The Houston Texans have lost more than their fair share of players to free agency in the last few years, but almost all of them have entered situations worse than had they stayed in Houston.
Sep 23, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Knapp (left) talks with replacement referee David White (128) during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at the O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Steelers 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE
Mike Brisiel, Matt Lienart, and Greg Knapp (New Team: Oakland Raiders)
These three guys chose to leave and with the exception of Knapp who took a promotion he wouldn’t have received in Houston, they could have stayed. Brisiel was the perfect guard for our zone-blocking system and he chose to leave, along with Matt Lienart who probably would not have won the backup job this summer. They chose to go to Oakland which hasn’t been a good idea for about 30 years and for that reason the grass was not greener on the other side.
DeMeco Ryans (New Team: Philadelphia Eagles)
DeMeco Ryans was traded. He didn’t choose to leave Houston and thus there isn’t any badblood towards him for many Texans fans. However, it has proven to be a bad career move for him as the Eagles are underperforming for a second straight year and he hasn’t done much to fill their void at linebacker. The Eagles were many people’s favorite to win the NFC this year and at this point in the season they would be lucky to make the playoffs, while the Texans should cruise to a division championship and potentially home-field advantage, meaning again, the grass wasn’t greener on the other side.
Jason Allen (New Team: Cincinnati Bengals)
Jason Allen was a player that helped us tremendously for the last two seasons. However, this offseason he chose to make the move up north and he hasn’t made a significant impact on the Bengals simply because he is buried on the depth chart. The Bengals have Leon Hall, Nate Clements, Dre Kirkpatrick, and PacMan Jones, meaning Jason Allen spends a majority of his time on the bench. If lack of playtime wasn’t enough, the fact that the Bengals will probably finish third in their division and miss the playoffs means that the grass was not greener on the other side.
Sep 22, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson (23) during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE
Dunta Robinson (New Team: Atlanta Falcons)
Dunta Robinson is the one player that left the Texans that I feel any animosity towards. Sure, he was the best player on our defense but you don’t pay a guy like a superstar if he isn’t one, and the Texans couldn’t agree with him on a deal because he refused to be paid like anything less. Atlanta overpaid and got a player that isn’t a shutdown corner, and really never was, but a solid number two guy and when Brent Grimes gets back Robinson may find himself without a job or playing the nickel. For that reason I would say the grass has not been greener on the other side