Day 1 thoughts

[Arky]

Originally Posted by painekiller

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

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....

[Number19]

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.

[nunusguy]

**
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.

[Roy P]

"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.

[NickO]

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

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

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by NickO

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

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.

[HPF Bob]

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.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by NickO

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

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

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.

[papabear]

Originally Posted by Vinny

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.