Press Box Notes
Was very fortunate to have a long lunch with Miller McCalmon, the Texans associate director of pro scouting. I then watched the 1 p.m. games with columnists Ira Berkow of the New York Times and Ian O'Conner of USA Today. Here are the highlights:
McCalmon was great. He was very interested in the Stat Power Index and supports its methodology. He votes for penalties remaining in the index (no surprise as the Texans are 8th best in penalties per game). He was very interested in the research that shows that interceptions correlate to winning three times more strongly than do fumbles and did not quarrel with that conclusions (noting correctly that net interceptions is a Texans strength). And he recognized the importance of points per passing attempt differerential, where the Texans are 31st, and sacks net, where they are 30th, saying that improving the team in these two areas will be the primary focus of the offseason (McCalmon is in charge of scouting free agents to be).
He noted that the Texans strength in YPA is attributed largely to Andre Johnson, who he couldn't stop raving about on and off the field. Remember, Johnson leads all NFL receivers in yards after catch. I asked why the Texans don't use Johnson more near the goal line, as David Carr has attempted passes just a third of the time in goal-to-go situations. He said it was because of their pass protection problems, which is understandable. Give Andre a big boost if you're confident that the Texans have shored up their O-line this offseason.
I posited as we were watching the Colts-Chargers that the Texans might have their own triplets in Carr, Johnson and Domanick Davis (even though I'm not convinced that Davis has what it takes to be a top feature back). McCalmon's silence on Davis was noteworthy. I took the cue and opined that Davis was pretty week in YPC. He said, "The line has had some problems, but...." and then trailed off. He said he couldn't believe how good Larry Johnson looked, even though he doesn't like upright guys. "I want RBs that are 5-10 and over 220 pounds," he said. "Like Lamont Jordan," I noted. "Now that's a guy we're going to be interested in," he said. (After all, why was a Texans scout at his level even at the Jets-Pats game unless there was a major FA target in site.) When I said the Jets were in a tough spot because Jordan is so good but Curtis Martin's presence makes him impossible to re-sign, Malcom just smiled. Jordan is going to be one of those guys that gets signed at 12:01 a.m. the first day of free agency.
With Berkow and O'Conner, it was hoops talk. (I'm a frustrated Knicks fan.) Safe to say, there was a of Knicks bashing. O'Conner has an interesting book coming up in February about Blazers' rookie Sebastian Telfair. The book will look at his senior year in high school as he prepaired to enter the NBA draft. Telfair is Stephon Marbury's cousin and there's bad blood between them over money (Telfair feels that Marbury didn't take care of him; but how far down into your extended family do you have to support when you make your NBA millions -- no wonder so many of these guys end up broke).
McCalmon was great. He was very interested in the Stat Power Index and supports its methodology. He votes for penalties remaining in the index (no surprise as the Texans are 8th best in penalties per game). He was very interested in the research that shows that interceptions correlate to winning three times more strongly than do fumbles and did not quarrel with that conclusions (noting correctly that net interceptions is a Texans strength). And he recognized the importance of points per passing attempt differerential, where the Texans are 31st, and sacks net, where they are 30th, saying that improving the team in these two areas will be the primary focus of the offseason (McCalmon is in charge of scouting free agents to be).
He noted that the Texans strength in YPA is attributed largely to Andre Johnson, who he couldn't stop raving about on and off the field. Remember, Johnson leads all NFL receivers in yards after catch. I asked why the Texans don't use Johnson more near the goal line, as David Carr has attempted passes just a third of the time in goal-to-go situations. He said it was because of their pass protection problems, which is understandable. Give Andre a big boost if you're confident that the Texans have shored up their O-line this offseason.
I posited as we were watching the Colts-Chargers that the Texans might have their own triplets in Carr, Johnson and Domanick Davis (even though I'm not convinced that Davis has what it takes to be a top feature back). McCalmon's silence on Davis was noteworthy. I took the cue and opined that Davis was pretty week in YPC. He said, "The line has had some problems, but...." and then trailed off. He said he couldn't believe how good Larry Johnson looked, even though he doesn't like upright guys. "I want RBs that are 5-10 and over 220 pounds," he said. "Like Lamont Jordan," I noted. "Now that's a guy we're going to be interested in," he said. (After all, why was a Texans scout at his level even at the Jets-Pats game unless there was a major FA target in site.) When I said the Jets were in a tough spot because Jordan is so good but Curtis Martin's presence makes him impossible to re-sign, Malcom just smiled. Jordan is going to be one of those guys that gets signed at 12:01 a.m. the first day of free agency.
With Berkow and O'Conner, it was hoops talk. (I'm a frustrated Knicks fan.) Safe to say, there was a of Knicks bashing. O'Conner has an interesting book coming up in February about Blazers' rookie Sebastian Telfair. The book will look at his senior year in high school as he prepaired to enter the NBA draft. Telfair is Stephon Marbury's cousin and there's bad blood between them over money (Telfair feels that Marbury didn't take care of him; but how far down into your extended family do you have to support when you make your NBA millions -- no wonder so many of these guys end up broke).
Entry #110424136724537416 posted by Catherine Salfino at 8:11 AM
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