A break in topic

 

The going has gotten a bit heavy lately, so this will be a change of pace. Or just a change, or whatever.

I've written about the NFL a few times before. Once upon a time, I followed it a lot closer than these days. This can make a good change. What the heck? Why not have a little fun with something instead of being so serious all the time? Reminds me of that scene in the Batman movie, where the Joker asks--- Why so serious???

Anyways, it's something different.

There's no claim to being expert here. It's all for funsies. As those following the NFL are aware of, there is the scouting combine taking place. So the talk these days is about the NFL draft in April. The team that I follow from time to time is the Houston Texans. They have the second pick in this year's draft.

Many of the mock drafts have the Texans taking a QB with their pick. So the question for me is this: Would taking a QB be the answer for this team? They've already gotten themselves a new coach. So what will Demeco Ryans do? He has already said something to the effect that he needs two more QB's. He wants to have three on the roster. So it appears that they will select at least one QB in this draft.

The QBs in this draft will provide opportunity for the Texans to upgrade the position, but will that make a much of a difference? Let's look at this team. As bad as the Texans seemed to be, there were some good points about this team last year. The Texans gave up less than 40 sacks, which isn't all that bad. It could be better, but 40 isn't all that bad. There are some statistics that really could use some improvement. In fact, the defense against the run can't get much worse than it was last year. The question I have is this: If they can get a run stopper instead of a QB, would that be a better use of their draft capital?

There appears to be many defensive tackles and edge rushers in this draft. Besides that, there also appears to be many receivers. Maybe a edge guy, and a defensive tackle with their two number ones. After that, they could take a receiver or two. The Texans have five picks in the first three rounds. They can add some playmakers with all those picks. Perhaps another pick can be added for the rights to Brandin Cooks, who wants to leave for greener pastures. Add in an offensive tackle in that mix, too. But the O-Line wasn't all that bad. There seems to be plenty of lineman in this draft. You take what's out there.

But if they don't take a QB, there are going to be unhappy fans. Free agency may yield a veteran. It almost seems a lock that at least one veteran will be acquired.

After reviewing the season, I think an upgrade that would make the most difference in the least amount of time, would be an upgrade in the run defense. There are plenty of defensive line players. Perhaps that is the direction they could go.

Some would argue otherwise, I am sure. But you can win without a top QB. Also, having a top QB isn't a guarantee of success. The Texans weren't that bad against the pass. A quality defense could be within reach. If the defense can shut down anybody, a great QB would not be necessary.

Even an average defense against the run would be a big improvement. If they don't take a QB with the second pick, I won't be mad. But I can't say that about the consensus out there in fandom.