DGDB&D: a Texans blog. » Kickoff
Kickoff
by MattHoustonProFootball is back. Well, sorta. If you are like me, in addition to running blog that will eventually bring shame to the next three generations of your family, you used to rely upon HoustonProFootball.com’s estimated salary cap figures. When they closed-up shop, as it were, I assumed that we were just hosed when it came to having all those numbers in one place again. But fear not! Keith is back with …In The Bullseye.com, and it features the cap numbers as well quality posts about our favorite football team.
“…Mr Smith, Blair Thomas Lite is on line 2…”. There’s a rumor floating around the internets — OK, it’s floating over from TT.com, with little in the way of attribution, so take it with however much salt you fancy — that Cedric Benson might sign with the Texans. I really, REALLY hope this is all a hoax. First, I have a slightly-irrational hatred of Benson that I will not apologize for. Second, though, and more importantly, Benson sucks. Like, really sucks. I know the idea of “well, he played with some turds in Chicago,” but that’s the same type of thing Carolina fans were telling themselves when they signed Zoolander Q. Hairdo and we saw how that panned out. Third, Benson is not a character guy in the least and has a reputation as a lockerroom tumor. So…yeah…just say “No,” Rick.
Leaders are not born, nor are they made; they are appointed by the internet. Typical offseason fluff article from New Era Scouting about some “no name” guys who are important to their respective teams. Chris Myers makes an appearance. Now, I certainly have no beef with the idea that he was acquired for great value OR that he is a very good center, despite measuring poorly. I do hesitate, however, at the idea that his leadership of the O-line cannot be overstated. Could we let him, you know, PLAY a game before we crown him King Shit of Fuck Mountain?
So…you’re saying there’s a chance?! If you are not a season-ticket holder and you have any dreams of going to the Monday Night game (or the December Titans game), you have to enter a lottery at HT.com. Note, they are only drawing for the “chance to buy tickets if any are available,” so I wouldn’t hold your breath.
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July 1st, 2008 at 8:15 am
Talent aside, Benson would be a terrible fit for this offense.
Talent included, Jesus Christ no.
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July 1st, 2008 at 8:24 am
I can’t see the Benson thing. With Green and Brown already splitting the starters carries and Slaton taking the third down stuff, there’s no room for him. My guess is that Dickie J is starting these rumors.
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July 1st, 2008 at 8:43 am
If true, this would be a, uhm, surprising move to say the least.
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I vote no.
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July 1st, 2008 at 9:06 am
Also, there’s a wee positive mention of our very own Stevie Slaton in Michale Lombardi’s column at CNNSi.com today. Worth a read, I suppose. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/michael_lombardi/06/30/frankly.football/1.html
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July 1st, 2008 at 9:46 am
Not even die-hard obscenely-biased UT alums like Cedric Benson…
if that doesn’t say something about whether he’s a good fit or not - I don’t know what would!
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July 1st, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I hate to say this, as I don’t want to whip folks into a frenzy, but uh…I did my write up of the Benson rumor not just based on the guy showing up at the MB saying we may be getting Benson. I’ve heard similar things from multiple sources I trust earlier than that post. I didn’t write about them because people weren’t publicly speculating on it…yet.
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/06/30/cedric-benson-to-houston-texans-rumors/
I’m fairly indifferent. Obviously, any contract structured with him would have to be very low risk and low dollar. He’d have to do and say all the right stuff. And he would end up being just another guy in the mix at camp. Whoever shows the best stuff in camp and doesn’t get hurt wins. Just a guy, maybe who has some stuff left.
Players who play for suck schemes are hard to evaluate. So says David Carr and Steve Young. All sorts of offensive players would like to talk about how their careers were derailed because they played with an awful QB and/or awful scheme.
Lots of connections between the Texans staff and the UT staff.
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July 1st, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Mr. Show references are a sure-fire way to brighten my day, if that´s what you´re going for.
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July 1st, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Um, I’m a die-hard obscenely-biased UT alum and I like Cedric Benson. I just don’t know if he’s a fit for this offense. Is he even a one-cutter? But if it’s a low risk, high reward contract, why not throw him into the mix at training camp? I like the way Smithiak has handled personnel problems so far (namely, lets throw people at the position until one of them sticks), so why not do it again? Some of you (I’m looking at you Matt) might shout out “locker room tumor,” that’s why the fuck not. But with guys like Demeco, Williams, Gibbs, and everyone else on our team, I doubt that Benson’d have much of an impact in the locker room.
Speaking of season tickets, now that I’ve moved back to the city with the greatest sports franchises on earth (that’s Houston for any of you cowgirls out there who often confuse the dipshittitude of Dallas with greatness), I want to get a pair of season tickets. Should I add myself to the waitlist or just buy the seating licenses independently?
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July 1st, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Steph, do you always wait until people publicly speculate on rumors before posting or is that just a request from these particular sources?
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:04 pm
HtownJuggernaut-
Answering @8 - Get thee to TexansTalk.com in the tickets section now now now. Put a posting up to buy PSL or tickets. I’ve got very very sweet PSLs and tickets for myself and friends that way. At cost or just above. I’ve found it is the best way.
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The tickets will be coming out soonishly, and there will people looking to get some cash. It is slightly harder to do the PSL transaction than just giving money to someone for tickets, but it’s doable.
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Answering @9 - Usually I don’t post rumors I know. I’ll talk to a few trusted friends about them. Sometimes it is because it isn’t really the public’s business–I don’t want to get someone in trouble because of a blog post. Especially if a player or someone else employed by the Texans has been cool to give me access to something–I don’t want to repay the favor by saying stuff that is going to dump them in the grease or possibly identify them.
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And it’s always a bit of a debate for me on what I write about because I don’t want to be the chaos theory butterfly flapping its wings that screws up something for the Texans. Or, being someone that always drops some BS like “my sources with the Texans say” because I know I would rather see something linked to something real and less anon if I were reading a blog post. But at the same time, I do realize I have more Texans contacts than many fans, so some times I fess up stuff.
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Usually, I take the point of view that if the Texans wanted to reveal something they’d blab it on their website, and if they are staying quiet, then there is reasons for that too. If its getting out public anyways and something people are talking about, well then, it is an easier call.
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Thanks for the heads up on the MNF entry, I’ve signed up, let’s see if I get the same luck that I got with Astros/Red Sox tickets
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July 1st, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Steph, thanks for the great advice on posting to Texans talk. I’m doing that immediately. And what you say makes sense. after all, given that teams use the media in their favor to send smoke signals, why can’t it backfire and tip their hand too early? What’s more, what do you do as a blogging fan when you know something juicy but still secret? Do you try to serve your audience even if it risks hurting the progress of the team you love? I mean, the nfl is insanely cutthroat where team’s front offices can be desperate to scrabble any advantage to help their team, satisfy a wickedly demanding ‘what have you done for me lately audience’ and, most importantly, trying to keep a job with legions of people eager to take your job? You wouldn’t have staff dedicated to farming the internet and eke out any tiny bit of information? Would you feed them that bit of information?
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July 2nd, 2008 at 9:00 am
@12 Ultimately, my view is that if I think if something I am going to write will hurt the team, I don’t do it. The regular media has done that sort of thing for years, but are more oblique about it. Generally, speaking I figure most stuff that I would be writing about doesn’t matter in the big scheme of things at all, but once in a while I give it some thought about whether I will write something.