Texans-Falcons Trade In The Works?

[Warren]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Metzenberger will be there in the second round after flunking the drug test at the combine. And the third round. And maybe the fourth round.

Mettenberger’s test didn’t show any drugs, but it was so diluted that it was treated as a positive test. It will be up to each team to decide whether they buy his story that he’d been chugging water to deal with cramping from his surgery and not trying to water down his pee to avoid a positive test.

Possibly the bigger character issue with Mettenberger is that as a freshman at Georgia he plead guilty to misdemeanor sexual battery for grabbing a woman in a bar. He seems to have stayed out of trouble since then (despite his apparent Ozarka habit), but I can’t imagine McNair and some other owners would be too excited about making a convicted sex criminal the potential face of the franchise.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by Warren

Mettenberger’s test didn’t show any drugs, but it was so diluted that it was treated as a positive test. It will be up to each team to decide whether they buy his story that he’d been chugging water to deal with cramping from his surgery and not trying to water down his pee to avoid a positive test.

Possibly the bigger character issue with Mettenberger is that as a freshman at Georgia he plead guilty to misdemeanor sexual battery for grabbing a woman in a bar. He seems to have stayed out of trouble since then (despite his apparent Ozarka habit), but I can’t imagine McNair and some other owners would be too excited about making a convicted sex criminal the potential face of the franchise.

Especially after the disastrous results they had with last years 3rd pick out of LSU.

[Nconroe]

I didnt see sex criminal in any writeups. I found 18 year old drunk and disorderly conduct during spring break. 2k fine with 40 hours community service does not equate to what Ben Rothelsberger did same week.

I'd have to check carefully but on surface innuendo and rumors don't seem to fit actual person.

Certainly last year draftee from LSU should not affect analysis this year. No guilt by association.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by Nconroe

I didnt see sex criminal in any writeups. I found 18 year old drunk and disorderly conduct during spring break. 2k fine with 40 hours community service does not equate to what Ben Rothelsberger did same week.

I'd have to check carefully but on surface innuendo and rumors don't seem to fit actual person.

Certainly last year draftee from LSU should not affect analysis this year. No guilt by association.

The way it is now if a guy touchs a chic's azz they write him up as a sex offender. I'm not saying that's OK, I'm not saying it's a case of boyz being boyz, but they are almost certainly not a pediphile which is what it can sound like. Atleast let's hope not.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by Nconroe

I didnt see sex criminal in any writeups. I found 18 year old drunk and disorderly conduct during spring break. 2k fine with 40 hours community service does not equate to what Ben Rothelsberger did same week.

I'd have to check carefully but on surface innuendo and rumors don't seem to fit actual person.

Certainly last year draftee from LSU should not affect analysis this year. No guilt by association.

It was two counts of sexual battery. A misdemeanor, and not nearly as heinous as some other sex crimes, but still a sex crime and not what an image-conscious owner wants on his QB's resume. If that's his only transgression then they may be willing to write it off as a moment of youthful, drunken stupidity from which he's learned his lesson, but I guarantee he was grilled about it in team interviews and they've looked closely into his off-the-field activities, especially his use of alcohol.

[Nconroe]

Yes, agree, likely have all types private investigators and personality physchologists verifications and extra blood tests for these guys.

[barrett]

The draft coverage is a joke this year. It blows my mind how many people lap up 24 hour a day coverage for 2 straight months. It also depresses me since it means they'll likely keep the ridiculous May draft date and do it all over again next year.

Nothing like GMs and 'writers' (and I use that term loosely in the internet age) making up stories and lying to each other and readers/fans, and then 'analysts' giving their take to the made up published reports.

Any player that makes a big move up or down media draft boards since the season ended is hilarious. Guys play 3-4 years of college football and produce hundreds of hours of defining game film. Then the media feeds amateur draftniks mocks and planted stories to create new identities for guys who are already known based on film.

And in the end a team takes a player to great fanfare or anger, and then 6 months later nobody cares about draft position and all that matters is on field production again. The whole thing is a self perpetuating fantasy.

I can't wait until I get to be a fan of actual football again instead of having the NFL and ESPN stuff the draft down my throat.

[WMH]

From PFT:
Texans asked for an RG3-type deal for first overall pick

Posted by Michael David Smith on May 7, 2014, 6:59 PM EDT

If the Texans are going to move down from the first overall pick in the draft, they want a huge bounty of picks. Which means they’re probably not trading down.

According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, when a team with a Top 10 pick contacted the Texans to ask what it would take to trade up to No. 1, the Texans responded that it would take what Washington packaged to move up and draft Robert Griffin III two years ago: Three first-round picks and a second-round pick.

“The Houston Texans said, ‘If you want our pick, it’s three number ones and a two,’” Glazer said. “When RG3 was traded, that’s what they got. . . . But, no. No one’s giving up three number ones and a two.”

What we don’t know is where in the Top 10 that team wanted to move up from. It’s possible that the Texans might be willing to accept less if a team in the 2-4 range asked them to move down just a couple spots. Glazer added that the Texans’ trade demands are on “a sliding scale,” meaning they’d ask for more compensation the further back they were going to move.

But as it stands, it sounds like, given what the Texans are demanding, they’re keeping the first overall pick.

[Arky]

Originally Posted by barrett

The draft coverage is a joke this year. ...............

I can't wait until I get to be a fan of actual football again instead of having the NFL and ESPN stuff the draft down my throat.

Last year, I put the TV on NFLN, muted so I could watch the ticker and turned on the radio to 610. Worked pretty good. (Radio) 610 coverage is actually pretty good and is Texans-centric. Can't handle too much of Mayock/Kiper/Berman....

I'll probably watch the first few picks straight from the TV and then go to the above format....

[chuck]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

Especially after the disastrous results they had with last years 3rd pick out of LSU.

I am most anxious to see whether Kubiak was in charge of that mess or if we're in for more of the same this year. I'm not a big fan of Smith's but my guess is that he took a back seat on draft day.

We may discover that that was a good thing.

[popanot]

If the Texans don't draft a QB with their 1rst RD pick, and depending on which QBs fall, there could be a mad rush by some teams to trade back into the 1rst RD over top of the Texans 2.1 pick. I could see a lot of those teams at the backend (Seattle, for sure) willing to trade back if it's not too far of a drop. In fact, I'll predict now that someone makes a deal with SEA despite the QBs on the board.

Not that this means anything, but I saw one mock that had Bortles dropping and the Texans traded up with the Pats at 1.29 to get him. I could even see a team jumping CLE at 1.26 and trading with SD for 1.25 depending on who's there.

[popanot]

Tweets this morning. No way ATL gives up THAT much. I'd take #6, #37 and a 2015 #1.

Evan Silva ‏@evansilva · 7m
More Werder: "Word on the street" is #Texans asking #Falcons for RG3-like haul to get from 6 to 1. (That was 3 1st-rounders & 2nd-rounder.)

Evan Silva ‏@evansilva · 7m
ESPN's Ed Werder on SportsCenter: "The dialogue between #Texans, #Falcons has been legitimate & continues as we speak."

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by popanot

Tweets this morning. No way ATL gives up THAT much. I'd take #6, #37 and a 2015 #1.

Evan Silva ‏@evansilva · 7m
More Werder: "Word on the street" is #Texans asking #Falcons for RG3-like haul to get from 6 to 1. (That was 3 1st-rounders & 2nd-rounder.)

Evan Silva ‏@evansilva · 7m
ESPN's Ed Werder on SportsCenter: "The dialogue between #Texans, #Falcons has been legitimate & continues as we speak."

If those reports are legit, I can't understand why the Texans think they can get so much for a non-QB, unless they value Clowney a lot more than I think they do
and would prefer to keep him unless they can get a "king's ransom" for him ?

[HPF Bob]

Silva or Werder's source has to be on the Falcons (or possibly Clowney's agent but unlikely). The idea is to overinflate the Texans' demand to make them seem like the unreasonable ones if the deal falls through. Or, perhaps, if the Falcons agree to a deal, they can make their fan base think they got a better deal than the one the Texans wanted so it seems like a bargain instead of a screwing.

I think Texans want four things in return: 1st and 2nd this year are requirements, 3rd and/or 4th this year plus 1st or 2nd in 2015. On the Falcons' side, would 1, 2, 4 and a 2nd next year be all that onerous?

If I am the Texans, I'd accept 1, 2, 3, 4 or 1, 2, 3/4 plus a 1/2 next year. How much did they give up to get Julio Jones? Why should Clowney be any less?

Did you see the NFL Nation blog mock on ESPN.com? Texans traded down to Buffalo at #9 in return for Buffalo's 1 and 2 plus a 1 and 3 in 2015 and a 2 in 2016 then somehow magically Bortles in there at #9. Don't think the Texans would do something so foolish or risky if Bortles is their target.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by chuck

I am most anxious to see whether Kubiak was in charge of that mess or if we're in for more of the same this year. I'm not a big fan of Smith's but my guess is that he took a back seat on draft day.

We may discover that that was a good thing.

The signing of FA Reed was a big mistake, but the Montgomery pick was a total head-scratcher. That was so uncharacteristic of the Texans, I've always thought that move was based on a "hunch" by Wade. Have no way of knowing though ?

[HPF Bob]

Originally Posted by chuck

I am most anxious to see whether Kubiak was in charge of that mess or if we're in for more of the same this year. I'm not a big fan of Smith's but my guess is that he took a back seat on draft day.

We may discover that that was a good thing.

I doubt Kubiak had much say in defensive picks.