NFL and Houston Texans Superthread: Are we ready for some football?

[Satin]

There is a good article in this weeks Houston Press talking about which player the Texans should offer a big contract to - Mario or Arian. It seems as if they can't do both. It rates 8 different categories and Arian won 4 and Mario 2. Two were a wash or tie. It's a very well written article...

[One-Eyed Willy]

This one ?

[Satin]

That's the one Cat-Man....so what did you think of it and did you agree with it? I agreed with 99% of it.

[Guest040616]

I believe that both are premium players and if the Texans can figure out a way to do both, go for it. For the long term, Williams will have more impact but I believe we are on the verge of a possible Super Bowl. That being the case, I would give an ever so slight advantage to Foster!

[TheDon]

Can't we just have some super rich hot-shot pay Mario or Arian under the table? Who'd notice..

[Guest040616]

One thing that haunts me about the Texans not paying Mario. I can see a possibility that the two players (Mario and Jason Babin) who lead the league in number of sacks for the 2012 season, both being ex Texans!

[One-Eyed Willy]

Yeah I agree with it also. I might add that Brooks Reed has played outstanding @ Mario's spot and also now has more experience playing that position under Wade Philips. Texans will need to add depth @ RB unless they keep both Arian and Ward. OLB will also be another area. If we loose Mario, then Reed need will need a back up.

Free agency starts March 13th if I'm not mistaken. I'm sure both our stars will have teams giving their best shot at prying them loose of H-Town's grip and I don't think either one wants to play anywhere else.

[One-Eyed Willy]

Well GotDamn after being pissed off at NewYorkers for #trending and Justin Tuck for SwaggerJackin' Foster's TD Nemaste, I guess I need to lighten up a little. It turns out they just might get a glimpse of whats going on with some real NFL teams outside NY. NY Daily News posted an article about SB XLVII predictions. These were my picks for this year, but I'll ride with it for next year too. I didn't catch a mention of the Swagger Jack but still nice to see they're given props to H-Town... And of course I love the idea of the Saints being the 1st ever team to play in a SB on their home field... And loosing (if they face the Texans)... hehehe

NFL fast-forward forecast: Houston Texans will meet New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLVII

[Guest040616]

Originally Posted by One-Eyed Willy

Yeah I agree with it also. I might add that Brooks Reed has played outstanding @ Mario's spot and also now has more experience playing that position under Wade Philips. Texans will need to add depth @ RB unless they keep both Arian and Ward. OLB will also be another area. If we loose Mario, then Reed need will need a back up.

Free agency starts March 13th if I'm not mistaken. I'm sure both our stars will have teams giving their best shot at prying them loose of H-Town's grip and I don't think either one wants to play anywhere else.

As it relates to Brooks Reed. He did play very well in Mario's absence. I am of the opinion that he and Mario could both start. I could see one being the DE (probably Reed) and the other the OLB. They are both athletic enough that they could be interchangeable. They are both damn good and deserve to be on the field.

As I said a few weeks ago when Satin first brought this subject up. I believe the Texans have to find a way to sign Mario. You can't let good football players slip away. Mario is a very good football player who needs to be wearing a Texans uniform next year!

Originally Posted by One-Eyed Willy

NFL fast-forward forecast: Houston Texans will meet New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLVII

Now that's what I'm talking about!

Excellent article, thanks Commish!

"The Texans made the playoffs and won the AFC South for the first time this season and might have gone a long way if quarterback Matt Schaub didn't suffer a season-ending foot injury in the 10th game." The author was spot on with the following quote:

I said something very similar! The difference was that I made the prediction immediately after Schaub (and then Leinart) went down. I said something to the effect that the Texans would probably win one playoff game but would lose to either Pittsburgh, New England or Baltimore in the next round. Unfortunately, I nailed it!

With a healthy Matt Schaub for the 2012 season, I like our chances of making it to next years Super Bowl!

[One-Eyed Willy]

Originally Posted by bigtex

As it relates to Brooks Reed. He did play very well in Mario's absence. I am of the opinion that he and Mario could both start. I could see one being the DE (probably Reed) and the other the OLB. They are both athletic enough that they could be interchangeable. They are both damn good and deserve to be on the field.

I'm confused here BT.. We play 3-4 and our inside 3 consists of Sean Cody (Nose Guard) JJ. Watt(DE) and Antonio Smith(DE)... the 4 would all be LB's... 2 inside (Cush and Meeco), and 2 Outside (Mario/Reed and Barwin)... Now I don't see JJ Watt or Antonio Smith coming off the bench for Reed. Also Mario/Reed and Barwin sometimes have fall back in coverage. Usually it would be in short-inside-zone coverage but when we send Meeco and/or Cush on blitzes, they may have to cover a single TE or RB downfield. The only thing I'd do to change this line up is to get one of them big Refrigerator type fellas at nose guard. However, I want more On the Nose episodes next year. Cody is also one of the locker-room favorites and keeps the fellas loose. The only way I could see the 3 (Barwin, Mario, and Reed) on the field at the same time would be in a Goal-Line formation like a 4-3 moving one of them to ILB.

Giving up Mario would solely be a financial reason as Reed would be excellent coming off the bench for either Barwin or Mario. However our starting front 7 are among the elite with perhaps an exception of Cody and that's with or without Mario. Giving him up would solely be to free up cap room giving us the ability to address Foster's contract and to add a legitimate WR or perhaps another shut-down corner. Keeping them both would pretty much completely take us out of the free-agency market and we'd have to rely solely on draft picks.

The main issue with Mario is we have nothing to bargain with unless he is willing to take less $ to stay. At least with Arian, we can match the offer he receives and we'd gain a 1st round pick. I think Arian is extremely important to our offense and the Texans will be able match big contract offers as it would be a gamble for loosing squads to pay big money and loose a 1st rounder. No doubt the Texans want Mario and will try make an offer to keep him but any leverage will have to come from the man himself. In a somewhat similar scenario, Leech proved to be a valuable commodity but Texans couldn't pay him enough to stay. Both Leech and the Texans wanted him to stay in H-Town, but as in all sports....money talks. He had 5 teams out to pick him up and eventually settled with the Ravens offer for 3yr 11mil (4mil bonus and 6 mil guaranteed). It was sad to see him go, he was one of my favorites. He's like a human demolition ball on the field. I like to call him Mr. Flap Jack, cuz he's always pancaking mother fuckers...

As of March 13th, Mario will no longer officially be with the Texans and will be completely up for grabs... Its not a matter of if the Texans want him or not, but rather a matter of how much does he want and where does he want to go... We'll see.

[Guest040616]

Originally Posted by One-Eyed Willy

I'm confused here BT.. We play 3-4 and our inside 3 consists of Sean Cody (Nose Guard) JJ. Watt(DE) and Antonio Smith(DE)... the 4 would all be LB's... 2 inside (Cush and Meeco), and 2 Outside (Mario/Reed and Barwin)... Now I don't see JJ Watt or Antonio Smith coming off the bench for Reed. .

I am making an assumption that Reed would beat out Antonio Smith for the DE spot. If so, I can see a scenario in which the starting line would be Sean Cody, JJ Watt and Brooks Reed (or Mario Williams.) With the 4 starting LB's being Mario (or Reed), Cushing, DeMeco and Barwin! If Mario returns to the DE position it becomes a moot point. There is no doubt in my mind that both Mario and JJ would beat out the Ninja for the DE position!

I understand that Antonio Smith would be the odd DE out in this scenario but I have to believe that it is an even better and more versatile front 7 than we put on the field during the 2011 season. And we certainly did not have a back up DE the caliber of Antonio Smith. Get my drift?

You are correct that Mario becomes an unrestricted free agent next month. Mario has said he wants to remain a Texan, let's see if he really means it. There is still the possibility that the Texans could put a franchise tag on him. No doubt it is a risky move but at the very least they could possibly work out a trade for him. If they decide to trade Mario, at least they would be able to get some decent draft picks in either this years or next years draft.

You can bet the Texans front office is trying to figure out a way to clear the cap space so they can keep Mario. I hope it is not wishful thinking on my part but I have to believe they are going to find a way to get it done!

[Satin]

Good post Cat-Man, I just hope some of these wanna-be football experts read your second paragraph over and over whenever they start talking about we need to franchise Sorrio and pay him $23 million...

The only reason we're even talking about him this much is because he was a number 1 pick. The guy has underachieved and he is hurt every year. The defense with Brooks did just fine without him. Again, paragraph # 2 sums it up perfectly....

[One-Eyed Willy]

OK I see, sounds good but taking Smith out of the line up seems drastic in a scheme that already works. He was good enough to take the field in Hawaii, and to follow up that with coming off the bench seems highly unlikely. Speaking of Hawaii, I failed to mention Chris Meyers. We also got to address his contract. Many scouts have him as one the elites, if not the most elite Center in the NFL. I expect to see big money going his way as well.

I don't know the exact numbers but as Satin just posted, I have seen it being reported that slapping a Franchise Tag on Williams could cost upwards of 20mil.... That would be a one hell of a price to pay for some draft picks. Unless we were rebuilding and shelling out our best to invest in the future, it doesn't seem likely.

The main objective for 2012 is to be SB ready. We've already built our team and we are YOUNG. There are only a few areas to address this off-season and I'm hoping we can add a couple of VETS to the starting line up. That would be in free agency and I'll bet there would be a few financially-set veterans willing to come here for less money with hopes of adding a ring to their career. Unless we could get a top WR in the draft, I think they should utilize the draft solely to ad depth. No starters. In fact, I believe we could spare some draft picks to negotiate on the trade market if need be.

Its a whole new ball game in H-Town. As we were constantly building our offense and/or defense, we are now in the game of nip and tuck. Lets take a beautiful team and make it perfect. The only way Mario fits the equation is if he is able to take wayyyy less than what others will give him. However, as I said, this offseason will be epic.

Thanks for the props Satin, I think we share the same sickness.... NFL withdrawal...

I added the Texans to my G+ (kind of like a cross between twitter and FB) and there is a recent article asking fans what they think of Randy Moss in a Texans uniform?...
Not sure about Randy but I'd love Reggie Wayne.. He says he still wants remain a Colt but as of today no offers have been made to keep him here. If Manning is truly done, I think the Colts would be a good store to do some shopping at. They need picks, we need vets... Only problem is we share the same division.. Can the Bulls come to town and sweet talk the Smurfs?

[Guest040616]

Originally Posted by Satin

The only reason we're even talking about him this much is because he was a number 1 pick. The guy has underachieved and he is hurt every year.

I beg to differ, the "number 1 pick" has absolutely nothing to do with it. The scenario would have been the same if Mario would have been the 1st pick in the 2nd round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Either way, he has had a successful NFL career and if he becomes an unrestricted free agent, he will be the most coveted NFL free agent this off season. I am certainly not saying I am in favor of paying him $22.8 million but I sure as hell do not want to see him go to another team and we get absolutely nothing in return! That's not a good business decision!

Examine the facts: Mario played 16 games in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Count 'em, that is 64 consecutive games! In 2010 he played in 13 games. Playing a new position in a new defense, he played 5 games in 2011 and had 5 sacks and was well on his way to a 12-16 sack season before going out with a season ending injury. Between the 2006 and 2010 seasons, he had the 6th most sacks in the entire NFL. Over and above that, he consistently played solid run defense. Like Schaub, Mario is definately not the best at his position, but there are not very many that are better!

Besides that, I am also dating his Sis!

Originally Posted by One-Eyed Willy

Not sure about Randy but I'd love Reggie Wayne.. He says he still wants remain a Colt but as of today no offers have been made to keep him here.

I could easily get on the Reggie Wayne program. Does Reggie have a Sis? I believe RWayne still has some catches in him and would be a perfect complement to Dre. Get 'er done! On the other hand, Randy Moss is a no go! I would rather stay with what we currently have than add Moss to the mix! I don't even want to know if Moss has a Sis!

[One-Eyed Willy]

Here it is... What was a far off dream of mine, just may have a chance at becoming real... That is, If you trust Houston Channel 13's own Bob Allen....click the link for the vid..

Its now being officially reported: Peyton Manning is unofficially interested in becoming a TEXAN!

Other than getting my dick hard, there are couple of things I ponder...

1. How will the price tag effect our Cap? as in Foster? Meyers?

2. Will this mean we trade Schaub, or cut him?

3. I know he was recently cleared to play but can he withstand the punishment?

4. Can we have Reggie Wayne too?

5. If its a fire sale can we pencil in Mathis? as Mario says his goodbyes?

I've always been a fan of Bob's but I'll be pissed if I find he's leading us on...

as will sports writers everywhere that are now catching on...

Chron.com

AOL Sporting News

NBC ProFootballTalk

SB Nation Indiana

Bleacher Report

And OK Bob... its your rep on the line... as your statements will soon make headlines across the planet.. And where is Rick Smith, I'm about to start sleeping on his doorstep.

If the Colts release Manning, as it certainly seems to be heading in that direction, Mario will no longer be the biggest free agent. He will be GREATLY overshadowed by Peyton. They fired his coach, his management, and don't deny going for "Luck" in the Draft. I figured Peyton would try to go to a team looking for the long haul, but if he'd rather be on a SB ready team, IMHO, Texans will be right up his ally. We know him well and he knows us. Besides what better way could he get back at Irsay than to join a division rival? Keep in mind, we don't know if Schaub will fully recover either. At least Peyton has been cleared by his Dr.'s



Hell its Valentines Day after all.... Wouldn't these two make a GREAT COUPLE??