Insert clever title here
Jul 27, 2007 Beer, Sam Adams, Self-Referential Stuff, Simeon Rice, Super Mario, Training camp 2007
I’m just going to come out and say it: Simeon Rice is better than Anthony Weaver. No offense to Weavs, but Rice–released yesterday by Tampa Bay–is just one season removed from a 14 sack campaign. The 33-year-old has posted sack totals of 15.5, 15, 12, 14, and 2 in the last five seasons.
Yes, he had a bad–even by our d-line–season last year, posting only 2 sacks and 18 tackles in 8 games. Rice was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury last November, but, prior to that, had missed only two total games in his other 10 NFL seasons. Which is to say, if the shoulder is healed, there is no reason to think that he will play an abbreviated schedule this season.
Of course, that’s a big “if.” Apparently, Rice failed a physical yesterday, which may have been part of the reason he was let go.
But, assuming that “if,” can you imagine what an upgrade Simeon would be? We’ve talked most of the post-draft offseason about how Amobi should remove a little of the pressure from Super Mario. Well, put Amobi and Simeon Rice on the left side (and assume that Anthony Maddox plays like he did over the last few weeks of last year), and Mario will face one blocker almost all the time. One. Instead of 2+.
Now, I will grant you that Simeon was due to receive $7.5MM this season (which also probably figured into his release), so this isn’t going to be a Keenan McCardell no one else wants me hometown sweetheart deal. However, even with all of our dead money and the money we just paid McCardell, we should still have around $6.5MM to play with. And I am reasonably sure that a healthy Rice would sign for the something in the $3.5-4MM range.
SO… yes, I am just rambling. And, yes, this is most likely a bigger pipe-dream than my crush on Sam Adams was. And, true, there is very little to indicate that Smithiak will even pursue something like this. STILL (or “THAT SAID” if you prefer), I claim that I am right about this.
(By the way, and before you ask, I am at the airport and, yes, I have been drinking. Stop looking at me like that. I hate it when you judge me.)
Johnnie Morton is NOT Rampage Jackson
Jun 4, 2007 MMA, Preview, Sam Adams, Sun stroke, Teams that aren't the Texans, Vacation-related posts
Greetings from the Valley of the Sun!
Yes, DBDG&D is coming to you from hotter-than-two-rats-fucking-a-wool-sock Phoenix, Arizona. Luckily (for me, at least), this vacation has coincided with a lull in offseason activities. This was not planned; I am nowhere near that dedicated to this whole enterprise. Still, it’s nice.
What is NOT nice, however, was the following email I just received as I was typing the above paragraph:
This is Dan, one of your readers. Just wanted to let you know that there was tragic news out of Denver today. Sam went elsewhere . Sorry to break your heart
Sam, thou hast forsaken me! (And Dan, you evil so-and-so, the smiley face was totally uncalled for.)
Lord, I am rambling. This is worse than a Dr. Z column. Blame it on too much sun frying my brain.
(Ten minutes elapse.)
Well, I have looked around the internets and have found nothing of substance regarding the Texans that would necessitate comment on my part. There should be word later today out of OTAs as the team begins it last week of macrame and merit badge earning. So, I will just leave you with a link to Johnnie Morton getting Michael Spinks-ed in his first MMA fight. As someone who lived in Kansas City while Morton was there “playing” wide receiver, this made me laugh hysterically. Or, again, that might have been because of the sun.
Sam Adams seems like a man who likes BBQ
Jun 2, 2007 Jacoby Jones is unheralded, Non-NFL football, Pacman Jones' gunrack, Sam Adams, Teams that aren't the Texans
Some random Texans-themed nuggets from around the web for your Saturday afternoon perusal.
***From Len P’s latest Tip Sheet (Insider only):
The Texans met this week with defensive tackle Sam Adams, recently released by the Bengals, and will stay in touch with the 13-year veteran as he continues to rehabilitate from arthroscopic surgery to clean out some debris from his knee.
Finally, some word about the whole thing. Still, this seems pretty vague. My inkling is that the Texans don’t want to tip their hand regarding their level of interest in Sam, which would both jack up Adams’ asking price and make other teams looking at Adams bump up their offers out of the gate. I mean, if they weren’t interested in Big Sam at all, why would they “stay in touch” with him after the fact?
Then again, I am probably reading a LOT into this blurb because of how much I want to see them sign Adams.
***A somewhat-tedious-to-read explanation for why the UFL is not likely to succeed. I only include this link because the author uses Jacoby Jones to make her (his?) point.
For example, you know who Keyshawn Johnson is if you’re even a causal fan of the game. But do you know who Jacoby Jones is?
Who?
See that’s my point. Jacoby Jones is a wide receiver from tiny Lane College, drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. That’s one of the rounds Hambrecht and Cuban say they’re going to “compete” with the NFL for players. That’s great for the player and for the NFL, because the NFL doesn’t have to worry about paying that player who may have dropped to the lower rounds for weird reasons more than a third round pick, and the player at least has another place to go, but don’t think there’s going to be a bidding war — in fact, I predict the opposite.
The Jacoby Jones [sic] of the world may try to use the UFL as a negotiating ploy, and wind up not being signed by the NFL team. It’s basic math — there are more “third round level” players, than first round level players, so someone else who fell past the eyes of NFL scouts may look better in free agency than the third round pick using an upstart league to cause a bidding war. So Jacoby Jones goes to the UFL and gets the same money he would have earned as a third round pick by the Houston Texans. Fine, so he’s happy. Meanwhile, the UFL gets a player no one ever heard of, and no one save for his family, friends, and the curious, will come out to see or turn on the TV to watch.
An interesting angle, I suppose. I don’t know that I can imagine any draftee going into a GM’s office and saying “yeah… I don’t know about this offer… I mean, the UFL is going to give me almost double.” Methinks that, in most cases, the GM is going to warn the player not to let the door hit him in the ass on the way out. Which is sort of what the author was saying, I guess, but I don’t believe the UFL will give Johnny Third Round any sort of leverage to being with. If you want to play in the NFL, the UFL is going to have to come with some dollars that the NFL wouldn’t even consider before you are jumping ship.
Plus, even with third round players, I assume that many (most?) of them assume that they will become NFL stars. With that mindset, do you take slightly more to go to the UFL and hope that (a) they pay you as much as a comparable NFL star would be making in eight years or (b) hope you can pull a Warren Moon and jump over to the NFL, or do you sign on the dotted line with a team someone has heard of before? I know what I would do.
***Self-professed “foul-weather fan” (he likes both the Bengals and Texans) Dustin McKeehan offers an entertaining new blog, “Odell, Where Art Thou?” I’m not usually one to pimp other blogs, especially those about other teams, but I really enjoyed this one.
***The inimitable guys over at Battle Red Blog have a quick and dirty discussion of why Goodell’s latest act is just plane dumb.
The Commish is taking things to a whole new level, one that is analogous to smashing a gnat with a sledgehammer. Prohibiting cold beer on an NFL flight or at a team function is absolutely absurd.[...] No one from the League will complain publicly, I imagine, because clearly it is a politically incorrect position to take, but I for one find this to be an abuse of power that will solve nothing.
I have to agree; this is ridiculous. It’s almost admitting “well, I can’t prevent them from going to strip clubs, but I need to show some sort of control.” The irony, of course, is that such a stance will likely cause players to go out upon the plane’s landing, thereby increasing the likelihood of drinking and driving or being intoxicated in public. Strippers everywhere should be worried.
Mike Tyson suggests eating Peyton Manning’s kids
May 31, 2007 Demarcus Faggins sucks, Gary Kubiak, Preview, Sam Adams, Secondary issues are primary, The Fred
When last we left OTAs1, the rookies were learning the ropes, the veterans were adapting to some new facets of the playbook, Kevin Walter was blackmailing Kubiak with nudie pictures in order to get the WR2 job2, and there was a battle going on for starting SLB. Typical stuff, which is why I didn’t spend a lot of time on it.
Today, however, Kubes mixed things up a little bit. Former heavyweight champ [Author's note: He was actually much better at cruiserweight.] Evander Holyfield visited the team and did some motivational speechifying. The ever-modest Holyfield mused
They showed appreciation for what I’ve accomplished and it’s good for coaches to try to find someone to exemplify what winning is all about.
Kubiak echoed this assessment and was apparently so awe-struck by Holyfield that Gary struggled to develop coherent thoughts.
It’s amazing looking in the faces of those young players and the intrigue and what he’s accomplished.
Obviously, I’m being flippant and somewhat facetious about this whole thing. Reading the article, it does sound like the players enjoyed meeting the former champ and that they understood his message of staying committed to winning. Which is good, I suppose. Moving on…
From the same article, it seems there are some positive developments in the secondary. First, rookie Fred Bennett is making strides and looking like he will eventually be able to play both corner at safety at this level. I still think his size (6′1″/195) and ability to deliver the big hit make him an intriguing prospect. I’m not completely sold that he will develop into a starting CB2, but he might develop into a difference maker at nickel. We’ll see.
The other development is that Kubes is making the guys in the defensive backfield earn their playing time and starting slots. Sayeth Sir Suck
There are a lot of people in different positions competing for the job. It gets the competition up high and it’s intense out there. Guys trying to make the team and trying to be the guy. It’s good for me because I like being in that kind of situation because it makes me work harder.
So that’s what it takes! Yay… I am so glad we have figured out what it will take to make Faggins work harder at not sucking. It sounds to me like Kubiak’s master plan is working, well, masterfully.
Finally, I’ve read in various places that Sam Adams has already met with the Texans. I have not, however, read any reports as to how that meeting went or if he is close to making a decision. If anyone knows anything about the meeting, why not fill the rest of us in? And, Sam, if you are reading this… call me, we’ll talk.
1 Carmine Pirone is still at it with the misused apostrophes. Not to be all Grammar Nazi and shit, but when your job is “Staff Writer,” I feel like you should have a grasp on simple things like punctuation. Carmine, on the other hand, throws apostrophes around all willy-nilly, using them to pluralize both “OTA” and “Sunday.” And, yes, this footnote was mainly an excuse to use “willy-nilly” in a sentence.
2 I am guessing.
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.
Sam Adams listens to Timex Social Club
May 29, 2007 Amobi Okoye is 19, Andre Johnson, Athletes who don't stab people, DeMeco Ryans, Gary Kubiak might be high, Sam Adams, Teams that aren't the Texans
Two stories regarding the Texans are bouncing around the internets today, which I suppose makes today a busy news day, at least compared to the past four.
The first story is that Sam Adams is supposed to visit with the team, possibly as early as right now. Now, granted, Adams is entering his 14th season and is not the same player he was when he won a Super Bowl with Baltimore. That said, I still think this move makes sense. I mean, obviously you get veteran leadership for a very young defensive front seven. What you also get, though, is a two-gap DT (playing the 0 or 1 technique) who could (a) stuff the run, (b) free Manchild to play more of a 1-gap 3 technique DT, and (c) keep offensive lineman off of DeMeco the same way he did for Ray Lewis.
Would he give you 30 snaps per game? Of course not. He would give you 20 or so, though, which is enough to make an impact on run defense. He could be spelled by Maddox (or Weaver on clear passing downs), while still providing fantastic mentoring for Okoye, et al. Most importantly, however, is that even at this age, he is a clear upgrade in our run defense.
The biggest criticism people seem to be voicing over this news is that the Texans already have too many DTs as it is. While this might be true now, it is highly unlikely that the team is unwilling to cut one or more of those guys during camp. Travis Johnson and Thomas Johnson should probably be a little concerned.
The second story/rumor is that Kevin Walter has pretty much locked up the WR2 position. Without rehashing all of the stuff I’ve written about this position, I’ll just say that I am less-than-thrilled with Walter. I hope he proves me wrong, I really do, but I just don’t think he is our best choice to play second fiddle. Still, this news isn’t surprising (as Kubiak seems to have a mancrush on Walter). Really, I just mentioned it to throw this theory out there: The Jacksonville fans over at Big Cat Country seem to think that Ernest Wilford will not be a Jag at the end of camp. If their suspicions turn out correct, I just want to be the first to cast my vote for signing Wilford. He’s a big, physical receiver who would be a perfect compliment to Andre Johnson’s skills and would let Walter or JJ play the slot (where I think they would both be better, at least in the short term). He would also likely relish the idea of playing against his old team twice per season.
