ESPN rankings

[Zagen30]

If anyone is an ESPN Insider, could he or she (probably he) tell us where we rank in each corps from ESPN's rankings (i.e. linebacker rankings, secondary rankings, etc.)? One comprehensive list would be nice.

[Rosstafarian]

Double post

[Rosstafarian]

This will take a second or two, I'll edit as I go:

LB
25. Houston Texans The Texans have a star in DeMeco Ryans. He has exceptional instincts for such a young player, and although quite a few of his tackles came well off the line of scrimmage, it is tough to argue with his production. Morlon Greenwood was a good free-agent acquisition a year ago and fits in well on the weak side. Shantee Orr will start on the strong side. He is a below-average starter, but Houston has a couple of players in Danny Clark and Shawn Barber with starting experience who will provide some depth.


D-line
28. Houston Texans The Texans' defensive line has been a concern and the front office addressed it in the 2007 draft with first-round defensive tackle Amobi Okoye. Okoye has an excellent combination of size, strength and athleticism. The concern with Okoye is his age (20) and only one year of outstanding production in college. Defensive tackle Anthony Maddox has been adequate as a run-stopper, but he's shown little as a pass-rusher. Backups Travis Johnson and Jeff Zgonina are solid but have not been playmakers over their careers. The Texans have two first-rounders and a second-round pick rotating at defensive end. Mario Williams has the size and tools to become an outstanding defender, but he needs to expand his pass-rush package and learn to generate more power on contact. Anthony Weaver is more of a run-stopper and has versatility to move inside at times. Undersized Jason Babin has great quickness off the edge, but he has been somewhat of a disappointment as a first-round pick.


TE

20. Houston Texans
Owen Daniels had a solid rookie season, collecting 34 receptions and five touchdowns. He is somewhat undersized and needs added weight and strength to become a more accomplished blocker. Daniels does have good hands and flashes some run-after-catch ability. Veterans Mark Bruener and Jeb Putzier are solid backups, but lack big-play ability. Bruener is on the downside of a 13-year career, but can be crafty as both a run-blocker and receiver. Putzier has potential to be a solid target in the Texans' air attack, but was not utilized well in 2006. He has good receiving skills and had two solid seasons with Denver (averaging 37 receptions at over 14 yards per catch) before coming to Houston.


O-line

30. Houston Texans
Like most teams near the bottom of this list, the Texans had a hard time settling on a permanent starting five last season. Center Mike Flanagan missed seven games due to injury after coming over from the Packers, while left tackle Jordan Black comes over from Kansas City to give a boost and right tackle Eric Winston should benefit from the seven starts he got last season as a rookie. The offense hopes to improve on the 3.9 yards per carry it posted in 2006 as well as the 43 sacks it gave up. The play of guards Chester Pitts and Fred Weary was one of the few bright spots for the Texans and should get better with more experience. Black is the key at left tackle; the line should be vastly improved if he meets expectations.

RB

28. Houston Texans
Ever since former No. 1 RB Domanick Williams, who changed his name from Domanick Davis, was hit with the injury bug, the Texans' rushing offense has been inconsistent at best. When Williams was healthy, he gave them a legitimate No. 1 threat. Williams missed all of last season, and they are still looking for someone to step up and fill his shoes. Last season the carries were divided among Ron Dayne, Wali Lundy and Samkon Gado. All three will be on the roster when the team goes to camp. But none of the three is a feature back, and that is where Ahman Green enters the picture. Green was added this offseason to carry the load. Green, who recently turned 30, is not the back he once was, but he is still an upgrade for the Texans.

WR

26. Houston Texans
This low ranking is not an indictment on Andre Johnson in any way. He is a great player who is stuck in a very bad situation. He will continue to draw extra coverage in every game he plays as the Texans really don't have much else. Johnson, who led the league in receptions last season, is the total package and is just beginning to come into his own. Eric Moulds is gone, and although he was far from outstanding, he at least had some pedigree. Houston drafted Jacoby Jones in the third round and unless he totally self destructs, he will be thrust into early playing time. That is asking an awful lot from a rookie from Lane College. Jerome Mathis, when healthy, is an ultra-fast deep threat. But he hasn't developed his other receiving skills to this point. Kevin Walter is a solid player, but not someone you want to build your passing game around.

QB
25. Houston Texans
David Carr is gone and ex-Atlanta backup Matt Schaub is now the face of the franchise. Schaub is a guy that coach Gary Kubiak has a lot of faith in, and in limited playing time in Atlanta, he really flashed exciting physical skills. He has a big arm, is smart and has excellent intangibles and leadership skills. All he needs now is playing time, and his chance for success is very high. Sage Rosenfels will be the backup. While he lacks Schaub's arm strength, he is very accurate, calm under pressure and a solid No. 2 guy. The No. 3 job will likely go to Bradlee Van Pelt, who played for Kubiak in Denver.

That's it for now

[TexanFan23]

Nice write ups, the rankings kinda suck but they're pretty much on par..

[Zagen30]

Yeah thanks.

[El Tejano]

Nice write ups, the rankings kinda suck but they're pretty much on par..

Yeah, I was going to say that noone better disagree with anything written there. The only thing I could argue with is Morlon Greenwood being a good FA acquisition a year ago. However he's got some pretty good stats to make an argument that he was a good one too. I would also say that Bradlee Van Pelt is more than likely gone as Zabransky was coveted as a free agent by Kubiak.

[BornOrange]

Here is today's ranking of the defensive backfield.

32. The Texans' secondary is a work in progress that showed improvement late in the 2006 season. Starting CB Dunta Robinson is a young, developing player; he is easily the best player in the secondary. He has the physical skills and upside to develop into a solid No. 1 corner in the NFL. DeMarcus Faggins should start opposite Robinson. He is a short, undersized corner who is best-suited as a backup. Starting safeties Glenn Earl and C.C. Brown have yet to provide the playmaking skills on the back end that the Texans so desperately need. Brown is a young, versatile player who is better versus the run than the pass at this stage of his development, while Earl still needs to become more consistent against the pass.

[valleytexfan]

I was gonna say...Zabransky is someone to keep on board.

[BornOrange]

And here is the special teams:
20. Jerome Mathis was a Pro Bowl kickoff returner as a rookie in 2005, but injuries sidelined him the majority of the 2006 season. Mathis was missed and the return game wasn't as explosive with Dexter Wynn filling in. Mathis should be back to his old self, providing the spark and field position needed for Houston's offense. Kicker Kris Brown and punter Chad Stanley are a stable pair of specialists. One of the best special-teams core players on the team is wide receiver Kevin Walter, who can make tackles in coverage and block on returns. However, his role on offense will determine how much he can contribute to special teams. If everyone is healthy, the Texans can return to the successful special-teams unit they had in 2005.

[Zagen30]

Laughing at Stanley being a "stable specialist." The only thing he's stable at is punting 35 yards, regardless of field position.

And what does ESPN know about Mathis' health that everyone else doesn't? Didn't he sit out most of OTAs with hamstring issues? That doesn't sound like "being back to his old self" to me.

[Texan4life]

Yeah, I was going to say that noone better disagree with anything written there. The only thing I could argue with is Morlon Greenwood being a good FA acquisition a year ago. However he's got some pretty good stats to make an argument that he was a good one too. I would also say that Bradlee Van Pelt is more than likely gone as Zabransky was coveted as a free agent by Kubiak.

I think Van Pelt was brought in last year because he knew the system. This year Sage knows the system, so I think Zabransky gets the nod over Van Pelt.

[Rosstafarian]

And what does ESPN know about Mathis' health that everyone else doesn't? Didn't he sit out most of OTAs with hamstring issues? That doesn't sound like "being back to his old self" to me.

Actually, that sounds exactly like Mathis's "old self"

[Zagen30]

Actually, that sounds exactly like Mathis's "old self"

I had the same thought when I was typing that, actually, but decided not to put it in. Not sure if they're referring to his old self (2006) or his old old self (2005).