BREAKING NEWS: Chris Brown Signs With Texans

by Tim on Mar 13, 2008 5:25 PM CDT in News

Terms not yet disclosed. Career stats here. My initial reaction:

The more competition at RB, the better.
Given his injury history, it's not realistic to expect Brown to have anything more than a negligible impact on the offense.
I hope Bob McNair didn't have to raise the cost of health insurance for all Texans employees just to get Brown on the plan.
Could Brown be the 2008 version of Keenan McCardell, coming in with a bit of promise only to crash and burn before he even gets out of training camp? I think that's far more likely than him rushing for 1,000 yards this season.
I've never really thought the Texans would go RB in Round One. Moreover, I have a hard time believing this acquisition would change their draft strategy in any meaningful way. The more I ponder it, the surer I am that Smithiak may well go best available at every one of their slots in the draft. The only positions I would be shocked to see addressed before Round Six would be QB and/or WR (due to the clear depth there).

Update [2008-3-14 0:43:3 by Tim]: Contract is for two (2) years and $3,600,000.00, with an $800,000.00 signing bonus. Why is it that I'm wishing that money would have gone to Ron Dayne?

Tweet Comment 31 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

4 hours after post...

Yaaawn....well I can see everyone is as excited about this as I am...glance slowly around the room..Why are we getting rid of Mr. Glass again?..down a double shot...just more whiskey under the bridge as they say in Texas.

by 1Texan on Mar 13, 2008 8:36 PM CDT reply actions

Another "Chris Brown?"

That makes two on the same team, cool!

Anyway, I think he's better than anyone on the roster. Green, Taylor, Walker, Brown, and Rookie-To-Be-Determined-Later looks a LOT better than Green, Dayne, Walker, Gado, and Echemandu, right?

by Leein3D on Mar 13, 2008 8:45 PM CDT reply actions

Brown

I never thought we were going RB in the first either... and I've always been fine with that. Unless they go WAY off the board, most of the players that I see in the mocks would be just fine with me.

Also, I guess this marks the unofficial, official end of the Ron Dayne era. He filled in admirably and did what he was asked, which is a hell of a lot more than you can say for most of the other RBs this franchise has employed.

by HoustonDiehards on Mar 13, 2008 9:48 PM CDT reply actions

Congratulations!...ish

Your friendly neighborhood Titans fan here.

I just came to warn you: be prepared to have your heart broken by Chris Brown.

His running style is something like this: 150 yards in less than two quarters; stubbed toe; sit for remainder of game and following 2 weeks. Come back in and bust loose for a 30-yard run on his first carry. Second carry, fumble at the goal line, recovered by the other team and run back for a score.

Seriously, he has tremendous ability, both as a runner and as a receiver.

But he also has a HUGE downsides in that he gets hurt very easily, does not heal quickly, and he has a tendency to fumble in crucial situations.

I think the San Diego playoff game was the last straw for the Titans and most fans; he fumbled twice, and many people blame him for our loss.

I can't believe the Texans are seriously giving up Ron Dayne; he's the best runner you've had the last 2 seasons and Chris brown is not an upgrade; he's your 2008 Ahman Green.

by hartley on Mar 14, 2008 10:18 AM CDT reply actions

Damn it

This post made me both happy and sad at the same time. It was like watching the end of City of Angels and then getting kicked in the nuts.

by MDC on Mar 14, 2008 10:33 AM CDT up reply actions

Yep.

Watching Chris Brown is a lot like that.

by hartley on Mar 14, 2008 10:40 AM CDT up reply actions

Re: City of Angels

Wouldn't watching "City of Angels" and getting kicked in the pills be exactly like getting kicked in the pills twice?

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 14, 2008 11:10 AM CDT up reply actions

Is sadist contageous?

I believe Matt is stating that he was brought joy when she biked downhill into a logging truck. And died. A horrible death.

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

by Shake on Mar 14, 2008 11:25 AM CDT up reply actions

Exactly.

That movie will always have the funniest ending ever to me because, just before she came around the corner on the bike, I remarked to the girl I was dating "if I was directing this movie, she'd get hit by a truck right now."

Sure 'nuff. A theater full of women were crying and I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. It was AWESOME.

by MDC on Mar 14, 2008 8:14 PM CDT up reply actions

LMAO

but, that was your last date with her, right?

by knave64 on Mar 14, 2008 11:37 PM CDT up reply actions

Sadly,

no.

by MDC on Mar 15, 2008 4:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Re: 2008 Ahman Green

We already have a 2008 Ahman Green. His name is... Ahman Green.

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

by SOLIS on Mar 14, 2008 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions

You're keeping him?

I did not know that.

Is that for cap reasons or something? Or does somebody expect him to be able to do something?

Okay, the fact that the Texans are dumping Dayne and keeping Green... wow.

It boggles the mind.

I'm all boggled and confused now.

by hartley on Mar 14, 2008 10:39 AM CDT up reply actions

Re: boggle and confused

Join the club. The line forms way over there.

by MDC on Mar 14, 2008 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions

Re: Ahman

Someo of us are holding out hope that he's a June 1st casualty, but the team has been talking him up since the end of the season. I'm praying it's simply posturing. Because I don't think I can take a RB group that features a dude coming off a torn ACL, a dude who essentially missed the entire 2007 season with a bruise, and a newly-signed dude who apparently considers a stubbed toe the equivalent of a severed limb.

I miss Ron Dayne.

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 14, 2008 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions

I do too.

I say without any sarcasm. He's a good power running back.

by hartley on Mar 14, 2008 1:15 PM CDT up reply actions

I'll miss...

yelling , "All aboard the Ron Dayne Train of Pain" , making the trucker honk your horn gesture, and then laughing hysterically. That never got old for me.seriously.

by bullpen116 on Mar 14, 2008 3:23 PM CDT up reply actions

Iron horse irony

Remember back to the 06 season when Ron Dayne couldn't get out of the blocks because of turf toe? The only reason we never gave up on him was because we were literally grasping at straws at RB. Starting Lundy left us sputtering on offense. Gado was a one and done guy... We had no other choice but to get Dayne going.

And as if to stay true to his moniker, he was slow to start, but once he got going, there was no stopping the Dayne Trayne.

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

by SOLIS on Mar 15, 2008 12:30 PM CDT up reply actions

Just thought i would point out

each team is allowed 2 players designated as June 1st cuts, regardless of when they are cut.

I don't know if you've already met your quota or if that only muddies the waters more, but it seems if they wanted to get rid of Green, they would have done it by now...

Sorry.

Mile High Report

by Jeremy Bolander on Mar 16, 2008 11:35 PM CDT up reply actions

No worries

It looks like Green is good for about 5 games a year, and Brown for around 11. So we're in great shape for the regular season.

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

by Shake on Mar 17, 2008 6:48 AM CDT up reply actions

What do you think we expect?

A miracle? We realize he's injury prone, and Ron Dayne isn't. But it looks like our philosophy is to get a plethora of decent backs in order to have as much depth as possibly when the injuries occur. Notice I said when, not if. Chris Taylor also had a fumbling problem, and our staff corrected that.

by Leein3D on Mar 14, 2008 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions

re: Fumbles

hartley is a bit mistaken. Brown had 1 fumble in the San Diego playoff game, and 1 fumble in all of the 2007 regular season (102 carries).

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=4551

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

by Shake on Mar 14, 2008 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions

I could've sworn it was 2.

Maybe he dropped a pass or something, I don't know.

And I said his fumble tendencies were in "crucial situations."

The regular-season one was during our must-win Week 17 matchup vs. the Colts.

Look at his career stats; he averages almost 1 fumble every 50 carries - that's HIGH, and just slightly below Ahman Green.

Compare that to other recent Titans backs; Eddie George averaged 1.2 fumbles per 100 carries and LenDale averages 1.3 fumbles per 100 carries.

by hartley on Mar 14, 2008 12:59 PM CDT up reply actions

OK

I just wanted to make sure you were aware of that.

You didn't have to watch him 16 weeks a year, you have no idea how frustrating it was to watch him sit with injuries that other backs just play through without complaint. Like turf toe, which keeps him on the sidelines for weeks at a time.

And it was all the more frustrating because when he's healthy, he is capable of doing something BRILLIANT on any given play.

I hope your staff can fix his butterfingers, ours never could.

by hartley on Mar 14, 2008 12:45 PM CDT up reply actions

butterfingers?

Per the evil empire, his attempts per fumble for 03-04 was 39.4, and from 05-07 it was 73.4. So obviously, they did help him (or he improved on his own) at least a little.

Of course, I have no idea what the league average is....or what a bad/good/great average is in general for attempts per fumble. However, there has been improvement by Brown.

On a more sarcastic note, you've never had to watch him 16 games per year either. Hence the health discussion/concerns.

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

by Shake on Mar 14, 2008 12:57 PM CDT up reply actions

yeah, butterfingers.

Considering other Titans backs have averaged a fumble every 90-something carries, even 1/73 isn't really improvement.

And on the other hand, his # of carries was way down, which might offset the sample somewhat.

If you look year-by-year, he managed to fumble once in 2006 on only 41 attempts.

by hartley on Mar 14, 2008 1:08 PM CDT up reply actions

re: 1/73

The number that you are fond of for Twinkie-lover (Lendale) of 1.3 equates to 1 fumble every 76.9 attempts. That's pretty close to the 73.4 of Brown's last 3 years.

To put it in your formula, Brown's last 3 years are 1.36 fumbles per 100 carries. And if you want to go year by year, then 2007 was his best campaign at 0.98 per 100 carries.

And as far as # of carries, some would argue that a low number of carries and injuries are key factors that contribute to more fumbles.

Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not promoting Brown as the bestest RB ever. I am, however, saying that his perceived fumbling problem is really just that.....perceived.

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

by Shake on Mar 14, 2008 1:18 PM CDT up reply actions

Love It

Shake's support of every Texan, flawed or not, is simply fantastic. Fans like him are exactly why it's going to be all the sweeter when the Texans win the big one.

I still wish Ron Dayne was coming back.

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 14, 2008 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions

Except Chad Stanley

I'm pretty sure I had a very similar numbers debate with Captain Zima last year while Stanley was still around....except I was pointing out the craptasticness of Chad.

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

by Shake on Mar 14, 2008 1:33 PM CDT up reply actions

Ron Dayne?

Tim, really? Dayne isn't injury prone and doesn't fumble, but I'd rather risk bringing in some younger and more athletic backs than keeping Dayne around.

by Leein3D on Mar 14, 2008 2:25 PM CDT reply actions

Re: Dayne

Believe it or not, yes, really. Dayne is not a No. 1 RB. But he's valuable in that you know exactly what you're going to get--minimal fumbles, three yards, falling forward, and aching defenders. I'm not saying the guy should be making $5 mil a year; I'm just saying that he's reliable, which is why I'm puzzled that the team has made no effort to re-sign him when the other options on the roster have shown they are anything but reliable.

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 14, 2008 2:36 PM CDT up reply actions