Kickoff
Jun 12, 2008 Anna-Megan is retarded, Bloggerating, Bob McNair, DeMeco Ryans, Football 101, Kickoff, Winstonsaurus
Your balls are shaped funny. As the U.S. Open kicks off today, you might notice one duffer, Bobby Collins, with a Texans logo on his hat and bag. That’s the kind of thing you do when Bob McNair agrees to sponsor you in the Gateway tour, brining you back from the verge of early retirement. Hey, maybe he’d like to sponsor a couple ne’er-do-well bloggers…
Winstonsaurus smash puny baseball! Grr! Texans players hit the field at the Juice Box yesterday for the 6th annual charity homerun derby thingy. Contestants included DeMeco Ryans, Mario Williams, and Captain Tradebait, among others, but the big bat of the night belonged to Eric Winston. Three of Winston’s four homers even reached the upper deck, an area that Darin Erstad and Michael Bourn have only heard legend of.
Slut. It seems that Shake’s interest in the Texans extends beyond smart-assed comments and witty observations. Shake: From the defensive side of the ball, what specific improvements do you see in the O-line this offseason? DeMeco: Hey, ain’t you that dude who comments on those dumbass blogs? (One of those quotes might not be accurate.)
80=80. Chris has been doing a great job of breaking down some of the logistical concerns behind guessing who will make the 80-man roster. One thing that makes it so tough this year is that the 80-man roster really does mean 80 human beings. In years past, teams were allowed the use of up to 6 additional players through NFL Europa roster exemptions. Now, of course, Europa is dead, but the league has not increased the 80-man limit.
Bob McNair breaks it down, gangsta-style*
Mar 23, 2008 Barbaro is dead, Bob McNair, Casserly blows goats... I have proof, Charles Spencer, Old dudes, Tony Boselli is dead
*Or, um, “rich old man”-style. Whatever.
Texans owner Bob McNair did a two part interview with Texans TV early last week. It was, as you would expect, fairly general stuff–yes, we’ve turned a corner as a team; yes, it was hard to watch all the injuries last year; yes, it was important to re-sign the Special Teams Ninja; etc.
There was, however, one answer that stuck out.
Brooke Bentley: This year’s draft will be a little different for you because the Texans don’t have a top-10 pick. They will be selecting a player with the 18th selection. What excites you about this year’s draft and which direction do you see the team going with the first-round draft pick?
Bob McNair: Fortunately, there is depth in several positions and depth in several positions where we could use some more help. We’ve had problems with left tackle in the offensive line from day one, as you will recall. We thought we solved that when we picked Tony Boselli. Then, we drafted another young player behind Tony and he didn’t work out and Tony never played one down for us because of his injuries. And the last year with (Charles) Spencer, we thought, “Now, we’ve got the guy in there,” and then I think it was in the second game (of 2006) that he got injured and then he was down. So we have had a real difficult time filling that position. Ephraim (Salaam) did a good job for us last year and he’s going to be back with us, but we need a young player in there that’s going to be with us for a long time.
Hopefully, we’ll find that. If we don’t, there’s some good defensive backs and one of those should be available at the 18th pick. And who knows? Maybe there’s an outstanding running back. If there is somebody special, we would certainly consider that. But I think that Rick and his people have done a good enough job in free agency that we are not really vulnerable or desperate at any one position, so we can pick the best athlete that is available when our turn comes. And if we have the opportunity to trade down and still get the player we want and get an additional pick later, then certainly we always like to do that.
Hmm…I like the reference to possibly trading back. I dislike the idea of taking any DB at 18 whose name doesn’t rhyme with Smodgers-Thromartie. And I am genuinely concerned by the total lack of mention of DE or DT. (Though I suppose it’s possible that Bob is just playing some Texas Hold’Em and not tipping his hand here. Maybe he is just reciting what some of the “experts” are saying while fully planning on going a different direction. Or maybe I am overthinking this.)
This satisfies my obligation to talk about Super Bowl-related stuff
Jan 31, 2008 Awesomeness, Bob McNair, Fuck the Cowboys, Had to post something, Is Roger Goodell gonna have to choke a bitch?, Super Bowl 2011, Super Bowl 2012, The Future
Ever since it was awarded to them, I have thought how incredibly funny and awesome it would be to win our first Super Bowl in 2011 at the Cowboy’s new stadium in Arlington. I mean, seriously, the thought of Cowboys country having to deal with the throng of Texans fans all week long and then having to watch our team celebrate on their new field? Wow…I got a little movement just thinking about it.
That said, if for whatever reason we don’t win the Super Bowl that year, winning it the very next would be almost as sweet if Houston is hosting it. Bob McNair must be thinking the same thing.
“When I received the bid specifications from the NFL, I circulated them to leaders in the community to get their response,” said Robert C. McNair, chairman and CEO of the Houston Texans. “Their response was an overwhelming and totally-committed ‘YES, we want to bring the 2012 Super Bowl to Houston!’ With that, I said I would totally support our community’s efforts. Also, fuck the Cowboys.”
I like where his head is at. That’s a straight-shooter with upper management written all over him.
The article also lists Houston’s qualifications to host another Super Bowl, calling the last one a “huge success” before noting that,
in addition to Reliant Park, Houston will offer the George R. Brown Convention Center – another Houston convention center with nearly one million square feet of exhibit space, plus dozens of other city-owned and privately-owned facilities for the NFL’s use.
With two international airports, thousands of hotel rooms, Tim’s mom’s basement, world-renowned restaurants and retail experiences, and some of the finest sports and convention facilities in the world, there are no NFL requirements that Houston cannot meet or exceed.
Indeed.
