So, the Texans traded a low draft pick last summer to Buffalo for the contract rights to veteran wide receiver Eric Moulds in a much ballyhooed deal. The theory of the deal was that the veteran receiver would help take the pressure off of the Texans’ stud receiver, Andre Johnson.
So much for that theory.
Meanwhile, the guy who Moulds replaced came within a couple of minutes of playing in the Super Bowl this past season.
Even if such deals don’t work out, it’s a good thing for the Texans to be taking well-calculated risks in attempting to improve the chronically underachieving team. However, regular readers of this blog knew that the Moulds deal was probably a loser well before Moulds ever played a down for the Texans. Why didn’t the Texans’ personnel evaluators realize that Moulds was washed up before the team blew a five million dollar signing bonus on him? That’s the question that Bob McNair ought to be asking himself this morning.
At least the Texans cut their losses on Moulds early. In the low expectation world of Texansville, that signals progress.
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A few quibbles in that I think you overstate a bit, and just a few FYIs that a lot of folks might not know:
1. Even with the Texans anemic offense last year, Moulds has the most receptions of any #2 receiver the Texans ever had. Even Gaffney, he of a couple minutes from playing in the SB.
2. As of week 10 in the season, Moulds had caught 80% of the passes thrown his way. This was 8% more than any other receiver in the league that had at least 40 attempts. In the last 5 games of the season, he wasn’t catching the ball because it wasn’t being thrown his way.
He had 49 receptions over the first 11 games, and 8 receptions over the last 5. Hard to catch the ball if it ain’t being thrown.
3. If you watched Andre Johnson and Eric Moulds this season during camp or during games, they were inseperable. 5 million dollar signing bonus is a lot of spend on a mentor, but AJ has never had one on the team. AJ, Gaffney, Bradford as inexperienced receivers working with Carr inexperienced QB was not very workable with no real mentors.
4. Carr has always struggled to find receivers other than Johnson, and often this season forced it to Johnson during times where that wasn’t wise. (Like triple coverage during the first Titans game). I know late in the season there a number of times where Moulds was open, and couldn’t get a look.
5. It is a lot to assume that Moulds is washed up just because of his age. He was in that great receiver class of 1996–Harrison, Owens, Keyshawn, Mushin Muhammad. Moulds’ last years have been with quarterbacks signficantly worse than Peyton Manning. Buffalo’s QB situation was a joke, and actually, the Football Outsider guys thought Moulds’ career was having a resurgence in Houston early in the season if you read their blog.
In other words, it wasn’t completely crazy that the Texans took Moulds–he was an experienced guy who had been arguably limited by the poor quarterback play in Buffalo of the last couple of years.
Personally, I think that given the little salary cap savings that comes from this, that this might be something that Moulds wanted. We may never really know because the #1 thing the Texans excel at is trying to keep their dirty laundry private. That’s why Dunta Robinson’s comments on Cold Pizza about Carr are so remarkable.
Stephanie, two questions:
1. Don’t you think the real issue is whether the marginal difference in performance between Moulds and Gaffney (or another replacement-level receiver) is worth the considerable difference between what the Texans paid Moulds and what they would have had to pay Gaffney or a replacement-level receiver?
2. If Moulds gets picked up by another NFL team, how much do you think his bonus and/or salary will be? My bet is that it is considerably less than what the Texans paid him for last season.
If you watched Andre Johnson and Eric Moulds this season during camp or during games, they were inseperable. 5 million dollar signing bonus is a lot of spend on a mentor,
It was a whole lot to spend on a mentor, yes.
It is a lot to assume that Moulds is washed up just because of his age.
Yes, it is. But his age, combined with the sort of statistical analysis Tom did last year, suggests that the Texans greatly overpaid for what they got (and what they might have known they were getting).
The Texans “football people” seem to enjoy wasting Bob McNair’s money. The Moulds signing bonus is just another example.
the Football Outsider guys thought Moulds’ career was having a resurgence in Houston early in the season if you read their blog.
Lots of people thought David Carr was having a resurgence under Kubiak early in the season, based on QB rating. 😀
Tom-
1. Moulds wasn’t the Texans’ first choice. It was the guy that they were able to get. That happens when you haven’t had much success. You can refer to Gaffney as the guy who almost made the SB, or you can refer to him as the guy who couldn’t make it through the Eagles training camp. I am guessing that Tom Brady can make a lot of WRs look better than they would otherwise.
2. Moulds is another year older, so I am guessing he would be cheaper. I am also guessing he might take less money to go somewhere where he could win. He is still a very good possession receiver, but he’s not one to stretch the field.
As an aside, Moulds said that the Texans are looking to get younger. If you look at statistical analysis of the Denver #2 receiver, that receiver is meant to stretch the field more.
After Jerome Mathis’ motorcycle accident last year, but before they had determined that he had a broken foot (not related to the accident), Kubiak said that he wanted Mathis to be more involved as a receiver. Not sure how that project might work, but even as a decoy in that horrid 2005 season, he could do some neat things.
Stephanie, Mould’s decline in Houston over his season in Houston was consistent with the decline that he had experienced over his final couple of seasons at Buffalo. I will be surprised if he is picked up by another team for much more than it would cost to pick up a replacement-level receiver. If I’m right, then the fact that the Texans laid out $5 million for Moulds only a season earlier does not reflect well on the Texans’ personnel evaluators.
As I suggested, his final couple of seasons at Buffalo might of had something to do with the raggedty QB situation there.
It is not unreasonable to think that having a good offensive system can improve the play of a receiver, and I am guessing that is where the Texans were coming from. And Moulds’ play was improved until teams realized that they didn’t have to respect the run. The last part of the season was terrible for both Moulds and AJ, mostly because it is hard to catch balls that aren’t being thrown.