Sage debate not quite the same for Texans fans

January 5, 6:38 AMHouston Texans ExaminerAlan Burge

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Sage Rosenfels                                  (nfl.com)

I wanted to get on this earlier but I got caught up in the defensive coordinator series which, by the way, has been a lot of fun and has received a lot of exposure. 

There will be more to come on that subject in the coming days and weeks I'm sure, but let's switch gears for a little bit.

One of the biggest debates among Texans fans last off-season was whether to trade Sage Rosenfels.

There were reports that Minnesota was offering a 3rd round draft choice and that the Texans were holding out for a 2nd which they never received.

I don't know if any of that was ever substantiated or if it was all rumors but that was the buzz at the time.

Key points of the debate last season were:  a) the Texans needed Sage because Matt Schaub couldn't stay on the field for 16 games;  b) whether a 3rd round pick was enough compensation, and c) Sage should be the starter because he's a better QB than Schaub.

Fast forward a year and I think only one of those points remain valid and that's (a). 

Schaub has been able to start only 22 games in his 32 game Texans career and he's finished even fewer games than he's started.  Until he can show that he can play an entire season, that stigma will follow him around.

Point (b) is no longer valid because there's no way the Texans would get a 3rd round pick for Sage this off-season.  They would be lucky to get a 5th or 6th rounder and it would probably be a conditional pick.  A new point to debate is whether you pull the trigger if a 5th or 6th was offered.

Point (c), well, if you were one of the fools yelling 'we want Sage' in the first quarter of the Bears game, please stop reading now because there's no hope for you.

Sage had 5 starts in '08 and was 2-3 in those starts.  He also played the second half at Minnesota after Schaub's knee injury and played well, except for a costly red zone interception when the Texans tried to rush a play instead of calling a time out.

In his 5 1/2 games in '08, Rosenfels had 6 TDs, 10 INT's, and 2 lost fumbles, including one really famous one.

Those aren't stats that will cause GM's around the league to say "we need to get this guy."  Sage is a borderline starter at best, and he's proven that repeatedly.  He will be 31 years old in two months and has a year left on his Texans contract.

During his December 29 press conference, Texans Head Coach Gary Kubiak was asked if he expects QB Sage Rosenfels to back next season. 

Kubiak said, "Yeah, Sage has ... a year left on his contract. You know, I told him today, I said, ‘You and I have got a lot to talk about.’ And usually when he and I get together, we spend a lot of time in the office. The line was long, so I told him to take a break. He’s going to take a break with his family. When he comes back, we’ll visit more. But there’s a place on this football team for Sage, and he can do a great job for us. Like I said, I expect him to come back and do that.”

Jerome Solomon wrote in no uncertain terms last week that Sage won't be back in '09, saying "this [trade] needs to happen." 

I'm not so sure why it 'needs' to happen.  I'm not so sure it even 'could' happen.  And I'm not nearly as confident as Solomon that Sage won't be back. 

If the Texans would be 'darn lucky' to get a 5th rounder for Sage, then what team is going to give him chance to compete as a starter?

Solomon asks, "would the Texans' record have been any worse than 8-8 had they snatched up that third-round pick last year for Rosenfels?"

Well, I'm guessing they wouldn't have beaten Jacksonville on Monday Night Football with Alex Brink or Craig Nall at the helm,

But another way to look at it is that it shouldn't be hard to find a backup QB that will commit twice as many turnovers as he produces touchdowns, which is what Sage did for the Texans in '08.

I'd rather focus on keeping our starting QB upright for 16 games.  There aren't many teams getting to the playoffs on the strength of backup QBs.

I'm more inclined to believe these 'whispers' coming from Pro Football Weekly. 

I'm not sure who the PFW source is but I tend to agree with that assessment, based on Kubiak's words at the press conference. 

The only thing that would change that is if Sage requests/demands a trade during his upcoming meetings with Kubiak.  In that case, I think Kubiak would try to accommodate his wishes and shop him around for the best offer.

Cast your vote:

• Steve Slaton is one of five finalists for 2008 NFL Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Year.  The Pepsi ROY is a fan vote and even though Matt Ryan is likely to run away with it, I think Steve deserves as much recognition he can get for a fine season.  You can cast your vote here.

If you haven't been able to read the defensive coordinator series, here are the links:

•  "Texans defensive coordinator search: Part I,"                
•  "...Part II."                                                                         
• "...Part III."                                                                               
• "...Part IV,"                
• "...Part V."                                                
• "Could Larry Coyer be a piece in the Texans defensive coordinator puzzle?"