Warrick Dunn To Land In Houston?

by Tim on Mar 3, 2008 9:42 AM CST in News Comment 15 comments

That's the rumor, anyway. Allow me to preface what I'm about to write with this: Warrick Dunn may well be the best PERSON in the entire NFL. His off-the-field charity work is second to none, and he seems to be one of those rare people who understand that with great wealth comes the opportunity to help those who need it. I really, really, really like Warrick Dunn.

But do I want your Houston Texans to offer him a contract? Not to play football, I don't. I'd rather Smithiak bring James Allen back for another tour. At least then we'd have an endless supply of jokes to crack about how "Mersilis" was makin' suckas pay.

Remember--the Texans already have an aged running back with durability concerns on their roster. And while Ahman Green thinks he's healthy, we've been suckered in too many times with promises of "this just might be the week he takes the field" to take that seriously. So Alex Gibbs aside, why would the Texans make a conscious decision to get older at a position desperate for an influx of youth? Why take another chance on another RB who's taken punishment over the course of more than a decade (!) in the NFL? They wouldn't. Or shouldn't.

Update [2008-3-3 15:48:47 by Tim]: McClain confirms that the Texans are interested in bringing Dunn to Houston to chat. If you read carefully, you'll also see him opine that "[i]t looks as if the Texans aren't going to re-sign Ron Dayne..." Huh? Why not? Dayne isn't LaDainian Tomlinson, but he was clearly the most productive and consistent RB on last year's squad. Why not bring him back? Does he want too much money? Also, how would Dunn be a replacement for Dayne? They're two totally different players in terms of running style. If Dayne leaves, who's the guy to fall forward at three yards a clip? And why in the hell am I so worked up over the possibility of losing Ron Dayne?

Update [2008-3-10 21:14:42 by Tim]: Thankfully, Warrick Dunn isn't going to be a Texan. Best of luck to him in Tampa Bay.

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You give and you give

In the immortal words of our commander in chief, "Fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again."

Kubes and Smith will lose major cool points if this goes down anything like the Ahman Green signing...

BUT - if Warrick Dunn is feeling charitable and wants to play for free (figuratively speaking of course)- then the cool points stay intact. It would have to be a low risk investment. I think having guy of his ilk in the locker room would go along way in helping this young team mature.

To DE or not to DE... that is the question.

by SOLIS on Mar 3, 2008 10:15 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I dunno...

I could see us offering him a one or two year deal worth the league minimum. It doesn't sound like they're bringing Dayne back. Walker probably won't be a factor next season--think about it, Lundy was our starting running back for 2006 and he didn't make it back for 2007. The backfield probably would look something like...

Ahman Green
Warrick Dunn
Rookie
Chris Taylor

I could see it happening...

by Leein3D on Mar 3, 2008 11:55 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

good move

i think this would be a good move...you have to figure green or dayne will not be back and warrick had a solid year last year if you watched him...hes a good back still in a 2 back set and you know kubes will be using at LEAST 2 if not 3 backs (maybe even 4)....warrick would be a life to the lockerroom and give us speed and versatility that we dont have

by curtisdisco on Mar 3, 2008 12:08 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Too soon to tell

For the right price (read: minimal $), a troika of Dayne/Green/Dunn in the backfield is not that bad at all, especially if it allows Smithiak to pick up a starting-caliber CB at #18 (since J. Stewart or R. Mendenhall would not be needed). I approve, conditioned upon the use of the #18 pick and the price paid to Dunn.

by Scott on Mar 3, 2008 2:31 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

please no

I'd rather have Mike Anderson (recently cut by Baltimore).

And what a slap in the face to Dayne.

by Nashmeister on Mar 3, 2008 3:47 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yes!

Is it possible to agree 1000% percent with something? Because I do. Really.

by MDC on Mar 3, 2008 8:23 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Quick observations

Three things of note:

Ron Dayne has burrowed his way into our hearts one three yard gain at a time. I'll miss our burly badger if he doesn't return.
We are not getting a top tier RB at 18 (me = mucho sad).
Apparrently the idea of not having Dayne in the line up has Tim "so worked up" that is has triggered a response from his Scott personality.

To DE or not to DE... that is the question.

by SOLIS on Mar 3, 2008 3:55 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Re: My Multiple Personalities

You caught me. After I read the team was thinking of letting Dayne go, I went on another Zima bender and blacked out.

Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...

by Tim on Mar 3, 2008 4:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Dunn

I should have spelled that DONE. Good God, does Kubes know how long the warranty runs on these guys, they will have to redesign helmets for our RBs cause they're so long in the tooth.

by 1Texan on Mar 3, 2008 4:52 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

LOL

by knave64 on Mar 3, 2008 5:55 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Are we Dunn or can we Ward him off?

I'd rather sign Derrick Ward, even though he broke his leg (or ankle or foot) it sounded like he'd be back this season and he's a lot younger than Ward is. I'll miss Dayne too, don't see why they can't just keep him as the goal line/short yard man.

Poor Petey's better at Fetch than Catch.

by Eddietherac on Mar 3, 2008 8:57 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

They Called Dayne To Make An Offer

But it was noisy in the buffet line, and he didn't hear his phone ring. Truthfully, we remember the high points, especially because we didn't expect much. In the first half of last season, his production was low (~200 yards rushing), and he looked way out of shape. Over the second half of the season he looked great (~570 yards rushing). He's also missed a number of games over the past couple of seasons due to minor injuries. I think this is similar to how Dayne performed in 2006. So you have to hold a roster spot for a guy who won't show up until the second half of the season.

Now, if I have a young, promising back from 2007, and draft a guy in 2008, do I really want them mentored by a guy with suspect work habits? No, and in that case I'd have to say that I'd rather have Dunn than Dayne in that role. Plus, Dunn is a guy who had a lot of success as a back in the ZBS. So I'd say Dunn makes a lot of sense.

by kozanack on Mar 3, 2008 11:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Ain't gonna argue

cuz that's a sensible argument, I ain't gonna be broken hearted to see Dayne leave, but I still would kinda rather Derrick Ward over Warrick Dunn, even though Dunn's had a lot of success, he's pretty high up there age wise, and we really need some fresh legs at this point if we're gonna bring in someone new.

Poor Petey's better at Fetch than Catch.

by Eddietherac on Mar 4, 2008 1:05 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

James Allen

James Allen coming back would be the greatest day of my Life becasue then he and Morlon could have rap batles and we could officially have the hippest team ever.

by Dragon on Mar 4, 2008 5:28 PM CST reply actions 0 recs