P-Rez25

Coach Gary Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith will lead the Texans' contingent to Indianapolis for the Scouting Combine Feb. 20-25.


The six-day event is the next and most important step in the scouting process. Pro days and private workouts come after the Combine as the NFL draws closer to the draft on April 26-27.


"I'm so much more comfortable with what we're doing," Kubiak said Tuesday after attending the funeral of former Oilers linebacker John Grimsley, who accidentally shot himself last week while cleaning his guns at home. "When I got hired two years ago, I didn't know anything about the draft until I got to Indianapolis.


"I'm not saying I know everything about the draft right now, but I know a whole lot more now than I did then."


This is Kubiak's third draft as the Texans' coach. It is the second year in which Smith has overseen the draft. Naturally, they are more confident because they've been through a draft together, and early returns show they look as if they know what they're doing.


In two drafts with Kubiak as head coach, the Texans have selected six starters -- defensive end Mario Williams, middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans, offensive tackle Eric Winston, tight end Owen Daniels, defensive tackle Amobi Okoye and cornerback Fred Bennett.


The coaches expect receiver Jacoby Jones, guard Kasey Studdard and outside linebacker Zac Diles to start at some point. The jury is still out on safety Brandon Harrison and offensive lineman Brandon Frye.


The day after the season, Smith met with each player in his office. Kubiak waited until later to talk to the players. He completed that task Tuesday.


"Before I talked to them, I watched cut-ups of them," Kubiak said. "I talked to each player about what I saw on the tape and what we expect of them."



Notes, Quotes
• Chester Pitts and Ephraim Salaam have gotten a little attention since appearing as the stars in the NFL's commercial on Super Bowl Sunday.


They appeared on the Ellen Degeneres Show soon after their commercial aired. They then attended the Grammy's and interviewed stars on the red carpet. Their interviews were aired on "Ellen" the day after the Grammy's.


• Giants quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer said he keeps up with both Houston and Cleveland -- franchises he was part of from their inceptions. But it hasn't been so easy to keep up with all of the quarterbacks he has tutored.


He spent more time in his career with David Carr than any other quarterback, but he said he hasn't followed him closely since leaving the Texans.


The Texans released Carr, the No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft, last spring. He ended his first season with the Carolina Panthers playing behind Vinny Testaverde and Matt Moore, while Jake Delhomme was on the injured reserve with an elbow injury.


"You lose sight of your players when you move on in different directions," Palmer said. "But I think David has great talent and I don't think his career is over."


• There wasn't just 11 years between Super Bowl appearances for Giants quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer. There have been five different cities, two offensive coordinator stints and one head coaching position.


He coached two Pro Bowl quarterbacks during that time -- Mark Brunell and Tony Romo. And he has now helped tutor fourth-year quarterback Eli Manning to his first Super Bowl appearance.


His dismissals as Cleveland's head coach and Houston's offensive coordinator are hardly forgotten, but Palmer is as comfortable as ever in his latest stop with the Giants.


"Things happen," said Palmer, who started his NFL coaching career as a receivers coach for the Oilers in 1990. "When you get into coaching, you know what it's all about. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't, but that doesn't mean you're a bad coach if it doesn't work out. I feel I can coach in this league. And I've had opportunities to continue coaching and that's all you can ask for."


The longest stop Palmer has made during his 18-year career in the NFL has been with the Texans. He joined the team in 2001 and remained the offensive coordinator until he was fired two games into the 2005 season.


He was replaced by Joe Pendry, and the Texans went on to win just two games that season. Head coach Dom Capers was fired after the season ended.


"I can say my four years in Houston, we were an expansion team," Palmer said. "We won four games, opened up with a victory over Dallas, which I think the people of Houston will never forget.


"Each year we got better. And the powers to be, thought it should have been better than where we were going. But there's a logical step in growing as a football team and it just didn't work out."


Quote To Note: "When we came in here, we all knew what was upon us, with the guys coming here, me and Charles Spencer and Mike Briesel, we all knew the kind of pressure that was going to be on us, but that was something we wanted and that was a challenge we wanted to rise to. I felt like this year we did a pretty good job of it. You always want that number to be zero, no matter want. You never want the quarterback getting hit -- that's your responsibility. But at the same time, you realize that there are going to be some times that he's going to get hit and going to get sacked, and there's nothing that you can do about it. But that number keeps getting smaller and that's what we want." -- RT Eric Winston, when asked about the Texans' improved pass protection.


Strategy And Personnel
The Texans now have their biggest job of the coaching portion of the offseason done. Coach Gary Kubiak was able to lure Alex Gibbs to his staff to become the assistant head coach. Kyle Shanahan was promoted to offensive coordinator. They also hired Ray Rhodes to assist with the defensive backs. He will work closely with Jon Hoke.


The Texans are otherwise pretty quiet. They have no big-time players becoming free agents, and so there are no major contract extensions in the works at this point. They are hoping to re-sign Andre' Davis. He is the top one they have to re-sign from a year ago, but they will have competition for him.


TEAM NEEDS/OFFSEASON STRATEGY


The area that needs the most help is the secondary. Cornerback Fred Bennett and safety C.C. Brown, a restricted free agent, are set at two positions. The others are wide open. Glenn Earl, Jason Simmons and Brandon Harrison are safeties who spent the season on injured reserve.


Defensive backs will get more attention than any other area on this entire team this season. They do also need to find a young left tackle to replace Ephraim Salaam eventually, a pass-rushing defensive end to complement Mario Williams and more speed and range at outside linebacker.



1. Cornerback: With Dunta Robinson's rehab situation, the Texans must find a quality starter to play opposite of second-year corner Fred Bennett.


2. Defensive end: The pass-rush improved in '07, but they need speed off the edge to play opposite Mario Williams.


3. Left tackle: The line has improved, but the Texans must find a solid left tackle for the long-term. They will go into the season with Ephraim Salaam slated to start, but they need to groom his replacement.



Medical Watch:


• QB Matt Schaub had surgery on his left shoulder. It is a 2-3 month recovery. He should start throwing in March or April.


• CB Dunta Robinson had surgery in November. It is a 9-12 month recovery. He will likely start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list.


FRANCHISE PLAYER:


None.

TRANSITION PLAYER:


None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS


• DB Roc Alexander. He missed last season with an injury. He will not be a priority to re-sign in the offseason, but he could provide depth in a weak secondary.


• LB Charlie Anderson. Has great arm reach and quickness. He has the ability to pass rush. He is strong on special teams.


• S/LB Michael Boulware. He spent most of his time on special teams. He is strongest still at linebacker, but he would rather play safety.


• TE Mark Bruener. He brings invaluable leadership to the locker room and is primarily a blocking tight end who has been solid for the Texans. He will likely return.


• LB Danny Clark. He earned the starting job last season, and may be back. He brings a physical presence and hard-hitting to the linebacker corps.


• WR Andre' Davis. He has great speed and ability as a starting or No. 3 wideout as well as a kick returner. The Texans want him back but he may get better offers.


• RB Ron Dayne. He will likely return as a situational back who is capable of making a handful of solid starts in a season.


• S Will Demps. He was a surprise last offseason and will likely be a priority to re-sign as the Texans try to strengthen their secondary.


• S Glenn Earl. He was a starter until suffering a season-ending injury prior to last season. He will try to return and fight to get his job back.


• CB/S Von Hutchins. He prefers to play cornerback, but showed his versatility last offseason by starting at safety as well. He will be a priority for the Texans this offseason.


• DE N.D. Kalu. He finished third on the team in sacks and plays in only passing situations. He is a great leader on a young defensive line. He will likely return.


• DB Jason Simmons. He has the versatility to start at every position in the secondary. He also adds leadership the coaches love.


• P Matt Turk. He was solid last season, but struggled slightly in November. He finished strong. He may have competition in camp, but will likely return.


• G Fred Weary. He suffered a season-ending injury, but was in the midst of a terrific season. He will likely return and compete for his job again.


• DB Dexter Wynn. He can play at cornerback or be used as a returner. He's solid on kicks and punts. He will likely return.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS


• S C.C. Brown. Will likely return as the starter at safety. He has improved dramatically and appears to be a solid long-term starter for the team.


• T Scott Jackson. He has little playing experience, but he is quick and has the potential to be a swing tackle on game days.


• T Anthony Maddox. He will likely remain as a backup, but he is capable of starting. He is a solid player with quick feet and the ability to pass rush from the middle.


• WR Jerome Mathis is valuable as a kick returner, but his injuries have kept him off the field for most of his career. It's uncertain whether the Texans will bring him back.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS


None.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED


None.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED


None.

PLAYERS LOST


None.



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