Texans trade for WR Brandin Cooks

[DirtyDez]

 

[naptownskinsfan]

2 hours ago, NateDawg said:

BoB is out of control. How is the owner allowing him to pull the trigger like he is? Checks and balances, sheesh. 

Well, Bob McNair passed in 2018, and his wife who is into her 80's is running the team.  Whoever is running the team as the president needs to step in at this point.  

[JaguarCrazy2832]

On 4/9/2020 at 8:23 PM, BayRaider said:

Obviously was an excuse to get rid of him. Even if Hopkins wanted a raise, maybe he wanted 20.5M per year at the absolute most.

Oh I dont think it was a legitimate reason at all. 21M for Hopkins is worth it

[JaguarCrazy2832]

4 hours ago, DirtyDez said:

 

And yet Fitzgerald hasn't said a freakin word in frustration with his team or his QBs. Always a class act even when the classiest being super frustrated would be well-received with the media/fans

[HoboRocket]

5 hours ago, DirtyDez said:

 

Now, he DID have late-career Kurt Warner (played 26 of 48 possible games prior to 2008 due to injury) and late-career Carson Palmer (played less than half the season twice due to injury, and blew the 2015 playoffs with his broken thumb - it was ALL on Larry Legend who beat the Packers in 2015), when both of their bodies were beginning to break down. 

That doesn't even include Logan Thomas (now a TE in the NFL), Brian Hoyer, Matt Leinart, Shaun King, Jeff Blake, John Navarre, Josh McCown before it was cool, Drew Stanton, Blaine Gabbert, Josh Rosen, and the corpse of Sam Bradford. Yes. Larry Fitz has had all of those guys as his starting QB and is still #2 all-time receiving. GOAT.

[ET80]

5 hours ago, naptownskinsfan said:

Whoever is running the team as the president needs to step in at this point.  

It's actually Cal McNair, Bob's son - who went on record saying this last week:

So, he's endorsing the efforts of Bill O'Brien. Fully endorsing this nonsense. As I've said before, I'm fully under the belief that Bill O'Brien thinks he's the smartest person in football, and that he's telling Cal stuff like "Don't worry, these fans are idiots, we'll bring in Cooks and nobody will complain" (which is actually happening here, so maybe he's onto something... maybe Texans fans are stupid).

Cal McNair and the McNair family are boasting a sellout streak that dates back to the teams' inception, and the beer and BBQ ain't cheap at NRG - so they don't care as long as the million dollar deposits hit weekly and the Deshaun Watson jerseys are flying off the rack.

There's very little hope this gets better in Houston. Cal is probably afraid that Bill O'Brien might trade HIM if he speaks out of line.

[ET80]

11 hours ago, RamblinMan99 said:

Bill O'Brien is like the Jon Gruden 2.0  

No. Gruden won a SB at least. 

7 hours ago, brownie man said:

Jon was nowhere near this bad

and he traded Khalil Mack!!!! 😂 🤣 

Gruden got how many 1st for Mack? So that's appropriate in value. 

O'Brien has traded two guys with multiple All Pro nods (Hopkins, Clowney) and has yet to get a 1st round pick. That's just... bad. I've ran out of words to describe it at this point.

[GSUeagles14]

outside of the BOB sucks aspect, whats this mean for the rams? Yes cooks was paid too much but hes still above average, i think its very possible teh rams are the worst team in that division next year.

[LeotheLion]

5 minutes ago, GSUeagles14 said:

outside of the BOB sucks aspect, whats this mean for the rams? Yes cooks was paid too much but hes still above average, i think its very possible teh rams are the worst team in that division next year.

I think it means we'll shift from using exclusively 11 personnel to more 12. Reynolds is also a good WR.

If the Rams are the worst team in the division, I doubt it is due to talent at the skill positions on offense. Reynolds, Kupp, and Woods is still probably a top 10 group. 

[BStanRamFan]

53 minutes ago, GSUeagles14 said:

outside of the BOB sucks aspect, whats this mean for the rams? Yes cooks was paid too much but hes still above average, i think its very possible teh rams are the worst team in that division next year.

It's very possible we finish 4th in the toughest division in the NFL. Not saying it's out of the realm of possiblity; certainly is.

SF I think takes a step back. SuperBowl hangover and full year of tape on Garopollo. Just a hunch

SEA will be Seattle. Wilson will claw them to 9+ wins and be in the playoff hunt come week 14. I've just accepted that's how good he is and grateful the Rams play them well.

ARZ is the big what if. If Murray makes a step forward then they will be 8+wins and fighting for a WC spot.  But similar to SF, a year of tape on Murray and Kingsbury's offense doesn't help. They're the biggest boom or bust team in the division.

Then my Rams...If we can establish a running game again I think we're in the playoffs. That simple. Keep injuries to a minimum compared to last year, but that's always a crapshoot. Defense will be an upgrade over last year despite all of the turnover. Run defense will be improve forcing teams to attack our secondary which I think is the strength of the defense with Ramsey, JJII, and Rapp. 

[TheGame316]

Trades DHop for a guy with negative value (Johnson) and a 2nd

Trades the 2nd for a guy with negative value (Cooks)

And Cooks makes more than DHop, the guy he traded because he didn't want to pay him.....

[Kirill]

30 minutes ago, TheGame316 said:

Trades DHop for a guy with negative value (Johnson) and a 2nd

Trades the 2nd for a guy with negative value (Cooks)

And Cooks makes more than DHop, the guy he traded because he didn't want to pay him.....

[Flounch]

With a little imagination, we could have proposed Gurley + Cooks for Hopkins

And if you could chose, what would you prefer, Cooks + Johnson or Cooks + Gurley ? 

Edited April 11, 2020 by Flounch

[HoboRocket]

2 hours ago, Flounch said:

With a little imagination, we could have proposed Gurley + Cooks for Hopkins

And if you could chose, what would you prefer, Cooks + Johnson or Cooks + Gurley ? 

Great question!

I love Todd Gurley. He wasn't as bad as the media has made him out to be. That was blown out of proportion. Still, he has a degenerative health condition and has already lost a step at 26 years old. 

David Johnson is several years older than Gurley, and he, too, has lost a step. His ability to break tackles as a runner looked downright pitiful at times last year. He was very inconsistent in that category; he would push the pile a few times on third down or the goal line, but the second someone brushed him in the open field, his legs went dead. You just never knew which DJ2K you would get on any given play. He had moments where he showcased nice burst and explosion, but late in games he was sluggish through the hole as a runner too often. I don't think he can handle a full workload anymore. That's not an issue, though, because HOU also has Duke Johnson. They could both be a part of a stable that could be productive. Now, with David, he's still an ELITE route-runner with fantastic hands and instincts as a receiver. He can still legitimately play out wide or in the slot. And his pass blocking is still near the best in the league.

Gurley has regressed a bit as a receiver. He was never an elite receiver the way David Johnson was, but he was someone who could do very well on swings, angles, and flares out of the backfield by making people pay after the catch. His hands were always just good, but this past season he dropped a lot of screens and easy catches on wheel routes. It was kind of baffling, really. He can be a legit back on third down, as he has good experience and is decent in pass pro. 

Ultimately, I'd give the edge to DJ. Gurley is a better pure runner at this phase, but both are mixed in that regard at this stage, and DJ (believe it or not) probably projects better health-wise from here on out, considering that Gurley's injury is the type that gets bad FAST, whereas DJ is just your typical worn down back near the age of 30 that has had his share of injuries... Really similar to Carlos Hyde last season, actually. DJ is also better in the passing game.

For the record, I don't think either + a 2nd rounder would be fair for Hopkins. But I'd rather have Cooks + Johnson than Cooks + Gurley. Which pains me to say, because Gurley is one of my favorite players. The Rams were my team first, and I met Gurley when he decimated Auburn as a receiver. On top of that, I got a signed Gurley rookie jersey for my 16th birthday. I think that Gurley would give them a more traditional committee, where he's the power back and early down runner, and Duke can give him relief and be the primary scat back. With David, though, at least you can get creative and employ Duke and David at the same time on 2nd or 3rd down. 

[jrry32]

36 minutes ago, HoboRocket said:

David Johnson is several years older than Gurley, and he, too, has lost a step. His ability to break tackles as a runner looked downright pitiful at times last year. He was very inconsistent in that category; he would push the pile a few times on third down or the goal line, but the second someone brushed him in the open field, his legs went dead. You just never knew which DJ2K you would get on any given play. He had moments where he showcased nice burst and explosion, but late in games he was sluggish through the hole as a runner too often. I don't think he can handle a full workload anymore. That's not an issue, though, because HOU also has Duke Johnson. They could both be a part of a stable that could be productive. Now, with David, he's still an ELITE route-runner with fantastic hands and instincts as a receiver. He can still legitimately play out wide or in the slot. And his pass blocking is still near the best in the league.

Gurley has regressed a bit as a receiver. He was never an elite receiver the way David Johnson was, but he was someone who could do very well on swings, angles, and flares out of the backfield by making people pay after the catch. His hands were always just good, but this past season he dropped a lot of screens and easy catches on wheel routes. It was kind of baffling, really. He can be a legit back on third down, as he has good experience and is decent in pass pro. 

You sold Gurley way short in the passing game. By the numbers, he was the best pass blocking HB in 2017 and 2018, IIRC. He was an absolute stud in that regard and is still quite good. Likewise, in his prime with McVay, he was a great receiving HB. He wasn't just a great checkdown target. He could split out at wide receiver and had to be respected. And he made a number of plays down the field coming out of the backfield. If DJ was a better receiver, it wasn't by a lot. And I'd have taken Gurley over anybody in pass protection. But since his knee injury, Gurley has not played well as a receiver. The concentration and hands don't seem to be there, and I got the feeling McVay didn't want him running routes. Might have been related to the knee and lateral agility. So yes, Johnson is the superior player now in the passing game. But I can't agree he was the superior player before Gurley's injury. Gurley was every bit as good.