HOUSTON — We knew when Brian Gaine took over as general manager of the Texans, things would be different than under former GM Rick Smith.
Now, as Gaine gets the Texans roster down to 53 players, we know for sure “Brian don’t play.”
The Shane Lechler cut was difficult, no doubt. But the questions Gaine had to ask himself: ”Do I want to be the GM who cuts a future Hall of Famer? Or do I want to be the GM who passed on a next generation leg in rookie punter Trevor Daniel?”
He chose to go with the future, in the best interest of the team. It’s a move that Shane himself would have a hard time arguing with.
Gaine didn’t stop there.
Among his deepest cuts: Wide receiver Braxton Miller. The former college quarterback/wide receiver was supposed to be Mr. Versatility, a player who could play any of the receiver positions, plus play special teams and some quarterback. The problem was, he could never stay healthy long enough to reach his full potential and Gaine had seen enough. He has plenty of talent at wide receiver.
Other well-known cuts include David Quessenberry, the popular offensive lineman who beat cancer and Jay Prosch, the fullback who had some really impressive moments on the field. But overall, in his four seasons he never contributed enough on the field to convince management that he was indispensable.