Wow.
I think all of us would consider DeMeco Ryans to be one of our favorite Texans, if not our outright favorite Texan. Well, he’s gone.
“Cap” as the players call him (short for Captain) is headed to Philadelphia for the Eagles fourth round draft pick (fourth pick in the fourth round), and a swap of third-rounders that will allow Houston to move up 12 spots in the third round.
It is a bit of a shock, but now that the initial jolt has worn off, here’s my reaction.
Trading DeMeco makes good economic sense, and even good football sense. Now – in the locker room, it’s a disaster. Players will hate this move – more than they hated the cutting of Eric Winston… but they’ll get over it, they’re professionals.
I’m a FIRM believer in the sports world that you are always better off getting rid of a player a little too early, rather than a little too late. This would certainly apply to DeMeco. He had a major injury in 2010, and didn’t look like himself until the latter part of 2011. He may continue to play at a high level, or he may regress. He could suffer another major injury. That’s not a reason to unload him – however, the reality is that IF DeMeco had made it to the regular season THIS year, it’s an absolute LOCK that he would have been cut this time next year with all the contracts coming up. You lose an effective player, and a team leader – but you get something in return for him.
Veteran players don’t return much in trade in the NFL. A high fourth-rounder and a 12-slot move up in the third is hardly a boon, but the Texans didn’t get “fleeced” as many are suggesting.
For DeMeco himself, it’s a good move for his career. He was by no means ineffective in the Texans new 3-4 defense, but he is certainly more effective in the 4-3. He will be tremendous in Philadelphia as long as he stays healthy.
The Texans are having quite an offseason. Some things good, some not so good. Three core players from their fantastic 2006 draft – Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, and Eric Winston – all gone in the span of a week. Tough to get used to, but this is what it’s like to play with the big boys. Tough, unpopular decisions have to be made as the Texans prepare for the draft and for big contracts in the next few years for Duane Brown, Connor Barwin, Matt Schaub, Brian Cushing, and Kareem Ja– okay I couldn’t get that one out.
So let’s catch up.
2011 RT, Eric Winston – 2012 RT, likely Rashad Butler
2011 RG, Mike Brisiel – 2012 RG, Antoine Caldwell?
2011 FB, Lawrence Vickers – 2012 FB, James Casey? Free Agent? Draft?
2011 OLB, Mario Williams – 2012 OLB, likely Brooks Reed
2011 ILB, DeMeco Ryans – 2012 ILB, Daryl Sharpton? Free Agent? Draft?
2011 half-starter CB Jason Allen – 2012 full-time CB Kareem Jackson? *HORF*
Man, this one hurts, but once the shock wears off and you think about it – it’s the right call. The Texans will be better for it.
Mar 20, 2012 at 20:23:13
Your response is implorable as a Texan fan….oops wrong article.
With much dismay I agree with your assessment on the sucks now for the good later approach . Even though these moves could backfire they prove the organization is looking into the future of the franchise and not just the short term. I just despise losing popular Texans and what was a luxurious depth of talent last year. Either way everything. Next couple of months should be interesting.
Mar 20, 2012 at 20:25:58
I hate cell phone technology ….
What I meant to finish saying was:
Either way with how this pans out, I would have gave Joseph and Manning the money they did last year. We should have all known that we’d have to pay the bills. Next couple of months should be interesting
Mar 20, 2012 at 22:11:13
this………………blows…………….we went from having a strong lb core to a bunch of backups
Mar 21, 2012 at 03:16:24
I don’t have a major complaint about the trade other than we gave him away too cheap. We should have received a higher pick than a 4 for sure. Eagles got a steal on that one.
Mar 21, 2012 at 13:46:23
How much longer will Andre have trade value?
Mar 26, 2012 at 01:42:17
We should’ve all seen this coming. DeMeco – “4-3″ + major injury = not the guy we knew and loved.
I think this is a good thing because we got SOMETHING (and we tend to make good 4th-round picks; just saying). This is Dunta all over again minus Pay Me Rick.
The talk everyone had was that Dunta changed after the injury. While I don’t think DeMeco had the same “life is short; make money” epiphany, I agree that he was not the same player, and, when you throw in that that dude is straight-up a 4-3 Mike, not a 3-4 anything, then you have this situation.
Did the Eagles get a good deal? OF course they did, but what else were we going to get? This forces the hand of drafting another ILB soon and Sharpton gets to put up or shut up.
The cost of success through the draft is that moments like this happen. We rarely swing for the fences in Free agency, so what the result is is a bunch of players outperforming rookie deals. We sign who we can and we replace the rest.
I am okay with Winston and Briesel and Mario leaving as well. Rashad Butler was going to start somewhere else if he didn’t start here. Winston regressed inexplicably so it was better to let someone else pay him the big bucks, and Caldwell needs to be given the same put up or shut up opportunity as Sharpton. Brisel outperformed expectations, but Caldwell was supposed to be starting years ago.
I agree that the most important people to retain were Myers and Foster. Myers has improved dramatically and is generally regarded among the top centers in the league. Offensive line excellence is what helped make TJ Yates look so good and keeping Myers and shifting to experienced veterans on the right side should maintain the great play. As for Foster, even with excellent offensive line play, scouts always noticed that he has a gift beyond just a good line. He has immaculate field vision and is obviously incredibly intelligent. Plus, he has Tom Brady Syndrome i.e. he will ALWAYS remember being passed over so many times in the NFL draft. Keep in mind he beat out stud-recruit Montario Hardesty to keep his job at U of Tennessee, and then he goes UDFA while Montario is a 2nd rounder. He will NEVER forget that. Just like Brady has said himself he would never have been as good if he’d've gone #1 overall (defending Alex Smith at the time), Foster’s UDFA status will always carry him to churn that extra yard.
Oh, and, in case anyone asks, Rueben Randle @ #26. Thank you and have a good day.