Can we all agree Rick Smith is not a bad GM?

[barrett]

We cannot all agree.

Dumping Brock was necessary. The same could have been accomplished by cutting him. Until I see us wisely use that money I can't call it a great move. But even if we use that money in a great way, it is still at best a smart bailout on his own disaster.

He could have drafted a QB a year ago and saved roughly $25 million in cap space and a 1st and 2nd round pick. Plus we'd be a year further along in developing the rookie QB and we wouldn't have gone through a playoffs with Osweiller.

Cleaning up most of the mess you made at great expense is not a praiseworthy thing.

[Nconroe]

I agree with PK that overall Rick has done a pretty good job. We've got a very good defense assembled.

Very few have figured out the QB thing.

Maybe only Tom Brady, others who seem good, still don't win consistently and get back to playoffs.

He's much better than most GM's in many ways.

[HPF Bob]

How differently things might have been if the Texans refused to overbid on Osweiler and instead used their first pick in 2016 to take Paxton Lynch instead of Oops Fuller V or selected Penn State alum Christian Hackenberg in the second instead of Nick Martin. Osweiler probably would have played better under the continued coaching of Kubiak and Manning. Lynch or Hackenberg would have struggled as much or more but the Texans would have had more money to beef up the line or find a veteran free agent receiver.

[Arky]

Yeah, I'm OK with him. I'm pretty sure the McNair's love him and he is (as the radio guys say) a "made man", i.e., he's probably not going anywhere anytime soon...

He's been smart to maintain the "yes man" role and not letting ego or power influence his decisions. He stays in the background, not in the headlines much and that I think that is preferable over some of the other extremes.

I do like that he's starting to stick his neck out a bit especially with the last few QB moves....

I know some think he's a pariah that is driving the franchise into the ground and I'm just not on that boat. With the Texans, I think mistakes are organizational and usually not the fault of any one person....

Are the Texans starting to enter an era with consistently deep playoff runs? I sure hope so. But if they aren't, everybody's chair will warm up....

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

How differently things might have been if the Texans refused to overbid on Osweiler and instead used their first pick in 2016 to take Paxton Lynch instead of Oops Fuller V or selected Penn State alum Christian Hackenberg in the second instead of Nick Martin. Osweiler probably would have played better under the continued coaching of Kubiak and Manning. Lynch or Hackenberg would have struggled as much or more but the Texans would have had more money to beef up the line or find a veteran free agent receiver.

To answer your Oops Fuller comment, Andre Johnson himself said that in his rookie season he dropped double digit passes, and he worked on it and became know as a sure handed WR. Rookie seasons are for the player to have his weaknesses exposed, it now up Fuller to rewrite the script on him.

I direct this to everyone, how many teams have more then four of there 1st round picks playing and starting on there team? Only the Texans IIRC. And that number is 7 first rounders starting. Duane Brown, Brian Cushing, Kareem Jackson, JJ Watt, Whitney Mercilus, DeAndre Hopkins, Jadeveon Clowney - On the team but not a full time starter Kevin Johnson, William Fuller.

Thats nine guys on the team contributing from the most valuable pick, again no team in the league has that many hits in the 1st round.

Plus check out how many UDFA the team plays, the Texans have one of the best scouting and then developing that talent into NFL talent.

When Kubiak was here, this team did not develop players like the current group does. Look no further than Whitney Mercilus for an example of what coaching can do for a young player.

Rick Smith has built a team with the #1 defense, won there division 3 out of 4 years, all without a solid QB. Well finally they draft a potential starting QB. And they don't grow on trees. How many games has Paxton Lynch started? How many snaps has Christian Hackenberg taken in a game?

Its hard to draft a QB in the NFL. That is why so many teams are still looking for one.

[chuck]

Buford is the only one pining for Paxton Lynch or Hackenberg. I would rather start Weeden than Hackenberg and it is not close.

I'm going (to try) to lay off my Smith bitching until I see what he does after the FA cuts with the Romo money he elected not to spend on Bouye. If he solidifies the OL with some quality and adds some secondary depth I'll be pleased. Or at least I'll be a little calmer about his letting the team's best corner walk.

I also think the team's problems are likely more organizational than personal.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by chuck

Buford is the only one pining for Paxton Lynch or Hackenberg. I would rather start Weeden than Hackenberg and it is not close.

I'm going (to try) to lay off my Smith bitching until I see what he does after the FA cuts with the Romo money he elected not to spend on Bouye. If he solidifies the OL with some quality and adds some secondary depth I'll be pleased. Or at least I'll be a little calmer about his letting the team's best corner walk.

I also think the team's problems are likely more organizational than personal.

Expecting some experienced offensive tackles to be available after the next wave of vets are cut by other teams is the only explanation that makes any sense why the Texans would completely ignore rookie tackles in this Draft, atleast ones who could help because that doesn't include the tall & lengthy prospect from Bucknell they drafted in the 4th who won't be ready before 2018, if then, and we need help at RT now, like when they tee it up in September for the '17 season.
You know they are gonna get some other players to help Duane Brown at tackle because now they've got a much bigger investment @ QB to protect than the proverbial punching bag poor ole Tom Savage.

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by chuck

Buford is the only one pining for Paxton Lynch or Hackenberg. I would rather start Weeden than Hackenberg and it is not close.

I'm going (to try) to lay off my Smith bitching until I see what he does after the FA cuts with the Romo money he elected not to spend on Bouye. If he solidifies the OL with some quality and adds some secondary depth I'll be pleased. Or at least I'll be a little calmer about his letting the team's best corner walk.

I also think the team's problems are likely more organizational than personal.

i think the money they cleared up will be used on DHop and Clowney's extensions. If they can get one of the guys signed on a extension, I am all for it.

OT guys still unsigned:
Ryan Clady (30)
Sebastian Vollmer (32)
Austin Pasztor (26)
King Dunlap (31)
Will Beatty (32)
Breno Giacomini (31)
Bradley Sowell (27)
Mike Adams (27)
Tony Hills (32)
Jake Long (31)

Clady and Vollmer are coming off shoulder surgery, and had huge contract extension with Jets and Pats respectfully not picked up by either team.

I agree with you that I would get them in here and have my doctors look at them. And make one them an offer. What a Right tackle either would be for us, if they are able to stay healthy.

FYI, Mike Adams has some starting experience and might be worth a look. Could probably be had for less money then Clady or Vollmer.

Nick Mangold (33) is still unsigned, and our OL coach made his reputation on being his OL coach. Is he still viable?

[Nconroe]

Profootballfocus had this analysis of Texans OL in 2016.

18. Houston Texans (11)
Top overall grade: LT Duane Brown, 85.7 (No. 17)

Top pass-blocking grade: C Greg Mancz, 87.2 (tied for No. 3)

Top run-blocking grade: LT Duane Brown, 84.8 (No. 7)

We have reached the point in the list where every remaining O-line is, at best, severely flawed. The Houston Texans’ unit saw a mix of excellent performances and pretty terrible ones in the regular season. LT Duane Brown began to creep back towards his best play this season, allowing only one sack all year and run blocked well, with the league’s seventh-best grade in that area, at 84.6. Greg Mancz—a player that dominated PFF’s grades in college—looked like a solid find for the team at center in his second season after being an undrafted free agent in 2015. Mancz allowed one sack and 18 total QB pressures across 671 pass-blocking snaps in the regular season, and was perfect in his Wild Card outing against the Raiders last week. Chris Clark, however, was the league’s worst pass-protecting right tackle, surrendering a ridiculous 67 total QB pressures on the season; he was also flagged 13 times. The guard pairing either let themselves down run blocking (Jeff Allen) or pass blocking (Xavier Su’a-Filo) over the year.

[HPF Bob]

Originally Posted by chuck

Buford is the only one pining for Paxton Lynch.

Had we taken him over Oops Fuller V, we'd be a year further in our development of a first-round QB although, in reality, the Texans thought they had solved it by signing Osweiler and was intent on obtaining weapons.

I wasn't so much pining as showing how one domino influences the next. No Osweiler, we could have had Lynch. No Browns bailout, we don't pursue Romo. Sign Romo, maybe we don't draft Watson. I'm just thanking my stars that the Chiefs took Mahomes. The more draft reports I read of Mahomes I realized I was reading about Johnny Manziel without the binge drinking.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

The more draft reports I read of Mahomes I realized I was reading about Johnny Manziel without the binge drinking.

And worse mechanics.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Had we taken him over Oops Fuller V, we'd be a year further in our development of a first-round QB although, in reality, the Texans thought they had solved it by signing Osweiler and was intent on obtaining weapons.

I wasn't so much pining as showing how one domino influences the next. No Osweiler, we could have had Lynch. No Browns bailout, we don't pursue Romo. Sign Romo, maybe we don't draft Watson. I'm just thanking my stars that the Chiefs took Mahomes. The more draft reports I read of Mahomes I realized I was reading about Johnny Manziel without the binge drinking.

No matter how flawed you might think the Texas Tech QB is you don't think there's any chance he and not Watson was actually the Texans top choice at QB ?

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Had we taken him over Oops Fuller V, we'd be a year further in our development of a first-round QB although, in reality, the Texans thought they had solved it by signing Osweiler and was intent on obtaining weapons.

I wasn't so much pining as showing how one domino influences the next. No Osweiler, we could have had Lynch. No Browns bailout, we don't pursue Romo. Sign Romo, maybe we don't draft Watson. I'm just thanking my stars that the Chiefs took Mahomes. The more draft reports I read of Mahomes I realized I was reading about Johnny Manziel without the binge drinking.

And what proof do you have that Lynch is a better choice than Osweiler?

To me that is the flaw in your logic. At this time no one is sure that Lynch is a NFL starting QB. Like many QBs, he started the 2015 season as one of the top prospect and as the draft season went on he dropped. He is a 6'7" QB. And like Brock he will have issues getting the ball out due to a slow delivery.

That said, and i repeat again, no one knows if he is the answer for Denver, yet Bob keeps stating the Texans would be better off with him.

I like the way the Texans have managed the QB, yes it has been frustrating. But I think we have a kid who in HS as a freshman beat out a senior QB to start for his team. At a QB camp on the Clemson campus as a 9th grader, he was offered a college scholarship. As a true college freshman, he became the starting QB and Clemson never looked back.

This season if he does not play, will be the 1st time in his life he was not the 1st team starting QB.

IMO he maybe the best prospect the city of Houston has every had for a pro team. OK, maybe not as a good as Jim Kelly, but danged close, Kelly did not win a National Championship.