SB Nation - Jesse Nading

Texans Promote Arian Foster, Place Nading On Waivers

Mike Kerns — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:32:48 -0000

Larry Johnson? No. Edgerrin James? Negative. But it was clear the coaching staff is frustrated by the abysmal running game so far this season. Therefore, the team h as promoted undrafted free agent signee Arian Foster from their practice squad. To make room for him, the team has placed DE Jesse Nading on waivers.

Thoughts?

Who Is The Odd Man Out?

Jake — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 21:23:02 -0000

More photos » by James Nielsen - AP

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The Houston Texans front office had a busy day on Sunday. First the team welcomed back disgruntled corner back Dunta Robinson. Despite the frustration of not having your starting CB in camp, Gary Kubiak went beyond the usually coach cliche speak and seemed to be genuinely happy to have him back. Dunta himself stressed continually that there are no hard feelings between himself and Rick Smith because "it's just business." Neither Kubiak nor Dunta were certain that he would be able to play against the Jets this coming Sunday.

Also, the Texans signed eight players to their practice squad; Buster Davis (LB), Arian Foster (RB), Brett Helms (C), TIm Jamison (DE), Darnell Jenkins (WR), Jesse Nading (DE), Mark Parson (CB) and Adam Stenavich (OT). I personally am happy that we kept Foster and Jamison, both of whom I was worried might get scooped up by another team..

The one move that I am most curious about, though, is the one that hasn't been made yet. Dunta's presence brings our roster to 54 players, and as of yesterday it is supposed to be done to 53. The last transaction listed on the Texans website is the signing of Robinson. I'm sure that a cut has been made or will be made before the day is out, but I'm just curious as to who it will be. bfd thinks that Nick Fergusun might get the axe, and that Glover Quin will be switch to the safety position. What's your guess?

Final Cuts: Down To 53

Jake — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:38:25 -0000

Here are the 20 cuts and 2 injury waivers that did not make the final 53 man roster:

- Alex Brink: QB

- Arian Foster: RB

- Jonathan Evans: FB

- Clark Harris: TE

- Darnell Jenkins: WR

- Mark Simmons: WR

- Brett Helms: C

- Adrian Jones: G

- Adam Stenavich: OT

- Brandon Torrey: OT

- Cliff Washburn: OT

- Josh Leonard: DT

- Tim Jamison: DE

- Jesse Nading: DE

- Khary Campbell: LB

- Buster Davis: LB

- Toddrick Verdell: LB (Injury Waiver)

- A.J. Davis: CB (Injury Waiver)

- Deltha O'Neal: CB

- Mark Parson: CB

- Matterral Richardson: CB

- Brandon Harrison: FS

To me, the most surprising cuts are Arian Foster and Brandon Harrison. I know that John Busing has had a good preseason, but I still had a sneaking suspicion that Harrison would win that spot. Also, even though Moats has shown more this training camp, Arian Foster showed more upside, which I thought would win him a spot especially given his similarity to the oft injured Chris Brown. Lastly, I'm a little surprised that Chaun Thompson beat out Buster Davis, although I think tht is of little consequence either way.

What do you think of the final roster, BRB?

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)

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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.

bfd's First Take at the 53-Man Roster

bigfatdrunk — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:31:53 -0000

Great discussion last week on the possible composition of the 53-man roster started by Texans-Brocos. Here's my take with a little bit of background.

Last year, the Texans' opening roster consisted of:

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

I think it's reasonable to believe the 2009 roster will be similarly composed. After last night's game, here's my guess as to how the 53-man is shaping up:

2 QBs: Matt Schaub and Dan Orlovsky
3 RBs: Steve Slaton, Chris Brown, Ryan Moats (depending on his injury)
1 FB: Vonta "Human Coke Machine" Leach
5 WRs: Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Andre Davis, David Anderson, Jacoby Jones (almost by default)
3 TEs: Owen Daniels, James Casey, Anthony Hill (no Joel Dreessen, which is our loss)
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 (depending on his health, obviously)
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 (no Travis Johnson)
6 LBs: Zac Diles, Xavier Adibi, DeMeco Ryans, Brian Cushing, Buster Davis (depending on Cato June's health), Kevin Bentley
5 CBs: Jacques Reeves, Fred Bennett, Brice McCain, Glover Quin, Antwaun Molden (no Dunta Robinson...just in case)
4 Ss: Dominique Barber, Eugene Wilson, Nick Ferguson, John Busing

Several differences from last year, though nothing crazy. Last year, we carried 6 DEs and 5 DTs, whereas I have us carrying 5 DEs this year. Sadly, I still have us carrying Jeff Zgonina as I just don't see anybody on the roster otherwise. There's the difference in OGs and OTs, and I have us keeping 5 CBs and 4 Ss, where that was swapped last year.

Also, and I doubt you noticed, but I have listed only 52 players for 2009. If Dunta signs, I do believe we'll keep 6 CBs on the roster as I believe the Texans, rightly so, would be afraid to release either McCain or Molden, who are the two I believe to be most on the bubble. I also believe that one of the CBs will be in line for a position change to S.

One guy who really intrigues me is Glenn Martinez, as he was the most "on" last night. He can return punts and kickoffs and looks like an excellent gunner on special teams. As I said in the game thread, he reminds me of Steve Tasker in the way he plays. There's a chance he overtakes Jones, but because we're carrying extra CBs, it'll make it tougher for Martinez to win a job.

What do y'all think?

Post-Game Breakdown: I Prefer To Focus On 8-4 (Part II)

Tim — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:11:16 -0000

Apologies for the delay in posting the second part of the final PGB of the season (Part I here). Work, prayers getting answered and Riott's arrival (not to mention his subsequent badarsery) kept my plate full last week. We already checked out the offense's performance against Da Bears, with an eye toward output over the 2008 season; now I turn our attention to the defense and special teams:

1. DE--Pretty simple analysis here. Super Mario is a demigod. Potential wrath of the Almighty aside, I think we should all construct statues in Mario's honor.

I'm also bullish on Tim Bulman, Jesse Nading, and Earl Cochran. All of those guys, especially Bulman, looked like they have the ability to be in a rotation at DE in '09. While none of them may be an ideal long-term solution opposite Mario, I hope that at least one, hopefully two, and perhaps all three, is/are brought back next season. If I have to choose between them, give me Bulman, who has the benefit of not coming off an injury and the flexibility to play DT.

Finally, we come to Anthony Weaver. Anthony Weaver, who signed a five (5) year, $26,500,000.00 contract ($12,500,000.00 guaranteed) in March of 2006. Anthony Weaver, who has posted one more sack than a dead man during his three (3) seasons (none since 2006!) in H-Town. I'll leave the cap implications of parting ways with him to Riott. I'll just say this: If Anthony Weaver is a Texan in 2009, it had better be the result of a drastic, Ahman Green-esque restructuring of his contract (suggestion...$200,000.00 for every sack or tackle for loss?). Further, if Weaver starts another game at DE, I'm giving myself a gasoline shampoo/lit match conditioner job. I can't take it anymore.

2. DT--Tim Bulman and/or DelJuan Robinson were your best DTs last week, as well as the entire season. Considering your Houston Texans "boast" two (2) recent first-round picks that "play" defensive tackle, that's rather troubling.

Staying on DelJuan Robinson...he even stepped in and looked solid at DE when Mario went down in the second half against the Bears. Considering his relatively low salary demands, you'd think the Texans would be interested in bringing him back in 2009.

There's no denying that Amobi regressed in his second season of professional football. He showed flashes of promise as the 2008 season wound down, but flashes ain't enough for the tenth overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. He has to get markedly better in '09, or the bust talk will get increasingly loud.

That said, Amobi needs a planetoid DT lining up next to him to be able to do the things Amobi can do. I thought Frank Okam could be that guy, but the coaches, via the fact that Okam was not even active for most of 2008, clearly disagree with me. Whose call was that, I wonder? Kubes? Richard Smith? Jethro Franklin? Two of those guys don't have a say anymore, so it'll be interesting to see if Okam sees more action in 2009 (though I think it's far from certain that Okam makes the team next year). If Okam's not the guy to line up next to Amobi, bringing in a mammoth DT, likely via the draft, has to be one of the top priorities of the offseason.

Remember what I wrote above about Anthony Weaver? Plug in "Travis Johnson," and re-read it. Same thing. Self-immolation all around!

3. Quick anecdote about Jethro Franklin from the final game of the 2008 season...one of my buddies procured seats that were a few rows off the field, right behind the Texans' sideline. As such, I had a vantage point I typically don't have last week. What did I see? I saw Tim Bulman and Super Mario yelling at Jethro at various points throughout the game. Bulman in particular looked pretty hacked off. Of course, this could just be heat of the game interaction between a coach and his players, but I found it to be interesting, as players typically don't shout down their coaches. For his part, Franklin looked completely unfazed; he didn't give off the impression that it was a big deal at all. In fact, maybe that's the relationship he had with his players; I don't know. Still, I remembered those exchanges when the slightly surprising decision to jettison Franklin (who Super Mario had praised at length on several prior occasions) came down on the Eve of New Year's Eve.

4. LB--This is easily the strongest unit of the defense. DeMeco is one of the best in the business. Zac Diles, though undersized, was a tackling machine until he managed to kick himself to the injured reserve in early November. Xaiver Adibi looked fast and sure when he finally stepped in for Morlon Greenwood. Greenwood, meanwhile, looked nothing like the criminally underrated Morlon Greenwood we saw in 2007. If Morlon was a pitcher, we'd say he lost his fastball. If he was a horse, we'd shoot him. While Greenwood may still be capable of contributing in a rotation at LB, I'd be surprised if he was plying his trade in Houston come September 2009.

I'm intrigued about how Smithiak will handle LB in the 2009 NFL Draft. Assuming Diles can come back from his injury, I think a starting troika of him, DeMeco, and Adibi has real potential. I like Kevin Bentley a ton, but there's not a lot of depth after him. If you can get a stud linebacker in the first few rounds, do you take him? It's not nearly the area of need that DL or secondary is, so perhaps not. Then again, we shouldn't delude ourselves into thinking the Texans are so stacked at LB that they should pass on the best player available simply because of the position he plays.

5. CB--I am positively terrified at watching the Dunta Robinson negotiations play out, because there's a very real possibility that Smithiak has a totally different take on what should comprise a long-term contract for Dunta Robinson than Dunta and/or his agent does/do. If not for the injury, Dunta would be getting paid top corner money. Nor should we underestimate the fact that Dunta is the emotional leader of the Houston defense; in that respect, he'd be awfully difficult to replace. Plus, even coming off the injury, Dunta's the best CB on the roster. I think he's going to get his long-term deal. I hope he gets his long-term deal. I'm still scared.

Jacques Reeves is who I thought he was, though I'll admit that his speed is top-notch. Here's hoping that our as-yet-unknown new secondary coach threatens him with bodily injury throughout the offseason in an attempt to get him to turn his freaking head to locate the ball and/or to get his effing hands up. That, or cut him. I'd be good either way.

I have no idea what happened to Fred Bennett this year. I know he's not as bad as he appeared to be. I also know he's nowhere near as bad as Reeves and/or Petey Faggins, both of whom took snaps away from him. How does somebody go from young stalwart to barely getting on the field? Was it entirely Richard Smith's diabolical work? Jon Hoke's? We may never know.

6. S--A true FS is still nowhere to be found on the Houston roster. Generally speaking, I thought Nick Ferguson and Eugene Wilson did yeoman work in '08. Neither's going to Honolulu anytime soon, but they were tremendous in run support and definite upgrades over Will Demps, C.C. Brown, and Brandon Harrison in coverage. I hope both Ferguson and Wilson return to Reliant Park in '09, though I'm equally hopeful that a young safety acquired in the draft pushes one of them to a backup role.

Demps, Brown, and Harrison? Maybe C.C. returns. Maybe. Demps and Harrison seem like surefire goners.

7. K/P--Kris Brown and Matt Turk go nowhere. Might be a good idea to bring in a young punter to push Turk in training camp, but I'd be surprised if someone besides Turk is punting for your Houston Texans in 2009. What can you say about Brown? A golden leg, plus recovering a fumble against Chicago. What else do you want from a kicker?

8. LS--Welcome to the big leagues, Clark Harris. You were better than Bryan Pittman, and you haven't been suspended for violating the league's banned substance policy. No reason Harris shouldn't be the guy snapping to Turk and Brown in '09.

9. Fake Game Balls: Offense--Matt Schaub; Defense--DeMeco Ryans; Special Teams--Kris Brown.

So there you have it. 8-8 doesn't get you to the playoffs (unless you're the Chargers, that is, who surely showed they deserve to be there last night). Time for us to avert our glances to the majesty that is free agency and the draft. One of these years (e.g., 2009), we'll still be talking about Texans football in January. For now, we have to make due with more of the same wait-'til-next-year we know all too well.

Post-Game Breakdown: And The Bandwagon Empties

Tim — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:28:50 -0000

Drat. That tasted like failure. For all the positive press your Houston Texans received after knocking out the top team in the conference, there's been an equal amount of teeth grinding over yesterday's horrendous loss to Oakland. While one game does not a season make and shouldn't erase the many positives we've witnessed over the last month, there's nothing wrong with legitimately lambasting an egg laid. And that's what yesterday was. A fat, colossal egg.

Frankly, Sunday's season-ending home game against Da Bears can't come quickly enough; both the organization and the fans are eager to wash the taste of garbage out of our collective mouth. The first winning season in franchise history won't be happening, but Texans fans have been treated to chronic failure in sufficient doses that we shouldn't really dismiss the progress evident in consecutive non-losing seasons, right? While I'm incredibly disappointed at what we witnessed yesterday, I'm going to leave the pathetic display we saw in California yesterday where it belongs--the rearview mirror. Before I do, however, some observations:

1. Now THAT was the Houston defense we've come to despise during the Richard Smith Era! Eight (8) yard cushions to receivers, regardless of down and distance? Check. No blitzing? Check. Wholly insane decisions (e.g., dropping Jesse Nading into coverage on Darren McFadden) that make us wonder whether the man at the controls is calling formations in between huffs of paint thinner? Check. A complete lack of pressure that allows the opposing QB to look like a Pro Bowler, regardless of whether he actually is one? Check. It was like Richard Smith brought our long nightmare home for the holidays.

2. What does it say about your defense that the reaction of several fans after seeing that sort of incompetence is relief? As in, "Whew. No way they can bring Richard Smith back now."

3. Last Richard Smith point, I swear. If Smithiak brings him back for another season, there could be more outrage within the fan base than anything that's happened this side of drafting Super Mario.

4. The secondary, to a man, was awful in its entirety. I'll give a slight break to Nick Ferguson for bringing the wood in run support, but every other facet of their play was horrendous. And I fully admit my bias, so disregard this to whatever extent you want to: Jacques Reeves may have had his worst game of the season, and that's saying something.

5. Wherefore art thou, Mario?

6. Amobi Okoye: One sack, as predicted, and a forced fumble to boot. Editor's Note: Please ignore all other predictions. Though I did manage to get the final score right, albeit with the teams reversed. Crap.

7. It's frightening to see how much better Xavier Adibi is than Morlon Greenwood this season. If you ever had any questions about whether Greenwood should still be getting snaps, they should have been answered yesterday.

8. Kris Brown gets major props for knuckling that fifty-three (53) yarder through on a sloppy field. That was ridiculous.

9. Jacoby Jones is done fooling me. I've now reached the point where the otherworldly talent he's flashed at points throughout the last two (2) years will no longer hold me hostage. He's simply too large a liability, as witnessed by him putting the ball on the ground yet another time yesterday.

10. Speaking of special teams...I hit on it in the Comments here, and I want to open it up to discussion. Why does Joe Marciano always seem to avert blame for the poor performance of his unit? Special teams play has vacillated between decent and awful this year. It's never approached "consistently good" in 2008, has it? I'm not saying that Marciano is in Richard Smith territory; he's done a solid job throughout his time in Houston and deserves the benefit of the doubt. I simply question why there doesn't seem to be any accountability for his unit's failings when we have no problem blasting Kubes/Shanahan and R. Smith.

11. There is no excuse, not even Nnamdi Asomugha's brilliance, for not getting the ball to Andre Johnson. He's the best wide receiver in the NFL, yet he doesn't even have a pass thrown his way until the fourth quarter? No excuse for that, Schaub.

12. Nice to see Owen Daniels do what Owen Daniels can do. He really was the lone bright spot on that side of the ball.

13. That was as quiet a 102 total yard day as you'll ever see from Steve Slaton. He was never really a factor.

14. The offensive line got taken to the woodshed by Derrick Burgess & Co. Burgess in particular had his way with Eric Winston, in much the same fashion that Jevon Kearse did the previous Sunday. That's worrisome.

15. While Chester Pitts' unsportsmanlike conduct penalty didn't cost his team the game, having to settle for a FG after said penalty hurt. Badly. Sort of what I imagine getting shot in the stomach would feel like.

16. The Schaub had the pocket shrunk around him far more than it should have been, but he's got to step up and make plays. He didn't, and that INT was nothing short of horrendous. Until Schaub shows he can take care of the ball when it matters most, it's going to be tough imagining him ever reaching anything approaching "elite" status.

17. Trailing by eleven (11) points, Kubes and/or Shanahan's play call on 4th and Inches was gutsy. And odd. And poorly conceived to my admittedly amateur eye. Granted, it's easy to say that after the fact, but I think every Texans fan watching that play develop was screaming, "Take the points!" or at the very least, wondering why Kubes, who loves to roll his QBs out of the pocket, didn't incorporate that into the call. Kubes guessed wrong, and that was all she wrote.

18. Fake Game Balls: Offense--Owen Daniels; Defense--Amobi Okoye; Special Teams--Kris Brown.

Striving for .500 to close the season isn't sexy by any means. Still, remember that your Houston Texans have rallied back from an 0-4 start. That means they've got a shot to have played 8-4 football after the first month of the season. That's something to build on. Again, it's not what we want, but it's a heckuva lot better than 2-14, 4-12, 5-11, and/or 6-10 (twice). Rejoice in the opportunity for consistent mediocrity, people!