Day 1 thoughts
 

It sure is nice to have picks. KC got Dorsey, Albert, and Flowers and are looking pretty good.

The Titans selected Chris Johnson to improve the return game. Jacoby Jones is starting to look like a value. I can't believe that the Titans had a better record than us last year. Jason Jones in the 2nd round? Vince Young should start Blogging for Andre Caldwell in the 3rd.

The Jags traded up to get Harvey. It's all about supply and demand. They HAD to get up that high to select Harvey. Cinci and NE were chomping at the bit at #9 and #10. They also got another pass-rusher in Q. Groves. They might not be as dumb as they are being portrayed.

The Falcons are idiots. Ryan and Sam Baker? They could have had Dorsey, Mike Jenkins, and Henne. Why take Lofton over Connor? Detroit isn't too far behind. Gosder Cherilus over Rashard Mendenhall? Are you freaking kidding me? Jordan Dizon over Ray Rice? Maybe they think Barry Sanders is coming out of retirement.

Buffalo gets what they need in McKelvin and Hardy! Chicago follows with Chris Williams and Matt Forte (they'll probably get Josh Johnson or Booty).

we had one of the statistically worst defenses in the league and the Titans had one of the best...don't let the partisan spewage eat your brain.

I think we had a plan, draft LT, then CB, then RB.

Our pick came up at #18, and it was to early for any of the OTs that where left that fit Gibbs style. Mendenhall and Felix Jones would have made this team better, much better, they are much more complete backs than the one dimensional Slaton.

Trade down.

Not a bad deal, third round is loaded.

Now here come the new the pick #26. I have not seen anyone call Brown a 1st rounder. Mid to late 2nd rounder at best. Why? He has great feet, quickness, and is strong, but he is still learning the position. He needs work on his hands. He is consider a longer to the field guy, hence his drop in the ratings.

I think this is a reach.

honestly, the brown pick is a reach... but i gotta trust alex gibbs in what he's doing. i don't wanna sound like mcclain, but it's far too early to roast the pick at this point. his athleticism is excellent, and strength can always be worked on... coaching is going to make or break this pick, and the cards are in our favor.

Maybe i should be clearer. After the Shrine game, I had said we should look hard at Brown, Zuttah and Sosa as mid round picks with upside.

I like Brown. He will be solid, in time. First round is for guys that will have an impact, sooner.

Now I defer to Coach Gibbs. He is the Doctor. And if he thinks he can get Brown to the field now, then he can.

I would have liked another trade down, or two if they where stuck on OT.

But then again, I scream for trade down every year.

That's pretty much where I sit on the issue. What really gets me is how Smith spoke on not reaching for players, on not targeting certain players or positions and, thus, reaching for them. Then that is exactly what they did. They took a player in a spot when he presumably would have been there later. They did exactly what they said good teams don't do, they reached.

With that being said - unless the staff is involved in some elaborate PR ploy to spin a bungled pick - they seem to be extremely excited about the pick. Alex Gibbs is the best OL coach in the game and he specifically targeted this guy. While Brown might have been one of the most uninspiring picks in franchise history, you won't find me second guessing a coach with the pedigree that Gibbs has.

I'd much have preferred Cason at 26 but if Gibbs liked Brown enough to take him at 26, then that's enough for me to sit back and watch without doubting the FO in the least. Plus, I'm really excited about Molden so that did a lot to disfuse any concern I had about missing on DRC and McKelvin in the first and then Godrey in the third.

This is something that I don't understand. Zuttah appears to have the same "athleticism" that Brown has, not to mention he has more upper body strength. Zuttah went at #83, so theoretically, we could have drafted Cason at #26 then gotten a project for Gibbs with Zuttah at #79.

Just something to consider as we watch these four players the next few seasons.

For some reason the "experts" are saying that Zuttah is a interior lineman, and most of those same "experts" are calling Brown the same thing.

I will be watching the progress of Zuttah and Sosa because I have been following them most of the season. I will also watch Williams to see if the myths of short arms and such is true.

I am curious to see how our OL falls. Who will be the guards, will Spencer make any noise, who backs up which position?

Could it have been the Texans liked Brown better than Zuttah and Mouldon better than Cason? I know you liked Cason, RP, but he seems rather smallish to me and they may have wanted someone taller to match up with the taller WRs in the division. Mouldon also seems to be a potential candidate for FS, although, I doubt that's their plan. I'm not questioning your judgement, just saying the Texans may have seen it completely different.

Just watched the first half of the Virginia, Virginia Tech game and Brown did well against Long. Long had one tackle and zero pressures. I kind of hesitate to say this but it was almost dominant. Enough to impress me with the first half alone that I was happy with the pick. Not impressed with the linebacker though (Abidi).

Watched the first half of the West Virginia, Cincinnati game and Slaton reminds me of Reggie Bush. That is the Saints version of Bush; however they did comment that teams are gameplanning for Slaton as a reason his stats being down.

Moulden is tall, a burner, fluid with a burst seems like an excellent pick.

After Mario, I have learned to keep quite for a couple of years before I make a judgement.

By the way, it is great to have this website back, thanks Keith.

To be completely honest here, the Texans most likely panicked. I'll give them credit for at least trading down and garnering extra picks. However, when Sam Baker gets picked in the 1st round (after a trade up by the Falcons) and not knowing if Zuttah would be available at #79, they reached. The need to find somebody to fill the hole at LT was too much to ignore. Most of us have been lobbying for a LT to be drafted in the 1st round for at least 4 years now. Since they (and most of the other teams) didn't like Carl Nicks as much as I do, there was a pretty big drop off if Zuttah wasn't available. So, I can understand it.

-----Name---------School-------Height-----Weight --- 40 --- 10 -- Shuttle--Cone - Jump - Vert - Bench -- 20
OT Jeremy Zuttah - Rutgers 6' 4" --- 303 --- 4.99 --- 1.73 --- 4.54 --- 7.59 --- 8' 11" --- 26.5 --- 35 --- 2.87
OT Duane Brown - Va Tech 6' 4" --- 315 --- 5.08 --- 1.76 --- 4.52 --- 7.54 --- 9' 0" --- 32.5 --- 24 --- 2.96

As for Cason vs. Moulds:
Name School Height Weight 40 10 Shuttle Cone Jump Vert Bench 20
Antoine Cason - Arizona 6' 0" --- 190 ---4.45 ---1.51 --- 4.08 --- 7.07 --- 10' 8" --- 36 --- 20 --- 2.53
Antwaun Molden - EKU 6' 0 3/4" - 198 --- 4.44 --- 1.5 --- 4.14 --- 6.85 --- 10' 9" --- 37.5 --- 23 --- 2.55

I wouldn't say that 3/4" and 8lbs makes Molden a better prospect to play against "taller WRs" in the NFL. As far as measurables go, they are pretty much the same body-type. I will say that I was happy we selected Molden since we had bypassed Cason. This is another position that I wanted addressed for quite a while. Molden is similar to Fred Bennett and hopefully will take to coaching the way Bennett did.

Roy, I know you love them, but there is more to football then numbers at the combine. What happens on the field is much more important. The bottom line is, Gibbs loved Brown, and that is more than good enough for me. Every year you complain that we didn't take "your guys," but the last two years have been pretty damn solid drafts. Kubiak and Smith deserve the benefit of the doubt.

I realize there are more than numbers at the Combine that makes a player. That's why I had Cason ahead of other CBs like Cromartie and McKelvin.

I also had Zuttah slightly higher than Brown.

Anyway, I'm not "complaining" so much as stating what I would have done. Duane Brown and Antwaun Molden are "My Guys" and I completely get it. Gibbs supposedly likes Brown a lot more than I do. I was guessing that either he or Zuttah would be available @ #79 and that is when I would have taken one or the other. Then I'd have hoped that Gibbs could work his magic. I also had Molden on my board as a possible 3rd round pick in the event we drafted some other position in the 1st. Basically, I'm saying that we drafted 2 3rd round picks (one just was taken at #26). If Brown plays like a 1st round LT, I'll be happy.

That could be true, but without knowing how the staff really feels about him there's no way to know. It is possible that they had him with a first round grade and as someone who they felt could provide an immediate impact. If that's the case they did a great job picking up the extra picks and still getting him. It remains to be seen if it was the right pick. I'm sure that's the story the Texans will give, and I think as a fan that is what you hoped happened.

I guess my point is if the Texans liked this guy and couldn't make a trade (up or down) then it's no big deal if they "reached" according to some people at 26.

I don't think they were in a panic....if they took him at 18 I think you could make that case with more ease. They calmly slid back a few slots and took the guy they wanted after making sure they picked up another quality draft pick. They didn't get too cute and drop so far back that a team like Atlanta who took a bigger reach in Baker, didn't snag their guy.

i agree, a "reach" is a relative term. everything i heard said that brown would have most likely been the next LT taken. if he is the last guy on the board who you though could do what you needed, he was the guy you wanted, and you thought he might not be there if you dropped back again then you take him.

i am certain that if the demaco would have been taken at #9 instead of 33, there would have been a lot of people who would have laeled it a reach. well, i am guessing there are a numebr of teams who would love to have had him for the 8-12 pick in that draft.

There's no doubt that the economic parameters of supply and demand were at work in the way things played out for Brown. I mean we are talking about
labor, albeit very capital intensive labor. Were they really that interested in
Brown, or was it a matter of him being the last LT on the Board ? What if Sam
Baker was still on the Board at 26 ? I suspect they might have traded back a second time to accumulate additional picks and get a LT for less. I mean hasn't Gibbs viewed OLineman like the Broncos have running backs ? Its just a commodity.

I will say that I'm okay with Duane Brown as a player. He fits our system and has the stamp of approval of Gibbs. I would have been completely pissed if we had done like Atlanta and traded up to reach for Sam Baker.

agreed, i didnt like baker, and really wasnt excited about otah either. i will keep going back to this though, until they have been on the field for a year or two there is no way anyone should be railing the texans. (and i havent really seen anyone here doing that, though i can't say the same for some of the opinions on chron.com). they made the right choice on the mario v. vy/bush pick, so we need to hold judgment and see how it plays out.

. . .i wonder how many of the people crucifying the texans for this pick were doing the same thing 2 years ago . . .

it isn't just a "plug in any old tackle" view. It's a plug in a specific skill set guy. If you believe what the coaches stated, Baker didn't have the skill set they wanted since they said, "all" the guys were gone off the board except for Brown.

I meant of the LTs that had the "skill set" the Texans were looking for to satisfy the criteria of Gibbs ZB system ? Williams, Albert, Clady, & Brown fit but Otah & Chariblis for example didn't. Bakers a fit, but maybe only at guard ?
And what was the Texans plan for a LT in later rounds had they taken a CB in the first round ? Maybe defer it to a future year like their need at weakside DE ?

I don't think they ever looked at the CB in the 1st. IMO that is why they signed Reeves.

In the old interviews with McNair and Kubiak, they talked how OLT was something they needed since the team was founded and that this draft was the time to grab one.

As was said before, I believe 4 guys projected at LT for the Texans, Clady, Williams, Albert and Brown. Brown was the rawest of the group which can be both good and bad.

I believe that Zuttah and Collins could also have been projects, but we will never know.

I have been very low on Baker, he did not appear to play with fire. Brown will play with fire.

I am curious to see how the OL will shake out, who will be the 8 or 9 guys we keep out of camp.

Brown, Pitts, Myers, Frye, Winston
Salaam, Spencer, Eslinger, Briesel, Butler

I know, that's 10.

Man, not just the OL. There is quantity at many positions, now. I'm counting ~85 players on the roster at present.

Gonna be some tough cuts down the line....

Taking Brown where we did, IMO, did not represent much of a reach. One of my two or three favorite prospect rating services, NFL Draft Scout, had him rated as the #12 OT back in Sept 07, with a "riser" qualification. With their final analysis, April 4th, they rated him as the 7th OT, with a qualifier of "stock up". Many of these late revisions had him rated as a 2nd rounder, with a few such as Draft Scout, as high second round.

There were three OT's taken in the 2nd round. We took him where we had to. Even trading down a few spots - which they had the opportunity to do - would have been taking too much of a chance.

I'm taking a wait-and-see position. He seems to need a bit of coaching and refinement of skills and I don't have high expectations of him winning a starting spot by game one. The guy only has three years as a OL'man under his belt and only one of those at LOT! But he will be tutoring under a coaching legend.

**
Brown plays offensive tackle, a position for stationary behemoths, the kind of player no coach would want covering punts. But Brown, a converted tight end in his second season as the Hokies' starting right tackle, uses his stunning speed and nimble feet to turn that stereotype into smithereens. Brown is the rare offensive lineman who covers punts, as athletic a tackle as the country offers.
"It's amazing," Virginia Tech offensive line coach Curt Newsome said. "You see one like him come along every so often."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...111001461.html
**
Interesting story about this years first-rounder.
He's an athlete for sure, but all indications are he's got lots & lots of things
to learn and perfect before he becomes a competant NFL pass-blocker.

"Not that he really needs it, but covering punts gives Brown another chance to show off his athleticism. If NFL scouts didn't notice his quick feet in pass protection last season when he neutralized Mario Williams, the first pick in this year's NFL draft, or his strength when he plowed a hole for Branden Ore's game-winning touchdown run at Miami, they'll see it when he flies down the field."

Hmmmm.....that should be fun at practice. :D

I've never heard Gibbs referred to as a pass-blocking genius, so I'm a bit worried about Brown's development in that area. Maybe the Texans are going with the philosophy of creating such a feared running game that it hampers Freeney/Vandenbosch/Harvey from pinning their ears back on non-"3rd and long" situations?

If it's any help...these guys liked the pick :D

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2Jpb-YkYO1I

Those guys know a player when they see one.

He blocked 3 kicks in his carrier, that is a bonus.

As a first-round pick, I don't think you'll see him on special teams except when we or the other team is placekicking. He'll soon be worth too much money to be injured on some freak special team play running 40-yard sprints.

you are being lighthearted/sarcastic but you are right. A bad running game puts you in a bunch of 3rd and longs. If you can give yourself more 2nd and short or 3rd and short situations you don't have to sink into deep passing situations that often.

Absolutely. It's the offensive equivalent of having a great pass rush making the secondary better. The offense and Defensive lines are the most crucial part of any team....maybe even more than the QB. The run game can set everything else up, and the run game starts in the trenches. I think you can see how close we are to having a great defensive line, and I think there's plenty of reason for optimism on the offensive side of the ball.

On our first round pick:
PK - Brown was a reach. Coach Gibbs didn't think so!
RP - Dissapointed.

The "Big Name" OT's were gone at #18. Smith traded down to #26 for an additional #3 (RB- Steve Slaton) & #6 pick (S Dominique Barber).

Most of us wanted a trade down scenario, and I think we got a very good one. It does no good to carp about the results now, lets wait until this season is over and see who contributes, and in what category. I have to say I am extremely pleased with our Draft, and with how well Smith & Kubiak worked together.

I will still say that Brown was a mid 2nd rounder based on his skill level, and as such was a reach. Now the fact that the Chargers where ready to reach for him with the next pick does not change my feeling that he was a mid 2nd to early 3rd round pick.

Just because Miami drafts Ginn top ten does not mean he has top 10 skills.

I am looking forward to late July and the start of training camp. I hope they open the practice to the fans again, because I loved being able to see them in person before the game. That is when Davis started to stand out to a few of us on the old site.

I want to see Mario and Brown going head to head. Then I will know how wrong I was on the guy.

I'm mildly dissapointed.

In fact, I'm pleasantly surprised that we were able to get a LT, RB, and CB while trading down. I'm somewhat happy to get Molden in the 3rd round.

Now we just have to wait and see how the team looks on the field.

Okay fine. You both have stated your opinions, and I have stated mine. How about the loser buys the beer after the season?! Sound fair enough?

Anytime, and there is no losing only different shades of winning.

i fixed that for you! :D

I just don't buy the "reach", and I adamently reject the "panic" aspect of taking Duane Brown with our first pick. I would like to pat Rick Smith on the back for staying firm in his resolve, then when the crem de la crem of the OLTs were gone at the 18th pick, he did a very savy and nervy thing in trading down eight spots, then had to sweat someone else jumping ahead of us, and then got the next best OLT still left on the board. AND in the process picked up an extra 3rd & 6th rnd pick for doing so. If Brown, Slaton, and Barber all make the team, and indeed do start, Rick Smith will be hailed as a genius. Heck Mr. McNair has already given him a raise and a new contract.