I'll say this again. Duane Brown was the best offensive lineman on the field yesterday, on either team. And it was not close. And he hadn't played in nearly a year.
The Texans have a quarterback who is probably top five in the league TODAY, and they risk getting him permanently disfigured with the cast of rejects and horrible second round picks they masquerade as an offensive line.
Lane is terrible. That's not to say he won't improve the team's secondary. For all I know he'll distinguish himself as the team's best corner. But, as we saw yesterday, he was benched by the Seahawks in favor of an unheralded rookie.
And speaking of second round picks, the one the team garners with this trade won't make an impact for years, and once he does, based on history, it's difficult to say whether that impact will in fact be largely positive.
Of course the team could bundle that pick with others and try to make a move in next year's draft. As usual there are plenty of holes, and I haven't looked at which FA OL and CB/S are poised to be available next year. But for once in our lives as Texans fans the most important position is spoken for, loudly. And I'd sort of like to keep him out of the hospital if at all possible. And swapping Duane Brown for Chris Clark or Kendall Lamm or whoever TF they bring in is not going to cut it.
I see this as punting on this season and, significantly, exposing your best player to unnecessary risk in order to satisfy a blood lust for someone who publicly shamed the organization. As I would have predicted, the necks love it. Good riddance! Harrumph! they cry. But, as I said, this is a shining example of what I have always maintained - the owner is not principally concerned with winning.
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