5) Who'll be Dre's running buddy?
Andre Johnson's starting spot will never be questioned. What's unclear to me is the wide receiver race opposite Johnson. Kevin Walter begins camp as the incumbent to the starting role, but with playmaker Andre Davis cashing in this past offseason you have to wonder if the front office might feel a little obligated. Davis fits well in the slot, but don't underestimate the Brandon Stokely effect a guy like Walter could have at the slot as well (The Colts version, not the Broncos). Also keep an eye on Jacoby Jones. I don't really know what to make of him following last season, but he showed some flashes of brilliance in the preseason. It'll be interesting to see whether or not he's ready to challenge for more playing time.
4) Will Duane Brown survive?
General Manager Rick Smith has earned my confidence. So if he thinks Duane Brown was worth drafting a little higher than projected, then I'm sticking with him. The concern I have is whether or not having to fight off a bear (a.k.a. Mario Williams) throughout training camp is going to make or break him. Some guys rise to the challenge (Demeco Ryans), and some guys can't handle the challenge (David Carr). Let's hope he toughens up because Mario was embarrassing the poor rook in mini-camp.
3) Who gets hurt first, Green or Brown?
Cheap shot, I know. But seriously, Ahman Green was the most frustrating part of last year. Learn how to fall, dude. Former Tennessee Titan Chris Brown joins Green in the backfield this year, along with his own well-documented list of injuries. The question at this point isn't if one of them is going to get hurt, but rather when and who, if not both. Also be on the lookout to see how they plan on using rookie Steve Slaton.
2) How will the offense look post-Mike Sherman?
Mike Sherman's headed off to salvage what's left of Texas A&M's football program, leaving quarterbacks coach Kyle Shanahan in charge as the offensive coordinator. Sherman's offense proved effective last year as the Texans set a franchise record for most points scored in a single game, and it will be interesting to see what changes we'll see from Shanahan. With offensive line coach Alex Gibb's playing Extreme Makeover: Texans O-Line Edition, will we finally see the heavy rushing attack that head coach Gary Kubiak has been lobbying the front office for? Or will he take a more Chris Palmer approach and have Schaub start throwing 3 and 5 yard out routes? With so many dynamic players on the Texans 2008 offense, it will be interesting to see if he can incorporate them all effectively.
1) Will Mario Williams remain "Super?"
I think Super Mario found his mushroom power-up halfway through last season, which resulted in a 14.5 sack total by season's end. In mini-camp earlier this summer he demoralized our first round draft pick. At the moment he looks to build on a solid sophomore outing, while Vince and Reggie look to catch up after some slightly less impressive seasons. Will Williams be able to build on his success, or was last season merely a fluke?
1 comment:
Welcome to the Texan's blogosphere. With these first two articles, it looks like you're off to a good start.
5) I think based on the system, Kevin Walter is pretty much locked in at the number 2 WR position for a couple of reasons.
One of those reasons is that Kubiak wants to run the ball. To do that, you need a WR who will block. This isn't to say that Jacoby Jones and Andre Davis can't, just that they haven't done it as well as Walter.
Another reason is that the type of offense that Kubiak runs uses the number 2 WR as a possession WR. If this were a Mike Martz offense, where all the WR's run deep down field every play, Walter probably wouldn't be the number 2 WR, but it's not so he is.
Ultimately, I don't think that the coaching staff will get hung up on who the number 2 WR is. I do think that we'll see more 3 and 4 WR sets though.
4) There's really not a whole lot we'll know about Brown until the preseason games start. I don't think that there are more than a handful of LT's that Williams wouldn't embarrass on a continual basis, much less rookie LT's.
That said, I hope that the David Carr experience has taught the Texans enough to know how important a players mental condition is.
3) I think in the preseason, neither one of those backs will see much action. I think they'll be using the preseason to mostly find out what Slaton, Taylor and Walker bring to the table.
If they make it to the season uninjured, I'm gonna guess that Green gets injured first, just because he's expected to be the feature back.
2) Last year with Sherman we were running a hybrid power/zone running game. It didn't work very well, because you generally need two different types of players for the two different systems. I think that now that we only have one scheme to perfect, we'll be doing a lot more running than in the past year.
1) Just based on his physical skill, and the way he's been working in the offseason, I think he'll be even better this year.
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