Post Cushing OTA Edition

Pure Texans Bull
Post Cushing OTA Edition
5-18-2010

Update: Angry 'dre joined the Texans in OTAs. So I'm a little behind. Bite me.

Brian Cushing
My quick take on Cushing? Not much. After reading a few articles and reading Cushing’s statement, I’m going to give him the benefit of doubt. For now.

I didn’t watch his press conference but most media thought it was insincere and that Cushing raised more questions than answered. I didn’t watch so I can’t make a call. I am a media basher so I take what they say and write with a grain of salt.

As for Cushing’s medical excuse, I admit it is plausible. The NFL and its specialists know significantly more than me about the substance. For whatever reason, Roger Goodell didn’t buy Cushing’s reasoning and suspended Cushing four games. Four big games at that. Cushing is going to miss the crucial opener against the Colts as well as the Cowboys game. Not good.

Pressure to Succeed

Players are under tremendous pressure coming into the NFL. Some cope with it better than others. Some players believe they are to good and don’t need to put in much effort. Some, Vernon Davis comes to mind, have natural God given talent but want to try and get by on talent alone. Mike Singletary was the best thing to ever happen to Davis. Singletary put his foot up Davis’ ass and woke him up. Davis is pretty much a model citizen and a damn good tight end. Other players fear they won’t succeed and look for any advantage they can find.

Some players hire personal trainers and work their butts off.

Other players juice up despite the testing and health risks. They know it’s wrong and dangerous. Yet the pressure to make the team, start or contribute right away is tremendous. So with their livelihood likely on the line they resort to any advantage they can get. Without being in their shoes, I can’t exactly bash them. I don’t understand the pressure they are under. Sure, it’s not right. It’s flat out wrong and it is cheating. All I’m saying is that I can understand why a young man or woman would resort to steroids or other performance enhancers.

Cushing played under the spot lights at Southern Cal. He came into the NFL with the Texans expecting him to start from day one. Despite his marquee college team, he still faced men much stronger and faster than him in college. He was expected to be their equal when the Texans penciled him in at strong side linebacker. The pressure was there for him to succeed right off the bat.

We’ll never know for certain whether or not he really used a PDE or that his explanation is true. If he did use then perhaps this serves as a wake up call and he quits. If he didn’t, hopefully he presents more information to build a more solid case if it comes up again. For now, I feel it’s best to move on and forget the issue. His loss for four games is significant. However it’s best for the team and media to give it a rest and focus on moving forward.

OTA
I’m not a big fan of following OTAs. Player contact isn’t allowed. Basically OTAs serve as workout session for players. The Texans don’t require players to attend. They are just glorified work outs and not much else.

This year Andre Johnson is sitting out. He wants a new contract. I don’t blame him but at the same time I question why did he sign such a long contract? This thing probably gets resolved sooner than later. The Texans have playoff aspirations. Kind of hard to have lofty expectations if your best player, maybe best in the league at any position, isn’t around. I doubt Angry ‘dre sits out summer camp, which is required, but I’d rather pay him and have him happy. Angry ‘dre lining up angry at the defense and not the Texans makes for a good day.

Post Draft Ben Tate Edition

Pure Texans Bull
Post Draft Edition – Part II
May 7, 2010

2nd Round Pick - RB Ben Tate from Auburn
At the top of the Texans draft board sat Fresno St. running back Ryan Matthews. San Diego outmaneuvered the Texans and selected Matthews. The Texans addressed another need with cornerback Kareem Jackson.

If reports are believed, the Texans were angling for Toby Gerhart of Stanford until they traded down and Minnesota snapped him up. In what I believe a panic move, the Texans then traded up in order take the next back on their board in Ben Tate.

In my biased opinion, I think Tate will be a better fit for the Texans than Gerhart. I’d rather have a hard running back from the Southeast Conference than a Pac-10 one. I’m just not a fan of Pac-10 runners. There is a definite top and second division in the Pac-10. The top division of Pac-10 probably can’t compete in the SEC. Just about every week in SEC contest it’s a war. Add to the fact that Tate played under three different systems at Auburn and I give him another huge edge over Gerhart.

The Tate Scouting Report
Outside of C.J. Spiller or Matthews, I don’t think the Texans could have made a better pick. Several backs were rated higher than Tate but the Texans weren’t necessarily looking for qualities others were.

Tate is a good sized back with speed to burn. Standing 5’ 11” and 220 lbs, Tate runs a reported 4.43 40 but some say he has been clocked at 4.38. Gerhart is about the same size but runs a 4.56 40 and Matthews is similar in all measurables. All things considered, I’m surprised the Texans were targeting Gerhart before Tate.

Tate brings size and speed to a run game that ranked 30th in the NFL. Rookie phenomenon Steve Slaton’s production fell off his second year.

The Good
He is solid and can follow his blocks. One report I read knocks his patients and doesn’t hit the line full speed. In the limited game film I saw, I didn’t see the impatience. Auburn uses a lot of pulling linemen and Tate excelled at following blocks and waiting for plays to develop. I’ll reiterate what I’ve said before about game film clips, they can be cherry picked to show what the creator wants you to see.

Tate says he isn’t afraid of contact and stated “If I can’t run past you, I’ll run you over.” While I don’t think Slaton feared contact, I don’t think he had the linebacker mentality that Tate seems to have. Down at the goal line and short yardage, you need that toughness to get the yards to extend the drive or get the points.

The Bad
One scout said Tate doesn’t play up to his full speed until in the open field. Another report stated that he isn’t a good pass catching back. If those are his downsides, I don’t care. Though Tate was brought in partially because of his speed, his first task will be to get those tough inside yards and then look for the homerun yardage. On the second point, Houston didn’t draft Tate to catch passes. If healthy, that will be Steve Slaton’s job.

The Skinny
The Chris Brown Project was a failure and a costly one too. Not in the terms of finances but in terms of losses. Brown fumbled twice at the goal line and threw an ill advised half back option in another. Not wanting to go the retread route like Brown or Ahman Green, the Texans decided to bring in a rookie to mold in their image. The Texans will give Tate every chance to take the starting job and contribute right away. If Slaton returns to health and rookie form, the Texans could sport one of the more exciting backfields in the NFL.

Tate could give the power inside running game that is sorely lacking while Slaton could provide the homerun threat catching the football out of the back field and on screens. Both players are extremely quick. Mix in the potential game breaking speed of both players and the Texans will be a threat to score on almost every carry. The potential is there but a lot of work and some luck need to fall in place.

Pure Texans Bull - Post Draft Edition

Pure Texans Bull
100% Houston Texans Bullsite
Inaugural Issue – Post Draft Edition Part 1
April 28, 2010

Once again I changed the name of the blog. I believe this is the third name but I like this one better than the previous titles. I changed up the colors a few weeks ago to actually match the steel blue and battle red of the Texans. I added a background to the title banner of a picture I actually took myself. So I thought it fitting that a name change would be appropriate.

What a better time for change than at the draft? New players breed new hope for teams looking to build, improve and look for another piece to a hopeful championship campaign.

The Houston Texans entered the draft with less needs than at any other time in the short history of the franchise. The team is at a point where they look to bolster a few need areas and otherwise draft for depth and special teams. They took care of a cornerback, running back and a passing down defensive tackle. They added to linebacker depth, corner competition, TE fodder, a return specialist, offensive line project and a wide out project.

My gut reaction Monday after the draft was dismay. Two tight ends, one defensive tackle and players expected to be projects or special team contributors led to my angst. I thought they should have taken at least two DTs and one safety.

After digesting the tight end situation, I understand where the thinking. Three of the four TEs on the roster just had off season surgery. Owen Daniels probably won’t fully recover until training camp or preseason. Joel Driessen’s status is unclear at the moment and Anthony Hill is projected to spend start the year on the PUP list or IR. Of the two drafted TEs, only 4th round pick Garrett Graham will get time at TE while Dorin Dickerson will learn under tutelage from Andre Johnson at WR.

For the first round, I figured the Texans would draft a corner or running back while possibly drafting two corners and a running back in the first three rounds. I didn’t think defensive tackle was on the board in the first round.

1st Round – Kareem Jackson CB Alabama
The Texans definitely drafted for the most glaring hole on defense. With the departure of Dunta Robinson, they needed a corner with the ability to step in and start soon. Hopefully Jackson opens the season as the starter. The Texans many corners on the team but most are unproven. Jacquez Reeves, Fred Bennett, Grover Quin, Brice McCain and Antwan Molden currently occupy roster spots. Bennett and Moulden will battle for their Texans careers this off season. The addition of Jackson turns up the heat several degrees.

Depending on whom you ask, Jackson was rated as high as second best corner in the draft. The phrase most often used to describe Jackson is “NFL ready” over the other draftees. In other words, the majority of scouts believe Jackson can walk into camp and claim a starting position. He is considered well coached in college where he learned a complex defensive system under coach Nick Saban. Scouts and coaches love that he played at a top notch SEC school against top notch competition.

My two favorite sources are the Houston Chronicle’s Lance Zierlein and Pro Football Weekly’s scouting reports. I read other reports too just to get a cross section of analysis and reaction.

My Consensus Take on Jackson
For the most part, the reviews and reports speak highly of Jackson. He wasn’t the highest rated corner on anyone’s board but he was rated second highest on many.

Described as well coached and the most “NFL ready” of any of the corners, the Texans, barring catastrophe, will pencil in Jackson as a starter.

The Good
Jackson excels in getting up on receivers and knocking them off their timing. He is described with the ability to read a quarterback and anticipate throws. He is also not afraid to come up in run support and hit the ball carrier. He is a good tackler most of the time.

The Bad
An anonymous scout on PFW claims Jackson is “overrated.” The scout goes on to say Jackson is limited in run support and isn’t as strong as expected. PFW’s scouting report lists arm length and lack of explosiveness as weaknesses. The report goes onto say that Jackson doesn’t cover well in space and can get exposed in open space and will bite on double moves.

The Skinny aka My Conclusion
The Texans took exactly what they needed in Jackson. A team needs “NFL ready” if they expect to contend now rather than later. Some say that Jackson has limited upside when compared to other drafted corners. I’m fine with that. He needs to step in and be ready when he lines up across from Reggie Wayne and Payton Manning twice a season. The Texans need him to contribute early and often not upside for a year or two down the road. My only major concern is his lack of interceptions over his career at Alabama. As a three year starter, he had only five interceptions and only one each in his last two years. He needs to up that number and take possessions away from the opponents.