DGDB&D: a Texans blog.

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.

Looking good, Billy Ray! Feeling good, Louis!

Sep 2, 2007 Boulware, Charles Spencer, Jason Babin, Michigan Wolverines, Preseason 2007, Secondary issues are primary

I was out-of-pocket yesterday, spending most of that time playing football with (much) younger cousins and drinking beer. Thanks to the wonders of cellular technology, however, I received two pieces of interesting news mere minutes after the events occurred in real life.

The first, obviously, was that Michigan lost to something called Appalachian State. Ah, yes… the beautiful state of Appalachia. Where men are men and sheep are nervous.¹ Seriously, though, I am not one of those people who is trying to excuse the loss with the whole “well, they won the Division 12 Super Bowl two years in a row.” Fuck. That. Shit. You schedule a HOME GAME with a DIVISION I-AA TEAM, you sure as shit BETTER WIN. End of story. My college football season was ruined on September 1 and I blame Lloyd Carr. I hate you, Lloyd Carr.² OK, that’s enough Michigan talk. I realize this whole paragraph only applies to me. Moving on…

The other piece of news was the Babin-for-Boulware trade. Now, I am part of a very small group of people who liked Babin as a draft pick, even at that price. I might be the only non-EMU grad who was talking Babin up as a starter even before camp started this year. In short, I had a weird mancrush-like obsession with J-Babs. That said, I LOVE this trade.

Yes, I know that there are concerns that Boulware is a run-stopping safety and not that great in pass defense. So what? That’s pretty much all Glenn Earl did, and I’m 99.27% sure that Boulware will be better than Earl. And no offense to Jason Simmons, who by all accounts is the nicest human being on the planet, but I even more sure that Boulware will be an upgrade over him. Hell, I like having a strong safety that is great against the run. I just wish we had a free safety who was that good against the pass. That will come in time, I suppose. For now, though, we traded a backup DE for an upgrade at SS. That’s a deal I’d make 10 times out of 10.

Besides, the deal looks even better when you stop to consider the odds against us snagging a Boulware-level strong safety in next year’s draft. More importantly, if Boulware works out like I think he will, we won’t have to look for a strong safety next season. We can focus our attentions elsewhere–say FS or (if Barbaro doesn’t come back healthy) OT.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to continue numbing yesterday’s pain with dark beer.

¹ How the hell was that quote not on the IMDB page? Someone is slipping.
² I’ve mentioned this to a couple of you, but isn’t it bizarre that two of my least favorite people in the whole world have the last name “Carr,” yet they are not related? What are the odds of that?

What do you call a crime ring in Dallas?

Aug 24, 2007 Chad Stanley, Dunta Robinson, Jacoby Jones is unheralded, Jason Babin, Matt Turk rules, Offensive (punch)Line, Secondary issues are primary, Super Mario, Teams that aren't the Texans

Zero. That’s the number of times Matt Schaub and Sage Rosenfels have been sacked this preseason.

Now, the optimist looks at that number and says, “I told you the line was improved!”¹ The pessimist, however, counters with “it’s just the preseason–hardly anyone gets sacked much this time of year.”

I suppose both sides have a point.

The realist, however, knows that this week is the true test of our new line.² Because, apparently, the girls from up north are coming to Houston and bringing a passel of blitz packages. Whiny protestations of John Lynch notwithstanding, I think this is a great opportunity for us to see exactly what we have up front and, perhaps even more importantly, to see how The Schaub reacts to pressure, collapsed pockets, and forced hot reads.

So far this preseason, the Cowboys have used their blitzing 3-4 defense³ to notch 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles, to hold opposing teams to 42 yards per game rushing, and to keep teams under 200 yards passing. If we get through this game without Schaub getting sacked, you will have to like our offensive line going into this season.

On the flip side, the Cowboys’ o-line has allowed Tony “Slipperyhands” Romo to be sacked twice in 29 attempts, while completing just over 72% of his passes. If our front four can get pressure against this line, and maybe knock Romo on his butt two or three times my fears will be somewhat allayed. (Also, with Weaver looking less and less likely to start the season, one has to imagine that this game is an open audition for Kalu and Babin to figure out who will be starting on the left side against Kansas City.)

Things to watch for this week:

• Babin v. Kalu, part III
• Mario. Of course. Just so you are up to speed when McClain, et al, resume bashing him on Monday.
• CBs other than Dunta. Petey was torched last week and was most at fault for Edge’s TD. Fletcher has looked pretty good. Which, of course, means that Petey is still the starter. Huh?
• Our running game. For all the talk about how the running game has been solid enough to make play action mean something (and this is true), the “solid enough” has not translated to much actual real estate on the field. Now, they face an extremely stingy run D. Good Times!
• Kevin v. Jacoby. 2 against 2a. Though, if we looked just at performance thus far, this one shouldn’t even be a question.
• Turk finally, mercifully issues the coup de grace to Chad Stanley’s career in Battle Red. Somewhere, Tim smiles.
• Jordan Black. Just how bad can he be?! Tune in to find out.

¹ Or, if that optimist is also a grudge-holding type, “I told you David Carr was the cause of a whole lot of those sacks!” Then he makes some random joke about Carr and a vagina… you get the picture.
² Christ, that was a contrived way to start a post. I apologize.
³ Shake brings up a good question–what’s the point of the 3-4 if Ware just lines up as a DE on every play? Also, how long is Jerry Jones’ tail?

The Big Babinski

Aug 17, 2007 Jason Babin, Posts that list too many players, Preseason 2007, Super Mario, Teams that aren't the Texans, Training camp 2007, Tremendous Busts

During the three months I’ve been doing this bloggifying, I’ve made little secret of the fact that I am pro-Jason Babin. (Don’t believe me? See here. Don’t ever doubt me.)

So, with that in mind, I was happy to see how well J-Bab¹ played last Saturday. He wasn’t just impressive–he turned in not-so-arguably the best defensive lineman performance of the night for either team. Kubiak certainly noticed in the post game press conference.

[W]hen you look at the second group, there were some guys that really stood out. Jason Babin being number one, played extremely well.

Yesterday, Kubiak was again asked about Babin’s progress throughout camp. The message was still positive.

I said this many of times. We’ve had a lot of conversations about Travis [Johnson] and Jerome [Mathis] at this camp, but Jason needs to get into that conversation because he’s really dedicated himself to our program, to Dan [Riley], to what Jethro [Franklin] and Frank [Bush] are trying to do and it shows. He stood out last week as much as any guy we had up front so I’m looking forward to Jason having a good year (emphasis added)

For Kubiak, that damn near qualifies as gushing.

Anyway, considering how unlikely it seemed even a month ago that the words “Jason” and “Babin” and “extremely well” would be uttered in some sort of succession, it’s probably not surprising that the Chronic would run with the story, taking the “change of coaching is responsible” angle.

Franklin has worked on improving Babin’s technique and his mental approach.

‘That’s the thing about it, this game is so mental,’ Franklin said. ‘Mentally, he was probably all over the place. Hopefully now, he’s a little more focused on himself and not other people around him. He’s more focused on his body in terms of body mechanics.

‘I give them things they can hang their hat on. That’s what I try to give them. Try to get them some tools. If you give them some tools, hopefully they can build you a strong bridge.’

All of this is well and good; to a certain extent, I’m sure that new, simplified coaching has helped Babin. However, just as important–and mentioned only ever so slightly–is that Jason has matured professionally to the point where the initial expectations for him are now becoming reasonable.

Very few defensive ends go from being a good college player to a good professional in one year.² The ones that do are usually the freaks of nature like Dwight Freeney and Julius Peppers (13 and 12 sacks, respectively, as rookies). More common, even with guys like Jason Taylor (5 sacks as a rookie) who go on to become great pass rushers, is a learning curve of at least one year. Taylor, for instance, went from 5 to 9.5, but then dropped to 2.5 his third year. Leonard Little played in 6 games each of his first two season–due to that pesky prison term for vehicular manslaughter–and recorded no sacks in either. Michael Strahan recorded 1 in 9 games as a rookie, followed by 4.5 in 15 games in year 2. Aaron Kampman notched 2.5 total in his first 24 games. The list goes on and on. Point is, it was ridiculous to expect a kid from a small directional Michigan school to jump right to the NFL and become a dominant pass rusher.

Of course, the old regime decided to up the difficulty for Babin by moving him from DE–where he was just asked to go forward–to outside linebacker in the 3-4–where he was expected to work in space, move in all directions, and cover the occasional TE. Funny thing is, Babin performed reasonably well in this role, notching 4 sacks and 4 passes defensed while starting all 16 games as a rookie. By 2005, he’d lost his starting gig, but he put up another 4 sacks as the words “bust” started being bandied about. Last year, with a new (read: non-retarded) coach, Babin was moved back to DE and in spot starts had 5 sacks.

That’s 13 sacks in three seasons, only one year as a full-time starter, which is more than Strahan or Kampman (and more consistent than Taylor). Now, of course, I am not suggesting that Babin will ever become Jason Taylor (or Michael Strahan); rather, I am just pointing out that at one point, no one thought Jason Taylor would become Jason Taylor.

All of that said, I think it’s pretty clear that I am nothing but thrilled with the “sudden” emergence of Babin this summer. Two plays last Saturday hinted that he might be on the verge of becoming the other pass rushing DE–first, when he came off the weakside edge, flew down the line, and brought down Cedric Benson from behind, and, second, when he powered through the strongside double team and made the play. (Ironically, both of those plays were against the run, though the knock on Babin is that he is a liability in run defense.)

So, where does that leave us in terms of a starting D-line? Assuming Anthony Weaver is not ready to go week 1, which seems a safer assumption by the day, I think you still have to pencil ND Kalu in as the starter at LDE, at least for now. Kalu is no spring chicken, though, so I think a pretty heavy dose of Babin might be involved there as well. Also, much like last year, there is talk that Weaver will move to DT on obvious passing downs, clearing the way for Kalu or Babin at times even after Weavs returns.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the line change depending on how “obvious” the passing down is and, more importantly, how long the yardage is (i.e. how long the play will take to develop). On 3rd and 10 or more, a pure speed line of Mario, Babin, Amobi, and Weaver (unless you wanted to try Kalu on the inside) could be amazingly effective. In shorter situations, either Babin or Kalu at one end, with a bigger middle (Maddox/TJ, perhaps?) probably makes more sense.³

Regardless of the rotation, having Jason Babin continue to play like he has so far this season would go a looooooong way toward developing that front-four pass rush that our defense (most notably our secondary) so desperately needs. Even better, it will start to make the first-round pick of Babin make sense. “It’s about time,” you say? I agree… that’s EXACTLY what it’s about.

¹ No? How about The Babinator? I like that one.
² Something to keep in mind regarding Mario, too, I suppose.
³ The one thing I don’t want to see, but that I have seen others advocating, is moving Mario inside on these passing downs, with Kalu and Babin on the edges. Ignoring how such a move would make the anti-Mario contingent even louder, it removes Mario’s primary asset (speed) and makes little to no sense in my mind. Plus, Baldinger would run his mouth again.

Texans v.2.0… not exactly bug free

Aug 11, 2007 Athletes who don't stab people, Chad Stanley, Chocodiles, DeMeco Ryans, Jacoby Jones is unheralded, Jason Babin, Jon Abbate, Matt Turk rules, Posts that list too many players, Preseason 2007, The Fred

Ugh. That sucked.

I know, I know… it’s only the preseason and it’s only one game. And I know there were plenty of bright spots. For instance:

• Jacoby Jones. Wow. WOW. As a return man and as a WR, Jacoby lived up to the hype. If not for Ricky Manning’s penalty-inducing contact, JJ would have had a sweet TD to cap off his great night. If he isn’t our WR2 on opening day 2008, something will have gone very wrong.
• DeMeco Ryans. He was only in for limited action, but Ryans had his nose in the middle of everything. I saw NOTHING that would suggest a decline this year or any kind of sophomore slump. This guy is for real.
• Sage Rosenfels. Sure, he’s the backup, but he moved the ball well and spread it around. As a security blanket goes, we could do a lot worse. His line–16/26, 138 yds, TD–was all you could have asked.
• Jerome Mathis. He’s back. At least, it looks like it. He flashed that serious straight-line speed that made him a Pro Bowler not too long ago.
• Jason Babin. I would have bet you $50 that he wouldn’t be on this list. I would have lost. Babin flashed great chasing speed coming from the backside and an ability to shed blocks and make the play from the frontside. He played like (gulp) a first-round draft pick.
• Jon Abbate. They didn’t mention on the radio, so I have no idea if people held up five fingers at the start of the 4th quarter. What they did mention was that Jon was blocking extremely well and he even caught a pass. Man, I hope this guy makes the team.
• Zac Diles. I really expect this guy to make an impact on special teams this year. Nice intensity, nice motor. He also played well as a true LB near the end of the game.
• Matt Turk. One booming punt (58 on the fly) and one nice pin-point punt in the fourth (downed at the 11).
• ND Kalu. If Weaver isn’t ready to go in week 1, I am suddenly feeling a lot better about the prospect of Kalu filling in for him. Maybe work Babin into the strongside rotation, too. I’m breathing a little easier.
• Kick returners. Mathis, Bethel Johnson, and Andre Davis all looked good running back KOs. That said, if Mathis is indeed healthy, there is hardly a need to keep one of those other two, let alone both.

Still, in the end, we walked away with a big fat L. Which is what happens when you crap the bed. In the middle of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, we had such craptacular performances as:

• Jordan Black. He played positively awful, which would explain why the Chiefs fans called him “Turnstile.” I know I said David Carr caused a lot of his own sacks, but putting Jordan Black at LT will make the beating Sandy took look like he was wearing a red jersey in practice.
• Sam Gado looked like he had tunnel vision and cement shoes. This is not really what I am hoping for from our RB3.
• Bradlee Van Pelt looked like a third string QB–for a Special Olympic team. 1/7, a fumble that led to a TD, and a strange fascination with throwing to Joel Dreessen, which worked exactly zero times.
• Jamar Fletcher played passably decent as a nickel but got beat in standard coverage and Fred Bennett got completely lit up on the drive that ended with Ayanbadejo’s TD.
• Chad effin’ Stanley managed a whopping 35 yards on his vital 4th quarter punt, because he likes to make me throw things around the den. He also lucked out with a great roll on his first punt, making it look better in the box score than it actually was. Surely to god, this type of performance will get him his release sooner rather than later. I hate him.
• Earl Cochran had the bonehead running into the kicker penalty that kept Chicago alive with two minutes left, leading to their game winning FG. Nice one.
• Ron Dayne. I’m not sure how our short-yardage back can run three straight times for more or less zero gain. That was ugly. You know… Ron… you are a big (fat) dude. Maybe you could, like, lower your shoulders and actually deliver a hit. Just a thought.

This is not setting well. With 10 minutes to go, I was almost positive we had the game won. With 5 minutes to go, I was still optimistic. It all seems… um… familiar. And I don’t like that feeling.

OK. Breathe. I’m keeping myself positive. This was a fluke. It was all the fault of Van Pelt (or Stanley). The Colts have lost 10 of their last 11 preseason games. Etc.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have nine beers to drink in rapid succession. NFL Football is back, baby.

UPDATE: I should mention that these notes were the product of the radio broadcast, NFL Gamecenter, and the live blog at BRB. Which is to say they are subject to revision once I watch the recorded replay tomorrow morning. Also, I still hate Chad Stanley.

Cold shoulder

Aug 6, 2007 Bad Idea Jeans, Jason Babin, Posts that list too many players, Preview, Super Mario, Training camp 2007

The general consensus is that the starting defensive line is going to be Mario Williams, Amobi Okoye, Anthony Maddox (unless Travis Johnson somehow works his way back in), and Anthony Weaver. Given the players we have to choose from, I suppose I agree with everyone else that this is the best combination for our front four. (Though I still hold out hope for Jason Babin, he continues to be the walking embodiment of “‘tweener.”¹)

Of course, the question mark in this continues to be the health of Weaver’s shoulder². While he has been on the field during practice, Weaver still has not been cleared to participate in contact drills and he certainly won’t be playing this Saturday when the Flying Grossmen come into Reliant.

The thing is, it’s not really surprising that he’s not ready to go. The minimum recuperation time for rotator cuff surgery is 4-6 months. And that’s just when you can begin and kind of strength building exercises. What is surprising is that the team is moving forward as if he will be ready week 1.

What if he’s not? What does the D-line look like then?

N.D. Kalu is behind Weaver on the LDE depth chart, so one could assume that ol’ Ndukwe would get the first crack at it. (Aside: Why do we put two periods in “N.D.” when it’s the shortened version of “Ndukwe?” That would be like me going by M.att.) Kubiak made the comment that, while Kalu doesn’t have the stamina of some of the younger guys, he is one of the better pass rushers on the field in camp. Problem: Kalu is at least four years removed from anything resembling a good season. He also turned 32 a few days ago, so I have my doubts as to any sudden resurgence.

The aforementioned Babin could try the position. Problem: LDE is typically the strong side, meaning Babin would have to deal with the RT and TE. I don’t think I need to explain why this won’t end well.

Mario could move to the RDE spot, with Babin playing LDE. Theoretically, this could work well. I still don’t like it, though, as I think Mario needs to spend all season as the LDE. Plus, Babin has yet to prove that he can beat any OLTs.

There’s always Earl Cochran. He doesn’t have much of a track record, but apparently he’s had a pretty good camp. When asked about players that had impressed him, Kubiak replied, “I think [he] has definitely flashed.” And, we can’t forget about the dark horse, Alfred “Big Pooh” Malone. He’s a big dude (6-5, 308), but I know nothing about him other than there are a couple videos at Chron.com showing him getting reps at LDE.

So what’s the answer? I honestly don’t know. My guess is that Kalu is the starter and Babin or Cochran get snaps there as well. Geez…I never thought I’d be so worried about whether Anthony Weaver was healthy or not.

¹ Other things he seems to be the walking embodiment of: bust, overreaching for a draft pick, and boyband wannabe. Damn it.
² And, to a much lesser extent, his knee.

Bucky Brooks talks out of his ass

Jul 5, 2007 2007 Draft, Amobi Okoye is 20, Big dudes doing the little things, Gary Kubiak might be high, Jason Babin, National Media, Preview, Super Mario, The Schaub Experiment

Other than Peter King, I rarely find a reason to read anything at SI.com. Andrew Perloff is insufferable, Dr. Z might actually be retarded¹, and Michael Silver has never written anything that kept my attention beyond the first paragraph.

Occasionally, however, Bucky Brooks writes something that I not only read, but that I feel the need to comment on. Obviously, if I am writing this, today was one of those days. In his AFC South preview, Brooks lists the key challenges for each team in the conference. Thankfully, not one of his challenges is about the offensive line, as B^2 posits the following:

Challenge No. 1: Make Matt Schaub comfortable in a new offense.

Challenge No. 2: Find another threat in the passing game.

Challenge No. 3: Get better play out of the defensive line.

Now, 1 and 2, I can’t argue with. We’ve talked about both of those ad naseum for the last two months. Schaubby definitely needs to be “comfortable” in the offense, assuming that “comfortable” means “good,” and the WR2 slot needs to be filled by someone who doesn’t play like he is missing one leg and three chromosomes. No surprise.

As for 3, well, I suppose I agree with the sentiment. After all, with the number of first round picks we run out there in the front four, you’d expect for that to be the best third of our defense. The part that stuck out to me, however, was this:

But now with Mario Williams, Travis Johnson and ‘07 draftee Amobi Okoye slated to start, the onus is on this crew to produce some pressure on opposing signal-callers. [...] Johnson’s ineffectiveness as a rusher allowed teams to double Williams without fear. If Johnson can recover from his season-ending calf injury and provide a push inside, Williams should begin to see less of the double teams that he faced last season.

Um… huh? First of all, am I the only person who hadn’t heard that TJ was going to start? I’ve lived the last six or seven months assuming that Anthony Maddox was going to be the starting two-gapper, since, you know, he was MUCH better than TJ last year, in pretty much every way (tackles, sacks, ff, fr, etc.). Besides, Kubiak has pretty much been singing Maddox’s praises since minicamp. So, why, dear Bucky, is Johnson “slated to start?”

In the end–unless I completely missed the memo–this is probably some writer just looking at the current depth chart at NFL.com and basing opinions thereon. Whatever. The bigger question is here is “what if Bucky is right?”

The single most important thing for Manchild is that he isn’t continually double-teamed (like Mario was last year). Teams are going to focus on him early, if for no other reason than the hype that accompanied his selection. Part of the reason that Weaver has already been penciled in at LDE is because he’s a better rusher (supposedly) than Jason Babin. Maddox showed last year that, of the two real options, he is the better two-gapper. You combine Weaver on the outside with Maddox on Manchild’s right (along with a healthy Mario), and Amobi should see nothing more than a single guard (with the occasional clip from the center) all season. This is important–Okoye is at his best when he gets penetration straight up field and can read-and-react to the QB and RB. He is faster in the pass rush than any of our other defensive linemen. If he is forced to fight through double-teams all season, not only will he be hampered, but the entire line will be worse by orders of magnitude. I can’t say this strongly enough–Johnson getting single blockers while Amobi gets doubles make the entire defense worse; Maddox taking on two, even if he never makes a single tackle, frees Okoye and makes the entire defense better. I’m no coach, but I am pretty sure that a better defense is better than a worse defense.

So Bucky, don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope you are just as full of shit as the rest of the national media. Thankfully, if your colleagues are any indication, you are.

UPDATE: The Texans’ own website ran an article yesterday about how Anthony Maddox is the starter and anyone who wants to play that position is going to have to beat him. That’s pretty much what we’ve been hearing and planning for since December, and it looks like Kubes is using some common sense.

It’s not overly surprising that a columnist would just glance at the Texans depth chart on NFL.com and use that to form his “opinion.” I’m sure that sort of thing happens all the time. What is surprising, though, is that he would devote paragraphs to supporting something that was wrong to begin with, while simultaneously failing to mention the secondary as a “challenge” this season. Poor showing, Buckwheat. I now lump you in with the rest of the ‘tards.

¹ Seriously, I cannot stand that guy. How many self-referential mailbags where he talks about wine and his wife being redheaded do we have to endure before he is euthanized?

Gary Kubiak understands defensive line positioning

May 30, 2007 Amobi Okoye is 19, Football 101, Gary Kubiak, Jason Babin, Preview, Sam Adams, Super Mario

For the second time this month, I find myself linking to a Seahawks Huddle post regarding the Texas. Odd. Really, though, the only reason I’m linking to it is for this line regarding Manchild.

All indications are that he will start next to Mario Williams on the right side.

Um… what? The Texans depth chart on NFL.com currently shows Amobi at the Under Tackle position, alongside Anthony Weaver, with Maddox playing the Nose. The Texans’ own website says the same thing. If such early charts indicate anything, it’s that Okoye is likely NOT going to be playing beside Super Mario.

Do you know why these two depth charts have Okoye at the under position? Because Victor Petersen’s alignment is stupid. And even the Texans try to avoid do stupid things on purpose.¹

[Author's Note: The following discussion of defensive tackle positioning and technique is going to be simultaneously tedious and--for many of you--common friggin' sense. Still, to make my larger point here, I feel like I need to lay out exactly why the Amobi-by-Mario alignment would be wrong.]

Okoye is a prototypical under tackle. He’s a fast (for his size), penetrating, one-gap player. Such players almost always line up off of the center. Wait… let’s start with a visual aid.

(clicky to embiggen)

OK… back to Okoye. Players of his size and skill set are best suited to line up away from the center, usually a half-step past the guard (toward the respective tackle). This is the 3-technique and makes him a one gap player. The 3-technique tackle’s job is to shoot that gap, create penetration, and either disrupt the running play or sack the QB. In Okoye’s case, he will almost certainly play the under tackle in the 3-technique position over the offense’s right guard.

Anthony Maddox, on the other hand, has a completely different skill set as a defensive tackle.² He is a traditional 0- or 1-technique DT, meaning he will line up over the center, one half-step toward the left-guard. In this position, a tackle will see frequent double-teams from the center and left guard, with the left guard engaging first and the center picking up. [Author's note: Technically, this off-set alignment is a 4-3 Over and not a straight 4-3.]

[/End of tedious football 101 recap]

So, this configuration, with Maddox next to Mario makes sense now, doesn’t it? The goal in drafting Okoye was not to have him take blockers off of Williams; the goal was to have him take pressure off of Williams, by forcing the opposing offenses to account for two quality pass rushers. Now, Weaver (or Babin) might benefit from getting more one-on-one matchups with TEs if teams try to double Okoye. That would benefit Mario, too, as he would be solo on the offense’s RT without TE interference. If that’s how teams want to play the front four, then I suppose Okoye has technically taken a blocker off of Williams, but not in the manner suggested by the above quote.

For argument’s sake, what would happen if Petersen’s lineup were used? Okoye’s primary skill–interior penetration–would be negated as he would be trying to draw a second blocker on every play. Maddox’s primary skill–playing the 0-technique as a run-stuffing two gap player would also be negated, as he would be lined up to plow through the B gap without reacting to the actual route taken by the running back. While Weaver is a good run defender from the 6-7 position, there is only so much he could do in this configuration. Moreover, teams could basically run through the right-side A gap at will, as Maddox lacks the mobility to read-and-react from the 3 position consistently.

In the end, it’s hard to fathom an argument for putting Okoye alongside Williams. Either Petersen knows something NO ONE else does, or he’s just talking for the sake of talking. One thing is for certain, though… the only “account” that suggests this alignment is Petersen’s. Thankfully.

UPDATE: You might wonder how this discussion relates to my “Babin at LE” post.³ Well, here’s the deal: Despite the fact that Weavs is more or less entrenched in Kubes’ mind as an end, the truth is Weaver is a ‘tweener. He is a little too be to be a 4-3 end and he’s a little too small to play nose tackle. He’s a good run defender from the end, but a better pass rusher from tackle. The team knows this to an extent–Weaver did play some tackle in passing downs last season. In my Babin-centric theory, Weaver would be relegated to playing some under tackle when Amobi needed a break as well as playing backup to Babin. In effect, he would be playing the same two positions he played last season, but in a reserve capacity. In theory, he could also play a few snaps at nose, if the team wanted to go small or play a pure 4-3 stack (all linemen playing one-gap). Bottom line: I stand by the Babin post, dammit.

¹ I choose to believe that this is true.
² Sam Adams would also play this role. Please come to Houston, Sam. Please?
³ I choose to believe that this is true, too.

Jason Babin approves of this message

May 20, 2007 Amobi Okoye is 19, DeMeco Ryans, Demarcus Faggins sucks, Dunta Robinson, Jason Babin, Michigan Wolverines, Secondary issues are primary, Spanish, Super Mario

It is possible that the following is only of interest to Jason Babin and a few of his relatives.

Anyway, though I don’t think I’ve just come out and said it, it’s my not-so-radical theory that the starting defensive line will be Super Mario, Manchild, and Dos Anthonys*. I am generally ok with this. However, it does raise one interesting question: ¿Dónde es Jason Babin?

Fans may recall that Babin was the second of two first-round picks by the Texans in the 2004 draft. A defensive end out of Directional Michigan, Babin ended his collegiate career with 299 tackles (including 202 solo and 75 for a loss) and 38 sacks, despite missing all of his senior season with a broken leg. He was described in various scouting reports as “one of the fastest down linemen in the game of football” and having “tremendous potential as a pass rusher.”

At the time Babin was selected, the Texans were still running Dom Capers’ 3-4 defense. Babin was therefore converted from defensive end to outside linebacker; Capers apparently assumed that a pass rusher was a pass rusher, regardless of where he lined up. (Gee, I wonder why Dom wasn’t successful…)

So it went for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Babin put up 63 tackles and 4 sacks in his first year, then followed that up with 37 and 4 (and 2 forced fumbles) in ‘05.

Prior to 2006, as the team converted from a 3-4 to a 4-3, Babin was unconverted back to defensive end. Of course, by this time Babin was a man without a starting slot (he started only three times in ‘06). Still, now that he was being asked to do what he was actually drafted to do**, he turned in a career high in sacks (5) regardless of his diminished playing time.

And my point is?

I suppose the underlying point is that Babin has talent and loads of untapped potential, thus it is far to early to relegate him to permanent backup. However, the point of this post is this: I propose that the starting d-line should be (from the right) Williams, Maddox , Okoye, and Babin. Weaver would still get plenty of reps spelling Babin and Okoye (and possibly playing Nose Tackle in certain situations).

Crazy? Hardly. Weaver is a solid run-stopper and he has played tackle on passing downs numerous times before. More importantly, this line would (in theory, at least) give the Texans a very strong pass rush from the front four, meaning the LBs would be free to assist in short pass coverage. Given our secondary of “Dunta and these friggin’ guys,” ANY assistance from the LBs would be worth its weight in cliches.

I realize that the biggest possible question mark in this scenario is how the line would fare against the run. Weaver as an outside run stopper was probably the best on the team last year. I think this question is the wrong way to look at things, however. The biggest problem facing this defense right now is the complete lack of a dependable secondary; having a dominating pass rush would alleviate this. There is no reason to think that the downgrade in run defense from Weaver to Babin would even come close to outweighing the upgrade in pass rush ability. Besides, with Orr (whom I fully admit my bias toward… Go Blue!) behind Babin, you have the ability to run blitz with effectiveness. (Side note: That Orr holds the team single game sack record with three is sad, but illustrates the pressing need for a real pass rush.)

Will my plan be implemented? Unlikely. Kubiak is a fan of using Weavs primarily as an outside rusher. Moreover, it appears that Babin has–in Kubes’ mind–established himself as a ‘tweener, relegated to spot duty at a couple different positions.

Bother.

That means, this is probably all just an exercise in wishful thinking. That does not make it incorrect, however.

*That would be Anthony Maddox and Anthony Weaver.
**Novel concept, eh?