He was in on 59 hits last year, missing three games due to injury.  Sure, he's lost a step, but he personifies leadership and intensity on and off the field, from everything I've ever read.  He wouldn't be guaranteed a full-time gig here (which was his motivation for fleeing the Rockies), but I can't imagine he couldn't earn one by the end of camp.  I say - sign him.  Thoughts?

Alternate headline: Broncos continue gradual relocation to Houston.  The Texans have traded their sixth-round draft pick to the Broncos for center Chris Myers, a third year player who started all 16 games for Denver last year.  As The General reports in the linked article, this was essentially a sign-and-trade, as Denver just inked Myers to a four year, $11 million deal including three million dollars guaranteed.  McClain labels Myers as "ideal" for Alex Gibbs' zone blocking scheme, which makes sense, as the everyone knows that the Texans are simply a twin embryo of the Broncos that took an extra few decades to meander down the fallopian tubes of Mother Football.

Here is Myers' player page, indicating that he attended "The U" prior to playing in the NFL and that he is a former Punt, Pass and Kick champion.   Myers was a sixth-round pick of the Broncos in 2005. Sure looks good reflexively, but why would the Broncos agree to trade a young, cheap, starting offensive lineman for the equivalent of a roll of athletic tape? Kyle bead Dad in a game of H-O-R-S-E and this is compensation? Too good to be true?

UPDATE:The Rocky Mountain News clarifies that Myers started five games at guard and eleven at center, not sixteen at center. He apparently moved over after starting center Tom Nalen was injured. Also, apparently Nalen will be back next year...Lepsis is the 300 year old Denver OL that retired. I must have missed that in my in-depth offseason review of the AFC West's offensive line situation. So maybe that makes Myers more expendable, especially if the Broncos are trying to package picks to acquire [ex-UK sensation] Dewayne Robertson.

Initially it was the lure of forecasting Danny Clark's possible 2008 landing spot that got me to the site, but boy were there better fish to fry once I got there.  Imagine the possibilities:
(1) David Carr reunited with the QBwho made him <ahem> what he is today, QB guru Chris Palmer;
(2) David Carr in camp with the warm, fuzzy Tom Coughlin;
(3) David Carr playing in front of the forgiving New York Giants' fan base;
(4) David Carr displaying his Cali' dude attitude with the laissez faire New York press; or,
(5) my favorite, David Carr living in the same town as his sure-to-be best friend, this guy.

If there is truly an Almighty figure looking down on his, He/She will provide for a meeting of the minds between the NY Giants and D.C., if only for a year.

One reason that the NFL is constantly praised by the resident braintrusts at major media outlets nationwide is the league's enviable parity thanks to the salary cap, revenue sharing and other competitive checks and balances which afford teams the ability to build into a championship-level team quickly.  For example, the past six Super Bowls have involved ten different teams (with only the Patriots making multiple appearances - three).  [Note: if this trend continues, the Texans are virtually assured of a Super Bowl appearance no later than 2020.]  I did not really have a rooting interest in last night's game; my respect and admiration for the historical opportunity possessed by the Patriots was entirely offset by my intense hatred of all things Boston A.B. ("After Bird"), and my general attraction to the underdog failed to materialize thanks to my utter distaste for spoiled brats who turn the NFL Draft into their own birthday party where they sit in the corner and cry until they get to open all their presents, while the rest of the guests and invitees are left to watch the ice cream melt.  As such, I spent most of the game trying to rationalize why the Texans could be next year's Super Bowl Champ.  

1. The 2006 New York Giants finished 8-8.  The 2007 Houston Texans finished 8-8.  
2. Houston has better QB play and passing game.  Rarely do I advocate the use of QB rating as an evaluation tool for QB play, but as a general tool, it's not as misleading as, say, a pitcher's wins in baseball.  2007 team QB rating: Houston 86.1, New York Giants 73.0.  Interceptions (21 v. 20) and TDs (24 v. 23) are virtually identical as well.  Houston had a distinct advantage in yards per attempt (7.42 to 6.21) and took less sacks (22 to 28).  Don't forget that it was just earlier this fall that fans and media were calling for the demotion of Prince Eli.  Clearly, he improved his play considerably, but the Texans got equal or better production from Rosenschaub, and that with an injured Andre Johnson and impotent (at times) running game.  
3. Improving defense.  The Texans of the last quarter of 2007 were a totally different beast defensively, as either Richard Smith was removed of his play-calling duties or grew a pair of gonads in a miraculous (but timely) anatomical show of strength.  Add to that equation the fact that nearly 70% of the Texans' 31 sacks in 2007 came from the Terrific Trio of DeMeco, Mario and Amobi, each of whom practically has a limitless ceiling for his talents, oozes coachability and professionalism and is seemingly lacking only the benefits of playing experience.  If these three men progress at anywhere near the rate that they have thus far, the Texans will have one of the most feared defensive fronts in the game.  Teams that can rightfully claim that moniker are not long for mediocrity.
4. Easily fixable holes.  Tiki Barber was a great player; now he's fashioning wreaths with Ann Curry and Martha Stewart.  Enter Brandon Jacobs, who's unquestionably a beast, and Ahmad Bradshaw.  There is not a prerequisite to being a Super Bowl Champion that requires you to possess a Hall of Fame running back.  No one, aside from possibly Mike Shanahan, seems to understand that better than Gary Kubiak does.  The running game was effective in 2007 with a very shaky platoon of unproven rookies and achy, plodding veterans.  With an effective passing game and productive offensive line, one does not have to draft Adrian Peterson or Darren McFadden to get to the Super Bowl.  

Feel free to tell me why I am a moron or why I am the hidden love child of Scott Pioli and Ron Jaworski.  I say that the only things standing in between Houston and SB XLIII are (a) one shut-down corner, (b) one slightly amped-up running game and (c) experience for the young'uns.  

Thoughts on similarities between NYG's #72 and #58 and Houston's #90 and #59?  The Giants D has really impressed me tonight.  Could Amobi become a Justin Tuck?  Clearly, I'm drunk...or am I?

Paper or plastic?  Chester Pitts?

...Commercials!  The Texans are finally beginning to round into a reputable football team in terms of their on-field performance, but those of us who have followed McNair's bunch since the inception of the franchise know that nearly without exception, they have collectively exhibited high class on and off the field, even if the scoreboards around the league do not track "Class Points" with the same consistency as they track touchdowns.  For those of us whose anti-East Coast bias has crystallized over the past year of Yankees, Red Sox, Patriots fever into a form harder than an overdosed Mike Ditka , Super Bowl XVII is not the most enticing matchup; but now I have a reason to watch.  And now understanding that Chester Pitts was not just "bagging groceries" but was a "courtesy clerk extraordinairre", I may have a new favorite Texans' player.  Congrats to both Salaam and Pitts for this honor of sorts, and thanks to both of them for representing our favorite NFL team in a way that makes us all proud to sport our Battle Red.

It's an extremely rare occasion (like brilliant-insights-by-Emmitt-Smith-rare) that I even read Bill Simmons any more.  Back in the early days of the Sports Guy, I found him a refreshing change from the mainstream media.  Today, I consider him a megalomaniac Boston-obsessed retread.  That said, a slow Friday afternoon led me to his recent column ranking NFL quarterbacks.  

Matt Schaub is listed as a "Mild Upsider", along with Jason Campbell and Phil Rivers.  Sage Rosenfels, the QB du jour, is [wrongly] classified as "Flashes of Upside, Floods of Downside".  Not that I am surprised, since Sage does not play for the Belichicks, but Simmons could not be more wrong in this assessment.  But the real name on the list that I was searching for was...you know who...#8.  And I could not have had a better Christmas present if Dre Claus dropped off six gallons of Woodford Reserve and the Texans cheerleaders clad in nothing but their reindeer bells.  OK - strike that...but this is definitely the second best item on my list.  David Carr - "The Proverbial F-Minus".  While Simmons' handful of explanatory sentences do not even begin to do justice to his categorization (an entire website is necessary for such endeavors), it's pretty satisfying to get recognition from a [immensely popular] ballsack like The Sports Guy that Vidalis Spittoon is the worst QB to ever suit up in the NFL...bar...none.

#3 in the AFC in INTs, #6 (from the bottom) in the NFL in QB rating.

#1 in the NFL in fumbles, #72 in the NFL in yards per carry.

#7 in the NFL in sacks, #19 among NFL d-linemen in tackles, #1 (tie) among NFL d-linemen in TDs scored

Paging James Smithson...the first-ever rationally-inspired, Houston Texans-centric AFC playoff breakdown.  Only one of the four divisional races in the AFC is no longer in doubt as we head into Week 12.  Any guesses, class?

AFC East: New England (five game lead)
AFC North: Pittsburgh (leads Cleveland by one game)
AFC South: Indy (leads Jax by one game)
AFC West: Denver and San Diego (lead KC by one game)

Here's the wildcard situation through Week 11:

New England 10-0
Indy 8-2
Pittsburgh 7-3
Jacksonville 7-3
Cleveland 6-4
Tennessee 6-4
Denver 5-5
San Diego 5-5
Buffalo 5-5
Houston 5-5
Kansas City 4-6
Baltimore 4-6
Cincinnati 3-7

New England is in.  Indy has certainly struggled of late, but their only three remaining divisional games are all at home (Houston, Jacksonville and Tennessee), and non-divisional games include Atlanta, Baltimore and Oakland, so I'm also comfortable naming them as the AFC South champ, though their injury situation may prove as damaging to them as the Texans' did for a handful of weeks, so who knows.  Pittsburgh already swept the season series against Cleveland, so I'm comfortable slotting them in as the AFC North champ.  Out west, it is possibly irrelevant which of San Diego, Denver or KC wins the division, as this certainly looks like a division where only the champ makes the postseason.  San Diego has the friendliest remaining schedule and is the only one of the three teams to have outscored its collective opponents year-to-date.  Reluctantly, I'm going to go with the Chargers to hold off the other two teams, despite the fact that Philip Rivers' recent play is making the decision to cut Ryan Leaf look short-sighted. I do not see either Denver or Kansas City getting to nine wins, so most likely they are out of the wildcard hunt anyway.  Taking these predictions into account, here's the remaining AFC Wildcard picture:

Jacksonville 7-3
Cleveland 6-4
Tennessee 6-4
Denver 5-5
Buffalo 5-5
Houston 5-5
Kansas City 4-6
Baltimore 4-6
Cincinnati 3-7

I think nine wins is a magic number. Realistically, ten wins will probably be necessary (detailed below), but less than nine will definitely lead directly to the golf course in January.  Get nine wins, and you've got a fighting chance at a playoff spot, right?  So let's take a look at who can realistically get there.

Start at the bottom: Cincy's schedule is relatively friendly, with only a roadie to Pittsburgh looking like a no-chance game.  That said, they have played consistently subpar all season long, and I see no way they win out to get to nine wins.  Strike them from the list.

Baltimore has been outscored by its opponents 211-168 and still has games against New England and Indy on its slate.  No chance here either.  Two down.

KC would need to win five of its last six to get to nine wins.  Sans LJ and with Brodie Croyle at the helm, that seems like a pipe dream.  They'll be lucky to finish 7-9.  Three up, three down.

The Bills have managed to get to .500 despite being outscored by their opponents by an average of eight points a week (no thanks to playing the Patriots twice, of course).  Other than a home date against the hapless Dolphins, the Bills' schedule is absolutely brutal.  No way they can go 4-2 down the stretch against the likes of the Giants, Eagles, Redskins, Jags and Browns.  Another team out of the Texans' way.

Denver's schedule is more manageable, with road games to Chicago, Houston, Oakland and San Diego and home dates with Minnesota and KC.  Manageable, yes.  Likely to win four of those six?  Nope.  8-8 is as good as they can do with that slate.  

After reeling off three straight wins, the Titans have stubbed their toes in back-to-back weeks.  With a visit to Indy remaining, this week's visit to Paul Brown Stadium is nearly a must-win for them.  Home games remaining include Houston, San Diego and the Jets.  9-7 looks very possible, and 10-6 is by no means out of the question.  Without a doubt, a healthy Albert Haynesworth is a key, but I like the Titans' chances to get to nine wins.  

The Cleveland Browns have been the most surprising story in the NFL this season, with Derek Anderson emerging as a solid, if not special, quarterback for Romeo's bunch.  Who would have thought back in July that their home date against the Texans in Week 12 would have serious playoff implications?  The Browns closing run is about as friendly as it could be, with home games against Houston, Buffalo and San Fran and visits to Arizona, the Jets and the Bungles.  The Texans MUST beat the Browns this week, not just for their own win, but also because with this weak closing schedule, the Browns have a real shot at going 10-6.  The Texans definitely need to hand the Browns a loss to help themselves and hurt the Browns.  

The Jags' closing schedule is a mixed bag.  Home dates with Buffalo, Carolina and Oakland look like sure wins, but visits to Indy, Pittsburgh and Houston are coin flips at best.  Still, if Jacksonville can win those three home dates and steal one road game coming in, that would get them 11 wins and secure a wildcard berth for sure.  

The Texans have a tough, tough road to hoe ahead of them, but with Schaub and Johnson healthy, anything seems possible.  They are an entirely different team with #80 in the lineup - when he has played this year, they are 3-0 and have looked a contender.  Without him, the offense has sputtered and the team is 2-5.  Candidly, the odds of winning in Indy have to be labeled as "slim".  That puts the Texans in the position of needing to win four of their other five games to get to nine wins, a number that Jacksonville, Tennessee and Cleveland definitely appear capable of achieving.  Home games against Tampa Bay and Denver are certainly winnable, and a visit from the hated Jags is always going to come down to the wire.  The Texans' season rests on the next two weeks, visits to Cleveland and Tennessee, two of those three teams that the Texans hope to be chasing down the stretch.  To have a legit chance at a wildcard berth, the Texans must win both games.  Possible?  Absolutely.  The Browns have stopped no one all season long on defense, and no reason to think that they'll start this week.  If the Texans can get after Anderson like they did Brees last week, they have a very good chance at coming home with a "W".  If they want to break their playoff maiden this season, that's something that they're going to have to figure out how to do.  

Panthers to start 43 year old Testaverde over Carr.  Must be that offensive line in Carolina not giving DC enough time.  Or maybe it's that he does not have enough weapons (besides Steve Smith).  Every QB needs at least three Pro Bowl receivers to be successful.  Looks like it took John Fox and his ownership approximately four years and thirteen game weeks less time to figure out what stumped McNair, Capers and Kubes for half of a decade.