BREAKING NEWS--Texans Sign Ahman Green

by Tim on Mar 4, 2007 5:27 PM CST in News Comment 18 comments

Despite incorrectly naming him "Ahmad" Green, John McClain reports that the Texans have signed the veteran running back to a four year, $22,000,000.00 deal that contains $6.5 mil in guaranteed money.

I think I like this deal; I'm not sure yet. It would seem that Green's best days are behind him, but is he an upgrade over the four-headed monster of '06 that was Ron Dayne, Samkon Gado, Wali Lundy, and Chris Taylor? Probably so. Regardless, you'd have to think that this signing paves the way for the Texans to release Domanick Davis-Williams, right?

I'm going to have to think a bit more about this one before I weigh in definitively. What does everyone else think?

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It's Solid

I am happy about this move.

It is definitely an upgrade over '06, although I don't want to talk trash on those guys. I think they put forth a great effort, and we got more than we expected.

I predict that by the end of the week, Davis-Williams-Jackson-Smith-Blarney will be will either be cut.....or accept a severely restructured deal from the Texans.

Regardless, I am happy to have a 'feature' back on the team. I always enjoyed watching Green play, and he seems like a fella who gives his all.

We can be critical of the draft picks, but in the end we always support the new Texan.

by Shake on Mar 4, 2007 6:34 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Also...

It wouldn't hurt my feelings to see Gado gone. I don't necessarily have anything against him, but if we can only hold on to 3 of the 4....well, happy trails.

We can be critical of the draft picks, but in the end we always support the new Texan.

by Shake on Mar 4, 2007 6:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting

What if Quinn is drafted by the Browns and Peterson is still on the board at 8? Do we take Peterson with a backfield of Green, David (err, Williams), and Ron Dayne?

by TarHorn on Mar 5, 2007 9:10 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Whoops

Davis not David

by TarHorn on Mar 5, 2007 9:10 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If AD Is There at No. 8...

You HAVE to pick him. I hate OU with a fiery passion that burns through the night, but Peterson is a stud. Green or no Green, you take Peterson every day of the week and twice on Sunday if he falls in your lap at No. 8.

Just don't take Brady Quinn. Ever.

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 5, 2007 6:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

No Way Peterson's there at #8

Good move - how can Green not be considered a significant upgrade over Dayne/Taylor/Gado/Lundy? It didn't break the bank, and as we here at BRB so humbly suggested, re-working a couple of deals has freed up some more cap space. Great signing - now get me a WR/CB/QB, Rick.

by Scott on Mar 5, 2007 10:30 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Mike Sherman

Maybe Green's landing in Houston is a direct result of Sherman's failure to land a head coaching job, in which case, I'm even more happy that Mike Sherman is still on the Texans' staff.

by Scott on Mar 5, 2007 10:44 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

True...

And don't discount Green's arrival in H-Town coinciding with Travis Henry hitting the open market. Seems the Broncos liked Henry better than Green, especially given that Denver inked the former Titan to a deal that contains $12 mil in guaranteed money today.

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 5, 2007 6:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

OK, here goes....

I know I'm in the minority on this one, and that's cool, but I don't like this signing. It reminds me of when the Stros re-signed Bagwell well past his prime, and Bags was unable to fulfill the back-end of his contract. I guess the good news is the amount guaranteed to Green is roughly 1/3 of the total.

OK, Mr. Jerky Jerk, why don't you like this signing? Green is a 30 year old RB with 11,000 total yards on his body. Running backs, especially those with a ton of miles like Green, have a tendency to age poorly. This is little chance he will be a meaningful player by the third year of this contract.

Next, over the last couple of years, Green has averaged below 4 yards/carry. Last year, when he was "healthy" and behind a decent Green Bay o-line? 4.0 avg. Ron Dayne behind the Texans? 4.1. Vernand Morency, who got the bulk of the other GB carries, averaged 4.6/carry. Boy, do I miss Vernand now!

Is Green a real improvement over the four-headed monster from last year? I dunno, but I don't think so. Plus, if the Colts taught us nothing else (and they didn't), wasn't it that having two feature backs is better than one? Alllegedly. Anyway, Green is better at catching the ball out of the backfield, and since we know Carr can't throw the ball more than 10 yards down field, that might be good. But, I can't help but feel like the Texans just signed...Ron Dayne.

So, yeah yeah, I can nay-say and criticize, but what do I suggest? Green was acquired from Seattle by GB for almost nothing. Are we looking to make a deal like that? Especially in Kubiak's system, I strongly believe many RBs could thrive. Next, and we've talked about this before, but spending money on either younger free agents or at positions that need to be addressed more drastically (DBs) would be more helpful.

If the Texans just needed to plug the hole at RB for one year to get us into the playoffs? That's one thing. But there are sooooo many holes to fill, that I don't believe that signing a 30 yo RB helps us either in the short-, or especially, long-term.

*ducks*

by bigfatdrunk on Mar 5, 2007 1:22 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Valid argument, but...

If Green isn't performing after this year, then we can dump him without taking a big hit to the cap. That is the great part of this signing. Much like the new contract w/ Andre, the Texans finally seem to be getting smarter about leaving themselves some non-expensive (I won't say cheap) options if the player doesn't work out.

Also, instead of throwing...I rolled this rock on the ground just to mess with you.

We can be critical of the draft picks, but in the end we always support the new Texan.

by Shake on Mar 5, 2007 1:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Guh! My ankle!

I hope I made that disclaimer clear that at least we didn't guarantee the whole contract or anywhere close. If it didn't have that in there, I would've given up on pro football for about 4 years. I mean, I tried "rooting" for a couple of other pro teams when the Oilers mysteriously disappeared, but it was kinda like cheating on my wife with an Irish wolfhound/dachsund mix: it was OK, but just too d@mned dirty in the end.

by bigfatdrunk on Mar 5, 2007 3:46 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Fair Criticism

Nothing you said was off the mark, BFD. It's surely a roll of the dice to give the starting RB gig to a thirty year old who has a fairly significant injury history.

That said, I like the signing. I think Green is a definite upgrade over Dayne, Gado, and Lundy. You'll notice I left Chris Taylor out of that equation; I still really think he could be a gamer, and I hope that Green's arrival doesn't preclude him from getting further looks at RB.

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 5, 2007 6:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Oops

Forgot to mention in my little rant below that I agree with you on Taylor. And, you know, it may be my burnt orange blinders being on and the fact I am all-too-sober, but I think Selvin Young might be a late round steal. Otherwise, in the draft, a Chris Henry or DeShawn Wynn could drop to the 4th or 5th round.

The Texans aren't in a "re-building" phase as much as we are in a "building" phase. We need to spend our money to match that philosophy.

by bigfatdrunk on Mar 5, 2007 8:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

#22

Although I am a victim of wearing the same blinders, I truly believe that it would be 'brilliant' if we can get Selvin early in Day 2 of the draft.

From watching him the last few years at DKR, he appears to be the type of back that would fit well into Kube's scheme. Guess we'll just have to watch & see.

We can be critical of the draft picks, but in the end we always support the new Texan.

by Shake on Mar 6, 2007 7:26 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

pete & re-pete

"The Texans aren't in a "re-building" phase as much as we are in a "building" phase. We need to spend our money to match that philosophy."

I mostly concur with this assessment....except for our SECONDARY. This has to be an area that gets re-built over the next few months. It's ugly enough to be in one of those Extreme Makeover shows.

Disclaimer: We would like to thank all the members of the '06 Texans secondary for playing balls-out last year. We still love you, but we all know that most are playing way over their heads.

We can be critical of the draft picks, but in the end we always support the new Texan.

by Shake on Mar 6, 2007 7:31 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Irish wolfhound/dachsund mix

Seriously, that has to be the sickest analogy posted on BRB so far.

Well done.

We can be critical of the draft picks, but in the end we always support the new Texan.

by Shake on Mar 6, 2007 7:23 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Peter King's Take

From the latest MMQB:

4. "I know the Texans desperately wanted to make a splash in free agency, but Ahman Green? Paying Ahman Green $8 million in 2007? At age 30? Having missed 13 games due to injury the last two years? Having averaged 3.8 yards per carry over the last two years? I'm not saying he can't have a 1,300-yard year in 2007. I'm saying the odds are against it, and Dominic Rhodes or T.J. Duckett, to me, would have been better, and cheaper, options."

Any thoughts?

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 5, 2007 7:13 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Thoughts?

Yeah, King needs to stop stealing my material. Otherwise, here are my thoughts:
Davis - 6th Round
Gary - 4th Round
Anderson - 6th Round
Portis - 2nd Round
Droughns - 3rd Round
Bell - 2nd Round

Who are these people? Why, I'm so glad you asked! These are Denver RBs who all rushed for over 1000 yards since 1995 (when Shanahan and, I believe, Kubiak took over the team). Six different guys taken in vastly different rounds.

I say, nutz to Rhodes and Duckett...and Green. All the players above were helped tremendously by the offensive system Kubiak uses. I don't mean to demean these guys - not by any stretch - but when you employ the right player in the right system, good things happen (ant. - Vick in West Coast O). I don't feel like we looked hard enough to plug the hole at RB with a younger, more affordable player so we could concentrate on everything but WR1, MiLB, and DE.

by bigfatdrunk on Mar 5, 2007 8:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs