With all the breathless conjecture surrounding the possibility of Brett Favre deciding that, perhaps, maybe, he wants to play football again, it was only a matter of time before a writer, desperate to put out a football column during the doldrums of late June/early July, devoted a whole article to analyzing which team would make the best landing spot for St. Favre should he decide to grace us all with his presence again. That writer's name is Bill Williamson of ESPN.com.

But the article itself isn't why this post is being penned. It's because of one part of said article:

I readily admit that, despite my prayers to the Almighty every night begging for it to happen, I am not a general manager, coach, player, or jockstrap coordination engineer for a franchise in the NFL. I'm just a fan. A fan who is a little too passionate about his team. A fan who sometimes loses perspective on "life" because it conflicts with football. Needless to say, I'm flawed.

But I do know this: There is no effing way that Brett Favre will be a Houston Texan. No way. Yes, Kubes is a QB guru. And yes, Williamson is correct to note that "[t]he Texans are on the verge of good things." I can see how someone could examine the Texans' roster and think, "Man, look at that WR corps! And that defense has a chance to be nasty this year. The Texans are awfully close to making people sit up and take notice." I get all of that.

What I don't get, however, is why the Texans, a team that is (1) obviously building with youth, (2) emerging out of the salary cap/dead money mess left by the previous regime, and (3) has repeatedly proclaimed that Matt Schaub is their guy, would devote the resources necessary to sign a QB who's going to turn thirty-nine (39) two days before the Sunday of Week Six. The most obvious, guttural response would be: "Tim, pull your head out of your ass and look at Favre's numbers last year." To which I, after removing my cranium from my posterior, would say, "Valid point. But look at Favre's numbers from the 2005 and 2006 campaigns, too. Are you that confident that a thirty-nine year old QB, even one who has been as amazing as Brett Favre was in Green Bay, is going to be able to play at his 2007 level with new personnel, new coaching, and a new (albeit not that different) offense? Are you that confident that Favre will be an upgrade over Schaub/Rosenfels in 2008?"

Because I am not. I love Brett Favre. He was a joy to watch throughout his career, and he was/is one of those rare athletes that appeared/appears not to lose his love of the game as his disposable income grew. That's admirable. So it is with the utmost respect that I write the following: I do not believe that Brett Favre would be better for the Houston Texans in 2008 than Matt Schaub will be.

Frankly though, I don't much care what I think. I want to know if I'm alone on this one, or if Texans Nation is climbing out onto this limb with me. Fire away in the Comments below.

I've been meaning to post about this for a few weeks now. Steve Campbell wrote an article in late May that put into print the gist of what I'm wondering about The Pride of Lane College. Namely, are we going to see production in 2008 similar to that which made him the darling of the 2007 preseason? Or am I going to be uttering something akin to what I said after the second game against Indy more often than not:

Admittedly looking at the situation through battle red colored glasses, I'm tremendously encouraged by the following snippets from Campbell's article (then again, what would you expect him to say?):

While I can't condone every bit of Jacoby's off-the-field judgment this offseason, it's a relief to read that he's owning his conduct:

And most importantly, this:

Kool-Aid aside, what's a reasonable expectation for Jacoby Jones in 2008? Fact is, he's going to have to show the coaches that he's progressed to a point that merits time at WR instead of just in the return game. And that, my friends, is going to be tough. WR is one of the, if not the, deepest depth chart(s) on the squad. Of course, it's not completely illogical to think that the talent Jacoby flashed throughout the last preseason, as well as a handful of moments during the 2007 regular season, may well lead to Kubes finding ways to get him on the field (e.g., four (4) wideout sets).

But first things first: Jacoby is going to have to earn that time, and another spectacular preseason likely won't be enough to cut it this year. So I ask you, BRB...what do you think we're going to get out of Jacoby Jones in 2008?

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to appear on "The Audible," which I'm told is the most popular football show on iTunes. While I hadn't been exposed to the show before, I can see why they've developed such a strong audience; the hosts (Cecil and Sigmund) were better prepared than any hosts I've ever encountered. I mean, these guys had clearly done their homework, and they knew more about your Houston Texans than 99% of the national media. Needless to say, I came away extremely impressed, and I wholeheartedly recommend you take a listen to any of the episodes in their library, or take a look at their pre-draft coverage here (SOLIS actually included their analysis of Antwaun Molden in his epic post after the draft, which should give you an idea of the quality of their work).

If you want to hear my inane ramblings and general diarrhea of the mouth, here's the link to my interview. Feel free to admonish my awkward interview style and/or "face for radio" in the Comments below.

In the name of charity and goodwill, the Texans took time to visit the Astros at Minute Maid Park for a round of batting practice. In the now sixth annual Reliant Energy Home Run Derby, the Texans hacked their way to the biggest donation to date, with proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Houston.  The ten Texan players who made the ten mile trek from Reliant Park to Minute Maid were Matt Schaub, Sage Rosenfels, Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, Eric Winston, Kris Brown, Mark Bruener, Owen Daniels, Bryan Pittman, and Chester Pitts.

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Holy $hit! While the end of the Turnstile Era brings a smile to my face, I am freaking shocked that your Houston Texans ended their relationship with Quinn Gray a little more than two (2) months after they brought him on board as a free agent. The only reason we've heard thus far is that he "didn't adjust well to the Texans' system." Obviously, there has to be more to this story for the team to have cut ties with a dude they just signed; I imagine we'll learn more as the days pass. But right now? I'm speechless.

Share your disbelief or speculate as to why this happened so soon in the Comments below.

PFT, via the East Valley Tribune, is reporting that Kurt Warner has started talks seeking an extension.  Next year, Sage Rosenfels will be in the exact same situation.  Kurt Warner's deal this year could set the market for what it would cost for the Texans to keep Sage around in the years to come.  There was a lot of talk about trading him before the draft, and specifically what his value was.  Now, we'll get a better idea of what his relative value truly is.

 

Some interesting things are intersecting in the Texans blogosphere...Matt over at DGDB&D has an interesting piece. It's specifically about an argument he's engaged in, but more generally, it's about how the Texans are viewed nationally.

At the same time, Sportsgamer.com just came out with the Madden 09 ratings shown in their graphic to the right.  You can definitely get a sense how the guys at EA Sports feel about the Texans. I bring this up because the Texans are about to enter a watershed season.

Anyone that knows football knows the Texans took a giant leap forward last season. Lots of 2nd and 3rd string players, as well as new starters, established themselves. Guys like Kevin Walter and Fred Bennett put themselves on the map. All but the most hardened man-crushes have let go of the Mario-bashing and decided that Young and Bush are more hype than substance. So with all that, the Texans are poised to make their mark in the national spotlight.

If you read this blog, you're probably a Texans homer.  You know that Mike Brisiel is going to steamroll Albert Haynesworth this year, and that Zac Diles is going to put Goldberg's spear on Maurice Jones-Drew.  So obviously our view of Texans players is probably a little skewed.

That being said, it'll be up to you to set the world right and lead the Texans to conquer the national stage.  Check out the ratings below and see what I mean.

 

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For those of you all who are avid Battle Red Blog readers, you may have seen me mention my affiliation with the military. For those of you who haven’t, I’ve been a member of the United States Air Force for the past ten years. So when I read Nick Scurfield’s article about Gary Kubiak’s involvement in the Impact A Hero 5K Run, I felt it was something worth mentioning.

Impact A Hero is an outstanding organization that provides emotional and financial support for our troops who have been severely wounded or disabled. This Saturday, May 31, they will be holding their annual Impact A Hero 5K Run/Walk/Wheel event at Mercer Stadium in Sugar Land, Texas. Participation is open to the public. The entry fee for the 5K run can be paid on the day of the event or early by signing up online at their website. The event coordinators are hoping to double last year’s total of 750 participants.

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From the diehard fan to the casual observer, it was plain to see that the Houston Texans addressed several key needs in the 2008 NFL Draft. The first six picks were all at positions that the Texans were intent on improving.

Then there was pick seven.

With a stable of proven quarterbacks, the Texans made a move that could only be understood by someone the likes of Jon Gruden – they drafted another quarterback. Enter Washington State Cougar, Alex Brink. While most feel that this was the most questionable pick of the Texans draft class, Alex Brink just may have what it takes to become a fixture in deep steel blue.

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The OTAs brought a little bit of bad news about Andre Johnson, but there's a lot of good news out there as well about the Texans.  The first thing that caught my eye was this picture.  It was captioned: "Cornerback Dunta Robinson sprinted on the adjacent practice field." 

It's just one picture, but it looks like he's getting full strides.  No idea how fast he's going, but it's good to see him using his leg.  Sprinting is just straight line speed, so he's still got to get his leg use to cuts and then contact.  But it's good to see him running with months before the start of the season.  It's looking more and more likely that we'll see No. 23 on the field this season.

More random thoughts on OTA: Day 1 after the jump.

 

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