DT Chris Jones, Bowling Green
Of course the Texans trolled us with a late defensive tackle pick. His biggest potential value to the Texans is that he will try to keep Shaun Cody off the roster once he inevitably signs a veteran minimum deal.

WR Alan Bonner, Jacksonville St.
I don’t know anything about this guy except that he’s apparently an exceptional return man. Keshawn Martin should probably try to be better than Jacoby Jones as a receiver if he wants to stick around… right now he’s worse than Jacoby ever was at his worst.

OT David Quessenberry, San Jose State

Houston traded their 7th rounder and one of their four 6th rounders to move up and grab San Jose State offensive tackle David Quessenberry. This late in the draft, I’m not going to pretend (like SO MANY do) to know much about this guy. What I read, I actually like more than the OT they took in the third round. Quessenberry is versatile and athletic. Among the knocks on him are poor technique and lack of core strength, but if Texans OL coach John Benton can mold his natural talent – he could be a solid practice squad candidate, or maybe scrape the bottom of the depth chart.

All I know is, my personal draft guru @BigRon281 likes him a lot, so I’m on board. When we’re this deep into the draft, yeah – I’m pretty much letting someone else do the work for me. At least I’m honest about it, though.

The Texans are clearly concerned about the pass rush and “one man show” that was JJ Watt’s 20+ sacks last year. Houston’s draft strategy is also fanning the flames that the team may seriously look at Brooks Reed as their 2nd ILB next to Brian Cushing. That has been out there for a while anyway, and the Texans even tried it in-game last season – but the way the draft and free agency has unfolded thus far, it looks more and more like a reality. I’m good with (or at least at peace with) that because I didn’t see much from Brooks Reed as a pass-rusher last season. With a full offseason learning the ILB position, I can’t say that I think he’ll be a hit – but as a compliment to a healthy Brian Cushing, it’s not a crazy notion. Of course, we don’t know when (or if) we will have the Cushing of old – so there is obviously a mountain of uncertainty in the front seven.

The knock on LSU’s Sam Montgomery is that he doesn’t have the best work ethic, and he takes a lot of plays off. The good is that he’s thought to be a 2nd round talent, and could be a steal if he gets his sh*t together.

Check out this excerpt from ESPN’s AFC South Blog

“One thing that might have hastened the draft drop by Montgomery, once rated as a first-round prospect, was his inclusion on a list of 10 players by LSU strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt.

Moffitt posted the names for scouts and said they were athletes who “miss workouts and always have an excuse.”

That’s his own strength and conditioning coach from LSU. OUCH.

Here’s the infamous still pic of Moffitt’s “naughty list” posted on his office window addressed to NFL scouts.

So pile work ethic AND motor concerns with the fact that the Texans have already said they will attempt to change his position to OLB, rather than DE – and I can’t get behind this pick. I’m not against the attempt or even the philosophy – if it was a late-round or undrafted free agent. But a third-round project with so much talent and value still on the board? Can’t get behind it.

Obviously I trust Wade Phillips more than I’ll ever trust myself – I just don’t get why a team with so many needs would go after an uphill project like this. Now – if the OLB experiment fails and he can instead go back to his original DE position? I might be good with that considering we have to deal with the harsh reality that Antonio Smith will very likely be gone after 2013.

But even then, he has to get his head right first. I don’t expect JJ Watt will put up with a lazy rookie playing anywhere NEAR him, even if they don’t technically occupy the same position (for now). Not lazy like NBC TV executives, because anyone lazier than an NBC TV executive is legally dead (or has a ceiling of comatose). Still, lazy.

Williams was a bit of a reach here, and while this is not an exciting pick – I’m okay with it because right tackle has not been discussed as the near-desperate need that it is. Derek Newton was terrible last season. I know, he is still young, he was a raw talent, blah blah blah. He was terrible, and the running game suffered for it. Can he get better? Well good GOD I CERTAINLY HOPE SO! But it has also been under-discussed that he had a knee procedure in the offseason, and that it was apparently a bit more of a significant procedure than originally reported.

So, you’ve got a guy who was mostly bad all year last year, AND he had at least a “significant” knee procedure. Well, that’s fantastic when your entire offense is predicated upon your ability to be able to run the ball and run it well. So yes, please grab an OT who can compete with Newton… but as a rookie can this guy challenge for the starting job? Sadly, he probably can. I’ve always held that Newton’s ceiling in the NFL – his CEILING – is that he could be an average swing tackle or spot starter.

Rashad Butler’s combo of being awful, followed by injury in the preseason last year had to cause some panic among the Texans’ offensive brain trust. Because of that, Newton was thrust into a starting spot probably a year before the Texans had planned – but still, the result was a shade under horrifying. NOT AS HORRIFYING AS WATCHING A MARATHON OF ABC’S LOST ON DVD – but horrifying nonetheless.

The Texans instead got what I consider to be a fantastic consolation prize in the relentlessly physical safety out of South Carolina, DJ Swearinger. Going into the 2013 season, Houston will have two aging, big contract safeties starting in Ed Reed and Danieal Manning. There’s a very, very good chance that neither one of them will be with the team this time next year (virtually NO chance Manning will be here), and the depth behind him is more terrifying than having to sit through a current episode of The Office.

Seriously, The Office is garbage. It was great a few years ago, but now I just want a bus to run over every character individually in pristine HD slow-motion.

Anyway, I love the Swearinger pick – but let’s not get crazy. He’s versatile but I don’t expect him to be more than an average or slightly above average cover guy as a safety. But man, he is PHYSICAL, and everything you read on him says that he’s a “dog” – huge trash-talker, ultra-competitive, and likes to knock people out. In other words, he is going to have to save his money. A lot of it. DJ – meet Roger Goodell, Roger? DJ. You guys should just go ahead and be Facebook friends now.

I said regarding the free agent signing of Ed Reed that I would not be on board with the move UNLESS the Texans followed it up with a high draft pick on a safety. Well, they did that – and not only did they do it, they took the right guy. Still, you know I’m way more of a “should have kept Glover Quin” guy, but this makes the Reed signing far more palatable.

The way the first round unfolded Thursday night, the Texans really couldn’t have asked for much better. Only one WR was off the board in Tavon Austin – and though I would have loved for the Texans to somehow land him, I’m not exactly sure what the offense would do with him. So right there for the Texans’ taking at arguably their biggest position of need, were ALL of the “traditional” WR types – Cordarrelle Patterson, DeAndre Hopkins, Robert Woods, Keenan Allen, Justin Hunter, etc.

Personally, I would have loved to take a chance on alleged head-case/dummy Cordarrelle Patterson. His explosiveness and playmaking ability was second to only Austin’s in this draft. HOWEVER – I absolutely buy into the concept that he may not be able to contribute as well in year one as well as Hopkins could. Hopkins is almost unanimously thought to be the most “pro-ready” WR in this draft, and I think his game tape bears that out. (Remember when Kareem Jackson was the most “pro-ready” CB in the draft a few years back? The important distinction here is – that was a widely-held TEXANS opinion, not a league one.)

So yeah, I love the Hopkins pick. The Texans didn’t overthink it. They didn’t go for a Combine freak athlete, or a guy with incredible measurables who has tremendous upside, etc. They took a guy who can play football and play it well. A guy that is never going to be Andre Johnson, but a guy who can certainly be a good number two WR from the jump, and could transition into a solid number one down the line.

Oh, I beg to differ. In fact, you can’t even make a coherent argument that supports the above quote.

As fans, unless you just hate your life and are constantly miserable – you can deal with your team losing. If not, I feel bad for your family. The focus should be – is the team getting better? Is the team doing everything it can to get better? If you’re an Astros fan, you know the answer to that during the last several years of the Drayton McLane era was decidedly no. They weren’t trying – at all. For that reason, I couldn’t even stomach watching them.

With the Texans? The answer has been a resounding yes. They don’t make every correct move, they don’t make the best decisions – but it is clear that both in the area of effort, personnel, and resources – the Texans have absolutely done everything they possibly could to get better the last few years. If you’re one of those people that thinks Bob McNair is cheap and he is only interested in the bottom line – I’m actually kind of surprised you can even read.

So the Texans find themselves in a strange place at the end of the best season in their history (record-wise). They have done everything they can to get better. They have spent free agent money, they have made difficult personnel decisions to survive the salary cap hell they were in going into 2012… but they did not improve on the field in 2012. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Safeties – Glover Quin, while an absolute contract priority for next year, was inconsistent in the 2nd half of the season, and Danieal Manning was significantly worse than he was last year. The safety depth was TERRIBLE, with several glaring examples we don’t need to relive. 2011 to 2012 trajectory – downward.

Cornerbacks – Kareem Jackson obviously came into his own, much to the shock of pretty much everyone save for a few people who are apparently okay with a starting player being terrible in his first two years. Johnathan Joseph was not as good as he was last year when he was healthy, and when he was hurt, he was awful. Jason Allen was replaced as the third outside corner by Alan Ball, who was mostly awful. Despite what crazy people were saying, Brice McCain was NOT having a good season when he got hurt, especially compared to how he played in 2011. You know how the rest of the corner depth went. 2011 to 2012 trajectory – level, due only to the emergence of Kareem Jackson.

Inside linebackers – Hahahaha! HA HA HA HA!!! Injuries, yes – but part of running a team well is putting good depth together. Reference the article I wrote BEFORE the season on the two positions I believed were most likely to sink the Texans in 2012 – the inside linebackers and the offensive line. 2011 to 2012 trajectory – plane crash.

Outside linebackers – No matter what the Texans brass says, Connor Barwin was nowhere near the player he was in 2011. This whole idea that “he got close and got good pressure” is absolute bullroar. Yes, toward the end of the season, it was true. Before then he was CONSTANTLY getting single-teamed, and handled rather easily. Yes he plays the run well. So what. At his position, he has to get pressure, and not just pressure but sacks. Brooks Reed was also solid against the run, but the league pretty much had him figured out on his pass rush. Whitney Mercilus was up and down. He almost always was awful against the run. He got some effort sacks and showed some flashes as a pass rusher. He will be better next year, I have no doubt. 2011 to 2012 trajectory – downward.

Defensive line – All by himself, JJ Watt has taken this entire position group on an upward trend. But individually, Antonio Smith trended slightly down, Shaun Cody trended Shaun Cody, and Earl Mitchell also trended Shaun Cody. 2011 to 2012 trajectory – upward, due solely to JJ Watt’s historic season.

Offensive line – We all know what happened here, and it was rather predictable. Well, once Rashad Butler turned out to 1) be terrible and 2) get hurt, then it got predictable. Nobody on the offensive line – literally nobody – trended upward from 2011. Duane Brown was great, but not as dominant as he was in 2011, and that’s fine. No problem with that. Inexplicable Pro Bowler Wade Smith was often awful this year. Chris Myers, not as good this year. The right guard position went from Mike Brisiel to a revolving door of disaster, with some glimmers of hope for the future (but not based on results). Right tackle – absolute flaming pile of crap disaster. 2011 to 2012 trajectory – watching a movie about a plane crash on a plane that crashes.

Tight ends - Owen Daniels looked pretty good when he was in the game plan. Then he wasn’t. Garrett Graham – also pretty solid when he was getting looks. Still, this group doesn’t compare to last year’s, especially with the loss of Joel Dreessen, who myself and others said would be an underrated loss for this offense in 2012. 2011 to 2012 trajectory – downward, but close to level.

Wide receivers – This is a strange one. The play of the group as a whole is probably elevated, but that’s only because Andre Johnson was so hurt last year, and so not hurt and great this year. But Kevin Walter continued his steady decline (as a pass catcher) and at this point should put on 100 pounds, concentrate on his AMAZING BLOCKING and finish his career as a journeyman swing tackle. CampStar Jean was a total zero during the year, and Devier Posey was just starting to emerge as a legitimate target for Matt Schaub when he ripped his Achilles. He will not be ready to go for the start of the 2013 season. So far, Keshawn Martin is Jacoby Jones 2.0, but with better hands in the punt return game. As a receiver, he’s actually MORE drop-prone than Jacoby was. But he’s just a rookie. 2011 to 2012 trajectory – downward. I say downward because there was no improvement – NONE – in the guys not named Andre Johnson, and that is a MUST.

Running Backs & Full back – This is of course largely a function of the decline of the offensive line, but as good as Arian Foster was this season, he wasn’t as good as he was last year. Still, he’s a top-5 back and with top offensive line play, the only guy I’d take over him is that cyborg who plays for the Vikings. Remember, we’re talking about position groups here. Ben Tate was basically a nothing in 2012, and while Justin Forsett is a MAJOR improvement over Derrick Ward, the group as a whole clearly took a step down. James Casey is, I think, a star waiting to happen as a tight end, or as an H-Back if Kubiak had any idea how to maximize his potential. Instead he’s just kind of stuck. If I were James Casey, I’d want to go somewhere where I can get my hands on the ball a lot more. 2011 to 2012 trajectory – downward.

Quarterbacks – Matt Schaub, largely because of the lack of a play action attack, was not very good in the second half of 2012. But you can’t assume all things are going to be perfect, or even above average – so your quarterback has to be able to make plays with his arm. Schaub did that all season in 2009, but it didn’t work out so well in 2012. I have defended Schaub for a long time, and as I said – I think he is pretty much the same guy he has always been, it’s just that when he doesn’t have the play action game going, he’s average at best. Couple that with the fact that Gary Kubiak’s play-calling didn’t seem to back up the (repeated) assertion that Gary had all the confidence in the world in his QB. Bottom line on Schaub – he’s a plus NFL QB when the running game is at its best, and when he’s getting excellent pass protection. But again, that’s just not going to happen every year, and when it doesn’t – you have to make plays anyway. But he didn’t. 2011 to 2012 trajectory – downward.

Special teams – Shayne Graham was fantastic for anything under 50 yards. Over 50 yards, he was terrible, except inexplicably in the playoffs in New England. Yeah, one 55-yard kick doesn’t erase the rest of the season. It doesn’t matter anyway, because his kickoffs were abhorrent. Donnie Jones was solid a lot of the year, and then went to hell late. Kick and punt returns – awful. Kick and punt coverage, awful. Again, one good performance in the playoffs means NOTHING. Except that it will for Joe Marciano, who will obviously return since he has a lifetime contract.

Coaching – Play-calling lapses, some irritating stubbornness in a few of Wade Phillips’s game plans (no doubt spurned by personnel and injury issues), an unwillingness to make realistic in-season changes to special teams, bad challenges, poor or non-existent halftime adjustments, confusing lapses in player involvement (Casey, Foster in the pass game, Owen Daniels disappearing, overloading Foster early on, etc., etc). 2011 to 2012 trajectory – downward.

So there it is. Basically every position group trended down. The team collapsed at the end when it had a chance to sew up home field advantage, and they lost in the same round as last year against an opponent who beat them in the regular season the exact same way they beat them in the playoffs. You cannot convince me that the Texans playoff loss to the Patriots was significantly less ugly than the one on Monday Night Football. Making the game close in the first half doesn’t count for anything. Getting blown out in the second half, only to score some points on offense when it was out of reach – also doesn’t count for anything.

Sure, they went 12-4 in 2012 as opposed to 10-6 in 2011 – but that was a bit of fool’s gold because last year’s team was clearly at least a 12-4 squad had they not lost their QB. Schaub was simply better last year than he was this year, again, due to many factors. The defense last year – MUCH better. The running game last year – MUCH better.

So there you go. Sure, this is a largely negative post – but I’m just trying to inject some realism here. The Texans need a great offseason – not just a good one – to get to where they need to be. They need to be better next year, not at the same level again. They need to be able to beat the Patriots. This year, it’s not that they didn’t beat the Patriots, it’s that they were not even CLOSE to beating the Patriots. Not even close.

Improvements need to be made. Depth has to be addressed. An NFL team should never, ever go down the tubes because of a non-QB injury. The Texans actually were very fortunate with their health in 2012. I will not accept injuries as a reason for the drop-off, and you shouldn’t either.

The Texans will have a good amount of compensatory picks in the upcoming draft, and there’s no reason they can’t dip into free agency a bit more in 2013 being that they aren’t going to be in as much cap trouble as they were last year.

I say all this because I’m afraid the Texans think they are right on the cusp. In a way, they are. This team, in my opinion, can absolutely go 12-4 again next year. I think Schaub can rebound. I think the O-Line and the running game can rebound. With some defensive improvements and focus on depth, the defense can be better. But this isn’t about going 12-4 again. It’s about being able to beat the Patriots, the Broncos, the rising Colts, and the other teams that will emerge, IN THE PLAYOFFS.

So that’s where we are. It was another fun, great season, though ultimately frustrating in the end. What needs to happen next is that the Texans focus on going further, not just getting better.

As you might expect, I’m gonna go on hiatus for a while. Fill in your jokes about how long I’ve already been on hiatus, yes. I deserve that.

Thanks to all who came by this season, took the time to read, comment, follow me on Twitter, etc. We’ll talk during the offseason… you know, after hiatus.

The Texans did their thing on defense. For this week at least, the Bulls on Parade were back. Though the Bengals haven’t exactly been an offensive juggernaut this season, Houston limited them to 198 yards and (stat of the game) literally did not allow one single third down conversion (0 for 9). Maybe even more impressive is how the Texans were able to limit Cincy’s AJ Green, who is already in the conversation for best WR in the NFL along with Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, etc. Green didn’t have a single catch in the first half of the game, and finished with five catches for 80 yards. Houston only gave up one big play to him, a 45 yard reception. That’s how you do it against a WR of Green’s ilk. You can’t stop him, but you have to make sure he doesn’t dominate you. Well done.

You can always count on JJ Watt to do what he does, and he did it once again with a sack and two passes defended. The Bengals were double and triple teaming Watt all game long, but he still had his typical impact. There’s just no stopping that guy. Even Brooks Reed got back in the groove, notching another playoff sack. Houston was able to survive their talent and health-deficient inside linebacker corps, which was a bit of a surprise to me. I expected Cincy’s tight ends to be running free, but the Bengals offensive game plan, I thought, left a lot to be desired.

Connor Barwin had a pretty solid game Saturday, playing the run well and getting some good pressure on the quarterback at times. Barwin has certainly improved in the last quarter or so of the season, and with the horrible inconsistencies that have plagued this team – it’s good to be able to say that about anyone on either side of the ball right now.

On offense, it certainly seemed as if the Texans were about to bust through their recent struggles. The team moved the ball with ease at times, with Arian Foster and the offensive line looking like the group of old. On top of that, hey – Owen Daniels sighting. OD was catching balls all over the place, and Matt Schaub looked pretty good out there despite his one absolutely huge and unforgivable mistake that resulted in a Leon Hall interception return touchdown. The Texans rolled up 420 total offensive yards against arguably the best defensive front in the playoff field, but they still couldn’t cash it in once they reached the red zone. Houston settled for four Shayne Graham field goals (48, 27, 22, 24), and one touchdown by Foster, who had a magnificent game.

Arian Foster. Just, wow. In person, I had no idea what a great game Foster was having. When I saw stats during the game that said he had gone over the 100-yard mark, I was surprised. When I re-watched the game, I was STUNNED at what a great game he and the offensive line had. Foster was SUPERB on Saturday, with superior vision, patience, and the ability to get a few extra inches here and there – basically all the things that Foster is so good at. Sure helps when your offensive line plays so well. Unexpectedly well, at that – the Bengals are very, very good up front on defense.

Though we all would have loved to see touchdowns over field goals in this game, it felt REALLY good to see the team close out the game on offense, with Arian Foster getting a first down with a 10-yard run on 2nd & 8. Everyone in the building knew 23 was getting the ball, and he unleashed a great 10-yard run – gliding, cutting, and getting some great blocking – especially from oft-maligned Wade Smith, who just did EVERYTHING he could to hold his block long enough for Arian to get by.

Of course, the reward for all of this is a return trip to Foxboro. If there is one element to the team that I could instantly wish to be “fixed” to give the team the best chance to win in New England, it would be the offensive line above anything else (and it’s not close). The Texans offensive line played a VERY good game against the Bengals, who were obviously playing better defense up front than the Patriots have been.

So there’s that if you’re looking for a little hope. If the O-Line is who they were against the Bengals, hey – anything can happen next week. Unfortunately lately, that performance has been the exception and not the rule.

When the final chapter of the 2012 Texans is written, it will focus mainly on the sparkling first half or 2/3 of the season. JJ Watt was as dominant as any defensive player in NFL history, Andre Johnson had one of his best seasons ever, and Houston at times looked like the class of the conference. But unfortunately, this season looks like a big pile of fool’s gold. Sadly, I’ve seen that coming for a long time now, but the LEVEL of implosion in the final four games of the season was something I did NOT foresee. I feel like I know this team better than 99% of anyone who follows and is “emotionally invested” in the Texans – but DAMN.

You can point to all kinds of problems for this team’s late-season collapse. Houston was no longer able to hide the existence of several flat-out BAD starters… um, and bad special teams coaches.

And then there’s Matt Schaub, who started the season well, and is finishing it in a spectacularly-awful fashion. Without a really good running game, Schaub is a flat-out liability at this point. When the running game is humming, you can win with him.

But with Cadaver Newton at right tackle, Cadaver inside linebackers, Cadaver Marciano as a special teams coach, Cadaver red zone play, etc… it’s just not happening right this season.

Once again, the Texans lose in Indianapolis (0-11 all time), and they desperately needed either home-field advantage or some momentum going in to the playoffs, and they have nothing close to either of those.

The worst crime of today’s loss is this – the playoff game just will not be fun to watch next week. Even if the Texans win the game (which right now I cannot say in any way that I think they will), it’s hard to get excited about what comes after that. Anyway, sadness. What else can be said?

Yay, playoffs.