Texans Seek QB Answers at Combine

The Houston Texans are exploring every avenue for filling the most glaring hole on their roster: quarterback.

The Texans met with several quarterback prospects this week at the NFL Combine, including Marcus Mariota, Brett Hundley and Bryan Bennett.

Houston would likely have to trade up for Mariota, who is still in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick and seems a long shot to fall to No. 16 (although, as Aaron Rodgers once proved, anything is possible). The Oregon quarterback lacks experience in a pro-style offense, but all the physical tools and intangibles are there.

Mariota (6-foot-4, 222 pounds) racked up 10,796 passing yards, 105 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as a three-year starter at Oregon. He also chipped in 29 rushing TDs, helping the team go 36-5 under his stewardship.

Hundley will certainly be available at No. 16 and could potentially be on the board when the Texans pick in the second round, as well. He almost came out in last year’s draft but returned for another season at UCLA, helping his draft stock by completing 259 of 368 passes (70.4 percent) for 3,019 yards, 21 TDs and five INTs.

The knock on Hundley is he is a poor man’s Colin Kaepernick. He tends to lock onto one receiver and his accuracy is not as consistent as it needs to be.

If the Texans wait until later in the draft, Bennett becomes a developmental option. The Texans and Raiders were the two teams to meet with him at this week’s NFL Combine. Bennett, who transfered to Southeastern Louisiana after losing a QB competition to Mariota at Oregon, was a starter the last two seasons and racked up 5,522 yards 39 TDs and 19 INTs during that time.

“Right now, all I’m focusing on is what I can control,” Bennett said from Indianapolis. “What I can control is how I interview here and how I carry myself and how I test and just the preparation I’ve already put in before this and what I’ll continue to do why I’m here. I’m looking forward to getting the opportunity t compete and we’ll see where that puts me.”

All these meetings indicate Houston is determined to upgrade its quarterback position despite a depth chart that already looks pretty full.

The Texans already have three quarterbacks under their control. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who started 12 games last season, is under contract for one more year. Case Keenum, who re-joined the team late in the season after spending most of the year on the St. Louis practice squad, is an exclusive rights free agent. Tom Savage, a 2014 fourth-round pick from Pitt, is also in the mix.

Houston has also expressed interest in bringing back pending free agent Ryan Mallett. The Texans acquired Mallett in a trade with the Patriots last August, reuniting him with coach Bill O’Brien, who once served as his offensive coordinator in New England. Mallett’s audition in Houston was cut short by a torn pectoral muscle. He played in just two games and was healthy for just one of them.

Trusting Mallett, who has attempted less than 50 passes in his career, to fix the team’s quarterback position is a serious gamble. Apparently, GM Rick Smith plans to hedge his bet on draft day.

Harrison Holds Off on Retirement

Last season, the Steelers had to talk James Harrison out of retirement when injuries ravaged their linebacker corps. Pittsburgh now has an entire offseason to fortify the position, but that doesn’t mean Harrison is ready for another ride off into the proverbial sunset.

Harrison announced on Instagram this week he is beginning to train for the 2015 season.

“I decided to hold off on retirement, so it’s time to pack up and head to AZ to start my training so I can be ready to play another year!” he said.

Harrison will be an unrestricted free agent but would like to return to the Steelers. Pittsburgh could once again be in need of his services, especially if Jason Worilds departs as a free agent.

Harrison played in 11 games last season, contributing 29 solo tackles and 5.5 sacks. He is an legend in the Steel City, where he helped the team win a pair of Super Bowls. He 100-yard pick-six in Super Bowl XLIII is one of iconic plays in league history.

While he means more to the Steelers than anybody else, Pittsburgh has not yet extended him an offer for the upcoming season. Another team to watch — especially with Harrison now training in Arizona — is the Cardinals. Harrison was visiting the Cardinals last offseason before he abruptly announced his retirement.

San Diego Mayor Expedites Stadium Plan

Here’s the dramatic version of what’s happening: the Chargers lit a fire by announcing a joint stadium plan with the Raiders in the Los Angeles area and now the City of San Diego is desperately trying not to get burned.

Here’s the less exciting truth: both the team and the city are engaging in nothing but political posturing, the same as they have done for the better part of the past 14 seasons. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced an accelerated timetable on Sunday in which his nine-person advisory board will have a recommendation on location and financing completed within three months.

“We are pleased that the task force decided on Friday to accelerate its work and deliver a report within the next three months,” the team said in a prepared statement. “This is good news for the process, and Dean [Spanos] joined the Mayor in supporting this expedited schedule.”

The problem is that any financial plan is expected to include significant taxpayer support. That would have to be approved by voters at a ballot measure, which would take place in November 2016.

The city’s offer of an expedited schedule, more than anything else, is an effort to save face after the Chargers attempted to pin their likely departure on the local government’s general ineptitude.

This is also a PR move by the Chargers, who alienated a good chunk of their fans by announcing plans to move to a rival city and share a stadium with a rival team. At least now it looks like the team is still pushing for a new stadium in San Diego, despite Faulconer’s blunt assessment just last week that “the Chargers for some time been making their own plans for moving to Los Angeles.”

Here’s the good news for Chargers fans. Shortly after the team announced its stadium plan in Carson City, the Chargers re-signed starting LT King Dunlap to a new four-year deal, knocking the top item off San Diego’s offseason to-do list. The timing of the announcement was no accident, seeking to push the “bad news” off the front page. Hopefully for Bolts backers, each subsequent stadium update is buried with another similar transaction.

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