it's a better football team, top to bottom - i never said otherwise. the defense is better; the special teams are better (specifically turk - he may be this year's most significant upgrade) and yes, schaub is obviously better. and he's helping to cover up some of the deficiencies, but they're still there. the pass protection has been average, the running game awful and for all it's improvement, the team is still struggling to score. whenever i would engage in the carr debates, my point was ALWAYS that there was sooooo much more wrong with this team than just david carr. they've made strides; they have plenty more to make. pgabriel, what should i be letting go? that they didn't draft vince young - oh, no; that's you... i'm discussing the continued problems of the 2007 houston texans.
Fred Weary has been the team's most consistent linemen this season. In fact, Weary's progress as a player is a sever indictment of the previous regime where this guy couldn't even get off the inactive list. Weary to center would actually be an option, except that the coaches see Chris White as more ready to play than Kasey Studdard. Chester Pitts is having a nightmare season to this point. I still say his best position was at left tackle. He's not physical enough in the running game to be a great guard.
Like I said earlier, Pitts is a walking big play killer. I know there aren't many better options right now. I just cringe everytime the Texans have a 20+ yd play. I know there's going to be a flag and I know the ref is going to say, "Holding. Offense, #69. 10 yard penalty. Repeat 3rd down."
For the record, the only reason I inserted Weary into the poll was to leave the debate open and not 'lead' the poll as to where they would look to find minutes for Studdard. Unfortunately, it may be a dead topic for now. Pitts is a disaster this season, IMO. Evan
