Top 5 Worst Decisions By Texans Brass
Jun 20, 2008 2002 Draft, 2004 Draft, Anger, Awfulness, Bad Idea Jeans, Sandy Vag, Top 5, Travis Johnson is a piece of shit, Tremendous Busts
As we continue channeling my inner Rob Gordon, we turn to another not-so-pleasant list of memories: the top 5 all-time front office fuck-ups. I promise to move on to something positive at some point, but that ain’t today, bitches.
(H/T to Dave for the topic idea.)
5. Signing Todd Wade. In 2004, we gave this turd a 6-year, $30MM contract with $10MM signing bonus. Over the next two seasons, he received just over $12MM in salary and bonuses. In that same timeframe, he contributed roughly $48 worth of actual quality gameplay.
4. Refusing to employ a 3-4 NT in a 3-4 Defense. You know, I liked Seth Payne. You probably liked Seth Payne. Seth Payne was a seemingly nice dude and he worked his ass off. In a 4-3, defense, that kind of attitude and work ethic might have paid big dividends. In a 3-4, when you are only 303 lbs, that kind of effort is necessary to stay afloat. Sam Adams, Casey Hampton, Jamal Williams–these are 3-4 NTs. Seth Payne was not, yet we never ever got one, despite running that D for 4+ years. I hate you Dom Capers.
3. Trading back to take Travis Johnson over Derrick Johnson. Man…just…I mean…FUCK. Derrick Johnson was the dude I wanted most in that draft, he was sitting RIGHT THERE, and we decide to say, “nah, fuck it, let’s take this other Johnson.” Great. And then that Other Johnson turns out to be a retard dickhead who hasn’t lived up to his potential at all. AWESOME. HAPPY DAYS. I’M MOVING ON BEFORE SOMEONE DIES.
2. The David Carr Experience. I had about three different, Carr-specific decisions for this list, but I figured I’d just lump them together and give him the penultimate place on this list. Let’s see–passing over Julius Peppers–who was an obvious monster–to take a Fresno State pretty boy with a meddling daddy? Letting him “play” for five seasons, despite a mountain of evidence piling up that he was either too shell-shocked or too shitty to play the position? Watching him seem oblivious to his own shittiness and grin like a retard even after losses? Keeping him around for an additional $8MM roster bonus as some sort of reclamation project for Kubiak? Wow, Dave. Thanks for the memories. May you burn in hell.
1. Trading for Phillip Buchanon. On the surface, for a moment or three, this seemed like a decent move by the Texans. I mean, the pricetag was high (a 2d and a 3d), but Buchanon had shown the ability to be a top-flight corner, and now we had him. Of course, any love and admiration for P.Buch evaporated like a wet fart in August once he took the field and displayed a complete inability to tackle anyone. At all. Ever. I still have nightmares of his attempted “tackle” against Pittsburgh.
Also receiving votes: The continued employment of Petey Faggins, the cost of Jason Babin, throwing multiyear money at Ahman Green, and 94% of the other decisions made by Casserly/Capers
A dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
Mar 11, 2008 2004 Draft, 2006 Draft, 2007 Draft, 2008 Combine, 2008 Draft, 2008 Season, Amobi Okoye is 20, Corky Johnson, DeMeco Ryans, Demarcus Faggins sucks, Huh?, Jason Babin, Morlon Greenwood, Posts that list too many players, Pulp Fiction, Rendhel and Sid, Teams that aren't the Texans
It is not much of an exaggeration to say that I have seen Pulp Fiction at least 500 times. My freshman-year roommate had a copy (VHS, baby!) stolen from Blockbuster, which we watched almost daily for that entire year, and I’ve continued to watch it more frequently than any other movie over the past decade. I am reasonably sure this says something about me, but I’m not sure what it is.1
Anyway…I mention this as background because, by this point, you’d think nothing could surprise me in that film. You’d be wrong.
So, here’s the deal. When the guy who looks somewhat like Jerry Seinfeld comes out of the bathroom and shoots at Vince and Jules, why in the hell did he have that gun in the bathroom with him in the first place?
Hear me out–clearly, Brett and “Flock of Seagulls” were not expecting Marsellus’ guys to show up at that instant, as they were enjoying Big Kahuna Burgers2 and just otherwise chilling. Seagulls was lying on the couch and, one assumes, did not have a gun within easy reach. Brett, likewise, was seemingly unarmed. The look of terror on both of their faces suggests that, had they been expecting a visit from Jules and Vince, they would certainly have been armed and ready to shoot for their lives. I mean, Brett seems to know from the moment Marvin opens the door that he is probably going to die. If you had ripped off a crime kingpin and were expecting hitmen to show up and kill you, would you be more likely to sit and eat burgers or arm yourself and prepare to shoot back?
Besides, on top of the surprise factor, you have the size of the gun. It was, as Vincent pointed out, “a goddamned hand cannon.” Such a gun is not the type that someone would have cavalierly tucked in his waistband, nor was he wearing a holster. So basically, logic dictates that he either picked up the gun and carried into the bathroom or the gun was already in the bathroom. Neither of these situations really makes sense to me. On the one hand, if Brett and Seagulls were not expecting Vince and Jules to arrive, there’s no reason to think Guy in Bathroom would have suspected it enough to carry a large handgun into the crapper. Likewise, I can see no reason why that gun would already be in the bathroom considering the people out in the living room did not have guns within easy reach.
By now, you are probably thinking “what the hell does this have to do with football?” Simple: I had been blindly accepting the situation as it was presented to me, when I should have been considering the context. Because, once you consider the context, some things that seem to make sense really don’t.3
Which brings me (finally) to the draft.
Over the past days and weeks, many people have come to grips with the idea that the Texans are probably taking a CB with the 18th pick in the draft. On the surface, where you have an injured Dunta Robinson; a horrid Petey Faggins; a possibly-horrid Jacques Reeves; and are relying on a second-year corner and a veteran sex machine safety, it would seem logically sound to take a corner and hope to improve your atrocious secondary. It would seem that way until you really consider the context.
Right now, you can easily claim that our holes on defense are NT, DE2, CB2, SLB, and (possibly) SS. Of those holes, CB2 is the one where we have already spent the most cap space this offseason, albeit on a guy who might not be able to cover me for 4 seconds. Does it make sense to use your draft pick on a guy who play the same position as the guy you just overpaid for?
But that’s not even the biggest issue.
The fact is, a great defensive line can make a suspect secondary look average to good for multiple games in a season. A fantastic secondary can make an average D-line look good a couple times per game. Partly, this is because of the nature of the rules that allow WRs to play virtually untouched. But it is also due in no small part to the logistics of what the positions are asked to do. Your defensive line exists to get to the QB (or RB), correct? Well, they know where the QB is going to be once the ball is snapped. Defensive backs, on the other hand, are asked to cover someone with no clue as to where he is going or what path he will take to get there. This means that even the best CBs are going to get beat on a long enough timeline. SO–and I know you see where I am going with this–you can improve your secondary just as much by drastically shortening the length of time you ask them to cover as by upgrading your cornerbacks.
Hell, this year’s Super Bowl Champion New York Giants are an embodiment of this principle. Their monster defensive line was able to consistently get pressure on opposing QBs. Because of this, the Giants were able to survive with subpar linebackers (Pierce is a good player, but his main strength is in leadership and getting the D set correctly; Mitchell is a smart player and a sure tackler but is nothing special; and Torbor is notably below average, but tough) and an average defensive backfield. Corey Webster looks like he turned it around, but he still isn’t very good yet. Aaron Ross looked very good for a rookie, but Gibril Wilson is at best good (in terms of skills he’s probably comparable to a healthy Will Demps, maybe very slightly better) and James Butler more or less stinks.
Yet, despite having a back seven that was basically average, the Giants defense looked absolutely dominant at times–including against the Patriots–because they were able to get after opposing QBs on a regular basis. This is not a novel concept, really. And, given the choice, I would almost always rather go into a season with three great defensive lineman than with 2 great defensive linemen and a great DB. And, hell, with Ryans and Greenwood behind a line similar to the Giants, even Petey Faggins would seem decent at cornerback.
*Pauses to consider the implications of that last sentence. Shudders.*
WHICH (finally) brings me to my bigger point. Namely that, if we are drafting defense in the first round or third round, we should be looking for a defensive tackle or a speedy defensive end or–shockingly–both. I mean, clearly someone in Texans management thought that Reeves could play or else they wouldn’t have signed him. You want to make that signing make sense? Then put together a front four that can limit how long he has to cover. The kid has fantastic speed, but his instincts and coverage skills are not all that amazing. Ask him to cover for 2.5 seconds instead of 4.5 and his speed/quickness should be able to overcome his technique/skills. Unless, that is, someone thought it prudent to give $8MM guaranteed for a nickel corner. Which I choose to believe no one in our front office is stupid enough to do.
[Author's note: I realize that some of this--ok, fine, much of this--is a rehashing of the philosophy I've been espousing since the end of the season. I was pushing for a NT at that time and, for the most part, my position hasn't changed. I have only amended it to say that I would be nearly as happy with a solid DE and that the only CB I would be willing to change my opinion for would be the mutant Rodgers-Cromartie.]
Who, then, should we be looking at? I’m glad you asked. Two names that immediately jump out to me are Brian Johnston and Kentwan Balmer.
Last one first, let’s take a look at Balmer, since most of you have probably heard of him. A 6-5, 308 DT out of UNC, Balmer posted 59 tackles (33 solos), including 3.5 sacks, 9.5 TFL, and four quarterback pressures. Balmer was solid against the run in general, allowing 1.69 yards/carry on his 55 running stops. The one knock I would have against him is that he is about 15 lbs lighter (minimum) than I would like out of my NT, but that is countered by the fact that he is strong (33 reps) and explosive (29 in. vertical jump). Even better for our purposes, Balmer is currently projected to go in the late first/early second, meaning he should be available at 18. Speaking of that 18th pick, I think even if most teams have Balmer slotted at 25-30, we should be willing to reach a little if we find a guy we really want because of the lack of a second rounder.
The other guy I mentioned, Brian Johnston, might be unfamiliar to many of you. That’s what happens when you go to Gardner-Webb and don’t get a combine invite. Of course, after reading about his tryout in front of some NFL scouts, maybe he should have been invited.
Measuring in at 6-foot-5, 274 pounds, Johnston ran his first 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds. Johnston’s 40-yard dash time would have been the fourth best at the NFL combine for defensive ends, and the best for any lineman weighing more than 260 pounds.
Johnston’s most impressive stat from the 40-yard dash came with a very strong 1.51-second time through the first 10 yards, an important time with regards to a players quickness. By comparison, Johnston’s 10-yard split was the same as Arkansas’ running back Darren McFadden turned in at the Combine earlier this year.
The most impressive result overall, however, may have been Johnston’s time in the 20-yard shuttle. He turned in a 4.18-second time, which is better than any lineman at the NFL’s Scouting Combine. In fact, the 4.18-second time was faster than any running back at the event - with Illinois’ Rashard Mendenhall the only back to match that time.
So, yeah…I’d say he fits the definition of a speed-rushing DE. Now, I know some of you are likely saying “ACK! Workout warrior from a small school! Babin! BABIN!!!” That’s fair. But let’s not forget that Babin was a college 4-3 DE drafted to play OLB in an NFL 3-4. Going forward was never a problem for him; it was sideline to sideline and dropping into TE coverage that killed him. In Johnston’s case, you would be drafting a college 4-3 DE speed-rusher to play NFL 4-3 DE speed-rusher. And, because Mario and Okoye occupy the extra blockers, he’d be going one-on-one with o-linemen most of the time. That’s always nice when you are lightning-fast.
ANYWAY, I am just spitballing here. If the word around the campfire is to be believed, we will take someone like Aqib Talib at 18 and then a RB in the third. And I’ll deal with it, even if I don’t think it is the right approach. And, hell, maybe I get kinda lucky and we take Talib (or whomever) in the first but still snag Johnston in the third. Regardless, until Draft Day, I am just going to keep doing my best to shepherd the weak through the valley of darkness.4
1 That’s not entirely true. I think it says that I liked the movie when it was (a) popular, (b) cliched, (c) ironic, and (d) suggestive that I am getting old.
2 That IS a tasty burger!
3 On the flip-side, some things that seem utterly inexplicable–say, the selection of Mario Williams over Reggie Bush–make perfect sense once you consider the context. While some things–say, the popularity of Mambo No. 5–remain inexplicable regardless of how much you ponder them.
4 And to not shoot Marvin in the face.
You say "Echema," I say "Echemandu"
Oct 13, 2007 2004 Draft, Amobi Okoye is 20, Free Agency, Jerome Mathis got hurt reading this, Nigerian Mafia, Nnamdi Asomugha, RB free-for-all
I didn’t mention it on Wednesday, but the Texans signed Adimchinobe Echemandu–known as “Joe Echema” at Cal before he decided to go back to his real Nigerian name–to the practice squad. (There was an extra spot after we filled Jerome Mathis‘ roster hole.)
Anyway, it could be the fact that it’s late and I’ve been drinking or it could just be the paint fumes getting to me, but I am sorta jazzed about this signing. “Why,” you ask? A number reasons.
First, the simple fact that we signed him may mean that Samkon Gado is not factoring into our long-term plans. Which is good, because he sucks.
Second, though, and more importantly, is that when Echemandu is not injured, he’s fast. No, scratch that. He’s fast. He was banged up and didn’t run the 40 at the combine in 2004, but he turned in a 4.33 into the wind the summer before. Had he run that time at the combine, it would have been the fastest time in that year’s RB crop. Not shabby. And not surprising, as Joe was a sprinter before turning to football full time. He has had some injury issues since and has been very limited in playing time in the NFL, but that kind of speed is hard to come by. If you can get it at a discount like this, why not take a shot?
Third, Echemandu is a cousin of Nnamdi Asomugha. Do not underestimate how excited this makes me.
Finally, Joe is the fifth Nigerian-born player under some sort of contract with the Texans right now, joining Amobi Okoye, ND Kalu, Samkon Gado, and WR Gbolahan Devin Aromashodu. I suppose the way Amobi talked early in camp about Kalu being like a mentor/big brother to him is what makes me like this signing of Echemandu, as I buy into the idea of players overachieving when placed into highly comfortable situations. And that idea ties into us somehow luring Asomugha here in the offseason. Yes, I am slightly obsessed.
G.O.A.T.? Hardly.
Sep 30, 2007 2004 Draft, DeAngelo Hall, Demarcus Faggins sucks, Dunta Robinson, Overrated, Posts that list too many players, Teams that aren't the Texans
I wanted to get this up before the game starts so it doesn’t seem like anything other than what it is.
With the Saints on a bye this weekend, the crown of “Most Overrated Player in the NFL” fits squarely on the head of Falcons CB DeAngelo Hall. Of course, ridiculous columns like this one don’t help.
Perhaps the only other cornerback consistently mentioned as one of the top players currently at the position is Champ Bailey. Both Hall and Bailey have tremendous speed which allows them to cover a lot of ground, but they also tackle very well. While Hall may be thrilled to be mentioned on the same level as Bailey, he’s still aiming to become the outright best corner ever.
I don’t even know where to begin. How about the idea that Nnamdi Asomugha is widely considered the best or second-best corner in the league by anyone with an ounce of sense? Seriously, the ONLY people who sincerely believe that Hall is one of the best corners in the game are Hall and a handful of myopic sports writers. Thankfully, and despite the constant crowing by Hall, the stats don’t bear out the claim that he is anything special.
Consider:
Hall (165 tackles, 13 INT, 22 PD, 2 FF, 3 TD, 0.5 sack) is not even the best of the first round corners taken alongside him. Dunta Robinson (267 tackles, 11 INT, 35 PD, 5 FF, 1 TD, 4 sacks) and Chris Gamble (215 tackles, 16 INT, 22 PD, 2 FF, 2 TD, 1 sack) are both arguably as good or better than Hall, yet no one is trying to say that either of them is best in the league.
“But wait,” cry the Falcons fans, “teams AVOID throwing at D-Hall because they are afraid of him because he’s so good.”
Um…
Dunta Robinson–targeted 80 times last season.
DeAngelo Hall–targeted 87 times season.
(Chris Gamble was not among the 20 most-targeted)
So, in a season when Dunta was playing across from a host of random fill-ins and a hobbled Petey effin’ Faggins, teams threw at him less than they threw at DeAngelo. Also, the Texans were thrown at a total of 505 times last year… and teams chucked at the Falcons 515 times, so you can’t use the “teams threw at the Falcons a LOT more, so that’s why DeAngelo had more targets” defense, either.
What about the idea that he shuts down great receivers? Well, he had a good game against Smith last week (until Hall opened his mouth), so there’s that. But, what’s that saying? Even a blind fat chick finds a pie every now and then. How did he fare against big name receivers in 2006?
Marques Colston–7 catches for 97 yards. Hall had one tackle. Advantage: Colston
Larry Fitzgerald–4 for 71. Hall had INT TD. Advantage: Hall
Hines Ward–8 for 171, 3 TD. Hall had 3 tackles. Advantage: Ward
Chad Johnson–6 for 78, TD. Hall had 2 solo and 3 assisted tackles. Advantage: Johnson
Roy Williams–6 for 138, TD. Hall had 3 tackles. Advantage: Williams
Santana Moss–7 for 123, TD. Hall had 2 tackles. Advantage: Moss
Terrell Owens–5 for 69, 2 TD. Hall had 8 tackles. Advantage: Owens
Wow. Amazing.
*cough*
He did manage to hold his own against Braylon Edwards (3 for 31, TD) last year, so he’s got that going for him. Then again, Braylon still found the endzone, so maybe that wasn’t a total win. And the immortal Hank Baskett lit him up for 7 catches, 177 yards, and a TD. Not surprisingly, 2005 wasn’t much better for Hall, either, as he got lit up by Terrell Owens, Steve Smith twice, Darrell Jackson, Donald Driver, and Laveranues Coles. Plus, let’s not forget the “I own 85″ shaved into DeAngelo’s head before the preseason game against the Bengals, wherein Chad made Hall into a SportsCenter punchline.
Someone help me out here. WHY is Hall ever talked about in the same sentence as “best corner” unless the words “unequivocally not” are also involved? Because, to my mind, about the ONLY way you can make an argument for Hall being one of the best is if you use a bunch of quotes from DeAngelo Hall.
Am I the best complete corner in the game? Yeah. I don’t get beat for touchdowns which always gives us a chance to win. I make tackles when I have to. So I definitely think I’m the most complete corner in the game.
Please–and I think I speak for everyone, here, including Falcons fans–shut up.
Julius Peppers and Clinton Portis might have helped
Jul 7, 2007 2002 Draft, 2003 Draft, 2004 Draft, 2005 Draft, 2006 Draft, Athletes who don't stab people, Batman, Demarcus Faggins sucks, Dunta Robinson, Offensive (punch)Line, Posts that list too many players, Secondary issues are primary
This weekend’s apparent themerology is piggy-backing on posts at BRB. Because I am lazy, mainly, and because–let’s face it–it’s not like there’s a lot out there to comment upon.
Anyway… Tim links to the Texans’ draft history and then points out that only these players are still on the roster:
Pitts (2002)
Weary (2002)
Faggins (2002)
Dre (sole remaining 2003 draftee)
Dunta (2004)
Babin (2004)
Earl (2004)
C. Anderson (2004)
Tr. Johnson (2005)
Mathis (2005)
Hodgdon (2005)
C.C. Brown (2005)
Eww.
But, continuing that post one step further, who could we have had? By which I mean, who were the three picks taken immediately after our picks in each round? (I use the next three somewhat arbitrarily, but under the assumption that all of the teams would have had those fours players ranked somewhat similarly. I realize how faulty this assumption is when taken to Babin-esque extremes, but I had to draw the line somewhere. Occasionally, I will note when a very good player was taken more than three picks after ours. Also, by and large, this ignores any trades up or down.)
In 2002:
Round 1. We took David Carr. The next three were Julius Peppers, Joey Harrington, or Mike Williams (T, Texas). Ouch. Seriously… ouch. Best possible pick: Peppers.
Round 2, Pick 1. We took Jabar Gaffney. We could have had DeShaun Foster, Kalimba Edwards, or Josh Reed. Best possible pick: Foster or Reed.
Round 2, Pick 2. We took Chester Pitts. We could have had Clinton Portis, Anthony Weaver (oh… wait), or Langston Walker. Best possible pick: Portis.
Round 3, Pick 1. We took Fred Weary. We could have had Matt Schobel, Andre Goodman, or Saleem Rasheed. Best possible pick: Weary.
Round 3, Pick 2. We took Charles Hill. We could have had Lamar Gordon, Kris Richard, or Marquise Walker. Best possible pick: Walker?
Round 4. We took Jonathon Wells. We could have had Dante Wesley, Kevin Bentley, or Jeff Chandler. Best possible pick: Wells, strangely.
Round 5, Pick 1. We took Jarrod Baxter. We could have had Randy Fasani, John Owens, or Justin Bannan. Best possible pick: Owens, I guess.
Round 5, Pick 2. We took Ramon Walker. We could have had Jonathan Goodwin, Terry Jones, or Aaron Kampman. Best possible pick: Kampman.
Round 6, Pick 1. We took DeMarcus Faggins. We could have had Keith Heinrich, Chris Cash, or Kevin Thomas. Best possible pick: Insanely, Faggins.
Round 6, Pick 2. We took Howard Green. We could have had Jeb Putzier (oh… wait), Reggie Coleman, or John Stamper. Best possible pick: Putzier.
In 2003:
Round 1. We took Andre Johnson. We could have had Dewayne Robertson, Terence Newman, or Johnathan Sullivan. Best possible pick: Johnson.
Round 2. We took Bennie Joppru. We could have had Ken Hamlin, Pisa Tinoisamo, or Taylor Jacobs. Best possible pick: Hamlin.
Round 3, Pick 1. We took Antwan Peek. We could have had Lance Briggs, Jason Witten, or Gerald Hayes. Best possible pick: Briggs or Witten, depending on what you needed.
Round 3, Pick 2. We took Seth Wand. We could have had Mike Seidman, Musa Smith, or Wade Smith. Best possible pick: N/A.
Round 3, Pick 3. We took Dave Ragone. We could have had Andrew Williams, Donald Strickland, or Visanthe Shiancoe. Best possible pick: Shiancoe.
Round 4. Domanick Williams (nee Davis). We could have had Montrae Holland, Bradie James, or George Wrighster. Best possible pick. Williams. (Assante Samuel was taken 19 picks after ours.)
Round 6, Pick 1. We took Drew Henson. We could have had Marques Ogden, Aaron Hunt, or Antonio Garay. Best possible pick: N/A.
Round 6, Pick 2. We took Keith Wright. We could have had Scott Kooistra or Ben Johnson. Best possible pick: N/A.
Round 7, Pick 1. We took Curry Burns. We could have had Malaefou MacKenzie, Justin Bates, or Blue Adams. Best possible pick: N/A.
Round 7, Pick 2. We took Chance Pearce. We could have had Spencer Need, Ahmaad Galloway, or Brandom Drumm. Best possible pick: N/A.
In 2004:
Round 1, Pick 1. We took Dunta Robinson. We could have had Ben Roethlisberger, Jonathan Vilma, or Lee Evans. Best possible pick: Vilma, though Evans could change that with another good season or three. (Tommie Harris was taken right after Evans.)
Round 1, Pick 2. We took Jason Babin. We could have had Chris Gamble, Michael Jenkins, or Kevin Jones. Best possible pick: Gamble.
Round 4. We took Glenn Earl. We could have had Stacy Andrews, Michael Waddell, or Jason David. Best possible pick: David, though Earl is close.
Round 6, Pick 1. We took Vontez Duff. We could have had Triandos Luke, Kelly Butler, or Von Hutchins (oh… wait). Best possible pick: Ironically, Hutchins.
Round 6, Pick 2. We took Jammal Lord. We could have had Kirk Chambers, Bo Lacy, or Marko Cavka. Best possible pick: N/A.
Round 6, Pick 3. We took Charlie Anderson. We could have had Jeff Smoker, John Navarre, or Drew Strojny. Best possible pick: Anderson, I guess, though I will always claim Navarre should have gotten a chance in Arizona.
Round 7, Pick 1. We took Raheem Orr. We could have had Eric Taylor, Darrell McClover, or Jonathan Smith. Best possible pick: N/A.
Round 7, Pick 2. We took Sloan Thomas. We could have had same as above.
Round 7, Pick 3. We took B.J. Symons. We could have had Bobby McCray, Bradlee Van Pelt (oh… wait), or Scott Wells. Best possible pick: Van Pelt.
In 2005:
Round 1. We traded down three spots and took Travis Johnson. Had we not traded, we could have taken Derrick Johnson. Even with the trade, we could have had David Pollack, Erasmus James, or Alex Barron. Best possible pick: D. Johnson.
Round 3. We took Vernand Morency. We could have had Justin Tuck, Eric Green, or Karl Paymah. Best possible pick: Morency. (Drafting with what was originally our pick, the Raiders took Kirk Morrison five spots after Morency.)
Round 4. We took Jerome Mathis. We could have had Marviel Underwood, Craphonso Thorpe, or Chase Lyman. Best possible pick: Mathis.
Round 5. We took Drew Hodgdon. We could have had Adrian McPherson, Adam Kieft, or Robert McCune. Best possible pick: N/A.
Round 6. We took C.C. Brown. We could have had Jovan Haye, Tab Perry, or C.J. Mosley. Best possible pick: Brown.
Round 7. We took Kenneth Pettway. We could have had Shaun Nua, James Kilian, or Matt Cassel. Best possible pick: N/A.
We’ll assume it’s too early to tell “best” picks in 2006, but here are the results.
Round 1. We took Mario Williams. We could have had Reggie Bush, Vince Young, or D’Brickashaw Ferguson.
Round 2. We took DeMeco Ryans. We could have had D’Qwell Jackson, Rocky McIntosh, or Chad Jackson.
Round 3, Pick 1. We took Charles Spencer. We could have had Abdul Hodge, Claude Wroten, or Paul McQuistan.
Round 3, Pick 2. We took Eric Winston. We could have had same as above.
Round 4. We took Owen Daniels. We could have had Max Jean-Gilles, Michael Robinson, or Darnell Bing.
Round 6. We took Wali Lundy. We could have had Mike Hass, Jonathan Orr, or Reed Doughty.
Round 7. We took David Anderson. We could have had Marques Colston (oops), Dave Tollefson, or Vickiel Vaughn.
So, what’s the verdict? I think the most striking thing is that, other than the Andre Johnson pick, our misses are much more noteworthy than our hits. I mean, Travis Johnson over Derrick Johnson? Carr over Peppers? Chester Pitts over Clinton Portis? Those are all the types of moves than set your team back seasons. On top of which, most of our successes are with guys like Brown and Earl (both of whom we have talked about needing to replace).
The two other things that jumped out were, first, the number of players we could have drafted who are now on our roster and, second, the number of players we drafted who were never heard from again. I’m sure the latter happens to some extent with every team, but I don’t know that most people notice the number of Kenneth Pettways and Sloan Thomases every team discards.
