Jason Babin could bring in da funk and da noize... if only Kubiak would let him
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by user Mdc
It is possible that the following is only of interest to Jason Babin and a few of his relatives.
Anyway, though I don't think I've just come out and said it, it's my not-so-radical theory that the starting defensive line will be Super Mario, Manchild (aka Amobi Okoye), and Dos Anthonys*. I am generally ok with this. However, it does raise one interesting question: ¿Dónde es Jason Babin?
Fans may recall that Babin was the second of two first-round picks by the Texans in the 2004 draft. A defensive end out of Directional Michigan, Babin ended his collegiate career with 299 tackles (including 202 solo and 75 for a loss) and 38 sacks, despite missing all of his senior season with a broken leg. He was described in various scouting reports as "one of the fastest down linemen in the game of football" and having "tremendous potential as a pass rusher."
At the time Babin was selected, the Texans were still running Dom Capers' 3-4 defense. Babin was therefore converted from defensive end to outside linebacker; Capers apparently assumed that a pass rusher was a pass rusher, regardless of where he lined up. (Gee, I wonder why Dom wasn't successful...)
So it went for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Babin put up 63 tackles and 4 sacks in his first year, then followed that up with 37 and 4 (and 2 forced fumbles) in '05.
Prior to 2006, as the team converted from a 3-4 to a 4-3, Babin was unconverted back to defensive end. Of course, by this time Babin was a man without a starting slot (he started only three times in '06). Still, now that he was being asked to do what he was actually drafted to do**, he turned in a career high in sacks (5) regardless of his diminished playing time.
And my point is?
I suppose the underlying point is that Babin has talent and loads of untapped potential, thus it is far to early to relegate him to permanent backup. However, the point of this post is this: I propose that the starting d-line should be (from the right) Williams, Weaver, Okoye, and Babin. Maddox would still get plenty of reps spelling Weaver and Okoye (and Weavs would still get some time at end, sliding over to Babin's spot to give JB a break).
Crazy? Hardly. Weaver is a solid run-stopper and he has played tackle on passing downs numerous times before. More importantly, this line would (in theory, at least) give the Texans a very strong pass rush from the front four, meaning the LBs would be free to assist in short pass coverage. Given our secondary of "Dunta and these fucking guys," ANY assistance from the LBs would be worth its weight in cliches.
I realize that the biggest possible question mark in this scenario is how the line would fare against the run. Weaver as an outside run stopper is probably the best on the team. I think this question is the wrong way to look at things, however. The biggest problem facing this defense right now is the complete lack of a dependable secondary; having a dominating pass rush would alleviate this. There is no reason to think that the downgrade in run defense from Weaver/Maddox to Babin/Weaver would even come close to outweighing the upgrade in pass rush ability. Besides, with Shante Orr (whom I fully admit my bias toward... Go Blue!) behind Babin, you have the ability to run blitz with effectiveness. (Side note: That Orr holds the team single game sack record with three is sad, but illustrates the pressing need for a real pass rush.)
Will my plan be implemented? Unlikely. Kubiak is a fan of Anthony Maddox ( at least according to that latest radio interview) and I think he likes using Weavs as an outside rusher. Moreover, it appears that Babin has--in Kubes' mind--established himself as a 'tweener, relegated to spot duty at a couple different positions.
Bother.
That means, this is probably all just an exercise in wishful thinking. That does not make it incorrect, however.
*That would be Anthony Maddox and Anthony Weaver.
**Novel concept, eh?
