5 Young Texans Who Must Contribute In 2011

Yesterday I stumbled upon MCM, and they had a post entitled "5 Young Titans Who Must Contribute in 2011." Normally, I'm not a fan of MCM, but I liked the post, so I'll do one for the Texans.

I'll go ahead and give my take, with 1 being the most important player (2>3>4, etc.).

1. Kareem Jackson- This is the obvious choice. Kareem had a pathetic rookie year, but I think it was mainly due to a disastrous scheme, and a terrible DB coach. Kareem has good tools, and decent technique. His instincts aren't exactly the greatest, but being aggressive on routes, particularly slants, is a good thing to me, since none of our other CBs can defend slants. He got burned on double moves, but that's coachable. I think Vance Joseph will improve our DBs' technique and route recognition, and then hopefully Wade's scheme will work.

2. Glover Quin- His move to FS was expected, and it should have been made last year. He has the instincts and the cover skills to be a good FS. He's good at wrapping up in the open field, and has good enough range to play FS. The only negatives are his mediocre speed and inexperience at the position. Speed isn't that big of a deal, especially if you have good instincts like GQ does. Experience is the big question mark. OTAs, mini-camps, training camp, and especially pre-season will be huge for GQ. Due to the lockout, mini camps and OTAs may not happen, but I think training camp will, and so will pre-season. We'll get a glimpse of what he can do in mid-August.

3. Earl Mitchell- I'm going to stay on the defensive side of the ball, mainly because we were horrendous on D last year. Mitchell will probably be the starter because of Wade's confidence in him. Shaun Cody will be a rotation player, and then we're out of NTs (not like we had any to begin with). Our front seven is full of playmakers, and it has good depth at every position, except NT. Watt and Antonio will be good 3-4 DEs, especially Watt. Mario and Connor will wreak havoc on the outside, while DeMeco and Cush control the middle. Earl's role is vital. Having a good NT is key to having a successful 3-4. All of the great 3-4 defenses have good NTs. If Earl can have a good year, our front seven will be good, maybe even great.

4. Mike Brisiel/Antoine Caldwell- RG was a problem last year. Caldwell was solid at run blocking, while being a liability in pass protection. Brisiel was decent at run blocking, while being fairly solid at pass blocking. Every other position on the OLine is solidified by above average players (I still dislike Myers). The person that can really win the job in camp or in pre-season has to be Caldwell. He's too talented to not win it against an inferior player like Brisiel. Caldwell has to improve his footwork and technique in pass protetction if he wants to be the full-time starter.

5. Brandon Harris- From the looks of it, Harris is going to be our #2 CB. Jason Allen had a decent year for us last season, so he'll be battling with Harris for that spot. However, I think Joseph's love for Harris will ultimately decide the outcome, as will camp. Harris is good at everything. He's not great at one thing, but good at everything. He has the instincts, the route recognition, the technique, the ball skills, and the confidence to be a good CB in this league. Kareem will hopefully be a somewhat reliable CB this season, so it's up to Harris to hold down the other side of the field. He definitely has the ability to, but he has to translate that onto the field.

I would like y'all's opinions as well. Maybe not this long of a post, but some detail would be nice.