OD vs. Atogwe

[Joshua]

Yesterday, Owen Daniels signed with the Texans and Atogwe signed with the Redskins. According to reports, Daniels signed a 4 year/$22 million deal (with $6 mill. guaranteed) and Atogwe signed a 5 year/$26 million deal (no word on guaranteed amount). As the contracts were relatively similar in terms and reached on the same day, it got me to thinking, which would you rather have?

OD is clearly the younger player and probably has greater upside. But he is coming off his 3rd ACL tear and plays one of the few positions that the Texans have depth at. With the recent cuts, the Texans basically don't have a starting caliber S on their roster (and arguably didn't before the cuts), thus, Atogwe would have filled a position of huge need with an above average player.

So, since not much is going on, I thought I would throw this out. Which would you rather have? While OD is probably the better playeer, the dropoff between Atogwe and Nolan and Barber is much greater than the difference between OD and Dreesen (or Casey or Hill or Graham . . . ).

[Nconroe]

in the whatif world, if you lined up both players and said you can only have one then I would take the safety.

But UFA signing and trades and draft havn't really started, so we don't know what else Texans might do to replace the two experienced safeties they just let go, who were good in 09 but not in 10. Hopefully not repeating their CB mistake of last year, we shall see.

[Arky]

One can probably make an argument either way... I liked the OD signing because I think he makes the offense better. I think Schaub likes to target him, too, I think, moreso than the other TE"s.... Will OD stay healthy and return to making plays like he used to? That is "to be continued".... I think his contract had a bit of we-like-you,-coach-and-the-other-guys-like-you-here's-some-money-for-past-sacrifices-please-don't-get-hurt-again to it.... I think it was a fair contract - perhaps a little more than expected. I think Dreesen is solid and Casey has untapped potential and they really need to figure out a way to get more live reps for Casey. And if they draft another TE this year, they would have a very hard time justifying it to the fanbase...

Atogwe, honestly, I don't know that much about him other than he's supposed to be very good.

So, you're looking at two "very good" players making about the same - one on offense, one on defense. Do the Texans need "very good" on defense? You betcha. Lots of it. But do the Texans have a master plan for the defense this off-season? Whenever they get back to playing games (September? October?) we'll have the answer. In the meantime, it'll be interesting to follow the moves they make for Wade's "new" defense...

[NBT]

If it had been an either-or situation, which it was not, I am glad we went with OD. BUT, I still say we need to get much more aggressive with the FA situation, much earlier in the game, and not waiting for the left overs as we have done in the past.

[Arky]

Found this link on another forum. It's Walterfootball.com's take on the free agents signings so far. He's got the OD signing as a "good move" and Washington signing Atogwe as a "bad move"....

Redskins sign FS O.J. Atogwe: 5 years, $26 million - Bad Move

I'm going to be honest. Daniel Snyder is a f***ing moron. Look, O.J. Atogwe is a really good player. But what the hell are the Redskins going to do with him? He turns 30 in June. Washington is a team in rebuilding mode. When they're finally capable of competing for a playoff spot, Atogwe will be old and ineffective.

This signing makes absolutely no sense. But then again, nothing Snyder ever does makes any sense. It's really amazing that year after year, Snyder continuously makes the mistake over and over again.

Here's a thought, Mr. Snyder: How about you build through the draft instead of overpaying for 30-year-old free agents past their prime? I know, it's a crazy concept. But maybe you should start paying attention to how franchises like the Packers, Steelers and Colts operate. Notice how they're always successful despite never signing any free agents? I guess that's just luck, right?

Texans re-sign TE Owen Daniels: 4 years, $22 million; $6 million guaranteed - Good Move

Owen Daniels is one of the top tight ends in the NFL. He's coming off an injury, so the Texans are lucky enough to get him at a discounted rate.

[TheMatrix31]

Well, I agree on OD being a great (re)signing. Critical to our offense.

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by Arky

Found this link on another forum. It's Walterfootball.com's take on the free agents signings so far. He's got the OD signing as a "good move" and Washington signing Atogwe as a "bad move"....

They did not say Atogwe could not play and that he would not be a good signing for a team that is close, just that the Redskins are not close and he would be past his prime before they were a contender again.