Lord, I wasn't born a gamblin' man,
Being complacent and doin' nothing' I can,
When it's time for tradin', I hope you'll understand,
That I wasn't born a gambling man.
As has been oft mentioned in these here parts, the Houston Texans have put together quite the collection of young, outstanding talent. Now, not next year, NOW, is the time to start taking advantage of our unique opportunity.
However, I seriously doubt Bob McNair, Gary Kubiak, or especially Rick Smith see the opportunity presented to the Texans. Even with our execrable coaching, we are 4-2 and sit atop the AFC South.
First, let me take a step back. Especially when this blog started, I harped constantly on the need for nothing but talent acquisition, regardless of position, but especially along the lines. To a large extent, this has happened. Just for fun, we get to toss in Matt Schaub and Arian Foster and Brian Cushing and other talented, young players. Like the mule with the spinning wheel, what are we going to do with this talent?
Nope, I'm not saying we cash it in. I AM saying, however, that now's the time to cash in a little of our future for today.
With few exceptions, the window for playoff opportunity is relatively small for most teams. Simply look at the turnover of playoff contenders from 2008 to 2009 to this year as examples. You take advantage of opportunities when you can, and I'll be damned if I'm not willing to sacrifice H-Town Fanatic's right testicle to make it happen. We have gaping holes, which are apparent to everybody on the planet not named Frank Bush. Something must be done to fix our problems. Capn' 'Meco's injury yesterday further complicates matters.
What I would like to see us do is trade some tomorrow for today by sending 2011 and 2012 draft picks to fill a couple of holes. First, we can talk about Troy Nolan all day, but he's still essentially a rookie. I want a free safety who can help our young cornerbacks, especially against the pass. Remember the jump from Dominique Barber and John Busing after we acquired Bernard Pollard? BEST DEFENSE EVER!, amirite? As poorly as EWWWWwwww as played, we should expect a similar impact at FS, though probably not as strongly.
We need to acquire a true middle linebacker, if either to replace or supplement the position. Zac Diles, while even more cost-effective as a MLB, simply does not have the requisite skills for the position. The best current option at MLB is Darryl Sharpton, who also happens to be a rookie with limited experience. As far as signing somebody off the street? Why are they on the street? 'Nuf ced.
Speaking of "off the street," the signing of Adewale Ogunleye hasn't exactly worked out, unless you like costly personal fouls. We still haven't adequately addressed losing Connor Barwin and replacing him with somebody, anybody who can get to the quarterback at least occasionally.
I won't even mention nose tackle, though Shaun Cody was probably our best defender yesterday.
But, in football, trades just don't happen. I don't know if there's some unwritten rule or secret society or what, but meaningful deadline deals almost never happen. Moving Braylon Edwards to the Jets was the only major deal last year, and that one had "other" undertones.
Sadly, we won't make a strong move. Smith has proven to be complacent with our horrendous FS play. With our youth, we can afford to sell out the future to a certain degree, but I very seriously doubt he'll "risk" trading future draft picks (insert a present value joke here). NOW is the time to make a statement, to make a push. We cannot afford complacency right now, Rick. Make a deal.