I'll level with you: Half of the headline to this post was likely false. Nevertheless, the Chronicle reports that your Houston Texans picked up DE Stanley McClover (awe-inspiring career numbers here) and named their practice squad today. The following gentlemen will start the 2008 season on the practice squad in Houston:

Darius Walker (love it)
Kevis Coley (busted his arse in the preseason and earned this spot)
Darnell Jenkins (eh?)
Gabe Long (I'll hold out hope for any DT that he can one day make Travis Johnson expendable)
Jesse Nading (he's no Stanley McClover, which is probably a compliment)
Derrick Roberson (take Petey Faggins' job, please)
Mark Simmons (really like this kid, but WR is the toughest place to crack the Houston roster these days)

What happened to Alex Brink? Or Shane Boyd? Did one of them get picked up by another team?

According to the official team site, the following twenty-one (21) players were waived this afternoon:

Jon Abbate
Shane Boyd
Alex Brink
Kevis Coley
Rosevelt Colvin
Glenn Earl
Greg Eslinger
Jamar Fletcher
Darnell Jenkins
Ryan Krause
Gabe Long
Anthony Maddox
LeRon McCoy
Ben Moffitt
Jesse Nading
Derrick Roberson
Marcel Shipp
Mark Simmons
Torrin Tucker
Darius Walker
Dexter Wynn

One more player (Chris Brown? Petey Faggins?) must still be released to get down to the 53-man maximum. I'll have much more on this on this later, but a few quick thoughts:

1. That Rosevelt Colvin Experiment didn't take long, did it?

2. Sorry to see Darius Walker go; I hope he makes it through waivers, as I'd love to see him on the Houston practice squad.

3. Glenn Earl entered the 2007 season as a starter. Then he got injured in the first preseason game, and now he's unemployed. Things sure can turn on a dime in the NFL.

4. If I was the GM of a team that carried three (3) QBs, I'd be awfully intrigued by Shane Boyd and/or Alex Brink. Hopefully at least one of them makes it through waivers and can be stashed on the practice squad.

5. Maybe I'm alone here, but I'm sad to see Anthony Maddox go. He didn't look good at all until last night, but I'll always look back on that furniture-moving SOB with fondness.

6. How in the world did both Chris Brown and Petey Faggins survive this cut? One of them has to be gonzo tommorrow, right? Right?

7. How did Kubes keep Petey over Fletcher? Or Brown over Walker? What's going on here?

Courtesy of Megan Manfull, we learn that Alex Brink has signed a contract with your Houston Texans, meaning that the last two picks of the Texans' 2008 class are the first to agree to terms.

While Brink is almost surely destined for the practice squad this season (I'm still not buying Kubes' pitch that he's going to carry three QBs, Quinn Gray or no Quinn Gray), let's all simply rejoice that Smithiak got another one into the fold well before training camp. And let us also note that somewhere, Shane Boyd curses the heavens.

Monday morning brought about the news that the Texans would not retain the services of Jordan Black or Quinn Gray.  In the wake of the final day of OTAs, GM Rick Smith and Coach Kubiak addressed several questions from the media.  Smithiak discussed what was, what is, and what will be as the Texans put the OTAs behind them and prepare to head into training camp.  All quotes courtesy of www.houstontexans.com.

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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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