Antoine Caldwell Goes to Work

one of the reasons i felt compelled with posting this was because of that picture of antoine at the texans workout. mike tanier over at football outsiders had a great article before the draft pointing out that 99% of the hoopla about players is wasted energy – what matters is the development that goes into them after they are signed.

to make his point he posits a hypothetical player named Sack Man and the likely fate if he were selected by a bad and a good team. here is his thumbnail of what a good team does:

The scouting department works hand-in-glove with the coaches, finding players with the exact skill sets needed to thrive in the system. The defensive line coach has a precise regimen he uses for new pass rushers, and Sack Man learns the basics during tightly run camps….Sack Man doesn’t have to start as a rookie because the team’s overall talent level is solid. Coaches can emphasize techniques instead of teaching him the entire playbook. Sack Man has time to develop. He learns to tackle by playing special teams. Coaches measure and monitor everything, including his workouts. There’s no pressure to throw him into the lineup, because everyone’s job is relatively secure.

looking at that shot of antoine doing basic technique drills and then reading all the information on the texans site about how they intend to use him i get the feeling he’s got a bright future there in houston.

A lot of credit goes to Andre and his level of talent for last year but the big man holding down the center and being the leader that he was in the trenches I think meant just as much. Maybe he and Demeco can lead that team to the playoffs…. eventually…

Our family attended several games last year and had a friend with an RV near the loading area for the team buses. After the games, most of the players would filter through, on their way back to their cars or whatever. Antoine and his brother were the MOST gracious gentlemen at all times. He was friendly, humble and patient with all of the fans. There were some who were only nice to my babe/daughter and her babe friends( who were bodyguarded by me—the Mom—at all times). Antoine was friendly to all, from 8 months to 80. I remember one woman, mid-60’s and into her cups, who shoved her cell phone to his ear to talk to one of her girlfriends. He was just as nice and chatted with her for prolly 10 minutes. I am so glad to hear that he is doing so well!

you spent electrons.