**Official** 2008 Houston Texans Season Thread

[ATRAIN]

I like this team this year.

I feel optimistic.

AJ is healthy.

I wonder how our running game will pan out and how many games Green will be able to start and be healthy. We have a nice arsenal with RB's and that will be interesting what occurs.

Molden is someone to keep an eye on.

The D looks very promising.

I am excited this year.

We have 5 backs this year, I wonder how many will make the active roster. Green, Brown, Taylor, Slaton, Walker. I think Walker was decent last year and given the chance might be pretty good. I didnt get to see Taylor so I am not sure what he has but Kubiak loves him for some reason. Could we finally see the running game excel like the way Kubiak did in Denver no matter who was running?

[ATRAIN]

TEXANS TRAINING CAMP 2008
Brown hopes for feel-good story


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...t/5912402.html
Chris Brown didn’t move too far from his old home in Nashville, Tenn., and he will still see his former teammates twice a year.

But the 27-year-old running back is hopeful that relocating to Reliant Stadium is just what he needs to rejuvenate his career and put his injury-plagued past behind him.

The only concern is that the injury issues may follow him. Monday morning, Brown’s back started cramping, and he was forced to miss Texans practice.

“It’s part of camp; you’re always going to have things to deal with. But for him to help his football team, he has to be on the field,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “I would sure hope (he’s back today). He is already a day behind and needs to get back out here.”

Brown averaged 4.3 yards per carry over his five seasons with the Tennessee ans. His best season came in 2004, when he rushed for 1,067 yards and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. He started just 11 games that season because of a toe injury.

Injuries have hampered him in the past, preventing him from playing a full 16-game slate. He played in only 17 games with four starts the past two years.
Frustrating feeling

“It’s definitely frustrating,” Brown said. “When you’re having a good season or you’re trying to turn your season around and someone falls on you wrong and slows you down, it’s very frustrating. But you just have to keep going and move on.

“Everything I’ve had happen to me was someone falling on my foot. There aren’t any foot exercises I can do to strengthen that. If someone falls on my heel, I can’t do anything about it.”

Brown wasn’t signed in March to shoulder the load in Houston. The Texans hope that by being smart in how they use Brown and Ahman Green, the two will be able to hold up longer than they have in the past.

Green has been given the starting nod, but the Texans anticipate using Brown often to spell him. Each has accepted his role.

“You can’t have selfish guys,” Brown said. “You can’t have one person who wants all the limelight. You have to be able to rotate and keep everybody fresh, and it will work.”

The Texans especially like the combination because of the different styles Green and Brown bring to the game. Yet they both also have veteran experience. Both have proved to be capable starters in the NFL.
Two different styles

“Chris is more upright and more of a long-stride guy and slashing into the hole,” running backs coach Chick Harris said. “Ahman has a little bit more of a burst and quick change of direction, more so than Chris. Chris has good vision. He sees good creases and makes good run decisions, and he’s a big, strong guy.”

But if Brown is to be successful in his fresh start in Houston, he must prove he is not fragile and can stay on the field.

“It’s a point of proving who you are,” Harris said. “You’ve been in the league — now are you durable enough to sustain (yourself) for 16-plus games? And that’s what he has to prove to himself and us.”

[ATRAIN]

TEXANS NOTES
Position battles at camp heat up

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...t/5912145.html

Compe ion intense

Coaches like nothing more than heated battles for starting jobs, playing time and positions on the team. The Texans have that at almost every position.

Coach Gary Kubiak was talking Monday about stiff compe ion when someone asked him about quarterback Matt Schaub.

“There’s compe ion at every spot, (and) compe ion makes players better,” Kubiak said. “Matt knows he gets pushed every day.”

Schaub is the starter, but Sage Rosenfels helped the Texans go 3-1 down the stretch last season. The Texans resisted overtures from Minnesota for Rosenfels.

Rosenfels wants to start, but he’s not going to complain publicly about being the backup.

“The thing I’ve been impressed with the most is after everything we went through in offseason (with the Vikings), he’s all about business,” Kubiak said. “He’s right back at work, playing the way he did last year.

“That’s why he’s a great player — because he feels that way (wanting to start). And that’s the type of guys you want on your team.”
Brown hits from 63

After holding and watching Dynamo defender Craig Waibel kick a 63-yard field goal for charity after practice Sunday, Texans kicker Kris Brown had to see if he could do it before Monday’s practice.

And he did.

“I nailed it, too,” Brown said with a laugh.

As part of a promotion with the Dynamo and Methodist Hospital to send 30 children to the Dynamo’s SuperLiga match tonight against Pachuca, Waibel attempted field goals at the Texans’ facility. He connected from 57 and 63 yards.
Injury report

Through eight practices, the Texans have been able to avoid a serious injury. Middle linebacker Chaun Thompson suffered a hamstring injury and is expected to miss more than a week.

“That’s a setback for Chaun, because he could be out from eight to 10 days,” coach Gary Kubiak said.

Receiver Jacoby Jones has a foot problem that kept him on the sideline.

“He’s got an irritation in his foot that checked out fine (with team doctors),” Kubiak said. “He’s day-to-day.”
Tough guy

Running back Chris Taylor is also playing fullback. His versatility will make him more valuable when the team is arriving at its final 53-man roster. Fullback Vonta Leach has been helping Taylor with the transition.

“Fullback is a whole lot different position,” Leach said, comparing his position to running back.

One to watch

Nick Ferguson: strong safety

Strong safety NickFerguson thought his NFL career had ended after three seasons. He accepted an internship to coach in NFL Europe before Denver personnel assistant RickSmith worked him out during a rainstorm in Tampa.

Smith saw something in Ferguson that caused him to sign the safety to a free-agent contract. Ferguson rewarded Smith’s faith in him by playing five years for the Broncos, including four as a starter when he was healthy.

Ferguson, 33, was signed by Smith again during the offseason. Ferguson is a hard hitter who’s off to a good start at a crowded position. He’s a leader who’s like an extra coach on the field. He again might have to postpone that coaching career.

Did you know?

Rookie defensive tackle Frank Okam ( 6-5, 337) speaks French, is a gourmet cook and was an academic All-American at the University of Texans, where he earned a degree in sports management in 3½ years.

One to watch

Brandon Harrison: free safety

Brandon Harrison had the best practice day of his brief Texans career on Monday.

Harrison (6-2, 227) was making plays all over the field, including an interception return for a touchdown.

“He’s smart, and he works hard,” said general manager Rick Smith, who selected Harrison in the fifth round out of Stanford in the 2007 draft. “You can tell he feels a lot more comfortable. He’s having a real good camp, and today was his best day here.”

Harrison spent last season on injured reserve after suffering a serious hamstring injury. Now he’s trying to make up for lost time at a position that’s going to force the coaches to make some difficult cuts.

The Texans are loaded with safeties, including Harrison, C.C. Brown, Will Demps, Glenn Earl, Nick Ferguson, Dominique Barber and Brandon Mitc .

In the Texans’ defensive scheme, the safeties are interchangeable. Defensive coordinator Richard Smith, defensive backs coach Jon Hoke and assistant secondary coach Ray Rhodes want to get faster in the secondary.

Harrison has excellent size and good enough speed. He’s so intelligent he sometimes overanalyzes. The coaches want him to get comfortable enough to simply react to what he sees. If he can, he’s got a chance to earn playing time.

[midgetonadonkey]

We have 5 backs this year, I wonder how many will make the active roster. Green, Brown, Taylor, Slaton, Walker. I think Walker was decent last year and given the chance might be pretty good. I didnt get to see Taylor so I am not sure what he has but Kubiak loves him for some reason. Could we finally see the running game excel like the way Kubiak did in Denver no matter who was running?

Green and Walker have been taking most of the reps at RB this TC. From what I've read Walker is having a great TC. I'm thinking he will get a roster spot. Taylor is taking FB reps and will probably get the second spot behind Leech. Jameel Cook will get cut and I bet Chris Brown will get cut. He hasn't even suited up in TC yet and all the spots will be full.

[InRareForm]

anyone else love the fact that the *expansion team* skin is peeling off rather quickly.

[jack sommerset]

Texans will not make playoffs. At best 8-8. They play Colts and Jags 2 times. There is 4 loses. Most likely will split with Tennesse. Will lose opener to Pittsburgh and another loss to the Browns. Thats 7 loses already. Though they have a good D-Line they still ranked in 20's in D last season. Those AFC teams have some great offenses. Nothing should change there. The Offense should be better with Matt Schaub playing his 2nd year and have Johnson to pass to will get you some td's. The two colored backs in Green and Brown are older. They might be compe ive until 4th quarter.

[peewee's lovechild]

anyone else love the fact that the *expansion team* skin is peeling off rather quickly.

Dude, it's taken quite a bit of time.
I think only the Bucs have you guys beat at that one.

But, I have to admit that you guys look good this year. I look for you guys to have a good season.

I'm still waiting for an all Texas Super Bowl.

[peewee's lovechild]

The two colored backs in Green and Brown are older.

????????????

[jack sommerset]

????????????

Last names are colors.....Ahman "Green" and Chris "Brown"

[midgetonadonkey]

Those two backs aren't going to be carrying the load all season. Chris Brown might not even make the 53 man cut. Darius Walker is going to produce very well this season and Slayton will be a threat as an occasional 3rd down back. They will have a better run game than last season. That's for damn sure.

[ATRAIN]

Texans sign former Broncos running back Mike Bell

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5918687.html

Running back Mike Bell said it was like going through the NFL Scouting Combine all over again when he arrived Thursday to work out with the Texans.

But his determination to make the most of the opportunity worked.

By 7:15 Thursday night, he had signed a contract and was lining up with his new teammates on the field.

“I was super nervous,” said Bell, who was released recently by Denver. “You’ve just got to do your best and know your time in the league is not very long and take advantage of every opportunity.”

The Texans signed Bell to help fill the void left by Chris Brown, who has spent the past several practices dealing with back spasms. Bell knows the Texans’ system well, since it is almost identical to what he ran in Denver the past two seasons.

“Mike looked a lot faster than everyone else to begin with, but then he got tired,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “So we’ve got to get him going. It was an easy call for us because he knows what we’re doing. He could walk out here today and work.”

Bell rushed for 677 yards and eight touchdowns as an undrafted Broncos rookie in 2006.

He spent most of last season on the bench .

Another Back!! WTF!!

[ATRAIN]

Brown missed another practice with back spasms. ing cut his ass already!!

[ATRAIN]

TEXANS TRAINING CAMP
Bennett's up to the task


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...t/5918827.html

Fred Bennett arrived in Texans camp last summer blessed with an unusually long reach and a surfeit of confidence, two commodities rookie NFL cornerbacks can’t have too much of.

Still, his exuberance had to be properly channeled, and that necessitated a few intense weeks of nagging, harassing and browbeating from secondary coach Jon Hoke.

“You can be as critical of Fred all you want,” Hoke said, “but you’ll never hurt his feelings. He believes in himself too much. Because of that, on top of his raw ability, he’s got a chance to be a great player.”

The evidence suggests he’s on the cusp of same. Statistics can be misleading, but according to the computations of ESPN’s

“Football Scientist,” KC Joyner, who breaks down tapes of every NFL game, Bennett was not only the most effective Texans corner in 2008, he ranked No. 1 in the NFL among CBs who had at least 60 passes thrown their way.

Joyner had Bennett with a “YPA” (yards allowed per attempt) of just 4.7 yards. Also, the 24 medium, deep and long balls he defended totaled only 67 yards in gains. All of this data appeared in a recent issue of ESPN magazine, which Bennett hadn’t seen when he was interviewed.

“My financial adviser told me about it,” he said. “I’m proud they think I’m that good, but I’m not one to get caught up in all the hype. It’s about my teammates, too. I feed off them.”

The 2007 season would be four games old before the fourth-round draft choice got the chance to prove himself. Veteran starter Demarcus gins was in full meltdown mode — he’d been pulled from the previous week’s loss in Atlanta — and coach Gary Kubiak told Hoke to let Bennett alternate in for gins every third series against the Miami Dolphins, who were heading toward a 1-15 finish. It also was decided to stick Bennett at left corner in place of gins in passing situations, with gins taking over the less demanding role of nickel back.
Keeping his head up

Aided by the fact that an unschooled rookie quarterback, Cleo Lemon, ended up playing most of the game for Miami after starter Trent Green knocked himself silly trying to block massive Texans defensive tackle Travis Johnson, Kubiak’s measures worked. gins’ head stopped spinning, Bennett got his foot in the door, and the Dolphins were held to 146 yards passing in a 22-19 Texans victory.

“I never got down,” Bennett said of his inau ious and largely inactive first quarter of the season, to which a tweaked hamstring contributed. “I knew my chance would come, and I felt like I made the most of my opportunity when it came. I just waited patiently and cheered for the guys on the field. I wasn’t mad at all. But I wanted to be out there.

“Everything was clicking for me against the Dolphins. I dropped a pick, but it was just a big confidence booster for me. I told myself, ‘Hey, I can play on Sundays.’ “

Bennett’s physical dimensions provided him with a head start. At 6-0 and nearly 200 pounds, he’s among the larger cornerbacks in the league, but what’s special about his physique are his 34-inch-long arms. They allow him to get his hands on many balls his peers could only flail at.

“Aside from being a great compe or, Fred’s length gives him a big advantage,” Hoke said, “The quarterback has to take that into consideration. He makes plays because of his length. What we’ve got to do is teach him to take full advantage of it. He still has plenty to learn. But last year (in camp), he wouldn’t always own up to his mistakes. Now, he’ll point them out before you do.

“From an assignment standpoint, a technique standpoint, he has a long way to go. He’ll get out of control sometimes. But that’s only about getting repe ions. He hasn’t had enough time. The older guys, they’ve got it down instinctively.”

Bennett’s learning curve profited hugely from the presence of one older player in particular, the guy who had mentored him as a college freshman, fellow former South Carolina Game Dunta Robinson. Because Robinson knew Bennett’s value as a teammate and liked him, he was understandably excited by the prospect of their being co-anchors of the Texans’ secondary for years to come.

That plan flew off the rails when Robinson suffered a knee injury against Oakland on Nov. 4. Bennett moved over to replace him at right corner, where he started the last seven games. Now, with Robinson presumed out until midseason, the NFL sop re Bennett, 24, finds himself in a leadership role.
‘Mentally tough’

Robinson isn’t concerned.

“Believe me,” he said, “Fred’s ready for any challenge you throw in front of him. He’s mentally tough. He’s out there teaching other guys on the field right now, like he’s been in the league for six or seven years.”

Bennett isn’t so focused on preparing himself that he has forgotten about Robinson, whose bright future is in at least temporary jeopardy. This summer their roles are reversed. Bennett has become the cheerleader, the one doing the pushing and encouraging.

“When we come out here and run, he’ll see me and say, ‘Hey, you’re looking good. You’ll be back for the first game,’ “Robinson, 26, said, “I’ve got to tell him, ‘Fred, you’re getting ahead of yourself.’ That’s the way he is. That’s how he thinks.

“It’s good motivation for me. I know I’ve got a long road ahead, but I want to get back out there and play with Fred. We’re like brothers.”

Bennett is hip enough to the ways of the NFL to understand the potential downside to his start. He knows what setting the bar so high for himself can mean.

“People expect a lot out of me, and I want to give them what they expect,” Bennett said. “I can’t sit back and wait for things to happen. I was in more of a learning mode last year. It’s a different weight on my shoulders now. I’m ready to accept that.”

[midgetonadonkey]

Brown missed another practice with back spasms. ing cut his ass already!!

I think that's going to happen now that they brought in Bell.

[ATRAIN]

I think that's going to happen now that they brought in Bell.

How much and for how long did we get Brown? How much will we lose out if we cut him?

[jack sommerset]

Brown missed another practice with back spasms. ing cut his ass already!!

You are talking about practice,practice man.Practice

[ATRAIN]

You are talking about practice,practice man.Practice

Yeah but he has been and is injury prone. I wasnt happy with his signing in the first place. If he does make the team then ok ill give him a chance but I wont be happy unless he tears up(which I highly doubt). It was the same with Dayne, I wasnt a fan of his and am happy he is gone but I supported him because he was one of our players.

[midgetonadonkey]

He signed a 2 year deal worth 3.6 million with an 800k signing bonus. I think the bonus money is all he will get if we cut him so I don't think it could be a big hit. But I could be wrong.

[ATRAIN]

He signed a 2 year deal worth 3.6 million with an 800k signing bonus. I think the bonus money is all he will get if we cut him so I don't think it could be a big hit. But I could be wrong.

Man I hope thats the case, get his ass out of here.

[LocosPorJuana]

i believe if you cut them before the first pre season game, you wont take the salary cap hit, something like that.

[ATRAIN]

i believe if you cut them before the first pre season game, you wont take the salary cap hit, something like that.

Man I hope so!!

[midgetonadonkey]

In some of the interviews with Kubiak, he seemed to be really annoyed with Brown already. I really don't see him making it through the preseason. I was very unhappy with the signing in the first place and now that they signed Bell, I'm sure he's gone.

[midgetonadonkey]

lol I just watched an interview with Kubian and he said, "I'm trying to keep an open mind about his injuries."

lol You can tell he isn't happy.

[ATRAIN]

lol I just watched an interview with Kubian and he said, "I'm trying to keep an open mind about his injuries."

lol You can tell he isn't happy.

LOL YESSSSSSS get rid of that ex !! He was garbage there, he will be garbage here.

[midgetonadonkey]

http://www.battleredblog.com/2008/5/...etting-the-rec

In 2007 NFL Draft, the Texans used the tenth overall pick on the highly touted defensive tackle, Amobi Okoye. At nineteen, Okoye was the youngest player ever to be drafted. Still growing into his hulking body, Amobi was awash with potential. What made him a first round lock was his level of maturity and his keen intelligence. Fast forward two days short of a year and the Texans again took a defensive tackle who was a whiz in the classroom and a monster on the field. This is the story of Frank Okam.

From a five star recruit to a fifth round draft pick, Frank Okam has seen his stock rise and fall faster than a Silicon Hills start-up. He arrived in Austin with much fanfare and by all accounts, he was destined for greatness. He was built like Shaun Rodgers and supposed to put up numbers like Casey Hampton. When he wasn’t the second coming of either of them, people started to question his desire to play the game. Once branded with the scarlet letter "U" (underachiever), it became tough to convince NFL teams that he was worth a high round draft pick.

Once thought of as a blue chip prospect, he found himself falling all the way to the 151st overall pick. In total, there were thirteen defensive tackles taken before him. To examine the why, let’s take a look at Okam’s college numbers.



A three-year starter, Okam’s production dipped a bit in 2006, however it must be noted that a knee injury kept him from playing against Baylor, a team that he had success against in his career. He bounced back in 2007 and posted solid numbers in all categories. For someone with a questionable motor, Big Frank has a knack for pressuring the quarterback and knocking down passes. If he was taking plays off, it’s hard to tell by those numbers.

So what about those thirteen other players that were taken before him? Surely they had better college careers, right? Let’s take a look at the defensive tackle that was taken right before Okam, Virginia Tech Hokie Carlton Powell. In his senior year, Powell had 39 tackles and 3.5 sacks. At 295 lbs, he is not nearly the physical specimen that Frank Okam is. Score one for Okam.

Okay – lets look at a player who was taken a whole round before Okam, Texas A&M Aggie Red Bryant. He’s got a cool name and a frame similar to Okam’s, but he doesn’t have the numbers. In his senior season, Bryant had 46 tackles (only 13 solo) with one sack and one quarterback pressure. Chalk another one up for Okam.

Let’s look at round three – no, better yet, lets compare Okam to a day one draft pick. A closer look at the second round reveals no real defensive tackle taken. Trevor Laws is listed as a defensive tackle, but played defensive end his senior season skewing his tackle numbers somewhat. Now, even as a DE, he only posted four sacks to Okam’s five. Advantage Okam. So who does that leave us with, the first rounders? Let’s see how Big Frank stacks up against the mock draft prima donnas.

First, North Carolina’s Kentwan Balmer. His senior year he had 59 total tackles, which is slightly higher than Okam’s 52, but Okam trumps Balmer is every other category (tackles for loss, sacks, passes deflected). Despite Balmer’s 6’4" height, he failed to register a single pass deflection. A look at the career numbers of the two, and it isn’t even close, as Okam wins in a landslide.

That leaves us with only two players, both top ten picks. Surely they have the numbers to blow this fifth round pick out of the water – right? In USC’s Sedrick Ellis, the seventh overall pick, we find the first player who had a senior season that was statistically better across the board, but not by much. Ellis had 58 tackles (+6), 12.5 tackles for loss (+2.5), 8.5 sacks (+3.5), and 7 passes deflected (+2). As with Balmer, a comparison of their entire college career, and Okam has the edge. But based on senior seasons, I’d say Ellis takes Okam by a car-length.

So how does Okam stack up statistically to the first defensive tackle taken in the draft, Glenn Dorsey? Better than one would expect. Now, there is no arguing Dorsey’s ability, as he amassed a gaudy 69 total tackles as an interior lineman. But like Ellis, his tackles for loss and sack totals were only slightly higher than Okam’s (+2.5 and +2 respectively). Okam’s bigger frame allowed him to knock down more passes. Of all the defensive tackles we looked at, Dorsey is the only player that has had a more productive collegian career (although, Okam did have one more TFL – ha take that Mr. Fourth Overall).

Now for the ‘yeah, but’.

"Yeah, but there is obviously something teams didn’t like." Truth be told, Big Frank lived up to his moniker and showed up heavy to the combine and did not do well in the speed and agility drills. In his conference call with the media, he said it was due to mishandling his creatine intake, which left him with excess water weight, saying that as soon as he stopped, he dropped back down to 328. Creatine could be the reason as he did put up an impressive 32 reps in the bench press, only 5 off the high mark set by Vernon Gholston and Jake Long. Nevertheless, showing up heavy to the combine helped further promulgate the perception that he wasn’t interested in playing pro ball.

So much so that Texans’ GM Rick Smith needed one more interview with Okam to make sure that his heart was in it 100%.

"We brought him in and interviewed him again, just to go through in terms of his passion of the game. What I just wanted to do when he came here to meet with us was to see how important football was to him. You can have all the talent in the world and if a guy doesn’t have it right here in his heart and have the passion to play this game - because it’s a hard game to play then you are wasting a pick. Our time here spent together, he said the right things I wanted to here. And we’re fortunate that we were able to get him at that pick."

Okam has the following to say about their meeting.

I just want to let them see my talents and my focus personally. Before you can judge someone fully you have to get to know that person, and they brought me in and really sat down and talked to me. They just wanted to see where my head was, and they knew that I’m passionate about this game. I basically told them that they are going to get a guy that can stop the run and get at the quarterback when you need that."

For all the talk about Okam’s heart, he’s always been a compe or. Chip Brown’s excellent Dallas Morning News article profiles the compe ive nature of Okam and his former line mate, Derek Lokey. Their fierce compe ion went beyond the gridiron as they pushed each other to achieve greatness in the classroom. Always looking to outdo one another, they both maintained outstanding GPAs and had aspirations of entering law school. Mack Brown had lofty praise for the both of them.

"They're best friends who compete in the classroom and on the field. They are starting to permeate leadership throughout the team. When you have two guys who are that bright, who do everything right and have played great for us and have great smiles – they are the kind of guys you build your program around."

Over their last two seasons at Texas, they anchored a defensive unit that was ranked 3rd (2006) and 10th (2007) against the run. As seniors, they were named to several first and second team All-Big 12 lists. They were also Academic All-Big 12 selections.

Okam graduated with his degree in Sports Management in 3 1/2 years. Despite the class load, Okam was a five time member of UT's Athletic Director's Honor Roll. Not bad for an underachiever. So while he may have not lived up to the expectations of his five-star billing, you would be hard pressed to say that he had bad go of it at the University of Texas. Here's a quote taken from Frank's pre draft diary:

Being able to finish in three-and-a-half years and know that you’ve graduated and you can go on in life and do the things you want to do since you have a degree from a great University, it’s a great feeling. There are a few things Coach Brown told me I could do when I came to college. One was win a National Championship and one was to graduate and get a T-Ring. Having done both, I can say that my time was spent very well here

It’s obvious that he excels when challenged, both on and off the field. I think that is where heady players like Amobi Okoye and N.D. Kalu come in. Both are extremely intelligent, and they both should have a lot in common with their new teammate. Smarts aside, they share a Nigerian heritage. I have no doubts about Okam's ability to learn defensive schemes or react to the speed of the game (see Wonderlic score of 39). With Okoye, Kalu, and Williams to help bring the rookie along, it could be the makings of a perfect storm.

In Big Frank Okam, the Texans drafted a player who anchored the defensive line for a perennial powerhouse and won a national championship. He's proven his ability to pursue the quarterback, disrupt passes, and stop the run. The only real knock on him is his desire, but something tells me that slipping to the fifth round gives him will give him enough motivation to prove everyone wrong. I for one, am firmly in his corner. Give 'em Frank, give 'em .