TONY WYLLIE: Thanks, everyone. I'd like to just
introduce our general manager for the Houston Texans, Charley Casserly.
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Thank you, Tony.
Good afternoon, everybody. What we're going to do is I
will make a quick opening statement and then open it up for questions.
First of all, obviously the franchise is very excited
about Saturday coming up. We have 13 draft choices. We've announced our
first pick is David Carr. The deal is not done yet, but once we got far
enough along in it, we made the decision to announce it publicly that's who
we were going to select. So whether the deal is finished by Saturday, I
can't answer that. So -- because I don't know, despite reports of a press
conference tomorrow, we don't have a press conference scheduled for
tomorrow. So I will answer that question right away.
In regards to going into the draft, the obvious question
you get many times are needs. We need everything. What we really need more
than anything else is a nucleus of players to go forward with. We think we
have a good nucleus right now, but we need a draft class that we'll have for
four years; that can grow into starters and replace other players that we
lose in that period of time.
So No. 1, we want to take the best player available
consistently and get a nucleus of players. No. 2, we'll certainly be open to
trades - whether to move up or down; in every pick we have we'll look to
move that pick to gain extra picks going into the future. That will be our
primary goal in trades. That won't preclude us from trading up.
That's kind of a quick overview going into it. I will
open it up for questions.
Q. Hey, Charlie.
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Can I press star two and
eliminate the question? (Laughter) It is the only way I return your calls.
Q. Can you talk about deciding to pick a
quarterback at a top of the draft here and compare it to the situation you
had in Washington in 1994 with Shuler and Dilfer coming out?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: I think there are differences. I
think first of all, you have two players that are seniors that played
through their eligibility. I think that does make a difference. I think that
in looking at it we felt that David Carr was the best player in the draft
regardless of what position it is. So that enters into the decision. I think
Chris Palmer's experience most recently with (Tim) ouch in Cleveland but
going back to Brunell and Bledsoe weighed heavily into this and the
opportunity to scout these quarterbacks throughout the fall and spend an
extra amount of time that you wouldn't normally be, I think helped us arrive
at the decision; helped us arrive at it early for -- certainly as part of
it.
But I think it's a combination of we think he's the best
player in the draft. Looking at Chris's experience with Couch most recently,
I think weighed into it on my end.
Q. Following up, did you -- looking back on the
Shuler decision, are you more confident in this one because you have seen so
much more of Carr than -- No. 1 because he's a senior and No. 2 because you
have had a whole year of being able to look at these rookies coming out and
is there more pressure as years go on picking a quarterback this high
because of the salary cap?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: I think that No. 1 certainly we
have been able to spend a lot of time scouting the players in this draft.
Last spring we were out scouting players. In fact, we saw David Carr for the
first time, he actually played in Houston against Rice a year ago this fall.
So clearly we've had a lot of time to go scout the
players.
As far as the pressure on the quarterback, if you can
pick a position to pick you pick quarterback. When you look at a salary cap,
you don't find many safeties with $7 million cap numbers but you will find a
lot of quarterbacks that are good that have that kind of cap number. So
that's the tough thing about where we are with the rookie pool, I mean, it
is just part of the system, everybody has to live with it, whoever you take
high is going to make a lot of money and have a high cap number and it may
not be out of money position.
Q. Can you just talk in general about this draft,
where are the strengths, weaknesses, offense and defense?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: I think on offense the strength
are wide receiver, and that's because of the number of juniors that came
out. Offensive line, I think that's a strength, especially guards and
tackles.
On defense, I think defensive linemen, especially, the
tackle position, I think those are the strong positions. I think the
positions that aren't as deep would be linebacker; especially inside
linebacker. I think running back, you know, normally you have more running
backs spread out than you do in this draft. I think those are positions that
have been deeper in other years.
Q. Following up on your running back question, if
the right running back falls to you in the second round, is there a
possibility that you might select one to compete with James Allen to start
this year?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Well that's certainly a
possibility. We like James Allen. We think he's a good back to get us
started here in our first year. But we won't pass any player at any position
other than quarterback in this draft regardless of who we sign so far.
So the answer is if there's a running back we have rated
as the best player in our board, the first pick in the second round, we
would take him.
Q. Following up again with the linebacker, with
Trotter being available as a free agent, does this impact your thinking when
you are looking at the linebackers in the draft?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Well, if we were to sign him
certainly it would impact our thinking. But I don't anticipate anything
happening on our end right now. So we're going to take the best players up
there in the draft and not anticipate that we're signing anybody before
Saturday.
Q. I sense a giant may be stirring here. Would you
tell me that if you conduct this college draft as soundly as everybody in
the League says you conducted the Expansion Draft, how good will you be?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Actually we petitioned the
League to change the rules and make it like the Expansion Draft where we
could keep picking 'til we didn't want to pick anymore and then go home. But
they won't change it so we got to pick once every so many picks now. But the
thing -- here's where we are. I think we have got a nucleus of talent here
that we're excited about.
The things you don't have are these: No. 1, it takes X
amount of games to play together to become a unit. And more so than a team
like in San Diego where Marty's (Schottenheimer) taking over, there's a
nucleus taking over - may be a different system, but they still play
together. Dom Capers has been through this before - he went 0 and 5 before
they registered a win. No one wants to go 0 and 5 but there's a price you
have to pay to be an expansion team to play together. So playing together is
part of it.
David Carr. How long does it take a young quarterback to
become a productive quarterback. We've tried to go at great lengths to give
him some tools - give him an offensive line where you could have some pass
protection. We think we've done that.
I think play-makers are something that you'd like to add
to give you more explosion on offense. I think we've got a nucleus on
defense but again we could use a few more play-makers on defense.
So I think all of those things coming together, it's hard
to say, but at some point we'll start to look like a football team. I'm just
not sure when.
Q. You make the point about continuity, about the
fact that the Texans have to come together as a team, but isn't that less
important in the era of free agency when every team, in a sense, has to
regroup every year?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Well, your point is well taken,
but there's a certain amount of regrouping you have to do every year. Some
of it is finetuning. Some of it is a little bit more than finetuning. But we
don't have anything to build on from last year. There's no system that these
players are familiar with from a year ago. Any team has to replays a few
starters, but at least you have a nucleus of players that have played
together. We don't have that. So that's the point and that's the challenge
for the coaches to overcome in this. That's an X factor. There's no idea at
what point do you come together.
Q. I'd like to ask one more question. I have had
agents tell me that they think that your club controls the draft because of
the number of choices you have. Do you share that feeling?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Well, I've never looked at it
that way. I don't necessarily agree with it because we only have 2 out of 32
picks in rounds and some rounds there are 40 picks in the round and we only
have two. So I think we have more flexibility but I don't think we control
anything because you can't control what other people do. You can't force
somebody to make a trade with you.
Q. In looking at the players you already have the
Expansion Draft. I was wondering how much of a priority would safety be and
what do you think of Lamont Thompson, Washington State and Tank Williams of
Stanford?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Well, they are both very fine
players. We would love to have either one of them and again, our priority is
to get a nucleus of young players to move forward with. That we can build
upon going into the future.
Right now, we've got a number of players at safety that
have started in the League, but they all became available for various
reasons - whether it is Matt Stevens in the Expansion Draft or
Kevin Williams, and Leomont Evans,
street free agents; Chris Carter is a veteran free agent just now. Akbar
from the Patriots on waiver. So we kind of have a conglomerate of players
there that have all started pretty much except Akbar but obviously weren't
starting on a consistent basis a year ago. So again, you'd like to get a
young guy in there that you know is going to be with you for a period of
time as you saw it through these other players and find out who is going to
be our safeties for this year.
Q. Another need seems to be a very athletic tight
end. With the tight end being a deep group this year, I am sure you will be
looking to that position also.
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Well, you are right, the tight
end group is a deep group. It's a deep group that spreads through all the
rounds. I am not sure that there's the quality in the first round that there
are at some of those other positions I have mentioned but the depth is
probably the best in the draft when you go Rounds 1 to 7. We don't have a
proven athletic pass catching tight end. That's an accurate description of
where we are. We like Rod Rutledge as a big blocker. Got some young guys
that we'll see how they develop, but again, I mean, obviously, everybody
would like the draft, you know, Shockey from Miami but only one team is
going to be able to do that.
Q. Pretty good advantage there having the first
pick in the draft, but you have two second-rounders and some of us general
manager want-to-bes think this is a draft that kind of falls off after about
17 or 18, but that there's real good value in the second round. First off,
do you agree with that assessment? Second, do you feel that in the second
round you are going to be able to get two players who can help you pretty
quickly?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Well, it's interesting you say
that because we agree with you. I think there's a point, whether it is 17 or
20, that you kind of draw a line and then you move to the next level. Now,
the thing about that's amazing is we also agree with you that there are some
good players in the second round. The only question you have here which is
the unknown is, okay, if we all agree there's about 20 guys that are first-rounders,
what do we do from 21 to 30. Well, that's obviously second-rounders that are
going to go in the first round. So that's going to dilute the second round.
So it kind of just depends on what people choose in front
of us to fill certain needs. Traditionally there's usually a couple of
players at the top of the second that have first-round value because teams
chose other positions of need. That's what we have to hope for is that a
couple of those first-rounders sleep through the beginning of the second.
But if our second round stayed the way it is, we would be happy with the
options we have.
Q. Following up, I am sure you guys have gone
through this a zillion times, but is there a scenario maybe where somewhere
around 17 to 20 there's a player still on the board that you really like,
where you would consider maybe dealing those second round picks or perhaps
one of them to move up to get that player?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: We would look at that. There's
no question about that. I don't know if you'd want to go up that high. If we
had fewer needs, then that might make more sense, but when you have so many
needs like us, there should be enough players available that when you get
into the 20s, that you can discuss it then. But before 20 I think that might
be a reach.
Q. Given that you are going to go just for the
best players available and priorities to get the good nucleus, are there
still certain positions you are highlighting that you'd really like to get
something done with?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Whether we get it done or not, I
don't know, but linebacker and the 34 defense is very important and we're
thin at linebacker right now. That's the position we started from scratch
and that has been probably our toughest one to get our numbers and talent
built up there. So we're kind of thin there right now.
And I think playmakers, you know, big-play type guys,
whether it is offense or defense, and everybody is looking for those. You
are not going to get them in free agency. That's virtually impossible. But
those are a couple of thoughts on a wish list if you had one.
Q. Speaking of linebackers just any kind of
general feeling you might have on the progress with Trotter, do you still
hold hope there or you think that's pretty much over?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: I'd rather not talk about that.
That's between us and them. We're moving forward and I said from Day 1, I
didn't know -- I thought this was a long shot. We went into this and we've
spent a lot of money, a lot of cap room on building the team. And we don't
regret one move we have made so far as far as spending the money on it.
Hopefully they turn out to be as good as you thought they were. At least we
filled key positions with players we liked.
We thought it was a long shot going into that. I told
people, hey, don't ever expect it's going to happen but you have to look at
it.
Q. What was your assessment of Joey Harrington and
what led you to choose David Carr over Joey Harrington if that was indeed a
choice that you faced?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: I'd rather not get into why we
took one over to another to get into a comparison-type thing. But I will say
this: No. 1 both are talented players. In Joey Harrington's, case the things
you like are certainly the offense, the field aspect of him, the
intelligence, the work ethic, the instinct to play the game which gets into
on the field. I think he has been a highly productive player in a big-time
program. So I mean there's a lot of things you like. We think he has got
enough physical skills to play in the League.
But we chose David Carr because we like David Carr better
and -- but I think Joey Harrington should have a good career in the NFL.
Q. Given that some general managers, coaches
around the League and even a veteran player or two that's already on board
with your team have talked optimistically and enthusiastically about how
good your team can be sooner rather than later, do you think the stigma that
was associated with expansion teams going back to the Tampa Bay 0 and 26
record, is gone, I mean that the situations in Carolina, Jacksonville and
maybe to a certain degree Cleveland, have raised the standard and you now
look at this thing as being an earlier success than later?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Well, I mean -- let me answer
that question in a couple ways here.
No. 1, contrary to some opinions, I think our road
forward is tougher than Cleveland's. Clearly the free agent market wasn't as
good and all of you have written of that and you know it. The schedule is
going to be tougher. There's no question about that. We don't play a fifth
place schedule like Cleveland did for three years. Any other teams had that
opportunity to go on that. The draft position is weaker than Cleveland's.
We're picking in the 18th spot; not the 14th spot in the middle of every
round. A minor rule change this year which was a major rule change on the
veteran minimums - allowing teams to sign a player for 525, 650 or 750, but
only count 450. Well that took a lot of players away from us and it also
cost us more money to sign the same player that a year ago you could have
signed for less money. So we had to fight that part there. And in the
Expansion Draft - and we got some good players in it - there are actually
fewer good cheap players in it than ever before. So that's why we
concentrate on the more expensive players. So No. 1 the road is a lot
tougher than even in 1999 with Cleveland.
Now, I think this: I think our plan when we came into
this - and this is a credit to our owner, Bob McNair -because hey, he had
never owned a football team before and he's listened to me and he did
listen. I said the no. 1 thing we have to do is we have to build a facility,
build the best facility in football because that shows a commitment to win.
When a player gets off a plane he doesn't understand why one facility is
better than the other. He knows one is better than the other. So if they
come here and they see the best facility in football, they know we're
serious about trying to win here. That was critical because what I am
getting into there is the stigma you are talking about - hey, it is a fight.
I mean there are players that if they are with a Playoff team, you've got to
overcome that. You've got to overcome that. And so we didn't get everybody
we wanted. But we got most of the ones we wanted when we went after them
which I think is a credit to the facilities here; the commitment by the
owner, and also I think the city of Houston.
I think the City of Houston is the most attractive city
for players to play in the League. There are more players that live here
than any other city in America for athletes. There are more athletes that
come out of here, football-wise than any other metropolitan area in the
country. So we knew that was going to help us but we had to get that message
out there and work on it.
So yes, you've got to overcome some things from the past
and we had to work on it. We had to work hard at it. And I think that we
have had some success with it.
Q. You would agree that that's gone, that stigma
doesn't exist anymore, at least that the opinion that these people have is
somewhat valid?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Well, I think that - and I don't
want this to be taken the long way but when Carolina and Jacksonville had
immediate success I think that Cleveland was put in an impossible situation
because the rules and climate had changed dramatically. It wasn't fair to
Cleveland to say that they were going to do what Carolina and Jacksonville
did and clearly they weren't able to. And it wasn't their fault. It was the
system changed. I think going into this it was something that I put a lot of
thought into it is that personally that we were going to have to overcome
the fact that hey, you can't win there. Now I think we have gone about that
by emphasizing getting players in the Expansion Draft, and spending the most
of our money there and filling in after that, but I think it's something --
it's not automatic. I think that you have to work at it.
Now I do think we're at a point now where this is an
attractive place to play.
Q. I know you were nicely side-stepping the Shuler
point before but I just wondered in light of what happened with Heath in
Washington where the contract was written with the voidables and all that
stuff, after three years you had to make a decision to fish or cut bait, did
that make you anymore leery of going after a quarterback this high again and
two, the idea of playing a young quarterback and be willing to go
with the growing pains that that guy is going to have, even a Manning and a
Bledsoe had some growing pains their first year. Can you talk one about the
Shuler experience if it affects this at all and two, about the idea of
playing a young guy early?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Well, playing the young guy
early comes down to a number of factors. No. 1, when is he ready to play and
two, who else do you have to play with. So I think that's that enters into
that decision there.
In regards to the Shuler, I think that No. 1, if you're
going to worry about whether one thing works out to never do it again, well,
then you better get out of this business fast, just move on. Shuler didn't
work out. A lot of reasons it didn't work out. Obviously we think David Carr
will or otherwise we wouldn't do it.
Q. You are obviously planning to play David Carr
from the get -go right?
CHARLEY CASSERLY: Well, that's the coaches'
decision, they are going to play him if they feel he is ready to play. But
Dom has said our objective is to get him ready to play as soon as possible,
to get him on the field to get him experience, and go from there. The best
way to learn is by playing. Now, there are other players that may sit for a
year and then play good, but they're not always necessarily the reason the
team is successful when they start playing. There's a lot of other factors
that enter into it. So we'll decide when to play him and it will be sooner
than later.
TONY WYLLIE: Thanks very much. Thanks for dialing
in. We will have a transcript of this available within the hour.
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