Jacques Reeves

[shawn76ers]

Not trying to start another neg. thread...but he looked really bad tonight. Gave up big play after big play.
Those cowgirl fans were right about him giving up the big play....damn

ps: Reeves can not tackle either.

[KJ3]

it really was quirky that they gave him that kind of contract to be the 4th man down on the totem pole. terrible that he can't show anything...

[RunninRaven]

Well, at least on that first big play he gave up his only mistake was not turning to find the ball. His coverage was pretty good otherwise as he stayed with the receiver most of the way (he caught up a bit at the end since the ball was underthrown).

I hate that such a contract was given to a guy that might not work out...but if Molden can develop into a decent CB or Dunta comes back and returns to form, that contract will only hurt our cap figures and not hurt us on the field.

[Keith]

I'm going to be putting up a new article on the site's front page later today that gets after Reeves and the team's continued suckage at signing UFAs from other teams.

It's not that I think Reeves is bad, he is just grossly overpaid... not unlike most of the team's other big money UFAs. It's tough saying this just two preseason games into his career as a member of the Texans (it is WAY too early to make much of anything we've seen in the preseason, good or bad), but I'll be surprised if Reeves is still on the roster Week 1 of next season.

[Nconroe]

Okay, I'll try to be optimistic for time being on our CB's, they all got beat by Drew Brees on passes. I thought Reeves was keeping close to his man, not really beaten. He didn't get up his hands at the right time and for a deep pass , where was the deep Safety help? And, maybe he's gotta practice his tackling some more. Still second practice game only.

And UFA's, being optimistic, up to this year, I thought strategy was build depth for all positions due to we were a little short on cap space compared to some teams. Perhaps next year we can go after a sure fire UFA difference maker or two. is there a sure fire player with unexpected inuries, so on. lots of teams spend big on UFA's with poor results.

[Keith]

It is a good point about Brees and the Saints passing game as a whole... they are pretty darn good in that department, so over-reaction two weeks into preseason is a definite possibility here, I'll admit to that.

lots of teams spend big on UFA's with poor results.

Exactly. So why keep trying?

I'd much prefer the Texans re-sign what they have and just keep building through the draft. They'll need plenty of reserves to retain guys like Dunta, Owen, and Winston. It helps to get a little lucky on cheap UFAs like Andre Davis and Will Demps, too, but the big spending rarely pays off, so I'm still preaching abstinence here.

[KJ3]

It is a good point about Brees and the Saints passing game as a whole... they are pretty darn good in that department, so over-reaction two weeks into preseason is a definite possibility here, I'll admit to that
.

i've called it, am calling it, will continue to call it overplanning by smithiak. they knew a CB was coming in the draft. with dunta returning mid-season, bennett looking like a player really the slot they were looking to upgrade was the 3rd/4th man down. petey mcfaggins....admittedly i wanted a change too but this isn't exactly what i was hoping for. hell, if reeves turns into an all-pro CB this deal is still built on a questionable base. it's too much for a guy you expect to be depth who has a forest fire of a reputation. petey and jamar fletcher don't need competition.

[coloradodude]

I haven't read all the other posts so I posting fresh. I just saw the first half...

Jaquez Reeves sucks.

First, he got man handled by Reggie Bush not by getting stiff armed during the "tackle" but by getting punched in the face twice by Bush as Reeves guided Bush out of bounds. Reeves ended up on the ground while Bush then talked smack to him.

Next play? Reeves tackles the TE, who knocks Reeves' helmet off.

Two plays later...Bush hurdles Reeves into the endzone. Then Bush begins to taunt Reeves.

Reeves will be the David Carr of cornerbacks this year for the Texans.

[barrett]

reeves is just an overreaction to the Robinson injury. Like it has been said I bet he is gone before next year. And with the cap sky rocketing every year and possible labor changes on the horizon, he probably won't hurt us much to cut.

Basically he was a very expensive, and apparently ineffective insurance policy. Get well Dunta.

[kravix]

Here is my take on the RB stiff arm. Reeves got beat down by him, but I think that he made the smart play. He maintained inside control and forced the play to stretch out of bounds rather than trying to tackle on his bad angle. He may have gotten beat down at the end, but he also might have kept they play from being twice as long considering there wasnt much support very close until Demeco showed up at the end.

The hurdle TD was just bad tackling, especially by a vet that should know better.

[Joshua]

While I'm not crazy about what I've seen from Reeves so far (and what I heard about him in Dallas), I don't think there is much dispute that the Texans had to bring in some veteran to play CB. Dunta was (and somewhat still is) a complete unknown. What we've seen from Bennett is encouraging but by no means a sure thing yet. Although we all expected the Texans to draft a corner, it was unknown who would be available (and it appears as though the Texans were targeting left tackle in the first round) so you couldn't count on this. Thus, they clearly needed depth at that position and were going to sign a free agent. If we're going to debate this signing, I think it should be done in the context of who was actually available.

Here is a list of this year's CB free agents - http://www.walterfootball.com/free2008CB.php

Based upon what it would cost to sign them, who would you rather have?

[Mike]

I have no problem with the play of Reeves on the Bush stiff arm play. He stopped him from turning the corner and forced him out. The long pass he needs to get his head turned around. He is not afraid to stick his nose in to tackle in the run game.

[NBT]

I will be watching Friday night to see how Dallas will attempt to exploit Reeves, but so far I am not at all impressed by the young man

[KJ3]

While I'm not crazy about what I've seen from Reeves so far (and what I heard about him in Dallas), I don't think there is much dispute that the Texans had to bring in some veteran to play CB. Dunta was (and somewhat still is) a complete unknown. What we've seen from Bennett is encouraging but by no means a sure thing yet. Although we all expected the Texans to draft a corner, it was unknown who would be available (and it appears as though the Texans were targeting left tackle in the first round) so you couldn't count on this. Thus, they clearly needed depth at that position and were going to sign a free agent. If we're going to debate this signing, I think it should be done in the context of who was actually available.

Here is a list of this year's CB free agents - http://www.walterfootball.com/free2008CB.php

Based upon what it would cost to sign them, who would you rather have?
counting on a specific guy in the draft is one thing....but if you're looking for a CB in the 3rd i'd think you probably have 2 or 3 you'd be willing to spend on. i'm pretty sure molden was the 2nd choice behind charles godfrey who was taken like 8 picks or so earlier.

but to answer your question randall gay, fernando bryant probably, drayton florence, and aaron glenn. guys who are an upgrade in talent basically. i mean if we were going to hand out some money why not go after a guy? did reeves have a couple teams hanging on him? i doubt it.

[Joshua]

counting on a specific guy in the draft is one thing....but if you're looking for a CB in the 3rd i'd think you probably have 2 or 3 you'd be willing to spend on. i'm pretty sure molden was the 2nd choice behind charles godfrey who was taken like 8 picks or so earlier.

but to answer your question randall gay, fernando bryant probably, drayton florence, and aaron glenn. guys who are an upgrade in talent basically. i mean if we were going to hand out some money why not go after a guy? did reeves have a couple teams hanging on him? i doubt it.

I agree that they were likely targeting Godfrey and Molden. The point I was trying to make was that if they didn't get a corner in the 1st, then the likelihood of drafting someone who could come in and play immediately is pretty slim. Thus, they needed to pick up someone in free agency.

I tend to agree that Gay and Florence may have been a better way to go (although I haven't watched either enough to say so definitively). As much as I like Aaron Glenn, I don't think he would be an upgrade. The Cowboys didn't think so or Glenn would have been starting ahead of Reeves last year.

I'm certainly not trying to defend the signing. I was just trying to point out that they had to sign some veteran CB and the market wasn't great.

[Joshua]

And for what it's worth, Drayton Florence was almost twice as expensive as Reeves. He signed a 6 year, $36 million deal compared to Reeves' 5 year, $20 million deal.

[coloradodude]

I have no problem with the play of Reeves on the Bush stiff arm play. He stopped him from turning the corner and forced him out. The long pass he needs to get his head turned around. He is not afraid to stick his nose in to tackle in the run game.


And I can agree with that but...

So the defense is in the film room come Monday morning, how do you think the team and the coaching staff reacted to the three plays I mentioned starting with the humiliation by Bush?

I can guarantee you that he did not come off as a hero for saving the day by cutting off Bush. He probably got handed an ice pack for his jaw in a symbolic gesture as to getting his butt kicked by a 200 lb running back.

Had he stopped Bush instead of being hurdled over I would be posting something totally different, as in, what a way to come back! But I'm not.

Stirs up feelings of when Carr would get sacked instead of throwing it away.

Rhodes better start working one on one with this guy. He does have potential but he needs to correct a few things.

[Keith]

I'm going to be putting up a new article on the site's front page later today that gets after Reeves and the team's continued suckage at signing UFAs from other teams.

It's not up on the front page (yet, it will be by tomorrow) since news about Weary and speculation on Green's future and the cap implications are taking precedent, but far be it for me to be a tease on this and not deliver. :p

http://www.inthebullseye.com/archive/2008/20080819.html

[shawn76ers]

i remember andre dyson coming in here for a visit before signing with the jets....We should have signed him instead of reeeves....i hope this decision does not haunt us for the next few yrs.

[RunninRaven]

Nice read, Keith. That's interesting about Grier, although there has been a noticeable improvement in draft returns since Richard Smith took over, so I'm not ready to believe that much of the Texans futility the first 5 years or so were on his shoulders.

[KJ3]

I agree that they were likely targeting Godfrey and Molden. The point I was trying to make was that if they didn't get a corner in the 1st, then the likelihood of drafting someone who could come in and play immediately is pretty slim. Thus, they needed to pick up someone in free agency.
the point i was trying to make was that if reeves is no better than anyone currently on our team, or the draft pick....why sign him? and why sign him to such a deal?

I tend to agree that Gay and Florence may have been a better way to go (although I haven't watched either enough to say so definitively). As much as I like Aaron Glenn, I don't think he would be an upgrade. The Cowboys didn't think so or Glenn would have been starting ahead of Reeves last year.

I'm certainly not trying to defend the signing. I was just trying to point out that they had to sign some veteran CB and the market wasn't great.

it may not have been a spectacular list to choose from but that doesn't mean you go sign just anybody. reeves is pretty much an "anybody"

[Keith]

Nice read, Keith. That's interesting about Grier, although there has been a noticeable improvement in draft returns since Richard Smith took over, so I'm not ready to believe that much of the Texans futility the first 5 years or so were on his shoulders.

Grier is responsible for pro scouting, not college scouting, so draft returns aren't directly part of the equation...but I see your point. Also, the success of the draft has made some pro player decisions look worse (like Mario vs. Weaver, for example).

We focus so much on college scouting, I just think our pro player scouting has been below average aside from a few "street" FAs like Andre Davis, Will Demps, and Anthony Maddox.

[RunninRaven]

Grier is responsible for pro scouting, not college scouting, so draft returns aren't directly part of the equation...but I see your point. Also, the success of the draft has made some pro player decisions look worse (like Mario vs. Weaver, for example).

We focus so much on college scouting, I just think our pro player scouting has been below average aside from a few "street" FAs like Andre Davis, Will Demps, and Anthony Maddox.

Yes, the pro player free agents have been pretty abysmal, especially the big money ones. I can't think of any big money free agents this team has acquired that worked out, even a little. Weaver hasn't been much help, Todd Wade was terrible, Robaire Smith didn't do much that I remember, Green is perpetually injured (had he stayed healthy, this might have really helped the team's record). I just hope Reeves doesn't fall in this category as well.

[jppaul]

Nice read, Keith. That's interesting about Grier, although there has been a noticeable improvement in draft returns since Richard Smith took over, so I'm not ready to believe that much of the Texans futility the first 5 years or so were on his shoulders.

Imo, I am not really worried about his getting burned by the hurdle touchdown and the stiff arm.


As someone said earlier he played the stiff arm correctly and as far as get hurdled there really wasn't an alternative there. He went low to maintain jis leverage and keep bush out of the endzone. If he went high bushs forward momentum would have just carried them both into the endzone.

I am more worried about his coverage skills than anything else.

[NBT]

If Grier is the weak point, then he needs to go, simple as that. And he seems to be.

[NBT]

Now that the cutdowns to 53 has come and gone, CB Deltha O'neal was cut, but he was picked up quickly by the Pattycakes. We still are battling that old reputation of underachievers, I reckon.:p

[cadams]

I may get creamed for saying this, but I didn't think Reeves looked too terribly bad on Sunday, at least not compared to Bennett. Bennett was getting lit up all day long. Reeves gave up some passes, but he seemed to be in good position, and a couple I thought he was in perfect position and unfortunately there was just a great throw and catch.


also, the middle of our defense about 7 yards deep was freaking wide open all game long (at least all of the first half). to me that means the coordinator was missing something and calling the wrong defenses. maybe it was a player's fault, but it seemed to happen something like 10 times in the first half. completely unacceptable

[Bigtinylittle]

I agree about Reeves. I'd be willing to bet the coaches graded him higher than Bennett last week. I hate to say it, but right now the backfield may actually be our strongest defensive unit. Scary, isn't it?