SB Nation - Vonta Leach

The Continuing Misadventures of Aaron Curry

John Morgan — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:59:25 -0000

More photos » by Steven Senne - AP

Texans receiver David Anderson receives a pass from Matt Schaub.

Aaron Curry was back in action before the Seahawks defense could even take the field. He was wracking up a fifteen-yard unnecessary roughness penalty for an unjustifiably late hit. Jacoby Jones was tackled by two Seahawks defenders, his elbow clearly down, seconds before Curry gave him the ol' Brian Russell. It didn't register as dirty to me, but frighteningly unaware.

He started the next series by backing away from his gap and taking himself out of a run play directed at him. It looked like Curry was held, but not flagrantly and not impactfully. The remaining series went:

2. Contain but did not factor.

3. Timed and blitzed perfectly off right end, but lands only an after the fact hit on Matt Schaub. Josh Wilson was burned badly on this play. Ron Pitts called it a nightmare play for a nickelback because the slot receiver has a two way go. Wilson was burned defending the outside route when David Anderson cut in on a post.

4. Stands up and sheds fullback Vonta Leach.

5. Dominates Joel Dreessen but is held and dragged right and out of the play. This would become a theme.

6. [Out] This looked like a 3-3 stack.

7. Stands up left tackle, sheds him with an inside move, closes to the ball carrier and joins David Hawthorne in a gang tackle.

Then Curry executed to perfection and still allowed Dreessen to squirt out for five on second and seven. He was subbed out and Hawthorne, keying Ryan Moats from before the snap, took a bad angle of pursuit, bubbling up and away from Moats to stay parallel, and whiffed so badly that Moats didn't break stride, didn't even slow as he ducked then drove into the end zone. Lofa Tatupu at least gets a shoulder tackle on Moats, and a shoulder tackle would have staggered the roster cut veteran and allowed Seattle's defense to swarm and stop him.

Three more plays before the quarter ended:

1. Bites hard on play action, does not factor.

2. [Out]

3. Can't separate from Dreessen and is unambiguously held.

Now, I'd rather a rookie that lacks awareness than a rookie that lacks tools, but this was a bad, bad start for Curry. He looked as clueless as he did unskilled, and all his size, strength and speed didn't help him when he was reading wrong, reacting wrong and rarely where the ball was.

BRB's Comcastic Red Zone Review: Colts v. Texans

Tim — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:15:52 -0000

Brought to you by Comcast's Red Zone Channel, a quick look at how your Houston Texans fared in the red zone last Sunday in the latest loss to the Colts:

Trips to Red Zone: 5
Scores in Red Zone: 5 (TD by Vonta Leach, TD by Chris Brown, 2 FGs by Kris Brown, TD by Jacoby Jones)
Red Zone Efficiency: 100%

The good news is that there doesn't seem to be much of a problem producing in the red zone. The bad news is that the Texans are allergic to the red zone after halftime.

Colts vs Texans coverage

Decision Day: 53-Man Roster Speculation

bigfatdrunk — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:13:47 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

3 months ago: Houston Texans' David Anderson (89) congratulates James Casey (86) after Casey's 11-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Rex Grossman during the second quarter of a preseason NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on Friday, Sept. 4, 2009, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Browse more photos »

With cuts due by 3pm CDT (I believe, please correct me if I'm wrong), I wanted to pontifibate one last time on the 53-man roster. It's not going to be much different than my first take.

As a refresher, here's the composition of the Texans original 53-man roster last year:

2 QBs
3 RBs
1 FB
5 WRs
3 TEs
5 OTs
5 Gs (1 C/G)
1 C
3 Special Teamers (P, K, LS)
6 DEs
5 DTs
6 LBs
4 CBs
5 Ss

Again, there's substantial reason to believe the roster will be similarly composed. So here goes:

2 QBs: Matt Schaub and Dan Orlovsky
3 RBs: Steve Slaton, Chris Brown, Arian Foster (over Ryan Moats)
1 FB: Vonta Leach
5 WRs: Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Andre Davis, David Anderson, Jacoby Jones
3 TEs: Owen Daniels, James Casey, Anthony Hill
4 OTs: Duane Brown, Cliff Washburn, Eric Winston, Rashad Butler
5 OGs: Antoine Caldwell, Chester Pitts, Kasey Studdard, Mike Brisiel, Chris White. Last year, there were 5 OTs and 4 OGs.
1 C: Chris Myers
3 Special Teamers: P - Matt Turk, K - Kris Brown, LS - Clark Harris
5 DEs: Antonio Smith, Mario Williams, Connor Barwin, Tim Bulman, Jesse Nading
5 DTs: Amobi Okoye, DelJuan Robinson, Frank Okam, Shaun Cody, Jeff Zgonina
6 LBs: Zac Diles, Xavier Adibi, DeMeco Ryans, Brian Cushing, Buster Davis, Kevin Bentley
5 CBs: Jacques Reeves, Fred Bennett, Brice McCain, Glover Quin, Antwaun Molden
4 Ss: Dominique Barber, Eugene Wilson, Nick Ferguson, John Busing

Again, that leaves us with 52 of the 53 spots. I think it's going to come down to:

Rex Grossman: He'll be tough to cut after last night's performance.
Glenn Martinez: Was a fiend on special teams all preseason.
Joel Dreessen: Your basic, but very good, utility TE.

After Anthony Hill's performance last night, I believe Dreessen takes the last spot. While Casey needs some time to mature into the position, Hill is definitely not ready. Dreessen will be the steady hand.

As far as Grossman, I believe there's a chance he still makes the team over Jeff Zgonina. Kubiak hasn't shown any indication he's going to take three QBs, and after last night's game, he seemed pretty non-committal about keeping Rex. Personally, I don't believe Rex makes the team.

I'll be out of town when the cuts are made, but I'll be back this afternoon.

Plenty Of Reasons To Watch The Final Preseason Game

Mike Kerns — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:09:03 -0000

Quarterback Rex Grossman will play for the first time since pulling his hamstring on his first play from scrimmage against Kansas City on August 15th.

View full size photo »

I am usually the type that watches the final game of the preseason for a few series and then I am done. The starters are usually rested and we watch a bunch of guys play that will probably be working at Discount Tire by that time the following week. But this year, there are certainly some things to watch for.

First off, even though his status changes every five minutes, we could finally get to see first round draft choice Brian Cushing get some playing time Friday against Tampa Bay. The news from camp today was that he was on the field in pads and taking some contact. Some are anxious to get him out there and get him some time to pick up some of the scheme. Others, including me, think we should just rest him one more game and let him loose against the Jets in week 1. No need to rush him. I would hate to see him with that nagging injury all season. Even when his history shows that the chances of that are pretty high already.

Next, apparently Rex Grossman is all better and ready to play. Sweating a roster spot there, Rexy? Well, it’s not like Dan Orlovsky has been a world beater thus far. Rex has virtually zero chance of passing Dan-O on the depth chart, but if he plays well Friday I could see us carrying three QBs for the first time under the Kubiak Era. I’m not a big Grossman fan (who is?), but he is John Elway next to Alex Brink.

Arian Foster, who many people had penciled in as Slaton’s backup from the moment he was signed as an undrafted free agent, will get lots of time on the field Friday. Gary Kubiak was quoted as saying that Foster was "on the bubble." So Foster needs to do something worthwhile against the Bucs' third stringers to make the team. Right now he has to be behind Chris Brown and Ryan Moats. As well as Steve Slaton, of course. He has been banged up almost all preseason and that hasn’t helped his case to make the squad so far. I’d like to see him make the team, but he hasn’t really shown me anything yet. I’m anxious to see if he has any of that burst left that he had the season before his injury at Tennessee.

Then there is every Texans fan's apparent man crush (you know who you are!), James Casey. With Vonta Leach resting a bruised knee, "Thor" will see time at fullback Friday. It is a great opportunity to see his versatility and I am interested to see if they try a wildcat play or two. Doubtful, but it's fun to know that they have that option. And if you can’t try it in the preseason, when can you try it?

Add to all of this that I want to see if Dan Orlovsky can keep from turning the ball over for one game and to see how Xavier Adibi responds to losing his starting job to Zac Diles, and there are plenty of things to be watching for. Besides, what else you got to do on a Friday night?

Texans Down 'N Dirty: Day 15 Recap Edition

DreKeem — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:23 -0000

While reading James Casey's latest (and as usual, extremely interesting) rookie diary entry, I noticed a shocking connection. On James Casey's first play as a Texan in a pre-season game, he made the tackle for his team. Similarly, in DeMeco Ryan's first pre-season play, he managed the first tackle. Just sayin'.

Kasey Studdard has performed admirably in camp and throughout the pre-season filling in for Chester Pitts. I'm really excited to see Studdard continue to progress throughout the year, as Pitts' contract has reached its last year. Though Pitts hasn't missed a game in franchise history and had an extremely good season last year, he will be 31 at season's end and you have to be skeptical about giving in to what is sure to be hefty demands by his agent. We've been over the situations with DeMeco and Owen Daniels, so adding Pitts to the list just makes my head hurt. Studdard's solid play makes me believe the likely loss of Pitts may not be as harsh as it might have seemed earlier.

Here's the day's recap from the Chronicle and the team website. Former Baylor fullback Jonathan Evans was signed as a camp body to take away a few reps from Vonta Leach. As expected, Antwuan Molden isn't quite up to full speed yet and still isn't participating fully in all team drills. Luckily, there were no signs of pain for the returning cornerback. John Busing continues to make plays. He added another interception to his list yesterday. He didn't particularly stand out in the Chiefs game, but he could see more playing time against the Saints.

And now the best quotes of the day:

It was a tough morning practice for fourth-round pick Anthony Hill, a tight end known primarily for his blocking ability. The Texans ran several pass plays to Hill, and he missed multiple passes thrown by quarterback Matt Schaub. One time, coach Gary Kubiak said, "Come on, 87, make the play!" On a similar pass play about 15 yards up the middle, Hill caught a pass but was stripped by free safety Brandon Harrison. Later, Hill caught a touchdown pass in the red zone and got a lot of encouragement from his teammates. He has to catch the ball in practice and continue to prove his ability to block. - Jordan Godwin

Hill will see playing time regardless if he blocks as well as he was said to in college, especially in the red zone. That being said, he needs to become a better pass catcher to see consistent playing time and become a regular contributor with the team. Is it a lack of focus or a lack of soft hands in general? Either way, Hill has to sort the issue out.

After a huge game on Saturday against the Chiefs, defensive tackle Frank Okam deflected a pass thrown by backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky. Okam made a leaping effort and deflected the pass with his mammoth right hand. The pass ricocheted into the air and strong safety Nick Ferguson made a diving catch for the interception. If Okam can continue to play up to his potential, the injured Travis Johnson may have some competition when he returns. - Godwin

Hahaha. Some competition? Hilarious.

(on why he was running with his team after practice) "I was late to the Bowling Derby (on Monday night). A bunch of coaches working, a few minutes late, so we hold ourselves to the same standard." - Gary Kubiak

Good man.

(on the team working on the Wildcat offense in practice) "We've got to work against it. We're going to see it during the season, so our defense needs to see it. We've got a few guys capable of doing it, but that's not how we make our living. Like I said, we've got to work on our cat, and work on the wildcat later." - Kubiak

Wait, something about a cat? I'm lost. If I had to place a bet, I'd say James Casey, Jacoby Jones (due to the one, albeit miserable, play they ran with him at quarterback last year), and Andre Davis (he's an explosive athlete) all tried their hand at the Wildcat.

(on the Minnesota preseason game suddenly becoming bigger with Brett Favre joining the Vikings) "I'm worried about New Orleans. One week at a time. I didn't even know until I came over here and heard some guys talking. For sure, that will add some spice to the story next week when we get together, but we've got a lot of work to do between now and then." - Kubiak

Please. No. Brett. F*cking. Favre.

For the second consecutive day of practice, linebacker DeMeco Ryans randomly yelled out at the top of his lungs, "GREAT DAY TO BE ALIIIIIIVE!!!" Maybe it's after the Texans' preseason victory over the Chiefs, or maybe Ryans is just genuinely happy to be alive. - Godwin

GREAT DAY TO BE ALIIIIIIVE!!!

Texans Down 'N Dirty: Camp Finally Here Edition

Jake — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:55:47 -0000

Gary Kubiak talked to the press last night on the eve of training camp. Most of the press conference was centered around the success of this year's season, but he did note that Antwaun Molden, Travis Johnson and Anthony Hill will all start camp on the Player Unable to Preform (PUP) list. One name not on that list is Amobi Okoye, whom Kubiak stated was going to take it slow at first. Also from the official site, Vonta Leach has started the locker room mantra of "Playoffs or Bust."

Two players who will likely not be at camp today are Dunta Robinson and Owen Daniels. Dunta is under no penalty since he has not signed his franchise tag tender, but OD is subject to $17,000.00 a day in losses. I think that Daniels might miss a few days to make a point, but it's hard to take that hit over 5 weeks of training camp, especially with a rookie like James Casey wainting in the wings. Casey obviously doesn't have OD's résumé but if Smithiak decides to play hardball they do have somewhat of a backup option.

The Chronicle makes the point that DelJuan Robinson is trying to make the best of Travis Johnson's absence. I would think that at this point is Robinson's job to lose, and the player with the most to gain from Johnson's absence is Frank Okam. I'd be really interested to hear from anyone going to camp about how Okam looks over the weekend.

Lastly, for anyone that enjoyed Part One of the podcast between myself and Diehard Chris, here's the follow-on Part Two. In this part Chris and I discuss players on the hot seat, players who's good play is integral for success, and we went over most of the rookie class. I'd like to thanks Chris again for having me. Hope you all enjoy.

Vonta Leach Arrested

Jake — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 02:00:31 -0000

According to The Robesonian, Vonta Leach was arrested this week for misdemeanor simple assault when he hit a man in the face with a beer bottle (link via HDH; thanks Chris). Apparently there are two separate accounts of the story, and Leach claims that he was accosted and he then defended himself.

I love the Human Coke Machine, and so does the Robeson, NC area where Leach was arrested because of his extensive charity work in the area, which is his home. I don't have near the amount of information necessary to even speculate on his guilt or innocence, but I hope this works out for him.

Houston Texans OTAs: Day Four

Tim — Fri, 22 May 2009 03:04:05 -0000

Not too much to report via the official site about today's OTAs, though I believe new fullback Boomer Grigsby is well on his way to becoming a fan favorite:

Gone is the Mohawk, but the Canton, Ill., native’s relentless work ethic (and tattoos) remain. Grigsby has gone from a Division I-AA All-American linebacker at Illinois State to a special teams standout in Kansas City in 2005-06; from a linebacker to a fullback in 2007; and from the Miami Dolphins’ starting fullback in the 2008 season opener to a player without a job when the Dolphins cut him after one game.
"That’s the National Football League," Grigsby said. "We played the Jets (and) we got beat by about 30. Brett Favre did some of his miracle stuff and, you know, they fired me and they went to the Wildcat offense where they didn’t even use a fullback.

"I think it’s the kind of business (we’re in)—they say you can never relax. In that situation, I kind of gave it my all, gave it my 100 percent like everyone says, and I did everything I could do. But I refuse to be one of those guys who sits on the outside and says, ‘Woe is me.’ This entire career has been a blessing. It’s been a roller coaster ride."

I'm a sucker for self-deprecating players, so reading Grigsby say he was "fired" as though he was some dude at a 9-to-5 gig makes me grin. And then I read this:

"I love boots. I like country music. I thought Houston would be a good fit. When I was on the plane, I fell asleep listening to Chris LeDoux, woke up listening to George Strait and I figured I might fit in here alright."
–Fullback Boomer Grigsby, on his affinity for boots

Methinks BRB has a new favorite son. Practically speaking, we're talking about a special teams demon and Vonta Leach insurance. I'd bet that Kubes finds a place for Boomer on this squad. Thoughts?

NFL Draft Day Two: Diamonds In The Rough

Jake — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:28:11 -0000

The Draft has been the spark for the rebuilding process of the Houston Texans. Since Gary Kubiak took the reigns in 2006, the Texans have shown adeptness at finding talent to fit their needs that few other teams have matched in that time period. Some credit the fact that Kubiak was heavily involved in scouting while an assistant coach in Denver, while others feel that it is because Rick Smith values the opinions of the assistants that have a multitude of experience at their specialties, like Alex Gibbs and Frank Bush. Whatever the cause, it is encouraging to see results in the draft after several years of disappointments prior to the current regime.

It isn’t just the Texans’ ability to identify talent in the first two rounds that has led to success though; it’s also their keen eye for talent in rounds three through seven. Every year since 2006, there have been key players that had their names called on Day Two of the proceedings, such as Owen Daniels, Eric Winston, Fred Bennett, Xavier Adibi, and Zac Diles, all of whom have been productive starters for Houston at one point or another.

The Texans have held their cards pretty close to their vest this year, so we have little to no word on what players they are interested in, even in the first two rounds. All we know is the Texans’ overall needs. Based off these needs, I’ve tried to peruse the second day draft talent to find players that I think would look great in Steel Blue. I included the round in which I feel they may be available, but that round is also the earliest I would want the Texans to select them.

Offense

Andre Brown/RB/NC State – 3rd Round – Brown would likely be a first round pick if it wasn’t for the multiple injuries he suffered in college. Brown wowed coaches and scouts at the Senior Bowl, and then absolutely astonished them at the Combine with his 4.37 40 despite weighing 224 pounds. His rare blend of size and speed would be a perfect match for Slaton’s speed and quickness. Unfortunately, wishing for Brown in the 3rd might be a pipe dream, yet I wouldn’t want to take him before then.

Rashad Jennings/RB/Liberty – 3rd Round – Jennings is a beast. He doesn’t possess Brown’s top-end speed, but he has more power. Jennings also has considerable character. Often times transfers such as the one he conducted (Pitt to Liberty) are done for selfish reasons, but Jennings did it because his father was sick. He’s definitely not blazing, but we don’t need a track star; we only need a goal line back.

Antoine Caldwell/C/Alabama – 4th Round – Caldwell fared well against SEC DTs throughout his career. If he is able to put his hands on opposing lineman he fares well, but speed can sometimes beat him, keeping him from being dominant. Caldwell is also known as a smart player, which will help him adapt to Alex Gibbs’ zone blocking scheme.

Patrick Turner/WR/USC – 4th Round – The Texans had the 3rd best yardage offense in the league, but only the 17th ranked scoring offense. The offensive players that Houston needs are ones that will help in the red zone, and Turner can do just that. How high is someone that is 6’5” that can jump 34.5”? High enough. Also, Turner isn’t just a big oaf. He could be a decent possession receiver in the NFL, especially under the tutelage of our offensive staff.

Lydon Murtha/OT-G/Nebraska – 5th Round – Murtha was by far the most athletic OT at the Combine, as evidenced by his 4.82 40 and his 35” vertical jump. Murtha is on the lighter side at 306 pounds, but at 6’7” he can stand to add some weight, even at the risk of losing some speed, and still be impressive.

Quan Cosby/WR/Texas – 5th Round – This may garner me an accusation of being a homer, but I assure you that I try my best to disassociate myself with Texas players as soon as they are done playing in Austin. I think that Cosby is going to be a great NFL player cut from the same cloth as Wes Welker. Nothing on paper about Cosby is that astonishing; he ran a 4.5 40, and he is already 26 because of a stint playing professional baseball. If you watch Cosby play though, there is no doubt that he can play football.

Gartrell Johnson/RB-FB/Colorado State – 6th Round – Johnson attends the same school that Gary Kubiak’s sons attend, which happens to employ a zone blocking scheme. Even though Johnson is only 220 pounds, at 5’10” he’s built more like a FB than a RB, which is probably a good thing. Kubiak has stated before that he prefers having two FBs on the roster, and right now we only have the Human Coke Machine. Johnson will likely last until the 6th though, because he probably won’t be good for more than 10 carries a game in the NFL.

Louis Vasquez/G/Texas Tech – 6th Round – If you have a soft spot for big, bruising offensive lineman, look no further than Vasquez. Vasquez is 6’5” and weighs 333 pounds. As you can imagine, he’s not the quickest man in the world, but his 39 reps in the bench press were best in that category at the Combine this year. You can always find a use for a bruiser of his ilk.

Defense

Kaluka Maiava/OLB/USC – 3rd Round – Who is the loser in the Clay Matthews Cinderella story? A big bruising SLB Maiava is not, but he is a football player. Despite irregular playing time in his senior year, Maiava recorded the third most tackles for the Trojans and was the MVP of the Rose Bowl. Maiava is better suited to play WLB, but would be a great addition for depth and could play in the rotation immediately.

Chip Vaughn/SS/Wake Forrest – 3rd Round – Vaughn is the last of a dying breed--a true SS. At 6’2” 221 pounds, Vaughn has the size to play in the box but is quick enough (4.42 40) to cover some as well. Vaughn loves contact, and is responsible for 192 of Wake Forrest’s tackles in the last two years. If Vaughn didn’t start immediately, he would receive significant playing time.

Sherrod Martin/CB-FS/Troy – 3rd Round – Martin is my dark horse at FS this year. Martin is incredibly athletic, so much so that coaches played him as a CB in the Senior Bowl, something that he rarely did the majority of his collegiate career. So what you have is a guy that played almost exclusively at FS, but has the athleticism to play CB (4.43 40). At 6’1” 200 pounds, he’s more suited to play FS anyway, which happens to be one of our needs.

Michael Hamlin/SS/Clemson – 3rd Round – Hamlin isn’t the fastest guy in the world (4.57 40) and he’s not the strongest either (17 reps), but he performs on the field. He’s been productive since his redshirt freshman year, and in the last two years he has 177 tackles and 10 INT. That’s about 8 tackles a game and an INT almost every two games. I don’t like him as much as Vaughn or Martin, but if both of them are gone and we haven’t drafted a safety yet, I definitely wouldn’t mind Hamlin.

Darcel McBath/FS/Texas Tech – 4th Round – McBath has shown adeptness in coverage with his 12 career INT, 7 of those coming last year, but is lacking in run support. That deficiency means that he will probably only be suited to play FS in the NFL, a league in which teams prefer safeties to be interchangeable. That fact coupled with mediocre measurables (6’0”, 198 pounds, 4.58 40) has him slated to go in the middle of the draft. McBath does have an impressive 38” vertical, and a name that makes him sound like he was a Duck Tales character.

Dorell Scott/DT/Clemson – 4th Round – Scott isn’t the prototypical space eater yet, but he could be. Scott measured 6’3” 312 pounds at the Combine, so his frame appears to have some room left for a little more weight. Several 3-4 teams are looking at Scott to anchor their defensive line at NT, which means he’s big enough to play alongside Amobi.

Greg Toler/CB/St. Pauls – 4th Round – Kubiak and Smith love to take flyers on small school guys every once in a while. Well, is St. Paul’s College small enough for you? Toler at 5’11” 191 pounds is being compared to Domanique Rodgers-Cromartie. Toler ran the 40 in 4.45, and could be a steal in the 4th round.

John Gill/DT/Northwestern – 5th Round – Gill is the same type of DT that Amobi Okoye is--a smaller penetrating DT. I don’t think we should replace Amobi, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get more depth behind him. Despite being 6’3”/301 pounds, Gill ran the 40 in 4.92 and the all important 10-time used to determine a D lineman’s burst off the ball was 1.7, which is pretty good for a guy his size.

Zack Follet/OLB/California – 5th Round – Follet was originially brought to my attention by DieHard Chris, who is rather fond of him, and after reading up on Follet and watching videos, I jumped on the bandwagon as well. Follet had an amazing 51 tackles for loss in his career at Cal, which shows that he can get into the backfield and wreak havoc. Follet is undersized to play SLB at 6’3” 236 pounds, but could be a candidate to give depth at WLB.

Brandon Underwood/FS/Cincinnati – 5th Round – Underwood is slated to go late in the draft because he only started one year, but what a year it was. While playing both FS and CB in 2008, Underwood tallied 66 tackles, 4 INT, 2 forced two fumbles and recovered 3, all of which earned him all-conference honors. Underwood has good measureables as well at 6’1” 200 pounds, and ran 4.50 40 with a 36.5” vertical. Underwood would probably be a 3rd round prospect or better if he had more experience.

Russell Allen/OLB/San Diego State – 6th Round – Allen would definitely be a project, but what else would you expect in the 6th round? Allen is 6’3”/230 pounds, which shows that he has the frame to be bigger, and he ran a 4.65 50, which included a 1.58 10-yard time, which was equal to Clay Matthews III. Allen started all 48 games since his time started at SD St., and was a Dick Butkus award nominee twice.

Lardarius Webb/CB/Nicholls State – 6th Round – Webb is another small school prospect, but the difference with him is that he started at a bigger university (Southern Miss.) and transferred to the smaller institution. Webb is smaller at 5’10”/180 pounds, and would be a huge project as a CB, but what I love about him is his return ability. Webb ran a 4.35 40, and returned 16 kicks for 472 total yards (29.5 average) before teams simply quit kicking to him. For that kind of ability, I wouldn’t mind expending a 6th round pick.

There are other players that I feel will make good or even great players in the NFL that can be had in rounds three through seven, but I didn’t include them because I either felt they didn’t fulfill a need for the Texans or they would have to be taken too early for my liking. If you feel that I have any glaring omissions, you disagree with any of my picks or simply have a dark horse of your own, feel free to let me know. Who knows--maybe a couple of these players will be the newest members of the Houston Texans come Sunday.

BREAKING NEWS: Mario Williams And Andre Johnson Named Starters In Pro Bowl

Tim — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:43:41 -0000

According to the Chronicle, Super Mario and 'Dre will be representing your Houston Texans in the starting lineup in Honolulu. While they should have been locks regardless, I'm thrilled to see these two guys get their due.

What's more, the Texans boast an additional five (5!) players named as alternates--DeMeco Ryans, Owen Daniels, Vonta Leach, Chester Pitts, and Steve Slaton. My initial reaction is that DeMeco was penalized for his non-DeMeco play earlier in the season while he was fighting an ankle injury; Daniels for his relatively quiet games while The Schaub was out and Rosencopter was running the show; and Vonta for being a FB, which by definition is a thankless job, to say nothing of that fact that people outside Houston have no idea how valuable he's been to the rushing game this season.

I'm pretty surprised that Pitts got the alternate nod, though he's undoubtedly been one of the top performers on a vastly improving Houston offensive line. And Slaton...well, methinks he got screwed, chiefly because of his rookie status, with the plethora of other solid options at RB in the AFC being a culprit as well. That said, I'd rather have Slaton than nearly anyone in the league. It ain't a trip to Hawaii, but it'll have to do.