I’m making adjustments to my second seven-round Texans mock draft in the wake of the pending Sage Rosenfels trade. Until I can get that done, here are some hot Texans topics we can hit on:
DeMeco Ryans isn’t happy. *GROAN*
By now we’ve all heard about DeMeco Ryans’ contract complaints. Sigh. When I originally heard about this over at Texans Talk, I thought about doing a post – but decided it wasn’t good for my ulcer. I just wanted it to go away.
DeMeco, like Dunta Robinson – has always struck me as smarter than the average pro athlete. He rarely takes anything public, and he’s never complained about anything contract related, as far as I can recall. For that reason, it kind of scares me that he’s putting his feelings out there. I know that the Texans are extremely busy right now, what with the Combine, the Draft, free agency, etc… but can you really blame DeMeco for being a little peeved that he hasn’t gotten a new deal yet?
Sure, the Texans took care of Eric Winston and overpaid for Andre Davis last year. They took care of Andre Johnson before that, pretty much out of the blue. In other words – they take care of the guys that perform. That said – DeMeco is slated to make $945,000 in 2009. While I wish DeMeco would be patient and assume that he’ll be taken care of like the others, you can see why he might be a little rankled. The guy is in the top 5 of his position in the entire NFL – and has been since he was a rookie. He’s not even 25 years old yet.
My fear is that Dunta’s situation is going to have a trickle-down effect… and I’m also kind of afraid that if DeMeco’s deal gets done before they re-approach Dunta about his deal, that it will put the nail in the coffin of Dunta’s Texans tenure – but that might already be the case.
Rumblings about a free agent running back
Allen mentioned it in the comments here, and I’ve read the same rumblings – but I can’t re-trace and find out where. (If anyone knows what I’m talking about, please send me a link). The rumblings are also mentioned in the comments of LZ’s Albert Haynesworth scoop, but that’s still not where I saw the original mention. That said, as we inch closer to the beginning of Friday’s free agency period – Lance gives his prediction in the above link about who that RB might be. His guess is that it might be Reuben Droughns.
Yeah, me too. Ugh. He was a proven short-yardage back in 2007, then literally didn’t carry the ball once as a running back in 2008. He was mostly just a special-teamer. He’ll be 31 in August, and last year he was placed on Injured Reserve with a neck injury.
Of course, this is all just a rumor – that I can’t even find the original source for. By my thinking – if the Texans do in fact have a deal for a running back that they’re waiting to make official, there’s very little chance it’s Reuben Droughns. This isn’t the kind of player that you chase right at the start of free agency. Droughns will be there a week into free agency. He’ll be there a MONTH into free agency… he’ll probably still be out there a week before the regular season starts. It’s just not the kind of player you look at and say “hey, we need to talk to him early to ensure he doesn’t go elsewhere.”
Okay, so maybe not Droughns… someone else then?
Now – the potentially exciting thing about this rumor, is that if the Texans were trying to have a deal ready to be discussed and finalized at the start of free agency, it would stand to reason that it might be a guy who’s a little bit more coveted. Maybe a guy like Derrick Ward, who publicly stated his interest in the Texans on Jim Rome’s TV show (with about 1 minute remaining in the clip). It’s a little confusing though. Ward begins the interview saying how he’s ready to be the starter, then mentions Houston as a potential landing spot. He’s well aware of Steve Slaton, and seems to indicate he’d be fine with being 1a to Slaton’s 1.
Ward has put it out there that he wants a deal for about $4 million per season, and that’s just too much for what he’d be doing in Houston. So, in reality – if there is a deal pending – I don’t think it’s Ward either… but he would be the type of free agent that would warrant some “early attention” before the official start of free agency. He’ll be coveted, and I won’t be surprised at all if there’s a team out there willing to meet his price tag. It only takes one team, after all.
I tend to just believe this is bunk and there’s no deal waiting to be finalized… but that’s me, Mr. Skeptical.
Offseason Central is up!
If you were with me last offseason, you’ll recall that I was constantly updating the Texans’ free agent list, the incoming Texans free agents, etc. I was constantly throwing these tables at you from every direction. This offseason will be no different. You’ve probably noticed by now that in the Latest Headlines section of the site, I’ve added Offseason Central. There you’ll be able to keep an eye on the NFL calendar, the status of Texans free agents, rumored and confirmed free agent visits to Houston, trades, incoming free agents, and probably more as the offseason goes on.
As always – I’m open to criticisms, suggestions, corrections, and anything else you want to throw at me. If there’s another element of the offseason specifically related to the Texans that you want me to keep tabs on, I’ll take it under consideration.
Alright, that’s enough for now. Tell me what you think of DeMeco’s contract situation, the alleged free agent running back deal, and any feedback on my Offseason Central feature will be greatly appreciated.
Feb 25, 2009 at 15:07:32
I think JLR over at the Fan Blog already said it best, now isn’t the time to worry about DeMeco’s contract. With the almost $30 million once available to Houston trimmed down to $20 million (Dunta’s tag), they have a lot of other things on their plate.
Not the least of which is locking up Owen Daniels. I hear the Buffalo Bills have big interest in Daniels, and may come after him hard as a response to Kubiak luring Bill Kollar away.
We also have to sign all of our 2009 draft picks, and it would be nice to pick up a free agent of impact, even if it’s a modest impact. Did anyone else hear the Shaun Rodgers rumblings? He’s from La Porte, TX. and he’s not happy in Cleveland.
Finally, Ryans’ contract will never be more friendly to Houston than it is now. Let Rick Smith accrue as much talent as he can via FA and the draft, and THEN he can make Ryans the happy LB he deserves to be. Sorry Demeco, but with the Sage Rosenfels deal, Dunta’s issues, planning for FA, the Scouting Combine, and the Draft only two months away the Texans have been a little busy. I know they’ll get to you.
Feb 25, 2009 at 15:11:47
I cant take all this drama oming from the Texans. We arent used to hearing things like this. Has me worried about the little that we built is going to fall apart. And what if this effects Mario decision when it comes for him to become a FA?
Feb 25, 2009 at 18:00:35
Pay the man. Now.
Well, I wish it was that easy…. Why is this off-season sucking so much?
Feb 25, 2009 at 18:34:58
Derrick Ward
I think he would be a great compliment to steve slaton. Ward is 5″11 225 lbs. That is perfect size for our ZBS. He would be a good in the goal line and he has speed to burst the big one. Although he is 29 and has a history of nagging injuries, he does not have the wear and tear that Ahman Green had. He has 411 career carries which is about the equivalent of 1.5 to 2 seasons of work. In other words, I think he has three years of steady production ahead.There is a good article on Derrick ward coming to the Texans:
http://www.examiner.com/x-778-Houston-Texans-Examiner~y2009m2d19-Giants-Ward-says-Texans-are-a-possible-destination
BUT,
I think Derrick Ward is the next Michael Turner. What I am getting at is I think a team will pay him 6-8 million yearly and give him a lengthy deal similar to Turner. Not to mention he will get a starting job that we cannot offer. As I mentioned before he does not have the wear and tear that other running backs at his age have had and he does have gas in the tank to succeed. He will be highly sought after.
Feb 25, 2009 at 18:37:42
@truth
I never would have even mentioned his name in conjunction with the Texans if he had not brought them up unsolicited on television. Mainly because like you, I think he’s going to get a pretty solid payday.
Feb 25, 2009 at 18:53:46
Rueben Droughns
I like Rueben droughns. He had his most successful season in the zone blocking scheme in Denver. If he can stay healthy he can be a short yardage back. I do not like him as the second option to slaton. I think if we sign him that means that we will still draft a young running back. I like this move because you need veterans to help teach the younger guys the position and how to succeed in our ZBS. Just teaching the younger guys how to block better will go along way. He brings his experience at a much less rate then we had with green. If he could be the goal line guy and just kinda be the locker room guy that our young running backs go to this move is successful. I agree that he will be there in a month and I will admit I would rather have Ward, but this is the more economical thing to do.
Feb 26, 2009 at 21:47:39
I see you changed your logo on the upper right from DeMeco to Mario… any reason?
Feb 26, 2009 at 21:56:01
LOL – no, just for variety. If you remember WAAAY back, I had that top right image that automatically rotated… back before the big re-design.
I’m trying to figure out how to do that for this design, but I’m having a hard time so now every few days I’m just going to change it manually.
I’m glad you noticed, though.