Texans tag Tate
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Media outlets are reporting that the Houston Texans have reached agreement with Auburn RB Ben Tate. Tate was the third fastest running back at the NFL combine this spring.
Tate is a great fit for the Texans. Last season, Houston used a trio of backs in the back field due to turnovers and lack of production by Steve Slaton, which eventually was linked to a neck injury. Ryan Moats carried the rock for a while before being replaced by Arian Foster. Moats has been released by the Texans and is now in Minnesota with the Vikings.
Tate has a good chance of becoming the Texans first team back as he is perfectly matched for the zone blocking scheme. Slaton remains a question mark heading into 2010 as he is still recovering off season neck surgery.
Texans sign first rounder
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It is being reported this morning that the Houston Texans have agreed to terms with first round pick, CB Kareem Jackson. The Alabama product recorded 159 career tackles and 5 interceptions during his time with the Crimson Tide.
Jackson is expected to be the Texans starter at corner back in 2010. Jackson is 5’10″ 200 pounds and runs the 40 in the mid 4′s.
Houston Texans sign Dickerson
The Houston Texans have signed 7th round pick, WR Dorin Dickerson to a 4 year contract. The contract is reportedly worth slightly under 2 million dollars and he received a 55,000.00 signing bonus.
Dickerson played TE for Pitt last season and caught 10 touchdown passes. He is a large target at 6’2″ 230 pounds and ran a 4.4 40 at the NFL Combine this spring.
Houston Texans ratings for Madden 2011
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The Houston Texans are a team which has skirted the playoffs for several years now, and they appear ready to break into the fray during the playoffs in 2010. The Madden 2011 ratings have been released, and the Texans are going to have to be a team to be reckoned with if the ratings are correct.
WR Andre Johnson got a near perfect overall score of 98. QB Matt Schaub received an 89 overall rating. The top rated defensive player for the Texans was Mario Williams with a 95.
For all other ratings for Texans players, check out maddenpreview.com
Texans’ Winston Weighs in
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Houston Texans RT Eric Winston took over Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback column for SI.com this morning. Winston weighed in on 5 ways he would change the game and boy do I agree with Winston on several of them.
Winston starts off with his first idea of playing the Super Bowl on a Saturday. To be honest, I never thought of that as an idea, but he provides a strong case for why it makes sense. Why not have the country’s largest sporting event in the middle of the weekend? The game already starts late in the evening on the East Coast, and doesn’t end until usually after 11pm. Young kids watching have to go to school the next day and the adults have to head off to work. Saturday makes sense to me.
The MMQB guest writer then suggested how he would change the schedule which would basically do away with the conference division as they stand today. Winston wrote that a team would play every team in it’s conference and then one against the opposing conference. He states the cross-conference games could be those which would create geographical rivalries, ie-Texans-Cowboys, Eagles-Steelers, and Jets-Giants etc. The top 6 teams in each conference would then advance to the playoffs. I’m not sure if I totally buy into the idea but it is an interesting concept.
Winston’s third idea was to expand the roster and create a minor league. I agree that the rosters should be expanded, and if the league adopts a 18 games schedule, that should be a given. The idea of the minor league has been floated before. I believe that with some proper management the UFL could become such a league.
His fourth idea is something I agree with wholeheartedly, a rookie wage scale. Winston does not address the issue I have the most problem with, signing bonuses and guaranteed money for rookies. This year Sam Bradford will ink a deal which will give him about 50 million in guaranteed money without ever playing a down of professional football. Will he be the next Ryan Leaf or Dan Marino? Nobody knows, but that is crazy money for a player who has yet to prove himself in the NFL.
Lastly, Winston floats out his plan to modify the overtime rules. I did not agree with the league changing the rules months ago and I disagree with Winston on his ideas on changing what we have now. If a coin flip is good enough to determine who gets the ball first at the start of a game, it’s good enough to determine the same in overtime.
All in all, it was a very good column and I believe Winston has a future in writing waiting for him when he decides to retire.
