no, i'm not saying that. i simply mean you can't install the pretty french doors until you've laid the foundation. we're $12M under the cap. i'd estimate, roughly, $5M of that is earmarked for our draft picks, however many that might be. leaves us roughly $7M, agreed? do you really advocate using most of that, if not all of that, on one player? i'd do it if the one player put us over a hump, but there're no humps in our foreseeable future. so why blow your cap now, with nothing on the line andwhen you still have a roster that needs to be filled? the texans aren't building through the draft exclusively; they're already starting to assemble foundation pieces: mckinney, sharper, wong, brown and stanley should all be contributors in 2005, as might bradford, possibly boselli and wiegert, billy miller, jay foreman, eric brown.... first of all, the browns, aka ravens, drafted rob burnett. but, hell, i'll include him in your list, anyway, because even with him, there is no way, no how the guys you listed had a bigger impact on that team than jamal lewis, ray lewis, jamie sharper, pete boulware, duane starks and chris mcallister. come on... apparently, more often than i did. i've certainly never heard the words "miami offensive line" and "one of the NFL's worst ever" in the same sentence, have you? look, i'm not arguing against them signing davis; i was for it if he met their terms and not vice versa. but having said that, to expect anything beyond a 800-yard season with a per carry average in the 3's would have been beyond unrealistic. davis, alone, doesn't make this a better team. vescey, what in h-e-double hockey sticks are you talking about? are you under the impression the team is made up of 53 rookies? boselli, mckinney, walker, payne, sharper, glenn, coleman, e. brown, mitchell, k. brown, bradford, wong, foreman... even matt stevens were all starters elsewhere. veteran leadership... come on! as much as i would've welcomed the signing, stephen davis is not the missing link to anything involving the texans. he doesn't appreciably improve the team, he certainly doesn't sprinkle magic pixie dust on carr and make him better.... what's the purpose? to satiate some silly fetish fans have with big names? let me ask you a question: did you consider jeff posey a big-time free agent acquisition this time last year? like a lot of us, you probably didn't even notice, and if you did notice, you probably didn't give it a second thought. now, you're upset we lost out on resigning him. point being, you don't have to sign marquee players to improve your team.
This offseason is a bust. I was excitied about the free agency period and we didn't sign anybody. You can't depend on Andre Johnson to save the team in his rookie season. We need some proven impact players and we haven't landed one yet.
the offseason is two weeks old, and it's already a bust, huh? not waiting until after the draft, or even june 1 cuts... you've decided already it's a bust? let me guess, you used to be a cowboy fan? and what's this saving the team nonsense? saving it from what?
All the players who could have helped the team are gone HELLO. The June 1st cuts won't be as good as this period and you can't expect rookies to carry your team next year. The Texans need some proven players and they still haven't signed one yet. Instead of going after the lower class free agents we need to get some big time players.
Actually, I could care less about Posey. He was a decent linebacker made better in a 3-4 system. What I do care about is that the Texans wanted to sign him but couldn't, despite the money they had. You say we don't have much money, but we still have more than 97% of the other teams out there. I don't necessarily want to blow the cash on one player, but we've signed one free agent so far (and tendered a bunch more). Did I think we were going to get Colvin? No. But we did have the money to, and we did bring him in for a look (courtesy or not, he was in Houston). So, he signed with the Pats, and we set our sights on a second tier player: Keith Newman. But, alas, he signed with Atlanta over us. So, shall we move on to the third tier now? Who's left? Haggans? Nate Wayne (fat chance)? We KNOW the Texans want a free agent linebacker, yet they seem unable to sign anyone. That just irritates me. And what about running backs? Same situation. Why can't we add an A-list player to our growing foundation? What's wrong with that? What are we saving our money for? Do we expect to use $7 million on second or third tier players only? In the end, I think this goes back to an earlier argument we had a while back when discussing draft picks: quality vs. quantity. You wanted to trade down in the draft. I wanted to trade up. I think this free agency argument is just an extension of the same old discussion.
vescey, we may have more money, but we also have more needs. these other teams have had multiple drafts and multiple free agency periods, etc., etc., to fill out their rosters -- i would think this would be obvious. it's our second year. you can't compare what we're doing with what other teams are doing. they can afford to add pieces, we still have needs all over the board. resigning guys like billy miller and jason bell and pat dennis, et al, might not register high on the excitement scale, but how excited would you be filling the roster out with 9th-tier players to accomodate one a-lister? that's making progress? did the NFL pass some mandate that the team had to sign an OLB? i'm thinking plan b, or, if you prefer, c, is terrell suggs. not a terrible consolation prize, is it? this reads so whiney... look, man, it's not always about money. boston went to a playoff contender (and one of america's prettiest cities), colvin went to a SB contender, newman went to a SB contender (and his former coach), posey went to a playoff contender (and made a mistake, imo, but...), davis went home to carolina... having money is not the be all end all in free agency. it's not like casserly can snap his fingers and make it happen. besides, from the "how quickly they forget" file, we added 4-6 a-list players last year -- name a team that, in one offseason, added the likes of tony boselli, ryan young, jamie sharper, aaron glenn, gary walker and seth payne, not to mention kris brown, kailee wong, steve mckinney, corey bradford... btw, notice how none of them came in the college draft? they're building their foundation... give 'em some time.
so, let's see, not only have you labeled the texans' two-week old offseason a bust, but now you've gone ahead and dismissed the june 1st cuts a full three months before they've even taken place? moving on, where, exactly, is this team supposed to be carried to this year? further, why must rookies do all the hoisting? is tony boselli a rookie? how about zach wiegert? chester pitts? steve mckinney? david carr? jabar gaffney? gary walker? seth payne? jamie sharper? jay foreman? kailee wong? aaron glenn? marcus coleman? kris brown? chad stanley? you read like a petulant child not getting what they want. relax. pam anderson wasn't built in a day -- the texans have a terrific nucleus, have a chance to add more studs to it next month and there're still quality players available in free agent who can help fill out the roster, give it some depth.
I think this is actually good news for the Texans. I personally think Stephen Davis is overrated and simply not a "feature back" without a good line blocking for him. This team apparently sucked last year, they'll suck again next year with or without Davis. I say build a team (OL/CB/LB/HB/QB/WR) through the draft, and then fill in the remaining holes (Safeties/DL/OL/LB) later. The secret in the NFL is knowing when to go for it all. If you start committing to Decent/Solid players too early, you'll find yourself in a hole before you even break it into the playoffs. This team needs at least 1-2 seasons before we should be worried about filling in the minor holes through FA.
Don't hinge your hopes on a unproven rookie. Especially one that may not be there on draft day. So, what's plan D? ... And yes, the NFL did pass a mandate about OLBs. They're kind of required to play the game of football. As it turns out, we could really use one, and the Texans have so far done jack filling that hole (that is, unless you really think Chukwurah -- who's got a Topps rookie card put out by yours truly -- is somehow the answer...) Uh, most of those guys were drafted by us in the expansion draft. It's not like they had a choice to come here. But, hey, I'll take them any way I can get them, I guess. You can't include Ryan Young because he's no longer with the team. Boselli has yet to play a down for us. McKinney, Payne (who went to my alma mater), and Bradford are not A-list material. That leaves us with only Wong as the only free agent signee considered to be A-list from last year. And this year, we've so far signed zilch. (And if you say Wiegert is A-list, I think I'm gonna scream.) It's not like we haven't had plenty of opportunites to nab some good players. Great city. Fantastic facilities. Good management. Rabid fans. Decent cap room. Buuuuuuut nope. Not a one signed here. Instead, they all wanted to go to powerhouses, like Buffalo, Arizona, Carolina, Seattle, and San Diego. One thing I will say about last year, though, is that I have to give the Texans credit for taking QUALITY players in the expansion draft, rather than just taking everybody they could to fill out a team. Kudos.
Just curious Vescey, how many A-list fas do you think are out there this year? And out of those, how many do you think would have seriously thought about coming to Houston w/o being grossly overpaid?
VesceySux PLEASE STOP! This is like watching a rocket scientist try to explain quantum physics to spoiled rotten 11 year old with a superiority complex.
I consider Colvin, Boston, Davis, Spikes, and Hugh Douglas to be A-list players. (Boston is from Houston, and Colvin & Davis came to visit.) Out of those guys, Davis seemed to be the only semi-cheap possibility. (Do you expect to get A-list talent for peanuts??) Now, who would sign here, you ask? Why not any or all of them? Like I stated before, if FAs are going to Cincinnati and Carolina, why not Houston? Hey, according to Casserly's plan, we're gonna compete and win the Super Bowl in 2005 (3 season away). In theory, the guys who sign a deal with us will still be around during that run. Can't they be a part of this famous foundation, too? If you think I'm acting like a brat, then I have a big, ole for you. Do I expect top-notch free agents to sign here? Err, not really. At least not this year. Did I expect Stephen Davis (the lone interested star) to sign here? Yes! Did I expect Keith Newman to sign here? Yes! Did I expect Posey to re-up? Yes. Was it possible to get Colvin? Yes. Could we have made a pitch to Boston? Probably. (Although, whether he's worth signing is another issue.) Did I think there was a chance we'd get Cory Hall? Sure. Yet, none of them signed. It's not the Colvins and the Bostons of the free agent market I'm worried about (although they would be nice). When second and third tier players spurn us, too, I get pissed and slightly worried. So... if we're not going to be players in this FA market (and it suuuure looks that way), we better damn well draft well, and if we can't even do that (with a combination of good scouting and ample luck), then we're screwed, plain and simple. If Casserly wants to put all his eggs in one basket, fine. Apparently, the next 2 years are just practice and training, anyway... (Okay, now you have officially made me bitter. Kudos on a job well done. )
so you'd rather them overpay second and third tier players....? that's your plan?! that's somehow going to make this a better team, overpaying b and c-listers? if you think that's the path to football nirvana, why don't you go root for the redskins? they've overpaid average-to-mediocre players in spades this offseason. vescey, you have your head so filled with stars, man, you're having trouble thinking clearly. the texans have been active -- they signed wiegert, they traded for randall, they tendered a half dozen guys, and they resigned foreman and brown, two starters from last year. and the free agent period is far from over and there's still june 1 cuts as well as training camp cuts. they're also going to add two of the top 40 college players in the country to a foundation that already includes.: a franchise QB (carr) a dependable OL (mckinney) a burgeoning #2 WR (gaffney) a possible franchise LT (boselli) an extremely promising, and now versatile, OL (pitts) a pass-catching TE (miller) two stud DL (walker and payne) a stud LB (sharper) a solid LB (wong) two starting CBs, one a pro bowler (glenn and coleman) two reliable kickers (brown and stanley) of that group, boselli, walker, glenn and coleman are the only ones who might not figure into their 2005 plans, in other words, relax, man, they're well ahead of schedule. browns fans would've killed for this kind of start to their franchise.... i mean, look at it this way, bill parcells, the genius builder, brought in to ressurect the cowboys, who, i think we can agree, are not too far removed from the texans... and they've signed how many FAs this year? anderson, young, they resigned flozell and traded for terry glenn. it's not a great crop, despite what ESPN says, and looks like parcells thinks the same way casserly does -- throwingyour money at this crop to satisfy whiney fans is a terrible way to build a franchise.
Heavens, no. I'm not looking to overpay anyone, especially scrubs. Dre' Bly, an average-at-best player, signed a ridiculous deal. I'd totally blast the Texans if they did something that inane. But I will begrudgingly acknowledge that when you really want a player (and it seems the Texans had several in their sights), you're going to have to overbid for their services. That's just the name of the game. Name one player that got a reasonable contract so far this offseason. Chances are, everyone signed in the past 2 weeks has been overpaid. Even our friend, Zach Wiegert. I'd much rather overpay a star than a scrub. With our available cap room, I see no reason why we can't frontload a contract for this year and avoid high albatross-like salaries later on. Heck, why bother restructuring Boselli's contract if we're not gonna play with the big boys in free agency? Now, I'm not saying we should spend for the sake of spending (or go gung-ho like the freaking Redskins), but we do have plenty of holes, right? We need starters. Yes, they're off to a good start. However, I have trouble depending almost solely on a draft where anything can happen, good or bad. Sure, we'll get a top player, but you take the chance that 1) you won't get the player you want, 2) you won't fill the correct positions of need (to predict you: yes, we have holes everywhere, but Terrell "Plan B" Suggs may not be there for us), and 3) that player will be a huge bust. If we pick up a Mike Mamula-type guy, will that set us back in the building process? What then? At least with free agency, you more or less know what you're getting with a player (assuming, you have an adequate scouting team). I say hedge your bets. You need a decent mix of FAs and home-grown talent. But we're not playing for anything important now, are we? This is all just practice. "Sorry, fans. No need to compete now in this mediocre league, where every team has a shot to win. Come back in 2 years when we're good and ready. We'll surely be the best then." Well, I say, "Darn it, I want to win NOW -- or at least compete." Living here in the land of "Rebuilding Be Damned" (also known as New York City) surely must have rubbed off on me. However, I know I'm not alone. There are other Texans fans who feel the same way, and they don't live in NY. Am I impatient? Actually, no I'm not. I just think it is possible to compete and build for the future at the same time. So, does thinking so make me crazy? Maybe, maybe no. I'm not telling. Maybe I should change my moniker to Veruca Salt...
the texans fielded a competitive team last year, vescey; their 4 wins was the second most ever by an expansion team, and they went into the 4th quarter of 9 other games with a legitimate chance of winning. is that the sign a team that's telling its fans to wait until 2005? no, it most certainly isn't. they're building a team that will not only win in 3 years, but be able to keep its core intact, and add to it what they need to by staying out of cap trouble. you do that by not foolishly throwing money around to satisfy impatient fans like you. every year, there's a stephen davis, or a david boston, or a rosevelt colvin available -- this wasn't a once-in-a-lifetime free agent class. when they're ready to start adding pieces, they will. until then, they lack starters and depth at virtually every position and don't have a lot of cap. again you can't build the house until you lay the slab of concrete.
You think Drayton McLane has come by this thread and said to himself, "Thank God for the Texans for keeping fans off my case"?
Just to throw my opinion out there, I would have liked to get Davis. But, at the same time, it feels good to know that we have that money for later use. There is no rush. If I wanted to make the playoffs next year, I would be pissed. But, I really dont care how they do as long as they show up on the field on Sundays. Football is back in Houston and thats more than I can ask for. And for all of you that think the free agency period is over, you may be a more than surprised when the June 1st cuts arrive. This offseason is still fresh.
i was thinking the same thing... btw, whoever had 51 weeks in the "How Long Will the Texans' Honeymoon in Houston Last" office pool, please come forward and accept your prize. what a shame...
