2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

[rdnk]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Wow that D really came along this season.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Wow that D really came along this season.

Considering I more or less avoided any passing game, the defense was most certainly the key. The secondary could still use more depth, but the front 7 was awesome.

Here is the Excel Spreadsheet. For those new to my dynastys, in here contains WAAAAAAAAAAAY too much information. All of the season stats, career stats, coaching stats, each year, career player leaders, and such. It's all here.

I also added a fun little look back that I found interesting, seeing where the players from the 2008 and 2009 Draft had gone in my career. Surprisingly, most of the guys are still in the league. And I listed the best guys not in the 1st round. It's a pretty cool look, and I commend the guys who made this game on how awesome that is.

Maybe one day, Madden won't be so mediocre...

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Here's what the Draft and Free Agency look like, starting first with the Draft

QB: Shame this wasn't last year, it's STACKED at QB. You have Johnny Phoenix (Peyton) Grady Thompson (Palmer) Gavin Matthews (Romo) Jeremy Pile (V. Young) and Derek Karp (Rivers). No shortage of good QBs.

HB: At the top is a stud DeAngelo Storm (Tomlinson) Unfortunately, none of the other top guys blow you away. Michael Okafor (Dayne) and Patrick Booker (LenWhale) are the avg power guys, Thomas Pinder (Bennett) Merrick Johnson (Bell) are your average speed guys. Marcus Franklin (C. Taylor) is eh..Then you have J.R. McCants (Lorenzo Booker) who has great speed numbers (97 spin/98 juke, 96 speed) but is dumb as a brick.

FB: They all suck, as usual

WR: Stacked, which I like. You have a Calvin Johnson, Marvin Harrison, Plaxico Burress, Lee Evans, Chad Johnson all at the top. Since WR is a big need, this is my hope for the 1st round right now.

TE: Trevin Bentley (Vernon Davis but with good learning) intrigues me as an option, but he'll likely go out of my range.

T: Trace Harvick (Clifton) is solid and you have Kalen Stills (W. Anderson) who is a late sleeper. Otherwise, crappy tackles.

G: Kevin Nipper (J. Scott) and Mike Wentworth (Mankins) are solid, but the rest sucks too.

C: Nathan Lancaster (Meester) looks fairly good, but once again that's it. A shame that when I need OL that the OL class is pretty mediocre.

DE: Although not a real need, some solid names at the top. The guy I'm watching a 3rd-4th rounder named Felix Erickson (Vanden Bosch) that could be a great steal.

DT: Few names at the top, otherwise fairly weak.

LB: One of the better linebackers classes I've seen in a while, but it isn't a need, and even less so after I explain free agency.

CB: The very top guys seem like the typical CB busts, but there are a few late 1st-2nd guys (Mathis, Hall, Revis comparisons) who would fit well.

S: Pretty solid safety class, a Reed, Sanders, Collins, Sharper. Although, with a hole at FS, you'll see why I'm not leaning that way.

K/P: All suck.

Free Agency guys:

QB: Derek Anderson (88), Matt Rheem (87), Jason Campbell (86) Vince Young (84) Cole Cameron (82) Kurt Warner (Age 47, lol)

HB: Very weak, which is why Mathis will get a franchise tag. Top guys are Reggie Bush (82) Clinton Portis (82 but really slow) Lee Mathis (81) Marcus Mercer (81)

FB: Reagan Mauia is back after sitting out a year (odd) but I'm content with Hall.

WR: Tramayne Rodgers (89), Andre Maxwell (86), Bernard Berrian (85) Khevin Mosley (85), Larry Kingsley (84) Larry Fitzgerald (83), Marvin Harrison (82) All likely out of my price range.

TE: Kellen Winslow, Antonio Gates

T: Best are Mark Grinestaff (88) and Rico Douglas (85) Boo

G: Best are Ernest Davis (90) and my old buddy Matt Hoover (88) Might have to snag Hoover to play center.

C: Eh...

DE: Haloti Ngata and some scrubs.

DT: Adam Carriker, Pat Sims, Kerry Dunn, Kentwan Balmer, Albert Satterfield

OLB: Jahmar Sweeley Mychal Greenlaw (An old project of mine) Shaun Phillips, Darren Loften (Another project of mine) LB isn't even a need, but it's hard to pass up Sweeley and his beast-i-tude.

MLB: Kirk Morrison, DJ Williams, Tavares Gooden

CB: Marcus Trufant, Jerious Bush (86), DeMetrius Marbury. Also probably out of price range.

FS: Reggie Nelson, Xavier Godfey (86)

SS: Troy Polamalu (Too slow at this point) Tyrus Barber. I've had Barber on two teams, and I have a hole at FS. I absolutely will bring him back to beast at SS, and Raines can move back to FS as he is aging.

K: No need.

P: A few choices, and the Draft guys suck. Last on my list though.

I have about $34 million to spend, and that's before cutting/trading some moveable guys. I like the possibilities of adding Sweeley and Barber for sure.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Looking at my roster, I'm amazed I have as much cap room considering there are still some terrible contracts. Roster than by position:

POS	Name	OVR	Salary	Yrs left	Age	Season	Penalty	Notes
QB	Cody Withers	90	9.9 M	4	23	1	8.0 M	Starting QB
QB	Drew Thompson	81	5.4 M	1	32	9	1.0 M	Backup QB/Trade Bait
HB/QB	Carmelo Goldwire	72	540 K	1	27	5	None	Backup HB/QB
HB	Tanard Mathis	89	8.7 M	1	29	8	None	Franchised HB
HB	Dana Riggs	76	290 K	2	23	1	None	Reserve HB
HB
HB	Mookie Hawkins	70	460 K	1	24	2	None	Backup HB
FB	Ahmard Hall	86	740 K	1	37	14	None	Starting FB
WR	Bryant Holyfield	88	2.1 M	2	25	3	None	Starting WR
WR
WR
WR
WR
TE	Torrin Warrick	75	2.0 M	4	25	3	3.3 M	Backup TE/Bad Contract
TE	Vernon Davis	78	1.3 M	1	34	13	250 K	Starting TE
T	Kortlin King	95	6.3 M	2	26	3	None	Starting LT
T	Rondell Owens	91	6.0 M	4	30	10	4.0 M	Starting RT
T	Rick Coles	76	750 K	1	25	2	180 K	Reserve T
T	Kedrick Shaw	82	1.7 M	2	33	10	400 K	Reserve T
G	Rob Freelander	89	520 K	2	25	1	None	Starting LG
G	Jeromey Clary	83	1.9 M	1	34	13	250 K	Starting RG for now
G/C	Emmanuel Gibson	84	1.6 M	4	25	2	3.3 M	Backup OL
DE	Bennie Quinn	85	3.8 M	2	26	3	3.0 M	Starting DE
DE	Mario Williams	91	7.5 M	3	33	13	11.0 M	Starting DE
DE
DE
DE
DT	Vontae Hall	89	7.1 M	3	24	2	10.8 M	Starting DT
DT	Donald Worthy	83	1.4 M	1	26	3	250 K	Starting DT
DT	Orien Williams	79	1.7 M	1	31	8	850 K	Bad Contract
DT
OLB	Nate Branch	87	4.3 M	1	27	4	1.5 M	Starting LB
OLB	Jarius Curtis	80	2.0 M	3	29	6	2.5 M	TERRIBLE contract
OLB	Dan Connor	84	3.9 M	1	33	11	500 K	Starting LB
MLB	Eric Buckley	78	540 K	2	26	4	360 K	Roster Fill
MLB	Chase Beck	89	3.8 M	2	34	10	3.3 M	Starting LB
OLB	Dimitrius Hibbert	81	220 K	2	24	1	None	Backup LB
MLB	Lamont Oden	80	1.1 M	4	31	7	800 K	Starting LB
CB	Brandon Biggs	88	6.5 M	3	31	9	8.4 M	Starting CB
CB	Charles Knight	81	2.3 M	1	27	6	None	Backup CB
CB	Daniel Lawrence	84	2.0 M	RFA/1st	25	3	None	Starting CB
CB
CB/S	Zack Bowman	77	3.1 M	3	33	11	2.8 M	Waste of space
CB
FS
SS	Sanrick Raines	83	4.8 M	2	33	10	4.4 M	Starting S
SS
K	Jason Duncan	90	260 K	2	24	1	None	Kicker
P

QB: Obviously set with Withers and I like Goldwire. Thompson is certainly expendable, especially at that price. I have a feeling someone will take him for draft picks, hopefully I can move him.

HB: Franchise tag to Mathis. I'll keep Hawkins/Goldwire because they are cheap, but it could still use work. Problem is, at least now, only one HB in the Draft impresses me, and he'll go in the top 5. I'd like to improve here, but it's unlikely. Unless someone would offer a top 10 pick for Mathis.

FB: Fine with Hall

WR: Holyfield is the only one, so obviously work needed here. With a deep draft at WR, that will be the plan, as any free agent WR will want an obscene deal.

TE: Hate Warrick's contract, but if worst comes to worst, I could revert to the old plan of Vernon Davis as a starting WR with Warrick as the starting TE.

T: Fine with King/Owens, Shaw's contract is definitely movable, unless someone wants him in a trade, he's probably gone. Coles is fairly useless too, but cheaper.

G/C: Freelander is a yay. Clary I kept because the alternatives aren't great. Right now I have no worthwile center. Despite his overall, Gibson is NOT a starter quality offensive lineman IMO, and Clary is borderline. Matt Hoover in free agency will be a target, but definitely more worked needed here despite weak alternatives.

DE: Set here with starters, I'll look for cheap depth.

DT: Ditto, although I like that Orien Williams' worthless *** is cuttable.

LB: LB is tricky. I REALLY want Sweeley, at almost any cost, despite my depth at LB. I want to keep Beck and Oden (Plus, not the most tradeable deals) I like Connor more than I like Branch, so hopefully I can get good value for either if I sign Sweeley.

Also, BOOOOOOOOOO Jairus Curtis. Worthless.

CB: Biggs is still solid as the #1, I gave Lawrence the 1st round tender. I don't want to lose him, but a 1st rounder would be acceptable. Knight is probably gone, not really good enough to warrant the price. But I still really need CB depth. Hopefully the Draft suffices.

S: Booooooo Zack Bowman, who never dressed all year for $3 million dollars. Ugh. Raines was great, but is losing speed. I definitely want to bring on Barber and move Raines over to free safety. It's also possible that I could move Barber to CB if need be.

K: Fine

P: I have none. Draft choices suck. Free agent Jaret Weaver is the top one, but he's RFA, and unless it's a 7th rounder, I'm not losing a pick for a punter. Durant Brooks is the next best. If not him, back to Colton Randall.

[rdnk]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Time for a spending spree.

[cutter73]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Wow, Kurt Warner and Marvin Harrison still going

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Hope you guys enjoyed your 4th and here is the offseason up to the Draft.
__________________________________________________ ________________

Money was not an issue heading into free agency, even more so considering there was a lot of room BEFORE moving some deals.

So the once-in-a-lifetime Jahmar Sweeley was a free agent, and simply, whatever it costs, sign him. $39 million dollars over 5 years was the cost. Sweeley will play MLB and be a beast, moving Beck to the outside, and meaning Connor/Branch needed to be dealt.

Up next, Tyrus Barber. The price wanted for Barber was simply OUTRAGEOUS, even for a safety of his nature. But Barber would become the highest paid SS in the game, $24 million over 3 years, but signed. With that, Sanrick Raines will move back to his natural FS.

One last signing appeared. Former 49er G/C Draftee Matt Hoover. With OL a major weakness and the Draft soft, Hoover was a no brainer to come in to play center. Only $8 million over two seasons.

Now the time came to cut some more cap room to avoid any issue. First up, useless backup LT Kedrick Shaw was booted, saving a million dollars. Then trade opportunities came.

CB was a spot of need, even with Lawrence returning from RFA. The Redskins had a solid young corner, Fabian Mathis (87 OVR) Mathis had 2 years left at a low tag ($2.6 million) so I called and askeda bout him, and he was added for the price of backup QB Drew Thompson, backup LB Dimitrius Hibbert, and a 5th rounder in 2020.

That move alone SAVED money, but even with Hibbert gone, Connor and/or Branch were expendable, since one would be odd man out at LB. I shopped around and found another familiar name, Brandon Freel, a G I took in the 2nd round with the Dolphins (93 OVR)

I had traded Freel before because I wanted to move up and was deep at G, but now I needed a guard. It would cost a 4th in 2020, Dan Connor, and CB Charles Knight, but I had my O-Line set (and saved more money, Freel has 2 years at $2 million)

With that, the entire starting defense and offensive line was set and looking great.

POS	Name	OVR	Salary	Yrs left	Age	Season	Penalty	Notes
QB	Cody Withers	90	9.9 M	4	23	1	8.0 M	Starting QB
QB
HB/QB	Carmelo Goldwire	72	540 K	1	27	5	None	Backup HB/QB
HB	Tanard Mathis	89	8.7 M	1	29	8	None	Franchised HB
HB	Dana Riggs	76	290 K	2	23	1	None	Reserve HB
HB
HB	Mookie Hawkins	70	460 K	1	24	2	None	Backup HB
FB	Ahmard Hall	86	740 K	1	37	14	None	Starting FB
WR	Bryant Holyfield	88	2.1 M	2	25	3	None	Starting WR
WR
WR
WR
WR
TE	Torrin Warrick	75	2.0 M	4	25	3	3.3 M	Backup TE/Bad Contract
TE	Vernon Davis	78	1.3 M	1	34	13	250 K	Starting TE
T	Kortlin King	95	6.3 M	2	26	3	None	Starting LT
T	Rondell Owens	91	6.0 M	4	30	10	4.0 M	Starting RT
T	Rick Coles	76	750 K	1	25	2	180 K	Reserve T
T
G	Rob Freelander	89	520 K	2	25	1	None	Starting LG
G	Jeromey Clary	83	1.9 M	1	34	13	250 K	Starting RG for now
G	Brandon Freel	93	1.9 M	2	29	5	None
G/C	Emmanuel Gibson	84	1.6 M	4	25	2	3.3 M	Backup OL
C	Matt Hoover	88	3.8 M	2	33	9	1.0 M
DE	Bennie Quinn	85	3.8 M	2	26	3	3.0 M	Starting DE
DE	Mario Williams	91	7.5 M	3	33	13	11.0 M	Starting DE
DE
DE
DE
DT	Vontae Hall	89	7.1 M	3	24	2	10.8 M	Starting DT
DT	Donald Worthy	83	1.4 M	1	26	3	250 K	Starting DT
DT	Orien Williams	79	1.7 M	1	31	8	850 K	Bad Contract
DT
OLB	Nate Branch	87	4.3 M	1	27	4	1.5 M	Starting ROLB
OLB	Jarius Curtis	80	2.0 M	3	29	6	2.5 M	TERRIBLE contract
MLB	Jahmar Sweeley	91	6.6 M	5	27	5	6.0 M	Starting MLB
OLB
MLB	Eric Buckley	78	540 K	2	26	4	360 K	Roster Fill
OLB	Chase Beck	89	3.8 M	2	34	10	3.3 M	Starting LOLB
OLB
MLB	Lamont Oden	80	1.1 M	4	31	7	800 K	Starting LB
CB	Brandon Biggs	88	6.5 M	3	31	9	8.4 M	Starting CB
CB
CB	Daniel Lawrence	84	2.0 M	RFA/1st	25	3	None	Starting CB
CB	Fabian Mathis	87	2.6 M	2	26	4	None
CB/S	Zack Bowman	77	3.1 M	3	33	11	2.8 M	Waste of space
CB
FS	Sanrick Raines	83	4.8 M	2	33	10	4.4 M	Starting S
SS	Tyrus Barber	87	7.3 M	3	30	9	3.5 M
SS
K	Jason Duncan	90	260 K	2	24	1	None	Kicker
P

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

This draft could go a LOT of different ways. Here is the Day 1 board along with the picks I have.

##	POS	Name	Comparison	Grade
1	QB	Johnny Phoenix	Manning	Not Need
2	HB	DeAngelo Storm	Tomlinson	WANT!
3	QB	Grady Thompson	Palmer	Not Need
5	WR	Ziggy Hogan	Harrison	WANT!
6	TE	Trevis Bentley	Vernon Davis	WANT!
7	LT	Trace Harvick	Clifton	Solid
8	DE	Randall Whitesite	Osi	Not Need
9	QB	Gavin Matthews	Romo	Not Need
10	MLB	Terrence Crawford	Farrior	Maybe
11	DE	LeMarcus Orr	Seymour	Not Need
12	FS	Jerron Woods	Nick Collins	Maybe
13	WR	Erick Houston	Lee Evans	WANT!
14	DT	Myron Thomas	Stroud	Maybe
17	WR	Dontrell Dillinger	Calvin Johnson	WANT!
20	WR	Jarious Outlaw	Plaxico	Solid
21	MLB	Justin Gannon	Tatupu	Solid
22	OLB	Kenny Williams	Daryl Smith	Solid
23	HB	Marcus Franklin	Chester Taylor	Solid
24	HB	Patrick Booker	LenWhale	Maybe
25	HB	Thomas Pinder	Michael Bennett	Maybe
27	CB	Marshall Holmes	Mathis	Maybe
28	QB	Derek Karp	Rivers	Solid
29	G	Mike Wentworth	Mankins	Solid
30	DE	DeMario Mitchell	Little	Maybe
31	HB	Merrick Johnson	Tatum Bell	Maybe
32	HB	Michael Okafor	Ron Dayne	Maybe
33	DE	Barrack Jabar	Kenard Lang	Maybe
36	CB	Jameer Millsap	Leon Hall	Maybe
37	CB	Roy Jordan	Clements	Maybe
38	TE	Steven Hite	Greg Olsen	Maybe
40	CB	Carlos Underwood	Revis	Maybe
41	OLB	Darrick Wilson	Thornton	Solid
42	WR	Dontay Boatwright	Chad Johnson	Solid
45	FS	Bernard Lamb	Ed Reed	WANT!
53	G	Kevin Nipper	Jake Scott	Maybe
55	WR	Vincent Bervely	Vincent Jackson	Maybe
61	HB	J.R. McCants	Lorenzo Booker	Solid
66	DT	Rashard Bynum	Corey Williams	Maybe
68	DE	Jalen Wilcox	Manny Lawson	Maybe
69	C	Nathan Lancaster	Meester	Solid
70	OLB	Lester Wright	Donnie Edwards	Solid
71	OLB	Ronnie Boone	DeMarcus Ware	Maybe

1st	32
2nd	37
2nd	53
2nd	64
3rd	96
4th	101
5th	153
7th	201
7th	203
7th	210
7th	224
NEXT
1st
2nd
3rd
6th
7th

At this point, the only true need is WR, since I only have one on the roster. There is no shortage of solid receivers (and a new Vernon Davis TE!), but I'll likely need to trade up to get any of them. Despite being more in my range, neither Boatwright or Beverly wow me.

I would also love to get a backup HB. If I have a chance to trade to the VERY top and get Mr. Storm I will, even perhaps selling the house, because he a BEAST. The rest of the running backs are interesting. The Taylor guy is delightfully average. Then you have your basic speed and power guys, neither that impressive. McCants late is a watch, he actually is a GREAT speed guy but a dunce with learning.

But after that, just about anything could count as a need. Bernard Lamb, the FS listed at 45, would be a GREAT cornerback, and I would love to snag him.

As for past day 1, there is a DE I'd really like to get and a OL late, but that's it. Like I said, this Draft could end up anywhere. My team is already great, so moving up (Having 3 2nd rounders helps) is definitely a goal. We'll see how it goes.

[rdnk]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Unless someone reaches for Calvin Johnson, you could probably move up 10-15 spots with your extra 2nd and take him, along with taking Ed Reed in the 2nd. Seems like a really deep draft though.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Unless someone reaches for Calvin Johnson, you could probably move up 10-15 spots with your extra 2nd and take him, along with taking Ed Reed in the 2nd. Seems like a really deep draft though.

Dillinger reminds me a lot of Skyler Cofield from my Dolphin teams, which would be solid.

Obviously, the Harrison guy Hogan is the most complete but should go the highest. Any of the first 4 would suffice at WR.

That said, I still want DeAngelo Storm . But that's a pipe dream. Rams *should* take him 1st overall.

Here's the Draft order.

1	Rams
2	Titans
3	Redskins
4	Steelers
5	Bengals
6	Lions
7	Bears
8	Panthers
9	Jaguars
10	Falcons
11	Bills
12	Eagles
13	Raiders
14	Packers
15	Giants
16	Jets
17	Chargers
18	Browns
19	Saints
20	Buccaneers (From KC)
21	Cowboys
22	Cardinals
23	Colts
24	Ravens
25	Seahawks
26	Patriots
27	49ers
28	Dolphins
29	Buccaneers
30	Broncos
31	Vikings
32	Texans

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Day 1

The Rams surprisingly went DT with the 1st. Storm was quickly gone at #3, so then it became WR watch. Hogan went 7th. As time went by, WR's stayed.

Eventually it got to pick 22 and the Arizona Cardinals, and only Hogan was off the board. The Cardinals were thinking trade, and the Texans offered up. Houston would manage to keep the 32nd pick, trading the 37th, 53rd, and a 5th rounder to move up to #22.

With that. take Dillinger or Houston? Houston was faster, Dillinger was bigger and better hands. Remembering how the size of Cofield helped in the past, with the #22 overall pick, the Houston Texans took Dontrell Dillinger.

Erick Houston would manage to last all the way to #30, with the thought of maybe another WR if he made it to me. But he didn't, and to the 32nd pick we go. Bernard Lamb (DB) and J.R. McCants (HB) were the two guys I was still keeping an eye on, and both looked to last a bit longer.

So trading down it is. The Jets gave the 48th, 112th, and a 4th next year for the 32nd overall.

Picks ticked down, both men stayed. Until the 44th pick, J.R. McCants was taken by the Colts. With that, a backup HB prospect from the Draft was no longer an option.

However, Lamb would make it to the 48th. The outstanding cover FS (Who I will likely move to CB) was too good to pass up, and Bernard Lamb was added.

The 64th pick was the last day 1 for me. 3 names stood out. At the bottom of the Day 1 guys, LB Lester Wright and C Nathan Lancaster. Both looked to be late 2nd, early 3rd guys.

But one interesting development was the fall of Derek Karp, a solid QB who looked to be a first rounder was still sitting around. Just for the value, he'd be a good choice, plus with backup QB a need.

The Texans watched anxiously. It got to pick 57, and Karp was still on the board, with the Seahawks wanting to trade down. Oddly enough, Seattle wanted DT Orien Williams, despite his uselessness. Houston would be able to keep the 64 and 96, trading both 4ths (101, 112) and Orien Williams to move up to 57.

With that, the definite value pick, QB Derek Karp.

With that, it was the hope now that Lancaster and/or Wright would make it down to 64. After them, no worthwhile prospect would be valued higher than round 4.

At 61, the Buccaneers were up, and I realized then that Wright was PERFECT for them. Fast, great coverage LB. I looked into trading but nothing came out of it. The Bucs took him at 61. Chances at a backup LB were gone.

But Lancaster was prepped to make it to 64.

With the 63rd pick, the Vikings took Lancaster. SAIDFHSIFHISGHFGEFSEGH!!!!!!!!!

Well, the 64th pick was now pretty much useless, and the goal was to trade it. The Broncos were willing to give a 2nd and 7th next season for it, and I pulled the trigger.

With that ended Day 1. I got two of my studs, and another very good pick in Karp. The only "WANTS" left are Felix Erickson, a DE slated to go 3rd-4th, and Kalen Stills, a T slated to go 4th-5th. Rest of the guys aren't terribly impressive.

1	Myron Thomas	DT	Rams			Clemson
2	Darrick Wilson	OLB	Titans			Illinois
3	DeAngelo Storm	HB	Redskins			Oklahoma
4	Johnny Phoenix	QB	Steelers			Louisville
5	Grady Thompson	QB	Bengals			Washington State
6	Trevin Bentley	TE	Lions			N.C. State
7	Ziggy Hogan	WR	Bears			Ohio State
8	Marshall Holmes	CB	Panthers			Beth Cookman
9	Tyreese Sendy	CB	Jaguars			Missouri
10	Dave Lake	CB	Falcons			California
11	Barrack Jabar	LE	Bills			Miami
12	Michael Okafor	HB	Eagles			Houston
13	Langston Carter	OLB	Browns (From OAK)			Penn State
14	Randall Whitesite	LE	Packers			Purdue
15	Trace Harvick	LT	Giants			Alabama
16	Kyle Applewhite	CB	Jets			Notre Dame
17	LeMarcus Orr	RE	Chargers			Miami
18	Roy Jordan	CB	Raiders (From CLE)			Texas
19	Marcus Franklin	HB	Saints			Wake Forest
20	Thomas Pinder	HB	Ravens (From KC/TB)			Kansas State
21	Jerron Woods	FS	Cowboys			Miami
22	Dontrell Dillinger	WR	Texans (From ARI)			California
23	Patrick Booker	HB	Jets (From IND)			Tennessee
24	Carlos Underwood	CB	Buccaneers (From BAL)			UTEP
25	Renaldo Neal	LT	Seahawks			Auburn
26	Jarious Outlaw	WR	Patriots			Oklahoma
27	Rondell Polk	LT	49ers			Virginia
28	Kenny Williams	OLB	Dolphins			Alabama
29	Justin Gannon	MLB	Buccaneers			UCLA
30	Erick Houston	WR	Broncos			USC
31	Lonnie Rooks	OLB	Vikings			Maryland
32	Merrick Johnson	HB	Jets (From HOU)			USC

Picks now:

3rd	96
7th	201
7th	203
7th	210
7th	224
NEXT
1st
2nd
2nd	DEN
3rd
4th	NYJ
6th
7th
7th	DEN

In a perfect world, Erickson lasts past that, so I can trade down to get a 4th and 5th to get them both. I may trade up to get Stills if I can't move down.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

For the first time I can remember, I did NOT make a single trade on day 2. Erickson, my DE, fell to the 96 and no decent trade offers popped up. To my surprise, Stills, the OT I wanted, fell to the 7th, and I had to make all 4 7th round choices. Here is my total draft with breakdown:

1	22	Dontrell Dillinger	WR
2	16	Bernard Lamb	FS
2	25	Derek Karp	QB
3	32	Felix Erickson	DE
7	9	Kalen Stills	OT
7	11	Ed Sweat	WR
7	18	Alex Wiggins	WR
7	32	Kirk Hennings	CB

Dillinger was compared to Calvin Johnson, he's a 6'5'' beast of a WR with solid speed and already great hands. His awareness needs work, but otherwise he is very strong. Hopefully he can do what Skyler Cofield did for me with the Dolphins.

Bernard Lamb was compared to Ed Reed, although I likely will move him to CB for the time being. Very fast, with coverage skills already high 80's/low 90's. Give him time, he can be a great shutdown corner. If he can tackle a bit, he could move into the FS role after Raines is gone.

Derek Karp was compared to Philip Rivers, and with his value, falling that far, it was the value pick. 90 arm strength but already 80's awareness and accuracy which can improve. He'll likely fall short of Withers' ceiling, but he'll be plenty good to start if need be, and could provide EXCELLENT trade bait.

Erickson was compared to Kyle Vanden Bosch. Very balanced 3-4 type DE, low speed but pretty decent strength and moves. Provides depth.

Kalen Stills was compared to Willie Anderson. He'll almost certainly be the primary backup tackle. Likely doesn't have a starter ceiling, but could provide solid depth.

Sweat was compared to Muhammad. Decent speed and numbers for a guy picked that late, with awful awareness (and probably equally awful learning) We'll see if he has a decent ceiling.

Alex Wiggins was compared to Steve Smith, with no other information. Considering him and Sweat make up 4 total on the roster, they'll probably stick.

Kirk Hennings was compared to Kelvin Hayden with no other information. Maybe he'll make the squad.

Undrafted guys

Jevon Buchanan	LB
Jade Stewart	LB
Melvin McCormick	HB
Dexter Coyle	HB
Jordan Rice	DT

Buchanan (Ruff) and Stewart (None) are both slow for my taste at LB, but have decent other skills, worth seeing if they develop.

McCormick (L. Jordan) and Coyle (J. Lewis) could make the squad as the 4th HB, we'll see if either is worth much.

Rice (Hovan) can hopefully fill the role of backup DT with Orien Williams traded.

Overall, I am very pleased with this draft and REALLY like my team heading into the season.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Glitch still never goes away, but I am through one preseason game, I'll post the final roster before week 1.

Tanard Mathis did break his leg in a practice, 5-6 weeks but that was before the first preseason game, so he shouldn't miss more than 1 or 2 games.

For the first time in a while, it actually brought in a bunch of camp invites, although most of them crappy veterans. It also signed up EVERY punter in free agency before I got a chance to sign the best one, and didn't even give me one. Eventually I picked up one of the invite punters but he's far from good.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Schedule

1	at SD
2	at TB
3	IND
4	NO
5	at ATL
6	at TEN
7	Bye
8	BAL
9	TEN
10	at JAC
11	CAR
12	OAK
13	KC
14	at DEN
15	at IND
16	JAC
17	at MIA

Final Roster looks like this:

POS	Name	OVR	Salary	Yrs left	Age	Season	Penalty	Notes
QB	Cody Withers	90	9.9 M	4	23	1	8.0 M	Starting QB
QB	Derek Karp	78	470 K	4	24	0	500 K	Backup QB
HB/QB	Carmelo Goldwire	72	540 K	1	27	5	None	Backup HB/QB
HB	Tanard Mathis	88	8.7 M	1	29	8	None	Starting HB
HB	Mookie Hawkins	70	460 K	1	24	2	None	Backup HB
HB	Poppy Brown	75	900 K	1	28	5	None	Power Back Specialist
HB	Dexter Coyle	75	290 K	1	22	0	None	Reserve HB
FB	Ahmard Hall	86	740 K	1	37	14	None	Starting FB
WR	Bryant Holyfield	88	2.1 M	2	25	3	None	Starting WR
WR	Dontrell Dillinger	71	1.7 M	5	20	0	2.0 M	Starting WR
WR	Ed Sweat	65	270 K	3	23	0	None	Reserve WR
WR	DeSean Jackson	77	900 K	1	33	11	None	Slot WR/Primary KR/PR
WR	Reggie Lemon	75	900 K	1	27	4	None	Backup WR
TE	Torrin Warrick	75	2.0 M	4	25	3	3.3 M	Backup TE/Bad Contract
TE	Vernon Davis	78	1.3 M	1	34	13	250 K	Starting TE
TE	Everson Jacobs	74	820 K	1	33	10	None	3rd TE
T	Kortlin King	95	6.3 M	2	26	3	None	Starting LT
T	Rondell Owens	91	6.0 M	4	30	10	4.0 M	Starting RT
T	Rick Coles	76	750 K	1	25	2	180 K	Reserve T
T	Kalen Stills	84	260 K	3	24	0	None	Primary Backup T
G	Rob Freelander	89	520 K	2	25	1	None	Starting LG
G	Jeromey Clary	83	1.9 M	1	34	13	250 K	Primary Backup G
G	Brandon Freel	93	1.9 M	2	29	5	None	Starting RG
G/C	Emmanuel Gibson	84	1.6 M	4	25	2	3.3 M	Backup OL
C	Matt Hoover	88	3.8 M	2	33	9	1.0 M	Starting CB
DE	Bennie Quinn	85	3.8 M	2	26	3	3.0 M	Starting DE
DE	Mario Williams	91	7.5 M	3	33	13	11.0 M	Starting DE
DE	Felix Erickson	84	450 K	3	23	R	None	Primary Backup DE
DE	Alvin Beasley	77	900 K	1	29	6	None	Backup DE/Speed Rusher
DT	Vontae Hall	90	7.1 M	3	24	2	10.8 M	Starting DT
DT	Donald Worthy	83	1.4 M	1	26	3	250 K	Starting DT
DT	Jordan Rice	76	370 K	1	23	R	None	Backup DT
DT	Albert Satterfield	83	1.0 M	1	24	3	None	Backup DT
OLB	Nate Branch	87	4.3 M	1	27	4	1.5 M	Starting ROLB
OLB	Jarius Curtis	80	2.0 M	3	29	6	2.5 M	TERRIBLE contract
MLB	Jahmar Sweeley	91	6.6 M	5	27	5	6.0 M	Starting MLB
MLB	Jevon Buchanan	79	290 K	1	23	0	None	Backup LB
MLB	Eric Buckley	78	540 K	2	26	4	360 K	Roster Fill
OLB	Chase Beck	89	3.8 M	2	34	10	3.3 M	Starting LOLB
MLB	Jade Stewart	81	290 K	1	23	0	None	Backup LB
MLB	Lamont Oden	80	1.1 M	4	31	7	800 K	Starting MLB
CB	Brandon Biggs	88	6.5 M	3	31	9	8.4 M	Starting CB
CB	Fabian Mathis	87	2.6 M	2	26	4	None	Starting CB
CB	Daniel Lawrence	84	2.0 M	RFA/1st	25	3	None	Nickel CB
CB	Kirk Hennings	70	230 K	3	23	R	None	Depth CB
CB/S	Bernard Lamb	78	800 K	4	21	0	500 K	Dime CB/Backup FS
CB/S	Zack Bowman	77	3.1 M	3	33	11	2.8 M	Waste of space
FS	Sanrick Raines	83	4.8 M	2	33	10	4.4 M	Starting S
SS	Tyrus Barber	87	7.3 M	3	30	9	3.5 M	Starting S
SS	Jovanni Rundles	77	900 K	1	27	5	None	Backup S
K	Jason Duncan	90	260 K	2	24	1	None	Kicker
P	Vincent Warrick	73	800 K	1	27	4	50 K

That's a pretty good looking team if you ask me.

In Draft fun, the top QB in the next class is compared to Dan Fouts. I enjoy the historical comparisons.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: 2018 Onward: Turning the Houston Texans Into a Winner

Season opener is on the road at the Chargers, who are coached by Mike Martz (who I guess is on my coaching tree) As we all know, Martz throws the ball absurdly often, Rivers threw for 56 TDs and set the attempts record last season. Defensively they run a 3-4.

QB Philip Rivers (93)
HB LaDainian Tomlinson (90, age 40!)
WR Trenten Mathis (87) Legedu Naanee (87) Greg Jennings (80)
TE Martellus Bennett (81)
T Marcus McNeill (95) Barron Snider (85)
G Kevin Boothe (84) Charlie Butler (86)
C Dan Koppen (82)

DE Marques Bartell (87) Antonio Perez (77)
NT Herman Cable (82)
OLB Kevin Burnett (79) Shawne MerriRoid (91)
MLB Gino King (87) Adrian Zimmerman (80)
CB Mike Best (92) Knoshawn Mincey (83)
S Anthony Minter (82) Isaac McCracken (84)

My secondary should be much better equipped to face a pass heavy team. Their O-Line is weak, so hopefully the pressure is strong. My one injury from before the season, HB Tanard Mathis, will be out for this one week, unfortunately.