We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

[ShakaFlocka]

A Guide To Building A Program & Sustaining Success

------------------------

Dedication

It's been four years. It's been four years since Josh Looman and the rest of Electronic Arts put a stamp on sports simulation gaming with NFL Head Coach 09. It's been four years since the second, and final, title in the Head Coach line was given. In that four years we have seen an array of different Madden games and all have hyped a different feature. A complex "ring" system based on accomplishments, the inclusion of Head Coach inspired draft classes, Gus Johnson and finally Connected Careers.

It's been four years since most people dismissed the game as a failed project yet a number of us still choose it as our game of choice. Four years later and we find ourselves enthralled in our Careers, debating which systems work best and digging deeper for more information. Even the most dedicated fans, like those of us here at Operation Sports, find ourselves more and more educated the more we play and discuss this game.

That is the reason for this Dynasty-slash-Guide. It's for the many of Head Coache fans who still play, for those who have picked the game back up and the rare fan who has just stumbled upon the gem. Like Triston Riley in the 7th round, Head Coach is an absolute sleeper with the Athletics in 90's, Learning maxed at 100 and potential off the books. If 2009 was our Regular Season Scouting, 2010 our Senior Bowl, 2011 it's Pro Days and 2012 our Individual Workouts... It's safe to say we're happy to put Head Coach at the top of our Video Game Draft Board. It's just that good.

So we begin.....

Preface

This Dynasty will be in the form of a Guide Book, the active display of house rules, game rules, philosophies, secrets and everything else that makes this game so special. Written in a Book format, I will write about the career of my created coach - Gregg Hammermill, brother of Michigan legend Gary - and won't only share with you what I have learned but lead with them as example.

As I move forward, you will see me bold several things. This means they are of much importance to the story and directly tie to the guideline. This makes it easy for people to speed-read and still take from this Guide what they came for.

In this Dynasty, you and I both will encounter building a philosophy that will stand the test of time, we will draft, sign, make tough decisions. Everything you do in Head Coach 09, I will be doing here. That is with the exception of game-by-game recaps and explanations. There are enough places to read how to dominate the game on that front, and domination by knowing the secrets of gameplay is not my goal. No, this will be a simulation specific dyansty to encourage realism.

The players, coaches and philosophy I choose MUST work for me to succeed, as I will not have the benefit of simply calling the plays to win 16 games a season.

In a way, you can view this as a "GM's Guide" and that's alright. I view it more as a "General Gamers". You can take anything you want from this.

The one thing I want to stress is that the system I will use is not the best system and it's not better than yours. Nothing I do, and my decisions, are to be displayed as better than yours. I'm simply displaying the beauty of this game and a way that I, personally, have found enjoyment in it.

Also, it should be known that there will be spoilers as I will be playing my least played path, Zazzali, and be using names often.

At the bottom of a chapter or post you may see a code box such as this. This is my way of giving you a "Directors Cut" of this guide. This is where I pull out of character and talk specifically to the reader. This is where I will share the reasoning behind something or if I feel something important may have been covered up. Read this if you wish.

With no further delay, I give We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

[ShakaFlocka]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

Spoiler

Chapter One: An Education

------------------------

Randy Thomas. That's where it all started. The career of Gregg Hammermill, part of the success that the New England Patriots would see and well into the future all of the success the Houston Texans would know to come. The epicenter of so many stories began on an April afternoon with Randy Thomas.

It was 1999 and the tail end of the NFL's second round. The Bill Parcells-led New York Jets were fresh off a 12-4 season that saw it's end in the AFC Championship game. Their opponent, John Elway and the eventual champion Denver Broncos. The Jets needed help on the offensive line and they needed it badly. The years annual draft rookie draft was an opportunity to fix that. At the time, it was a tough decision that had many coaches and scouts alike differing on who to take. Looking back, it was the first of many times Gregg Hammermill would prove wise beyond his years.

Gregg was fresh, he was new. He was 29 years old and in his second year on the job, but first real year of college scouting. A West Point graduate of '91, Hammermill settled on the idea of a coaching career. His college career was a successful one, 4 years at West Point Army Academy and a bright future in the service ahead. The story, in football terms, could have simply ended there but we already know that not to be true. One missed tackle, a blown knee and months of rehabilitation later would change that story, and the destiny of many others.

"Medically Discharged" read his release papers from the Military. Four years of hard work, down the drain. He was viewed incapable of seeing forth his career in the service and left to decide on what he saw fit for the rest of his life. Rather than move back to Florida where his family were eagerly awaiting his return, he chose the only other thing he knew; he chose football. A Graduate Assistant at West Point was a rare thing, one many felt could not possible exist. You simply played on the team, educated yourself for four years and then you moved on to a career in the armed forces, one of at least 6 years.

By 1994, Hammermill was given the full time position of Linebackers coach. This was the same position he held the captaincy for just three years prior and it would be the same position he coached to make his mark on many. Two seasons later he would be on to major college football and assistant a major college coach.

------------------------

Nick Saban was his name. He was young, vibrant and had the type of dedication to his trade that few truly could rival. He had coached at every level, including a stint as the Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator in the NFL under the disappointing tenure of Bill Belichick. He found a home in 1996 with the Michigan State Spartans. There, he would begin his ascent to football stardom. There, he would offer a job to Gregg Hammermill.

For two years, Gregg followed his every step. If Nick watched film, Gregg watched film. If Nick went to luch, Gregg went with him. Practically, if Nick finally slept so could Gregg but only if Nick had dosed off first. In many ways, it had been an apprenticeship that only Saban knew the meaning of.

"He was always going to do big things," says Saban. "Gregg had that 'extra' quality you see in a coach and it wasn't long before I knew I was going to fail in keeping him around. It started as an assistants job but he was always destined for greater things. I knew that, and I coached him accordingly."

Nick knew, partly because Nick was directly involved in those greater things. It was in the off-season of 1998 that Nick got off the phone during a private coaches meeting and ushered Gregg out the door. "You have an interview," Nick explained. "It's with the New York Jets. Your plane leaves in three hours. Don't waste this."

Saban had organized a meeting with an NFL Franchise on behalf for his Linebackers coach, something few ever heard of. It was selfless and it was right. Gregg wouldn't just interview with the Jets, he'd interview with THE Jet. In five hours, he was standing face to face with Bill Parcells.

Parcells had just removed himself from the New England Patriots after a bitter divorce. He wanted full power and Robert Kraft, the Patriots owner, just wasn't ready to hand that power away. At the time, such a power wasn't easy to come by. As Hammermill would later find, it meant everything to some coaches.

Parcells bolted for bitter rival New York and built his program. With him, he brought all of his disciples. One of those disciples was his right hand man, Bill Bellichick, who was the mastermind behind the entire organized interview. Bill had heard wind, through conversation with Saban, that Gregg had everything you'd want in a coach. He was hard, he was smart, he was driven and he was all football. Bill valued these guys and had his own "disciples" in toe with him at Jets camp. Guys like Charlie Weiss, Scott Pioli and Eric Mangini would come into great success with Bill in the coming years and were all Cleveland to New York followers.

To be hired, Gregg was to follow the same route they all did. Gregg was to begin as a lowly National Scout and prove his worth. This didn't bother Gregg, but it bothered his family. Gregg had grew fond of coaching and wanted nothing more than a shot at the NFL. His brother, on the other hand, was built differently. Never fond of the pro game, his Gregg's brother was embarking on a successful college career at the University of Michigan where he had just been named Offensive Coordinator. He had a job if Gregg wanted it.

A decision had to be made.

Gregg had to decide if he was to make the jump to the professional level, albeit it a lowly scouting job, with the Jets or if he would take a job to coach with his brother as a Wolverine. He chose the pro route and his brother, Gary Hammermill, would carry the family name for the next decade.

------------------------

Hammermill's pro career started slowly and it would stay that way until his departure. His first year saw a position in Colorado where he would scout the Western football environment. This involved many nights in hotels, living out of a car and a lot of college football. He watched as Ryan Leaf torched opponents on the field, yet flamed his teammates off of them. One time, the Jets asked Gregg what he felt about the young gun from Washington State. Hammermill said "He is an oversized arm with no head to speak of." The staff laughed and shrugged it off. It would take just five years for them to realize the truth behind such evaluation.

In his second year, Hammermill moved to the SEC. He was to watch as Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Kentucky and Mississippi State beat each other up. It was during this stint that he discovered Randy Thomas. Thomas was a 6'4 monster of a Guard for Mississippi State. Gregg had the chance to see him three times and each time he was more impressed than the previous game.

The season concluded, the Jets nearly made the Superbowl and the draft was near. The Jets scouting team had one more major meeting with the front office and this would be the last time Gregg had the chance to leave an impression on who they should pick. Come draft time, Scouts are thrown together in a sort of Luncheon to talk football and about the guys they wished, or didn't wish, the team would take. They never had access to the actual decisions and so it was more the "I hope" game. For Gregg, he just hoped his words didn't go unnoticed.

In the teams final meeting, Gregg explained that Thomas was "the complete package". He had the size, the feel, the hips, the arms, the everything it took to play in the NFL. Even more, he had the brains. Gregg valued this more than anything but felt "the Tuna" didn't exactly agree. Parcells liked flash, he liked grit. Thomas was gritty, alright, but few knew his name prior to draft. Before Greg left, he made one last statement. "Draft Randy Thomas and Curtis Martin is a Hall of Famer. He's that good."

The scouts left, the coaches talked and the draft drew near. Come the Jets pick in the 2nd round, Thomas was there and all Hammermill could do is pray. Be it prayer, or solid scouting, the Jets took the word of a 29 year old scout in his second year and took Mr. Thomas. Nobody else he endorsed was chosen, yet nobody else lasted in New York. Only one player from the 1999 draft had success and his name was Randy Thomas.

From day one, Thomas looked every bit the part of a starting right guard. He would start the entire season, give up just three sacks and make himself and Gregg Hammermill legitimate NFL names. Following the draft, Thomas played for the Jets for five seasons. Each year he paved the way to an 1,000 yard campaign by Curtis Martin. In 2000, the Jets gave up a league low 20 sacks with Thomas highlighting the effort. Thomas was a success and so was Gregg. That was just the beginning.

------------------------

The 1999 season ended with the Jets winning just 8 games and out of the playoffs. Parcells left the sidelines and chose a career as General Manager. His first move was to hire assistant head coach Bill Belichick. Bill took the job, for a day, but resigned just 24 hours later. Bill wasn't ready to be the next Parcells, he was ready to be Bill Bellichick and he was headed to the New England Patriots.

With him came Charlie Weiss, Scott O'Brien, Scott Pioli, Eric Mangin and many others. With him came Gregg Hammermill.

In New England, Hammermill had a new start and much more control. While his brother was in line to be the next coach of Michigan University following the retirement of Amos Stirr, Gregg was quickly becoming a front office staple. His close work with Scott Pioli, including the mastered approach by Bill Belichick, was the work of greatness. It was the work of Super Bowl championships, in fact three.

For two years, Hammermill held the position as Associate Director of Player Personnel with Scott Pioli under Patriot key man Lionel Vital. His help in constructing a team of valued players viewed over the hill by other teams was masterful. Brian Cox the most notable. In 2000, the Patriots would be a team of destiny winning their first Superbowl. In 2001, the team failed to make the playoffs for what would be the only time in Bills New England history.

It was after that year that the Patriots needed changes on the coaching staff and Gregg saw his niche. Gregg enjoyed the work he did as a front office man but it was on the field that he was most passionate. He was given the role of Defensive Assistant in 2002. Two Superbowl titles later the Patriots lost their most notable coaches to their own head coaching spots. Charlie Weiss, the teams Offensive Coordinator, left to front the Notre Dame revival. Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel was headed to Cleveland to revive their own fortunes. In their place, young guns Josh McDaniel and Gregg Hammermill. With what started as a scouting job, Gregg made quick work to his first legitimate coaching position in the NFL. He was the lead guy for an NFL teams defense. He was now the New England Patriots Defensive Coordinator.

------------------------

The 2007 season was a special one, for many reasons. The Patriots were about to attempt the impossible. The Patriots were about to push for the leagues first Undefeated Season in a 16 game format. Under the guidance of the Hooded Legend Bill Belichick, the Coordination of Offensive Guru Josh McDaniels, the leadership of Defensive aggressor Gregg Hammermill and the arrival of stars such as Adaleous Thomas and Randy Moss - The Patriots meant business.

Despite "spygate" and what seemed to be an entire nation wishing they would fail, the Patriots simply did not. Not after 4 games, not after 8 games, not after 12 games and not at the conclusion of the season. Not against Jacksonville or San Diego in the playoffs, the Patriots did not fail.

That is, until "The Play".

The play would define the early career of Gregg Hammermill. The first time coordinator, former front office guy who - like McDaniels - had everyone on watch had guided his team to a Superbowl. Holding the Giants to just 10 points in the entire game, the Patriots were primed for a 4th superbowl. Then magic happened.

Eli Manning escaped what was almost certainly a sack, spinning in circles and heaving up what should have been an interception. It would have been if Asante Samuel, the Patriots free lancing corner, would have stuck to his coverage. Instead, Rodney Harrison found himself one on one with David Tyree. You know what happened.

Tyree would catch the ball, the Giants would drive and Plaxico Burress would lose Gregg Hammermill his only Superbowl as a Defensive Coordinator. The Patriots lost, they were no longer undefeated, and to make matters worse it was on his watch. A sickening feeling to anyone.

While the nation praised the Giants, Eli Manning and "The Play", the Patriots went back to work. Meetings ensued, phones rang and things would change - Again.

Teams were hot on the young coaches in McDaniels and Hammermill. McDaniels was on fire and many felt he was almost certian a head coaching position. The downside was his age and at 31 he would clearly be the youngest. On the other side, Hammermill had more experience, was 6 years his elder and was a "Hammermill". It helped that his brother, Gary, was putting up 40 and 50 points as a Wolverine in college. It helped that he was an Army graduate. Everything about Gregg spoke winner, even if he had just lost the Super Bowl.

Teams called and teams passed, except two. The St. Louis Rams and the Houston Texans.

Gregg Hammermill was going to be a Head Coach in the NFL in 2008. The question was, where?

This first chapter is long and many of you will not read it. That's quite ok. I wrote this for my own fun, as a back story to everything. If you read it, you will know why I make future decisions or my I feel one way or another. If you don't you won't be lost. It's not important to the "Guide" and is entirely for fun.

My advice, from a "Guide" front, would be that it's important to create a backstory of who you are. Are you a college coach? Are you a pro coach? What is your background? That will help you develop an identity a bit easier.

[Mike3207]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

Good to see someone else doing a Texans dynasty-I'll warn you-the AFC South is very tough.

[ShakaFlocka]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

Good to see someone else doing a Texans dynasty-I'll warn you-the AFC South is very tough.

That is part of the reason I chose them over the weak NFC West. I welcome the challenge. Also, I've never played in the AFC South before so it should be a great change of pace.

[Lolly4tw]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

nice, you have my attention

[thedudescrew]

I agree! You have my attention too. I read the entire backstory. Very nice man. Also was it the Michigan Wolverines or Michigan State Spartans. I think you ment Michigan Wolverines but you said Michigan State Wolverines.

Anyways good luck dealing with Peyton. In my Broncos Career he has had career games against me. Passing for over 500 yards and 6 TDs and scores like 44-41 at halftime. Crazy! Final score would be close to 130 or 140 points scored combined.

[ShakaFlocka]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

Thanks for all of the attention guys. I hope you continue to enjoy. Also, I fixed that little part about Michigan State. Thank you.

[ShakaFlocka]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

Chapter Two: Building The Foundation

------------------------

The decision to become the next Head Coach of the Houston Texans, and therefor not the St. Louis Rams, was a difficult one. Both teams needed a new identity. The Texans, five years into their franchise history, had never experienced a winning season. The Rams, on the other hand, were still holding onto past achievements and "The Greatest Show on Turf." What made the difference was a not-so-thrown-around phrase - "Total Control."

Sure, the fan base in Houston is terrific. The football atmosphere in Texas alone can make a coach sign the dotted line. What made the difference, mostly, was the total control that came with the Texans and the relationship built with Cal Montgomery.

Cal Montgomery had brought the city of Houston it's franchise following the departure of the Oilers to Tennessee. He was a visionary with a lot of unseen goals and aspirations. He believed the Texans could replace the Cowboys as "The Team in Texas" but following the teams first ever game in history, a win against the Cowboys, that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Mr. Montgomery and I spent a lot of time talking during my interview. We agreed on the importance of character, of driven personalities and a clear view on what we were doing. That wasn't always the case with Dom Capers or with Gary Kubiak. What made everything "stick" was the fact that we saw the same imagine of a Houston future. It was official, I was the new Head Coach & General Manager of the Houston Texans.

The first course of action was to "set the tone" of what we were going to do. It was important to me that everyone on the staff needed to know that We Are Texans and that's going to mean something for once. It meant we would do things the right way, the first time and every time. It meant were all little things that would make big things happen. The janitor to the Quarterback. The mindset became "We Are Texans."

To do that, it was important for us to find the right guys for the job. We weren't building something that just anyone could come in and do. We required a certain type of person, a certain type of scout and a certain type of player. So, as should be expected, we developed a full-fledge personality system that analyzed players and evaluated them as being A, B or C. We called it "Finding Our 53".

Now, that didn't jut mean finding our 53 man roster. It meant finding the 53% of player types that in turn would make up our 53 man roster.

After some time, we came to the conclusion that there are a potential of 17 different personalities a player in the NFL can have. The range from a natural born leader to a selfish promoter. Nine of them we classified as good, 5 of them we classified as borderline and 3 of them we classified as not good. Considering that 9 of 17 personalities were the type we wanted to build with, the percentages came out to...

Yup, you guessed it - 53 Percent. We were looking for players who fell into that 53%. We were looking for players who fit within 9 different personalities. If you were of the 53%, you were considerably more valuable to us. If you were not, we weren't going to waste much time. That's how we had to operate.

So the system was put in place to help aid us in finding who would become a part of our family. We simply made an evaluation and compared it to our chart:

The 9 Personalities That Make Up "The "53%"

1. Commander -- A Driven and Structured guy who was perfect for our system.
2. Captain -- A Driven and Structured guy who was great for our system.
3. Guru -- A smart guy who values tradition.
4. Anchor -- A "team guy" who values tradition.
5. Ally -- A hard worker who values tradition.
6. Loyalist -- A loyal guy who values tradition.
7. Anaylist -- A detailed worker who is loyal if a bit skeptical.
8. Traditionalist -- An olld school guy who values tradition.
9. Titan -- The only other Driven personality we'd accept because his work ethic outweighs his cons. As long as he's not stubborn.

We felt that if we could pick out the players and coaches who had the type of personalities to completely buy into the program, we would have success in Houston.

One really big thing that has helped me enjoy this game more over the years is the amount of detail put into Personalities. As soon as I looked into it and made it part of my General Gameplan, I had much more success. The fact is, personalities matter.

Be it the fact that some personalities are easier to resign, easier to please or simply don't speak up against the team - If you build appropriately, you will have a team full of "good guys" and avoid "bad ones".

The nine I have listed show, in underlining attention, the exact descriptions you look for. Example, if you find that a player is Driven and Structured, he is a Commander or Captain. You want more of those guys. If you find that he Values Tradition, he is part of the "Good Personalities" you want to build with.

[ShakaFlocka]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

Chapter Two: Building The Foundation

(Continued...)

------------------------

The second step needed as we progressed with the new Texan philosophy was to properly evaluate the kind of talent that we would need to achieve our goals. In the 90's, the Cowboys made it famous to draft the "best player available." At the turn of the century, the Patriots and Colts became living examples as to why you should look for players who fit your system. The debate raged on through the media, on draft day and in households as to which system was right. For us, it was a bit of both.

For the new look Houston Texans, we would evaluate every player just the same and then decide on two factors. Does he fit our mold or is he so good that the mold will fit him? Those where the two questions we asked ourselves and it made every bit the system. Systems are terrific for team success in the same way ingredients are terrific for making chocolate cake. Still, sometimes the best ingredient is something you never thought to look at.

With that in mind, we set our sights on developing a system that would accurately evaluate each player in several different categories. For years before us, NFL scouting included color codes and symbols to tell you if a player was tough, smart enough or anything else. To us, scouting was a math equation.

If history said every player could be scouted to symbols and colors, why couldn't every player be scouted to a number? Why couldn't that number be a scaled rating that was relative to the players and environment around him? There was no reason to say it couldn't be done, so we accepted the challenge. We turned scouting into scaling and called it the "Texan Scaling System" or "TSS".

The general logic behind it was that the higher a players TSS grade, on a scale from 1-100, the better the player was.

We used this for everything from well a player was in Zone Coverage to the run blocking footwork of an Offensive Linemen. From a general "Athletics" grade to a general "Size" grade. One of the most important categories we looked into was how smart a player was, something we called "Learning."

For the Houston Texans, Learning meant everything. If a player couldn't learn the system, he wasn't the player we projected him to be. Sure, he might run like the wind but if he didn't understand the scheme he might as well run a 5 flat outside the hashes. That's how we looked at things. With everything, in fact, we set a distinct guideline on where we thought a player should be for us to truly consider bringing him in. We jokingly called this chart "The Minimum Requirements to be called a Houston Texan."

The Minimum Requirements to be called a Houston Texan

• Athletic 75+
• Learning 80+
• Size 75+
• Durable 80+

Within this minimum requirement a few general rules existed. For starters, if a player was considerably more Athletic(think 85+) we could afford to give up some Learning(think 70+). If the player had massive size(think 90+) we could afford to give up some Learning also. If the player had both elite size and athletics but learning ability wasn't quite up to par(think 60) he became our "Project Prototype". Every team has these kind of rules.

Generally, though, we felt every player had to have at least a 75 in Learning and an 80 in Durability. We just couldn't have players incapable of learning our schemes or incapable of staying healthy. That helped nobody.

Furthermore, we looked at a few key position specific attributes and felt we needed some minimum requirements there as well. Again, all mathmatical.

Minimum Requirements Continued

• QB - Accuracy 80, Throw Strength 85, Awareness 60
• RB - Athletics 85, Find Special Trait
• FB - Strength 75, Impact Block 80
• WR - Catch 80, Athletics 88, Find Special Trait
• TE - Catch 70, Athletics 75
• OT - Strength 85, Athletics 70
• OG - Strength 85, Athletics 60
• C - Strength 90, Athletics 50
  
• DE - Strength 85, Athletics 75
• DT - Strength 90, Athletics 60
• OLB - Strength 70, Athletics 80, Pass Rush Moves
• MLB - Strength 80, Athletics 75, Play Recognition
• CB - Athletics 90, Both Coverage
• FS - Athletics 90, Zone Coverage
• SS - Athletics 85, Awareness/Play Recognition

With this, we had a mathmatical approach to building "our perfect team". We had more than scouting reports that said a guy was "too fast to pass on" or "has great intangibles". Now we had an exact rating on what his speed and his intangibles really were among everything else. It allowed for us to dial in on players we felt were incredibly specific to our team and incredibly rare. It also allowed for us to rule out a number of guys in each round and in free agency.

In a way, this was the best thing we ever did in Houston. This was the number one reason we found success.

After all, if you don't know what you're looking for how are you to build anything at all?

One of the most important things to remember is that this game is very mathmatical and therefor everything involved is a giant equation. If linemen in the game are above 85 strength, shouldn't your defensive linemen be just the same? It's that easy.

For me, I valued learning above all else with the knowledge that the higher the rating the more inflated his potential and overall grade was. I was fine with that. I wanted guys I can count on to execute plays to perfection.

My advice is to find what you value most, set a minimum to it and stick to it. Then, you might actually build the program you wish to run and rid yourselves of the cancers you never knew dragged you down.

[tarek]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

This is a brilliant read. Would you say your minimum attributes are general (for all systems) or are they specific to your system and playbook? And if so, what is that playbook and what is your defensive scheme?

And where do you find the 'Find Special Trait' and 'Pass Rush Moves' and 'Play Recognition'? And what are these? I can recall if I've ever come across them before?

[ShakaFlocka]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

The athletic attributes are mostly general. Regardless of scheme, I want my Receivers to have 88 Speed, 88 Agility, etc. Of coarse some of those are relevant to my playbook as a Cover 2 team would rely on more Speed and Accell from their ends then strength. I'm sharing my playbook in the next posting.

'Find Special Trait' isn't anything that is in the game. That means I need to find players with special traits. That means I want to find a Runningback who does something exceptionally well. Sure, 85's across the board is terrific but I value someone with 99 Elusiveness or 99 Trucking. If someone is a "specialist", I can find him a role in my scheme. That's what that means.

As for "Pass Rush Moves" - That is Power Moves and Finese Moves in the game. Play Recognition is also an attribute within the game.

[ShakaFlocka]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

Chapter Two: Building The Foundation

(Continued...)

------------------------

The third step in building the foundation of Houston Texan football was solidifying the actual player types that we would be looking for. We knew what type of character and personalities we wanted in our locker room, we knew exactly how we would scout these players, what we needed now was to know exactly the type of players we would be scouting and building with.

One of the factors that went into building our scheme was deciding on what we needed to do to have success within our division. The AFC South had been considered one of the best divisions in football since the realignment in 2002, our first year. The 2007 season saw the Texans finish a respectable 8-8 while the rest of the division an outstanding 34-14.

The Titans were a rebuilding team with a tough defense and solid ground game. Despite troubles with turnovers, Vince Young earned the reputation for "just winning" and required special attention twice a season. The Jaguars, in the same build, had a tough-as-nails defense and a ground game complete with a two headed monster in Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. Lastly, the Indianapolis Colts had been the model of excellence for the entire decade with an electrifying offense and troublesome Cover 2 defense.

At first glance, adopting the Tampa 2 made the most sense. Over the years I had grown fond of the defense but never had the chance to incorporate it. Now there would be reason with the Colts offense on the schedule twice a year. To stop the Colts, we'd have to play great pass defense and that might be a way to do it. The downside to the Tampa 2 was that it gave up a ton of yards on the ground. That wouldn't work against the Jaguars or Titans, we'd have to have balance. In the end, we went with what we knew. That is the Patriots hybrid 3-4 that I had mastered in my seven years with the organization.

Such a defense would be tricky to build out of thin air. In New England, instant success in 2000 was possible because they had the personnel to run it already and were smart to acquire veterans free agents in Brian Cox, Larry Izzo and Mike Vrabel. In 2008, our Houston defense would need a bit of extra work.

We would need a mountain of a man at nose tackle and two athletic freaks at end. We would need dual threat pass rushers at sam and will with bulky tacklers at the mike and tank. In pass defense, we would need two coverage safeties and a group of ball hawking corners. What we needed was an overhaul.

Here is a look at our Defensive Philosophy:

Houston Texans Hybrid 3-4 Defense

• Base Defense: 3-4
• Coverage: Man Coverage
• Blitz Tendency: Heavy

• DE - 3/4 Versatile
• DT - Run Stopper
• OLB - Pass Rusher
• MLB - 3/4 Tackler
• CB - Man/Ball Hawk
• FS - Centerfield SS
• SS - Smart/Productive

If we could build this defense with it's pride in run support and it's trademark in coverage, we felt we could defend anyone in the NFC South. It wasn't going to be easy, but that was our plan.

Offensively, we could be creative. The NFL was a copy cat league and so, naturally, the league was changing. In the 80's and 90's it was all about who could run the ball. At the turn of the century, passing took center stage with the arrival of the Colts and Patriots. We would be no different. The idea was, the more you score the more support you give your defense. The best way we could respect what our defense did was to score points and give them a break.

In my years as a Defensive assistant in college, in the NFL and ultimately as a Coordinator the one thing I couldn't stand was running my defense into the ground athletically. There was nothing worse than an offense with the athletes who could run around the field and force us to dig into our depth chart. In turn, I taught me exactly what I wanted to force on opposing teams.

We were going to spread the field horizontally with receivers, ends who could run and backs who could catch the football. We would keep a back in at all times and develop an offensive line who could control the line of scrimmage. That would allow us to spread the field vertically as well. Lastly, we would be the best conditioned team in the NFL. In theory, we felt we could defeat the body and the mind of our opponents this way.

To do this, we had a very specific player in mind for every single role.

Houston Texans Flex Offense

• Base Offense: Patriots/Hammermill
• Philosophy: Power Run
• No-Huddle Tendency: Often

• QB - Field General
• RB1 - Workhorse
• RB2 - Receiving
• FB1 - Blocking
• FB2 - Receiving
• WR1 - Balanced
• WR2 - Tall/RedZone
• WR3 - Speed
• TE - Routes/Hands
• OT - Pass Blocking
• OG - Run Blocking
• OC - Run Blocking

Defensively, if you were on the field you had a job to do and so the depth chart was easy. Ends were Ends, Backers were Backers. Offensively, it worked much differently.

Offensively, we would have a number of different packages. Our feature back would need to have the power and durability to run the ball 20-25 times. Our spell back would need to have sure hands and the ability to pass block on third downs. We had two fullbacks. One would lead block while the other would be used as our hybrid runner. He'd run, he'd block, he'd receive. This position was inspired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mike Alstott and we felt he'd be our x-factor on offense. In addition to fullback duties, he'd spend time as our 3rd running back on the depth chart.

Out wide, we didn't have one specific system. We wanted a true #1 possession receiver to go to at all times. We needed a second guy who was deadly in the redzone and sure handed. Thirdly, our slot receiver would need speed. Anyone who spent time in New England and watched Wes Welker knew the importance of such a position. At Tight End, we wanted at least two guys we felt could run with even the fasted defensive backs but had the bulk to block. This, in turn, would create match-up nightmares.

Ultimately, it would be a tough job to complete but it was one we had developed and now could begin the process of filling.

The next step was to decipher who on the current Texans roster would be worth keeping around for the long haul and who was expendible.

It's important to know your playbook. If you used the Steelers offense, you need to have run blocking linemen. If you used the Colts defense, you would need zone coverage corners.

It's also important to get into the game and have fun with it. Sure, I could only have one philosophy by default and so my Receivers would be "Balanced". That didn't mean I wouldn't be looking for a speed guy for the slot. That didn't mean I didn't see value in a speedster, pass catching back - even if he wouldn't look good under a Workhorse philosophy.

It should be known that my offense is a cross between Hammermills and the Patriots. The defense is entirely based on the Patriots defense.

[ShakaFlocka]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

Chapter Two: Building The Foundation

(Continued...)

------------------------

The final step prior to our dive into the 2008 off-season, draft and year was to evaluate our roster using the scouting formula we had created and create a business plan for success. We called this "cleaning house". We knew we would be making major overhauls to the roster and so our plan was to decipher who we felt would be with us for the long haul and who we would keep momentarily.

At glance, we had 36 of our 53 man roster under contract. We knew we had the leeway of preseason to max our roster to 90 and then cut down but we felt it was smart to never lose sight of the goal to strengthen our 53 at every turn. There would be no mistake, we were a team of 53 not a team of 90 trying to make a 53.

Of the 36 under contract, immediate cuts were made. Some players were journey men who would find homes elsewhere. Others were younger guys who barely made the roster a year ago. Four of our cuts came as a surprise to many in our fanbase. To start, we cleaned house and cut 10 players.

January 2008 Roster Cuts - "Cleaning House"

• RB Darius Walker
• FB Jameel Cook
• WR Kevin Walter
• LG Brandon Frye
• LE Earl Cochran
• DT Jeff Zgonia
• CB Jamar Fletcher
• CB DeMarcus Faggins
• FS C.C. Brown
• SS Brandon Harrison

None of these players were part of the mold we were looking for. They either had inferior skills, a lack of character or were decisions made to cut salary. Of the group, Safety C.C. Brown was the most established. In 2007 he racked up over 100 tackles on way to a reserve Pro Bowl position. Brown was quick, strong and instinctive but lacked in coverage skills. Our thought was, with such a bad defense a year ago, he simply benefited from 7 and 8 yard carries. We felt the lack of skill on the 2007 defense inflated his numbers and that we could find a replacement.

We entered the 2008 off-season with just 26 players on roster, many of which we felt were not a part of our future plans and with over $47 million dollars to spend on talent. In underlines, we highlighted those we felt were in for the long haul. Everyone else were valuable to the upcoming season, but not exactly our long term goals.

2008 Starting Roster

• QB - Matt Schaub - Sage Rosenfels
• RB - Ahman Green
• FB - Vonta Leach
• WR - Andre Johnson, Andre Davis, Jacoby Jones
• TE - Owen Daniels
• LT - Ephrain Salaam, Jordan Black
• LG - Chester Pitts, Kasey Studdard
• C - Steve McKinney, Chris White
• RG - (None)
• RT - Eric Winston, rashad Butler

• LE - Amobi Okoye - Anthony Weaver
• RE - Mario Williams
• DT - Travis Johnson
• LLB - (None)
• MLB - Demeco Ryans - Zach Piles
• RLB - Marlon Greenwood
• CB - Dunta Robinson, Fred Bennet
• FS - (None)
• SS - (None)
  
• K - Kris Brown
• P -(None)

Offensively, we had a huge lead in our overall scheme. Andre Johnson was everything you look for in a Receiver and he was ours for the next five years. We lacked depth at most positions but when you have a player you can build around, you don't complain.

Matt Schaub, for the moment, looked to be our starting Quarterback going into camp. At the least, he'd be around for the next few years competing for the job as the last management group gave him a major contract following some success as Michael Vicks successor in Atlanta. In 2007, he played just 11 games going 4-7 as a starter and finishing with the same amount of touchdowns(9) as he did Interceptions. His bright side, a 66% completion percentage and years end QB rating of 87.

Sage Rosenfels, Schaubs backup turned starter late in the season, went 4-1. Throwing touchdowns(15) and interceptions(12) at a high rate, he was the example of an inconsistent Quarterback.

We'd have to decide if any of these guys could lead us into the future and especially if Schaub deserved such a generous contract.

At running back, we had just one guy set for the job in former Packer star Ahman Green. Green had ran for 1,000 yards in 5 consecutive seasons behind Brett Favre but knee injuries limited him near the end of his career. He ran just 70 times for 260 yards before a season ending injury. At 30, we were in need of a replacement.

At Receiver, despite Johnson, we had two star sprinters in Jacoby Jones and Andre Davis who combined for 5 touchdowns in the last two years through special teams. Davis, who returned 3 kicks for score in 2007, signed a major deal mid-year and would be along for the ride by default. We just couldn't afford to pay his penalty.

At End and Fullback, Vonta Leach and Owen Daniels were capable enough to keep around. Leach was a powerful blocker while Daniels had everything we valued in an H-Back type Tight End with hands. We felt secure going into the season with both men even if we made no adjustments.

On the line, we had a number of guys who were productive to say the least. None of them would turn heads but we didn't feel we would have to. Sure, we would absolutely look into improvements but we felt good heading into the year with a young and productive group. What we needed was some veteran leadership.

Defensively, we were gifted some terrific talent and a heck of a head start on our future plans. Amobi Okoye, drafted a year ago at Defensive Tackle, would make the switch to End in our 3-4 and had the bulk to do it. His 5 sacks as a 20 year old rookie were promising and opposite Mario Williams, we liked our chances. Mario, on the other hand, had the size and athleticism to excel in any system as evidence of his 14 sacks in 2007.

With powerful ends, we knew we would need a terrific Defensive Tackle to complete the package. We viewed the Nose Tackle spot as "the cornerstone" of our defense and would address this aggressively until we found the answer.

At linebacker, we had little to look at outside of Demeco Ryans. Ryans was a young, strong and gifted athlete who looked to have all the tools to lead a defense. We felt very excited to start our era with such a weapon. With him, Marlon Greenwood and Zach Piles were certainly serviceable.

In the backfield, Dunta Robinson and Fred Bennett were all we had but both had the coverage skills we desired. Dunta was quick and instinctive while Bennett was the fundamentally sound corner we felt could play Free Safety if needed. Our real problem was in the backfield, where no safeties would enter the off-season with us.

We had a core and a lot of young talent to play with. The trick now was to find the combination of young talent and veteran ledership that could spell both a successful 2008 campaign as well as sustained success.

It was January and the Senior Bowl was on our horizon.

It's important to know where you are going. Most people are going to build the team they want and that's how you should play Head Coach 09. If that's what you do, then know who to keep around and who are ixpendible. Knowing what you already have and what you need most allows you to really dial into your goals that off-season.

Every detail counts. From age, durability to learning - it all matters. If you have something good, keep it if at least momentarily. Get good and then strenghten. That's my motto. Luckly, Andre Johnson and Mario Williams give me a good head start.

Also, it's important to be smart about cap penalties. Sometimes it's worth it just to cut your losses but it can add some to the dynamic of your career if you play realistically and keep players who are on contracts you don't agree with. Happens all the time, everywhere. Happened here with anthony Weaver and Andre Davis.

[Mike3207]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

I will say Andre Johnson's 51 Injury rating is a huge drawback for any team that wants to count on him week after week. I'll usually look to trade him after 2-3 years and maximize his return.

[ShakaFlocka]

Re: We Are Texans: Building A Program & Sustaining Success

I've never played with the Texans before and so I haven't seen how much it effects him. Luckily, I play in an offense that substitutes a ton. Maybe I can get away with maximizing his efforts while not running him onto IR.

You're right though, such a decision will be looked into if we can't get the progression we want out of him and/or the penalty isn't too high. For now, I am excited to see him suit up.