Will Kubiak return in 2011?

[mrhunt]

Get rid of Matt Schaub he sucks. Bring in Vince Young. Retire the #8 jersey for ever.

[gnadfly]

Remember when the Texan could not protect the QB and our running game was suspect? Where are our all our top flight pre-Kubiak draft choices? We have personnel issues, just like most teams in the NFL.

It would be nice if the Denver Broncos traded us a couple of top draft picks to bring home their former assistant coach like Tampa Bay did to bring Chuckie from Oakland. Then we could use those draft picks to lure a coach that can pick defensive players like Cowher.

[Guest040616]

Originally Posted by mrhunt

Bring in Vince Young.

I damn near choked when I read that post! LOL

[boardman]

Now that the "deal" is done and The Texans have announced that they will go back to a bas 3-4 defense where does that leave our high dollar 4-3 defensive ends?
In sound bites played on 610 yesterday neither one of them sounded very enthusiastic about playing the 3-4.
I heard it mentioned that Phillips doesn't employ a traditional 3-4 in that the ends aren't 2 gapping.(meaning they don't have to play the gap on either side of the man they are head up on).
It has also been mentioned that Bruce Smith was pretty damned successful as a 3-4 end where he lined up just outside the tackle. Does Mario have Bruce Smith like talent?

[cockstrong]

if mario doesn't want 2 play in a 3-4 get rid of him...he has "some" value 2 other teams. i would like 2 see in next years 3-4

mario williams and antonio smith at ends
sean cody at NG
demeco and cushing at inside backer
connor barwin and von miller (if they can draft him, if not sharpton, diles or adibi) at the other outside backer

maybe play sharpton or diles there on 1st and 2nd down and bring in a blitzing/passrushing OLB on 3rd down

[boardman]

Sounds like Cushing may go to SOLB. I kinda thought inside was a better fit. Definitely Barwin at OLB and I thinck Adibi might have the skill set for a 3-4 OLB.

[cockstrong]

yeah i think adibi does too....i think VT runs a 3-4 so i played in it in college

[Guest040616]

Originally Posted by boardman

Does Mario have Bruce Smith like talent?

I can not recall too many Defensive Linemen with Bruce Smith talent. I consider Smith to be in the best of the best category! Mario plays well most of the time but certainly not to that level. I believe the defensive line and linebackers will adjust to a 3-4 defense. What we have to worry about are the DB's. That's going to be the case whether we use a 3-4 alignment or a 4-3.

One positive about the DB's, I don't believe they can play worse than they did in 2010! There is only one direction they can go! Up, up and away!

[cockstrong]

+1 BigTex

[Guest040616]

We all know that hindsight is 20-20 but I am damn glad the Texans drafted Mario instead of VY. That dude turned into a frigging head case!

[gnadfly]

Time to open the wallet. He would cure our secondary woes in a hurry.

[obiwansalami]

Originally Posted by bigtex

I can not recall too many Defensive Linemen with Bruce Smith talent. I consider Smith to be in the best of the best category! Mario plays well most of the time but certainly not to that level. I believe the defensive line and linebackers will adjust to a 3-4 defense. !

Most won't. Denver was the most recent team that switched to 3-4, and the only two leftovers from the 4-3 team are Dumervill and Thomas. Dumervill actually blossomed in 3-4 and upped his sack count from 8 to 17, but he was already undersized 4-3 DE and a natural fit for OLB in 3-4. Thomas switched from 4-3 DT to 3-4 DE, and is still a marginal player/backup that he was as 4-3 DE.

You can kiss Mario Williams goodbye with this switch to 3-4. It'll take two years to draft/get DL & LBs for 3-4 defense. On top of that, your team has crappy DBs. You might be able to keep 1 or 2 starters from your current defensive 11. Luckily, your offense is all set, so no need to waste draft picks there.

The move to get Wade made sense for the Phillips family, the owner who likes Kubiak, and Kubiak himself who gets to spend another year as the HC in his hometown. It didn't make sense for your team, because there is talent in your front seven. The fans won't like it because your defense will get worse before it gets better.

Do you have the patience to give Kubiak not one, but two more years? I didn't think so. If only the owner fired Kubiak, he'd have already been hired in Denver and would bring Wade back to Denver to coach 3-4 in its the third year of transition from 4-3. Win-win for everybody, no? But, the dice did not roll that way, and both Broncos and Texans will be worse off.

To recap: DEs in 4-3 are not OLBs in 3-4. Mike LB in 4-3 can be ILB in 3-4, but you need two of those. Your SLB and WLB in 4-3 are useless in 3-4 defense. Your 4-3 DTs might make a transition to 3-4 DEs, but it's not a given. Your premier pass rush 4-3 DEs are odd men out as well. And let's not forget: you still need to draft a NT - the most unselfish position in NFL that brings no glory to men, only blood, sweat and tears.

[obiwansalami]

Originally Posted by gnadfly

Time to open the wallet. He would cure our secondary woes in a hurry.

He would, if you stick to 4-3. He'd be useless in the first year of transition to 3-4, unless you rush the QB on all pass plays. How well do you think would that work against Payton Manning?

I'll submit for your consideration one Champ Bailey - a premier CB for most of his time in Denver that could not make a difference without consistent pass rush. True, QBs would not throw his way most of the time, but he could not cover elite WRs when the QB had 7 seconds to throw.

[boardman]

Wade Phillips is saying the right things. Whether that translates into production...We'll see.
He mentioned using Mario's talents to the best of his abilities ala Bruce Smith. Moving him around different stances and positions. He has also been successful with undersized nose tackles by making use of their quickness instead of shear bulk.
He must thinck he can win with the talent he has or he probably wouldn't have taken the job.
He has to know that anything short of the playoffs will bring a coaching change and the defense is what kept them out of contention this year.
Realistically, there's only so much you can do in one off-season so he is either very confident in what he can do with what he knows he has or he was very desperate. Since he took the job so quickly I don't thinck desperation was an issue.

[gnadfly]

Originally Posted by obiwansalami

He would, if you stick to 4-3. He'd be useless in the first year of transition to 3-4, unless you rush the QB on all pass plays. How well do you think would that work against Payton Manning?

I'll submit for your consideration one Champ Bailey - a premier CB for most of his time in Denver that could not make a difference without consistent pass rush. True, QBs would not throw his way most of the time, but he could not cover elite WRs when the QB had 7 seconds to throw.

No CB in the league can cover an elite WR with 7 seconds to throw (which may be your point). They'd be throwing in the other CBs direction though which Wade could adjust for. The guy is the premiere shut down corner in the league and would immediately help our team. You seem to be writing off the defense next year no matter what.