Thank You, Houston Texans

Let it be known for the record that I am an Atlanta Falcons fan and let it also be known that I was in the minority a year ago, when I said that Houston did not make an idiotic move by drafting NC State defensive end Mario Williams first in the NFL Draft over the highly regarded Reggie Bush of USC. My reasoning was simple, Houston's biggest needs were on the lines, so for them, Williams was an excellent choice.

Alright, so I TRIED to defend the Texans, but I think those days are now over. The leaders of this franchise must have IQs minuscule in comparison to that of Forrest Gump. Yesterday, the Houston Texans swapped 1st round draft picks with the Atlanta Falcons (moving down from 10 to 8) and gave up two 2nd round picks to Atlanta (one this year and one next) for back-up quarterback Matt Schaub. As a Falcons fan, I was very content with that move. Those are grand presents to receive for a back-up quarterback. Atlanta needs help on their offensive line, at defensive end, at safety, and potentially at one of the cornerback positions and at receiver. So, the more draft picks, the better. But, Houston looks even stupider after their move today.

The three-year winless veteran with a completion percentage hovering just above 50% and a 1 : 1 touchdown to interception ratio, Matt Schaub, has just been signed to a 6-year, 48 million dollar contract. How stupid are the Texans? How do they think you win football games? Even if the quickest quarterback in NFL history, Atlanta's own Michael Vick, played in Houston, the man wouldn't be able to scramble enough to give the team much of a chance to win consistently, because of that horrific offensive line. David Carr is not as speedy as Vick, but he has average to above average speed and is quicker than Schaub. He also has a quicker throwing delivery than Matt Schaub. Unless Houston revamps their offensive line immensely, they're going to run into the very same problems with Schaub as they did with Carr. Houston re-signed star wideout Andre Johnson recently and signed veteran tailback Ahman Green. Great. They signed a running back who will be running to retirement not too far down the line and a three-year quarterback who has yet to win an NFL game. Why the stud Johnson re-signed there, I have no idea. Poor guy. The Houston Texans are a joke. What next? Are they going to sign Lawrence Taylor to their club to a 10-year contract worth 90 million dollars? Hey, how about fullback Frank Solich? Wait a minute, there's this middle schooler in the Houston area that scouts are raving about. Can they sign him yet?

But, as an Atlanta Falcons fan, I just have two words for the Texans, thank you. Not only did they give us some value for Schaub before he became a free agent next year, they gave us quite the bang for the buck, so to speak. Atlanta now has access to three of the first 45 draft picks in next month's draft. They could potentially hold on to all three picks or maneuver around the board, because of the picks' flexibility. They could potentially trade their two early second round selections for a mid-first round pick. They could potentially trade all three for the third pick in the draft. Ah, yes, thank you Houston.

As a Falcons fan, I'm undecided on what I want Atlanta to do, because I've got to be honest, I watched Calvin Johnson all throughout college and that guy is amazing! Not only would he give Michael Vick a large target to throw to, but a large target that can stretch the field vertically. Not only that, but Johnson is hard-working and a class act. So, one side of me wants Atlanta to trade up to nab Johnson. BUT, I'm not going to lie here, the Falcons have more gaps to fill than just at receiver. They need help at safety, at end, and on the line, for certain. There's also a chance that Oakland could gain rights to now ex-Houston starting quarterback, David Carr, and they may then select Calvin Johnson with the first choice in the draft. But, if someone else gains the rights to Carr and Atlanta can draft up to the number two spot, then I suggest they do that. If they can't, then I say they just stay put and maybe trade their two second rounders for a mid-first rounder. Because, if Detroit holds on to the two spot, chances are that they'll draft Calvin Johnson, knowing the Lions, and if that's true, Johnson may be cursed. Just kidding. Not even the Lions could curse him.

Ah, I love Texans. We (the Falcons) should make deals with them more often. I wonder if they'd trade a third and fourth round pick for the waterboy. It's possible. We might as well talk to them about it and find out.