314 replies to this topic

[coolnerd]

Mario Williams (is he worth the money/)

http://forums.footba...howtopic=635799

Edited by coolnerd, 01 August 2012 - 06:40 AM.

[coolnerd]

Off-seasons transactions
http://forums.footba...howtopic=635413
Arian Foster

Nick Scurfield ‏ @NickScurfield
Has been w/ team since 2010 RT @HoustonTexans: The #Texans have signed long snapper Jon Weeks to a contract extension
4m Houston Texans Houston Texans ‏ @HoustonTexans
The #Texans have signed long snapper Jon Weeks to a contract extension. Terms not disclosed

Edited by coolnerd, 05 March 2012 - 02:30 PM.

[coolnerd]

http://www.profootba...lb-mario-willia

Mario Williams scouting report

[dhockster]

I have been looking at the Texans cap situation and it looks like they have $5 to $6 million of cap space
as their contracts stand right now. That is without the following key Free Agents signed:

Mario Williams
Arian Foster
Mike Brisiel
Chris Myers
Joel Dressen
Neil Rackers

So how do the Texans Free up cap space to sign all those players? Either cut some players or restructure contracts.

Possible Cuts:

Jacoby Jones
Kevin Walter
Matt Leinart
Demeco Ryans

Possible Restructuring:

Andre Johnson
Matt Schaub
Owen Daniels

I predict the Texans will do the following:
-Give a contract extension to Matt Schaub and restructure his contract so that his cap number is much smaller this year
-Restructure Owen Daniels deal to give him a bonus this year and reduce his cap number.
-Possibly do the same with Andre Johnson, although they have redone him once and he still has the potential to have a lot of dead money at the end of his deal. If they restructure again, he will have even more potential dead cap money.
-Cut Jones, Leinart for sure, possibly Ryans. I don't think they cut Walter because that would leave them too thin at WR.
-Resign all of the Free Agents mentioned above, with the possible exception of Rackers if there is another free agent kicker they like better. Mario Williams contract would be structured so that the biggest cap hits would come in 2014 and beyond when the salary cap number will increase dramatically due to the TV deal.
-When they resign Arian Foster he will either be franchised or they will sign him to a long term deal. I don't think they will risk losing him via a restricted FA tender.
-Draft a WR in the first or second round depending on players available.
-I don't see them signing any significant new free agents because they can't afford it.

A lot of the restructuring will put a big cap hit in 2014 when the new TV deal goes in place and the Cap increases. This basically gives the Texans a three year window to get something done with the Core group of players they have in place which include Schaub, Foster, Williams, Johnson, Watts, Reed, Joseph, Manning. They probably re-sign Cushing next year, but that may mean they cut Antonio Smith before his contract ends.

This is what I think they will do, not necessarily what I think they should do. I still vascilate on whether they should sign Mario to a big contract, especially with his injury history. However, based on the loyalty factor that both McNair and Kubiak operate by, I think they will resign Mario.

Thoughts?

Edited by dhockster, 23 February 2012 - 07:13 AM.

[Eminence]

Arian while a great player, is not elite. Perfect offense for his skillset. If you recall, this is the same offense that made Steve Slaton look like a stud. You guys should do everything in your power to make a play for Arian but there's no way I'd break the bank.

You don't want to mess with a winning formula but I'd also not mortgage the farm for an average talent.

[Greg Russell]

I have been looking at the Texans cap situation and it looks like they have $5 to $6 million of cap space
as their contracts stand right now. That is without the following key Free Agents signed:

Mario Williams
Arian Foster
Mike Brisiel
Chris Myers
Joel Dressen
Neil Rackers

So how do the Texans Free up cap space to sign all those players? Either cut some players or restructure contracts.

Possible Cuts:

Jacoby Jones
Kevin Walter
Matt Leinart
Demeco Ryans

Possible Restructuring:

Andre Johnson
Matt Schaub
Owen Daniels

I predict the Texans will do the following:
-Give a contract extension to Matt Schaub and restructure his contract so that his cap number is much smaller this year
-Restructure Owen Daniels deal to give him a bonus this year and reduce his cap number.
-Possibly do the same with Andre Johnson, although they have redone him once and he still has the potential to have a lot of dead money at the end of his deal. If they restructure again, he will have even more potential dead cap money.
-Cut Jones, Leinart for sure, possibly Ryans. I don't think they cut Walter because that would leave them too thin at WR.
-Resign all of the Free Agents mentioned above, with the possible exception of Rackers if there is another free agent kicker they like better. Mario Williams contract would be structured so that the biggest cap hits would come in 2014 and beyond when the salary cap number will increase dramatically due to the TV deal.
-When they resign Arian Foster he will either be franchised or they will sign him to a long term deal. I don't think they will risk losing him via a restricted FA tender.
-Draft a WR in the first or second round depending on players available.
-I don't see them signing any significant new free agents because they can't afford it.

A lot of the restructuring will put a big cap hit in 2014 when the new TV deal goes in place and the Cap increases. This basically gives the Texans a three year window to get something done with the Core group of players they have in place which include Schaub, Foster, Williams, Johnson, Watts, Reed, Joseph, Manning. They probably re-sign Cushing next year, but that may mean they cut Antonio Smith before his contract ends.

This is what I think they will do, not necessarily what I think they should do. I still vascilate on whether they should sign Mario to a big contract, especially with his injury history. However, based on the loyalty factor that both McNair and Kubiak operate by, I think they will resign Mario.

Thoughts?

Excellent post. I could see Demeco being restructured if he's willing. If not, hopefully they could find a trade rather than just cutting him.

I really would like for them to find a way to re-sign Mario, though I'll understand if it doesn't happen. According to Nick Scurfield, the Texans thought he was on his way to potentially leading the league in sacks last year before he was hurt.

But on top of that is the flexibility that Mario's presence gives the Texans. If Barwin or Reed gets injured, they still have two great pass rushers at OLB. If JJ Watt or Antonio Smith goes down they can move Mario to DE and not lose anything amongst the starters. And Mario's presence means you also have the option of moving Antonio Smith to DT if ever needed for some reason.

Having Mario provides a lot of flexibility. Without him the Texans probably need to get another OLB in free agency or in the first 3 rounds of the draft, unless anyone is confident with Jesse Nading or Bryan Braman in there if there is an injury... and Bulman or Jamison if a DE goes down. I think those guys are above average as the level of depth they are on the depth chart, but none of them do I think is going to be a guy you want starting.

Crossing my fingers Mario and Arian are both willing to give a bit of a hometown discount. I don't know if either will, but both seem at least possibilities of doing something like that. Foster doesn't seem to sweat the money angle as much as many, and Mario has already made some statements that he doesn't care about being the highest paid, etc. He already had #1 overall pick money, and while I won't fault him for earning as much as he can in his career, it also isn't like he really needs this 2nd contract for financial security, the way Foster does.

[Buckna]

I think Jacoby is gone, have already speculated that cutting him should save about $2.5M this year and they need every dime they can get. I think we will see Walter restructure instead of outright cut as from what I have been able to find, he has been paid all his guaranteed money and his salary is a steady $3.5M for the next 3 years. I also expect Joseph & Daniels to restructure to spread their cap charges out to future years. I don't think they have the room to again restructure Andre, DeMeco, or Antonio and cutting/trading any of them would be too big of a dead money issue.

I think they do everything in their power to keep Mario so it will ultimately come down to if he's being truthful about not caring about being the highest paid defensive player ever. Many of my reasons are the same as mentioned above, tons of flexibility on the defense and you just don't let premier pass rushers go if you can help it. I think they roll the dice on a RFA tender with Foster with some "promises" about getting a deal done next year. He's an outstanding RB, but I put the chances of someone paying a huge contract PLUS giving up their 1st as pretty low. You'd think people would be gunshy of paying RB's big money after seeing what happened to CJ1K, ADP & DeAngelo this year.

I think you see Houston make a run at Mario immediately after the combine. If he doesn't bite at our offer, then you'll see Myers & Foster resigned. If we can retain Mario, you'll see the RFA on Foster and then Myers resigned. I think Brisel is the odd man out unless he takes a smaller than expected contract.

I honestly don't know what to do about Schaub. An extension would help the cap, but they have got to be scared about his foot.

Edited by Buckna, 23 February 2012 - 09:02 AM.

[dhockster]

I think Jacoby is gone, have already speculated that cutting him should save about $2.5M this year and they need every dime they can get. I think we will see Walter restructure instead of outright cut as from what I have been able to find, he has been paid all his guaranteed money and his salary is a steady $3.5M for the next 3 years. I also expect Joseph & Daniels to restructure to spread their cap charges out to future years. I don't think they have the room to again restructure Andre, DeMeco, or Antonio and cutting/trading any of them would be too big of a dead money issue.

I think they do everything in their power to keep Mario so it will ultimately come down to if he's being truthful about not caring about being the highest paid defensive player ever. Many of my reasons are the same as mentioned above, tons of flexibility on the defense and you just don't let premier pass rushers go if you can help it. I think they roll the dice on a RFA tender with Foster with some "promises" about getting a deal done next year. He's an outstanding RB, but I put the chances of someone paying a huge contract PLUS giving up their 1st as pretty low. You'd think people would be gunshy of paying RB's big money after seeing what happened to CJ1K, ADP & DeAngelo this year.

I think you see Houston make a run at Mario immediately after the combine. If he doesn't bite at our offer, then you'll see Myers & Foster resigned. If we can retain Mario, you'll see the RFA on Foster and then Myers resigned. I think Brisel is the odd man out unless he takes a smaller than expected contract.

I honestly don't know what to do about Schaub. An extension would help the cap, but they have got to be scared about his foot.

Good point about Schaub's foot. That is the only thing that may prevent them from giving him an extension. If he were healthy coming into this year, he definitely would have gotten one.

I hope if they go the Restricted FA route with Arian, you are right that no one offers him big money. However, with all the carryover cap room plus this years cap room that some teams have, I could see someone making him an offer. Either someone with a low first round pick and lots of cap room, or a team with multiple first round picks and lots of cap room.

[coolnerd]

http://www.houstonte...5e-c6ad081ec479

Rick Smith's combine interview


Quotes: Rick Smith at Combine
Posted 2 hours ago

a a Read what Texans general manager Rick Smith said to the media on Friday at the Combine.
Texans general manager Rick Smith spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine Friday in Indianapolis. The following is a transcript of his press conference.

Houston Texans General Manager/Executive Vice President Rick Smith
(on the Texans’ biggest needs heading into 2012) “First of all, coming off the season that we came off, and having the success that we had for the first time for an organization, you go back to the drawing board again no different than you did every year before. It’s a very honest assessment of where we are, where we feel like we’re strong, where we think we need to improve. And when you look at those areas, I think the wide receiver position is a position where we might strengthen our team. You can never have enough corners. I know I always say that. Pass rushing is a premium. I mean, it’s pretty standard. We look for guys that make plays, that impact the game. We can never find or have too many players that impact the game, whether you’re talking about a pass-rusher or guy who can take the ball and make a play with the ball in his hands.”



(on if he will draft with the best-player-available approach) “We always do. We stay true to our board and that’s not a philosophy that we’re going to alter because I think it gives you the best chance to have success. If you assess value and you follow the value of your board and don’t stretch for need, because I think that’s where people make mistakes. We’ve not done that before and I would suspect that we stay true to that philosophy and not do that in the future.”



(on if it is impossible to align the team’s priorities until figures out what it’s going to do with OLB Mario Williams) “No, it’s not impossible. Not at all. We’ve assessed our team. Obviously, there are variables that you always have to adjust to but I think we understand what we have and where we need to go and then you adjust as the process plays itself out.”



(on how he approaches players who have issues off the field) “It’s a function of research and trying to get to know the player. We take a position that we don’t penalize a player or kill a player because he made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. What you don’t want, you don’t want repeat offenders because that will indicate something that’s maybe a deeper issues. We won’t just take a player off of our board for character reasons if he makes a single mistake. If there is repeated, repetitive behavior that suggests something different than that, then we become a little bit more concerned and that’s what this process is about. That’s what the process that our scouts have been evaluating these players over the last few months, so we’ll take all that information and assess how comfortable we feel or where we feel that there is a risk more so than another. Character is important. It’s always been important. I think again, I’ve said a lot, where you see that is in the fourth quarter. When you’ve got players that (have) quote en quote ‘character,’ what does that mean? That means that they’re disciplined, they execute when they’re supposed to execute. If you’ve got a team full of players who have that discipline in the fourth quarter, in the big time in the game where the pressure is at its height, those guys with discipline tend to continue to do the things that they need to do in order to perform and execute and continue to be successful.”



(on if he takes a hard look at someone with first-round talent who has had two or three transgressions rather than discarding that player) “In my opinion, it’s all about the value. It’s how assess the risk. How much value are you going to place on a player or how much risk are you willing to take compared to where you think his behavior (is).”



(on if he’s reluctant to put the franchise tag on RB Arian Foster and if he thinks more restricted free agents will now get the franchise tag with the new CBA rules) “Obviously, it’s way too early to determine or to predict a trend. We are having all of those conversations and discussions, without revealing too much of what our thought process is. We will use every available option that we have and try to do, we’ll try to make the decisions that give us the best chance to impact our team overall. Whether we’re talking about a Mario (Williams), an Arian (Foster) or a Chris Myers or whoever we’re talking about with respect to our guys that we would like to sign back that are in some form of free agency, whether it’s restricted or unrestricted. What we’re trying to do is put together a game plan together that gives us the best chance to have the best overall football team.”



(on if there’s any regret that the franchise tag number is so big with the new CBA deal) “No. First of all, I don’t live in regret that way. I didn’t write the deal. It’s function of the first pick in the draft. It’s a function of the timing of going into the last cap year. There’s a number of nuances and variables that impacted and affected that deal. It was what it was and we had to deal with it. Mario (Wiliams) is a great player and we want him to be a part of our football team and our organization, so we’re working hard to figure out a way to get that done.”



(on if he anticipates more contract restructuring to help with the team’s salary cap situation) “Yeah. We have to. That’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to look at some deals and restructure some contracts and try to get as creative…I’ve challenged (vice president of football administration) Chris Olsen to come up with as many available opportunities that we have. The goal is to build the best football team that we can build.”



(on the process of restructuring the Texans’ defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4) “In the sense of a transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4, it started actually a couple weeks ago a year ago, when we hired (defensive coordinator) Wade (Phillips). Meeting with our scouts, sitting down with Wade and talking to him and getting a real idea of what he was looking for; watching a ton of tape with him and the defensive coaches and gaining some insight as to what type of player fit into the defense and then going to the Senior Bowl and corralling the scouts and talking to them. Making sure that everybody understood what we were looking for. And then just going through the process and again, staying true to the value that we placed on players. We were fortunate. We were fortunate that J.J. Watt turned out to be an excellent football player. I think he made more impact plays than anybody thought he would. We knew he would be a great player but I don’t think anybody knew that he would make an impact on a game as much as he did. That was certainly something that was nice and then the second round pick with Brooks (Reed). So we did some things. We were able to come together as a group and identify the players that fit the system and the scheme. And then we were fortunate as the Draft kind of fell that we were able to pick some players that were good for our system.”



(on what he looks for in developing a college player into a 3-4 outside linebacker) “I think the first thing is pass rush. Is there some sort of natural pass-rush ability is what you look for. Then you look at the athleticism. Then you look at what type of football instincts and all the other things that kind of come on. One of the things we put a premium on is pass rush. And you mentioned the projection; when we made this transition last year, we did not have one linebacker on our team, whether you talk about a Brooks Reed or any other player, or Mario (Williams), any of them that had played in that position. They were all projections. We were fortunate. Even projecting (Brian) Cushing inside was a projection. It worked out for us. I think have to say that in that context of our defense and the way that they performed, in light of how we handled adversity and injury through the year, I cannot say how effective a job our coaching staff did. I mean, it was impressive to watch those guys week-in and week-out get the team ready regardless of who was going on the field and had them out there executing on a high level. That’s a testament to the job Gary (Kubiak) and his staff did.”



(on if he’d be more aggressive trading up in the Draft if the opportunity arose now that his roster depth is as strong as it’s been) “Yeah, all of those things. Just because we haven’t done it doesn’t mean we haven’t run the exercise and thought about it and all of those kinds of things. It’s just that we have not been in the situation where it was proven to do it. We will still entertain any, and I’ve always said this, we will entertain any opportunity we can, whether it’s moving up or moving back to better our football team. Those moves, as you know, are expensive. You’ve got to make sure that if you’re going to do something, whether you’re talking about moving up 10 spots or however far, you’ve got to make sure that you’ve got a player that’s worth whatever the value is of the move. The last time we had this pick, we didn’t start the Draft with the 26th pick. We started I think at 20 and we moved back with Baltimore and traded back to 26 and picked up an extra third round pick. So we’re always moving and we’re always entertaining those options and if it’s something that we think will help us, then we’ll do it.”



(on this year’s draft class) “I tend to stay away from overall evaluations of the classes. I think that when you look at players, what we look for in that group, I guess I’ll stay specific to that, is guys that make plays on the ball. I think that that’s a premium. Turnovers are a premium in this League to the degree that you have a group of players in your secondary that can make plays on the ball. I think that’s what Johnathan Joseph, one of the things he added; Danieal Manning, they added that element to our secondary. And there are some players in this class that have that ability.”



(on if there is a level of influence from an assistant coach that can be too much in a draft selection regarding a player’s success or failure because he put his name on the line) “I think that’s the responsibility of whoever is in charge of running the draft. I don’t think that’s specific to coaches. I think scouts will have the same type of affinity for a player. You want that. You want conviction in the draft room. You want people to step up and say ‘This guy can makes plays for us.’ It’s a matter of the decision-making process at that point to weight the opinion, to weight how significant that drives the decision. But you want people with conviction in your draft room and then it’s just a matter of making sure your process is set up such that like you said, it’s not skewed, but it falls into line with everything else that you make a good decision.”



(on if he had to push the envelope with injuries playing OLBs Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed as much as the Texans did and how much the Texans need a third outside linebacker) “Pass rushers are premiums. You need as many as you can get, so we were fortunate in the sense that both of those guys were healthy the entire year and we had some production from both of them. But you can never have too many pass rushers. You can’t.”



(on wanting OLB Mario Williams to remain a Texans) “Yeah. I think we’ve been very clear. They’ve been very clear that we would love to have him here. And I don’t talk a whole bunch about negotiations publicly, but I think that there is no doubt that all the parties involved know what the desire is and that’s for him to be here.”



(on the chances that the Texans make moves in free agency as big as they did last year) “You know what, and again, this goes back to philosophy; we feel like it’s prudent to build through the draft and that’s our philosophy, and then you supplement via free agency. I think you’ve seen that over the years in what we’ve done. I think we were obviously a major player in free agency last year and so if we are staying true to form, I would anticipate that we would not be as active this year. Again, if there’s an opportunity for us to get better and we think that it’s by free-agent acquisition, we’re not going to be shy about doing it. I would not expect that we would be as active as we were last year unless an opportunity presents itself that way.”



(on if there is something you can gain from watching “throwing quarterbacks” at the Combine, as the Texans did with QB T.J. Yates last year) “I think what you get here is you get an athletic grade and you get an opportunity to talk and get to know the guy a little bit better in an interview setting and all the testing. The body of work is what he does on tape, especially at that position. But you can see his arm live. You can do some things if you hadn’t had a live exposure or any kind of view. You can see some of those athletic things. But really, you’ve got to use the body of work, a guy’s playing resume on tape. That’s where we put the most emphasis on our evaluation process.”



(on if something stood out about QB T.J. Yates at last year’s Combine) “First of all, you look at the offense that he ran and how similar it was to ours. You looked at the competitive way he led his football team in the face of a ton of adversity. You looked at his ability to be accurate with the football, his ability to make all the throws. He doesn’t have a super gun, but he’s got a strong enough arm to make all the throws. You start to look at all those factors and you got excited about the guy and we really did. We’re fortunate and the job that he did was pretty incredible for a young guy to come in and lead the football team like that in the games late in the year and win a playoff game and to go on the road the way that he did and compete. Those are some of the things that you saw from him just from a competitive standpoint and a playing standpoint and what he could do physically that you said, ‘Hey, this guy might have a chance to be pretty good in our system.”



(on not drafting for need but making his first five draft picks defensive players last year) “Yeah, but again, when you hit the homerun, and I guess I would consider J.J. (Watt) to be a homerun, where you hit the homerun is as you stack your board and assess value. If you can pick a player at the corresponding spot that is a position of need, that’s a homerun. So you don’t go into the Draft saying ‘I’ve got to get this. I’ve got to get that,’ because, in my opinion, if you do that, you are inclined to reach and take a player that doesn’t meet the value. It’s not that you don’t select players in positions that you need. The key is that they have the corresponding value at the point where you are picking and if you do that, and you can hit a player at a position of need at the value spot, then you are good.”

[dhockster]

Two thoughts:

First, based on what I am reading and hearing on the radio, I think there is a pretty good chance we lose either Myers or Brisiel if we sign Mario Williams, and possibly lose both. I might be okay with losing one, but would not re-sign Mario if we had to lose both lineman.

Second, based on where the Texans are vs. the salary cap in 2012 with their biggest contract from 2011 going away, I think it highlights that
the Texans have not been great at managing their cap up to this point. They have gotten into a cycle of restructuring contracts to free up
space, and all that does is restrict cap space in future years when the players you are restructuring are not as productive, or have to be cut. When you take into account that the Texans are taking a $2.2 million dollar cap hit in 2012 for back-up QB Dan Orlovsky, it highlights that they have probably given higher contracts to less important positions than they needed to. I am not totally ripping on the Texans because I think they value
loyalty to players more than other franchises, and I think that has some benefits, I just think it bears watching as the Texans try to keep playing as an upper echelon franchise.

[coolnerd]

http://sports-kings....distance/?p=769

Interesting piece...lots of free agent and salary cap talk.

[dhockster]

http://sports-kings.com/downanddistance/?p=769

Interesting piece...lots of free agent and salary cap talk.

Excellent analysis.

Summary: Cut overpaid players, specifically 2 out of 3 from the Walters/Jones/Daniels trio. Also cut Leinart. Restructure some deals to free up cap space. Don't hamstring the organization in the future by signing Mario to a big deal. Sign Myers, Brisiel, and Foster. Possibly go after a free agent WR like Dwayne Bowe, or draft a WR. If you cut Daniels, be sure to sign Dressen.

[Buckna]

http://sports-kings.com/downanddistance/?p=769

Interesting piece...lots of free agent and salary cap talk.

Loved seeing the contract numbers. You can create room by:

-Restructuring Daniels, Manning, Walter & Joseph.
-Outright Cutting Daniels is unlikely, we just gave him that contract last year. And he didn't greatly underperform like Jacoby.
-Cut Jacoby, however his cap hit is a lot higher than what I have seen reported elsewhere. Makes it more likely if true.
-You can cut Lienart but it's not huge savings. From what I've been able to find, at least 1.25 of that $3M is guaranteed.
-I believe Winston is in the last year of his contract. Work out an extension and you can lower his cap number hopefully.

[Buckna]

And I can't see us going after a FA WR in the slightest. Last year they broke their usual stance of going after people in FA to add Manning & Joseph which greatly improved the secondary but really hurt our cap situation this year.

I think they would much rather use that money on Mario if they can, or our other guys like Foster and the linemen and draft a WR.

Edited by Buckna, 28 February 2012 - 09:46 AM.

[Greg Russell]

The Owen Daniels numbers don't look right according to other sources that had him with $6m guaranteed (so $1.5m in bonus this year) and a $4m salary this year. I'm not sure I want to see him cut, but if he is then yes, definitely re-sign Dreessen.

[dhockster]

The Owen Daniels numbers don't look right according to other sources that had him with $6m guaranteed (so $1.5m in bonus this year) and a $4m salary this year. I'm not sure I want to see him cut, but if he is then yes, definitely re-sign Dreessen.

He has $6 million guaranteed, but I don't think it was in the form of a signing bonus which would amortized over the 4 years of the deal. I really don't know which dollars are guaranteed and when they hit the cap. The interwebs has conflicting information (sportrac and rotoworld).

[ninerfanatic492000]

I have been looking at the Texans cap situation and it looks like they have $5 to $6 million of cap space
as their contracts stand right now. That is without the following key Free Agents signed:

Mario Williams
Arian Foster
Mike Brisiel
Chris Myers
Joel Dressen
Neil Rackers

So how do the Texans Free up cap space to sign all those players? Either cut some players or restructure contracts.

Possible Cuts:

Jacoby Jones
Kevin Walter
Matt Leinart
Demeco Ryans

Possible Restructuring:

Andre Johnson
Matt Schaub
Owen Daniels

I predict the Texans will do the following:
-Give a contract extension to Matt Schaub and restructure his contract so that his cap number is much smaller this year
-Restructure Owen Daniels deal to give him a bonus this year and reduce his cap number.
-Possibly do the same with Andre Johnson, although they have redone him once and he still has the potential to have a lot of dead money at the end of his deal. If they restructure again, he will have even more potential dead cap money.
-Cut Jones, Leinart for sure, possibly Ryans. I don't think they cut Walter because that would leave them too thin at WR.
-Resign all of the Free Agents mentioned above, with the possible exception of Rackers if there is another free agent kicker they like better. Mario Williams contract would be structured so that the biggest cap hits would come in 2014 and beyond when the salary cap number will increase dramatically due to the TV deal.
-When they resign Arian Foster he will either be franchised or they will sign him to a long term deal. I don't think they will risk losing him via a restricted FA tender.
-Draft a WR in the first or second round depending on players available.
-I don't see them signing any significant new free agents because they can't afford it.

A lot of the restructuring will put a big cap hit in 2014 when the new TV deal goes in place and the Cap increases. This basically gives the Texans a three year window to get something done with the Core group of players they have in place which include Schaub, Foster, Williams, Johnson, Watts, Reed, Joseph, Manning. They probably re-sign Cushing next year, but that may mean they cut Antonio Smith before his contract ends.

This is what I think they will do, not necessarily what I think they should do. I still vascilate on whether they should sign Mario to a big contract, especially with his injury history. However, based on the loyalty factor that both McNair and Kubiak operate by, I think they will resign Mario.

Thoughts?

Excellent post. I could see Demeco being restructured if he's willing. If not, hopefully they could find a trade rather than just cutting him.

I really would like for them to find a way to re-sign Mario, though I'll understand if it doesn't happen. According to Nick Scurfield, the Texans thought he was on his way to potentially leading the league in sacks last year before he was hurt.

But on top of that is the flexibility that Mario's presence gives the Texans. If Barwin or Reed gets injured, they still have two great pass rushers at OLB. If JJ Watt or Antonio Smith goes down they can move Mario to DE and not lose anything amongst the starters. And Mario's presence means you also have the option of moving Antonio Smith to DT if ever needed for some reason.

Having Mario provides a lot of flexibility. Without him the Texans probably need to get another OLB in free agency or in the first 3 rounds of the draft, unless anyone is confident with Jesse Nading or Bryan Braman in there if there is an injury... and Bulman or Jamison if a DE goes down. I think those guys are above average as the level of depth they are on the depth chart, but none of them do I think is going to be a guy you want starting.

Crossing my fingers Mario and Arian are both willing to give a bit of a hometown discount. I don't know if either will, but both seem at least possibilities of doing something like that. Foster doesn't seem to sweat the money angle as much as many, and Mario has already made some statements that he doesn't care about being the highest paid, etc. He already had #1 overall pick money, and while I won't fault him for earning as much as he can in his career, it also isn't like he really needs this 2nd contract for financial security, the way Foster does.

mario's flexibility ends at 4-3DE and 3-4 OLB. he probably couldn't have played 5tech DE before trimming down so not much chance of him playing it now. he probably will move down to DE on pure passing downs on occasion to shake things up and possibly get their best pass rushers on the field.......but thats the extent of it. Texans do like Braman.......analysts were in love with him during the preseason and it was very difficult to tell him apart from Barwin and Reed. topple that with Cushing still moving around and they've definetly got enuff if Mario moves on. Texans need to let Mario go and fill in other holes. WR/dare i say ILB(Ryans is a shell)/NT(decent talent there but they need a power pig)/CB and SS(don't know how set they are with Quinn)

they need Foster back but without breaking the bank on him. Tate has shown very capable and Kubiak in that Denver scheme and shanny RB evaluation can find guys to fit.

one minor position i think the texans will address late in the draft that can play major dividends is a finding a great blocking TE. Dreesen is a ok blocker but one would think with how much and how well they run the ball it would be a must. for that reason i could see Dreesen not getting the contract he wants from the Texans. Graham seems able to fill the Daniels/Dreesen mold

[Buckna]

Another article discussing Cap options for the Texans.

Some interesting ideas but it fails to take into account future years. The restructure numbers he talks about adds $5.33M to the cap next year in dead money. His number for Daniels doesn't jive with the earlier article posted nor does he take into account cutting anyone like Jacoby or Leinert. Plus next year you have to deal with a new contract for: Schaub, Duane Brown & Connor Barwin.

[coolnerd]

Foster agrees to 5 year deal.

[Buckna]

Have read that the Franchise tag for Chris Myers is:

The franchise tag number for offensive lineman is the same for tackles, guards and centers — an unreasonably large grouping. The team likely can’t clear roughly $9.5 million to tag Myers either, and a long-term deal for him should now be the priority.

My guess is we see a deal with him sometime later this week. Probably means Mario is gone.

[dhockster]

Foster's cap figure for 2012 should be about $7.5 million which is $5 million in base and $2.5 million of his signing bonus. I think this
indicates that the Texans are not going to go out of their way to sign Mario. If they were, Arian's base salary probably would have been lower
and his signing bonus a little higher so that his cap number was somewhere between $4 and $5 million.

[Buckna]

If that's true then that means $12.5M signing bonus. If I've done my math right that would mean salaries of probably 5 & 5.75 guaranteed, and then something like= 6.75, 6.75, 6.75. Signing bonus seems low, my guess that is to try and keep any dead money low in the event that 3~4 years from now we want to part ways if his performance slips.

They could have gotten that cap number much lower in year 1 so yes, likely means they had no intention of even trying to keep Mario. Also makes me wonder if they are parting ways with Chris Myers as well.

Edited by Buckna, 06 March 2012 - 07:15 AM.

[coolnerd]

If that's true then that means $12.5M signing bonus. If I've done my math right that would mean salaries of probably 5 & 5.75 guaranteed, and then something like= 6.75, 6.75, 6.75. Signing bonus seems low, my guess that is to try and keep any dead money low in the event that 3~4 years from now we want to part ways if his performance slips.

They could have gotten that cap number much lower in year 1 so yes, likely means they had no intention of even trying to keep Mario. Also makes me wonder if they are parting ways with Chris Myers as well.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/05/no-serious-discussions-between-texans-mario-williams/

I am not as sure about Myers

[dhockster]

If that's true then that means $12.5M signing bonus. If I've done my math right that would mean salaries of probably 5 & 5.75 guaranteed, and then something like= 6.75, 6.75, 6.75. Signing bonus seems low, my guess that is to try and keep any dead money low in the event that 3~4 years from now we want to part ways if his performance slips.

They could have gotten that cap number much lower in year 1 so yes, likely means they had no intention of even trying to keep Mario. Also makes me wonder if they are parting ways with Chris Myers as well.

His signing bonus was $12.5 million. His base salary of $5 million is guaranteed this year, and $3.25 million of his base is guaranteed next year. That is where you get the $20.75 million guaranteed. Base salaries are 5 million, 5.25 million, 5.75 million, 6 million, and 6.5 million. He also earns $31,250 for every game he plays which is $500,000 if he plays a full year. That adds $2.5 million to his contract which gets you to the $43.5 million dollars over 5 years.

I still think they will try to sign Myers and let Brisiel go. They are probably over the cap right now with Arians contract, so they will be doing some cutting and restructuring deals this week to get below the cap and free up some room to at least sign Myers and Dressen.

[dhockster]

Lance Zeirlein is a local sports talk host and I think one of the best football analysts out there.

Here is his take on the job GM Rick Smith is doing:

http://blog.chron.co...g-the-job-done/

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

What do Texans fans think about making a run at Mike Wallace?

[Greg Russell]

Don't forget they need room to sign rookies as well.

[Greg Russell]

What do Texans fans think about making a run at Mike Wallace?

I imagine most of us would love to have him as a player but don't see any way the Texans would make it work with the salary cap. Texans are worse off than the Steelers in cap room in that the Steelers have a lot of aging players they can cut to save money. Texans are one of the youngest teams in the league. Or, were before signing Delhomme and Garcia last year, heh.

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

What do Texans fans think about making a run at Mike Wallace?

I imagine most of us would love to have him as a player but don't see any way the Texans would make it work with the salary cap. Texans are worse off than the Steelers in cap room in that the Steelers have a lot of aging players they can cut to save money. Texans are one of the youngest teams in the league. Or, were before signing Delhomme and Garcia last year, heh.

Oh I wasn't aware, wow. Thanks

[dhockster]

What do Texans fans think about making a run at Mike Wallace?

I imagine most of us would love to have him as a player but don't see any way the Texans would make it work with the salary cap. Texans are worse off than the Steelers in cap room in that the Steelers have a lot of aging players they can cut to save money. Texans are one of the youngest teams in the league. Or, were before signing Delhomme and Garcia last year, heh.

I would love to see them do it, but as Greg said, they probably can't clear enough space to get it done. Especially since the deal they would offer him would have to be pretty cap friendly, and that means the Steelers would be able to match it. Wallace will be signed by a team that can afford to lose a late first rounder and has the cap space to make it prohibitive for the Steelers to be able to match.

[Greg Russell]

Thought I'd mention for Texans fans... their pro shop currently has their clearance sale going, and they just marked an extra 20% off sale items. The prices aren't too bad on the sale items with the extra discount. Authentic jerseys are about half off.

Though, the Texans uniforms will be changing slightly next year, I've heard it isn't much of a change at all. Anyway, sale ends this week. http://shop.houstontexans.com/

[Greg Russell]

Latest mocks by Kiper and McShay both have the Texans taking Kendall Wright:

Kiper:

Houston Texans

Record: 10-6
* Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

When the Texans lost Andre Johnson last year, it completely eliminated their ability to stretch the field. That's a problem, because this is a system that thrives on regular use of play-action packages, and it loses a lot of juice if there's nobody around to challenge defenses deep. Wright can do that. His performance in Indy wasn't his best, but his tape shines -- you see a guy that plays fast in pads and beats people deep. His hands are also fine.

McShay:

Houston Texans

Record: 10-6
Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

Wright will be looking to improve on the 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the combine when he runs at his March 21 pro day, but his stock hasn't been hurt much because he plays much faster than that on tape. Wright could add another explosive element to the Houston offense and offer the coaching staff all kinds of possibilities lined up opposite Andre Johnson.

[Buckna]

Andre Johnson restructured contract. Heard thru the grapevine some other guys did too, but can't find confirming links on the interwebs yet. About time, figured they would have gotten it done before now.

[LOCO]

any way we can make a run at manning? i would take 3 years of manning over 5 years of schaub............

[dhockster]

any way we can make a run at manning? i would take 3 years of manning over 5 years of schaub............

It depends on what Manning is looking for in terms of guaranteed $'s.

Cutting Schaub would open up $7,150,000 of cap space (Schaub's base salary in 2012). If we did a 3 year deal with an $18 million signing
bonus and a base salary of $1 million in 2012, plus incentives, that would pay Manning a minimum of $19 million in the first year, with a
cap figure of $7 million. Years 2 and 3 would pay let's say base salaries of $5 million and $6 million with big incentives. That would give
the Texans cap figures of $11 million and $12 million plus give them some protection if his health doesn't hold up. Manning would be assured a
reasonably good payday, and if healthy, be paid a lot more by reaching his incentives. We don't know right now what Manning is looking for in terms of dollars. My thought is he is more concerned with finding a good fit then maximizing his payout (as he just got paid $28 million dollars to rehab this year).

The real question is whether the Texans will go after him. This does not seem like the type of move the Texans would make, risking a lot of money on an uncertainty. In addition, Peyton is the type of personality that will control the game, and not necessarily listen to the input of his coaches. Kubiak likes to control the offense so I don't know if that would work.

The one thing that might push them to do it is there is no guarantee that Schaub will be totally healthy this year and he is in the last year of his contract. Therefore, they probably won't extend him, and he will probably go to free agency if he has a good season this year (if the Texans don't franchise him). Therefore, there's a chance if they stick with Schaub this year and he does well they lose him next year. It might be better if they roll the dice on Peyton and lock him up for 3 years.

[Greg Russell]

Agreed, I think it's extremely unlikely they show interest in Peyton. If they didn't have anything at all at QB, I think that could overcome some of the reasons they'd be reluctant... like Kubiak not wanting to hand over the offense to someone else, having to throw out his bootleg game, etc.

But I don't think they'll risk losing what could be a long term starter for what might be 3 years of Peyton or could also be 3 years of a shell of what used to be Peyton. If Schaub were looking not on pace to be ready, maybe they'd do it, but so far he's on track or ahead, and Peyton will be signed with someone soon.

[LOCO]

any way we can make a run at manning? i would take 3 years of manning over 5 years of schaub............

It depends on what Manning is looking for in terms of guaranteed $'s.

Cutting Schaub would open up $7,150,000 of cap space (Schaub's base salary in 2012). If we did a 3 year deal with an $18 million signing
bonus and a base salary of $1 million in 2012, plus incentives, that would pay Manning a minimum of $19 million in the first year, with a
cap figure of $7 million. Years 2 and 3 would pay let's say base salaries of $5 million and $6 million with big incentives. That would give
the Texans cap figures of $11 million and $12 million plus give them some protection if his health doesn't hold up. Manning would be assured a
reasonably good payday, and if healthy, be paid a lot more by reaching his incentives. We don't know right now what Manning is looking for in terms of dollars. My thought is he is more concerned with finding a good fit then maximizing his payout (as he just got paid $28 million dollars to rehab this year).

The real question is whether the Texans will go after him. This does not seem like the type of move the Texans would make, risking a lot of money on an uncertainty. In addition, Peyton is the type of personality that will control the game, and not necessarily listen to the input of his coaches. Kubiak likes to control the offense so I don't know if that would work.

The one thing that might push them to do it is there is no guarantee that Schaub will be totally healthy this year and he is in the last year of his contract. Therefore, they probably won't extend him, and he will probably go to free agency if he has a good season this year (if the Texans don't franchise him). Therefore, there's a chance if they stick with Schaub this year and he does well they lose him next year. It might be better if they roll the dice on Peyton and lock him up for 3 years.

thank for the input. If i was rick smith.......i am making a phone call.

[coolnerd]

John McClain @McClain_on_NFL

NFL has suspended Texans punter Brett Hartmann for 4 games for violating substance abuse policy. Got credit 4 1 n playoffs.


Nice the punter.

[Greg Russell]

John McClain @McClain_on_NFL

NFL has suspended Texans punter Brett Hartmann for 4 games for violating substance abuse policy. Got credit 4 1 n playoffs.


Nice the punter.

Yeah, just saw that.

[Houston turmOiler]

If it's gotta be somebody, let it be the punter rehabbing an ACL you were most likely going to have to replace anyway...

[Greg Russell]

Texans have reportedly inquired about Peyton Manning.

http://profootballta...e-about-peyton/

[Steed]

They just released rt Eric Winston and are going to allow one of the best centers in the league test the market. Nervous Arian owner here. What's going on? Are they clearing space for Peyton?

Edited by Steed, 12 March 2012 - 02:48 PM.

[Greg Russell]

They just released rt Eric Winston and are going to allow one of the best centers in the league test the market. Nervous Arian owner here. What's going on? Are they clearing space for Peyton?

OOOF.

[coolnerd]

http://profootballta...t-eric-winston/

I was in the camp that Winston was a bit overpaid/over hyped, but not a candidate for outright release.

[Houston turmOiler]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/12/texans-cut-eric-winston/

I was in the camp that Winston was a bit overpaid/over hyped, but not a candidate for outright release.

Agreed, this is somewhat shocking....wonder if they've got a deal with Myers or something

[Greg Russell]

I'm just a fan of having a contingency plan in place before releasing contributors, you know?

So... Derek Newton? Andrew Gardner? Draft someone or sign them in free agency?

[Buckna]

I'm not ready to jump off the cliff yet, but this offseason has been going terribly IMO. I hope there are quite a few moves in the making we just haven't seen yet that make a little more sense.

[coolnerd]

I'm just a fan of having a contingency plan in place before releasing contributors, you know?

So... Derek Newton? Andrew Gardner? Draft someone or sign them in free agency?

Derek Newton was active alot last year and played some goal line TE, but did they really see enough.

BTW, according to PFTtalk. the Texans were over the cap around 4.75ish million, so does Winston cut bring them under w/o any other moves.

[jsharlan]

My mind is officially blown. Winston cut, Jacoby Jones still employed. Time to dust off the old pitchfork.

[Houston turmOiler]

agreed. Who the hell do Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter have pictures of?