Houston vs Dallas: Talent comparison

Full disclosure: I love Houston. The city has been more than fair to me; good job prospects in various lines of work, affordable quality living, entertainment, an abundance of bars and restaurants (@redlionpub, imo), and my soon-to-be wife can all be had in Houston. Well, save the wife – find your own. There are even professional sports teams who show up every now and then. Sure, Houston isn’t the sexiest city in the world, but I’ve lived in those (Los Angeles, Bay Area, Seattle) and choose to live here.

The Houston/Dallas rivalry is something that will be with us until the end of time. The cities are so similar yet so different it’s only natural we nit-pick each other like siblings on a long road trip. Mom, Dallas said I was fat! Dad, Houston said I make the Kardashians seem unpretentious! As if!

In a contest between Houston and Dallas, I may not be the fairest arbiter, though I’ve come to like Dallas quite a bit after traveling there so frequently the last few years. In all honesty, in years past I didn’t venture to write a talent comparison between the cities because it wasn’t worth my time. The disparity in talent was that much greater in Dallas’ favor. Things are different in 2016 however, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

To do a fair comparison we need to set up some parameters. Those parameters are my undying objectivity. Good, got that out of the way. Dallas doesn’t mean Waco or Tyler, but it does mean Fort Worth. Houston doesn’t mean Port Arthur unless we’re claiming rappers, which we’re not (Dallas REALLY doesn’t want it with us when it comes to that).

Football is a game of schematics, therefore I’ll set up each team with the proper personnel in the proper fits to get the best 22 on the field. At the end, you tell me who would win. SPOILER ALERT: Nobody is moving the ball on this Houston squad.

I offer this up to my friends at Football Brainiacs for peer review. They cover Dallas as thoroughly as Bambi Woods.

HOUSTON’S DEFENSE

H-Town’s defense is running UT’s base 4-3 under.

Fox End: Jeffrey McCulloch, Aldine Davis. Plays Sam in high school, so a fairly easy transition to stand-up defensive end when it comes to fit and function.

Nose Tackle: Jordan Elliott, Westside. He can play anything from zero to 5-tech, but I’m putting his size in the middle.

3-tech: Ed Oliver, Spring Westfield. While you’re doubling Elliott, Oliver is paying rent in the backfield. Actually, the quarterback is paying rent and it’s due.

SDE: Isaiah Chambers, Aldine McArthur. Great size/length, bends and turns the corner well.

SLB: Sewo Olonilua, Kingwood. Solid upside as a big running back, tremendous upside on defense. Fluid kid with great size and feet.

MLB: Dontavious Jackson, Alief Elsik. Obvious pick here. You’re doubling Elliott, getting wrecked by Oliver and now you have to deal with a big Mike who can run and strike. Big Mike is a fitting title for a Houston linebacker once you get past the fact the actual Big Mike is from New Orleans, but hey, if you’re a former Geto Boy, you can claim Houston all you want.

WLB: Jordan Carmouche, Manvel. You have to be able to run and cover in modern football. Linebacking isn’t just about plugging. Carmouche is very fluid in space.

CB: Eric Monroe, North Shore. He can play corner, nickel, or free safety but I’m putting him outside because I like my other safety options over the corners.

CB: Benjie Franklin, Alief Taylor. The latest product out of DB High. Good length and above average athlete.

SS: Deontay Anderson, Manvel. Has good enough hips to cover man here and has the size to play the run sternly.

FS: Chris Brown, Alief Elsik: Good range, great clean-up hitter in the back end.

DALLAS’ OFFENSE

Here’s a no-win situation. Tristen Wallace or Shane Buechele? I’m going Wallace because I prefer spread option but one could easily make the case for the Texas commit to be the Dallas quarterback. Going with 11 personnel.

QB: Tristen Wallace, Desoto. Big athlete with a big arm. Wallace has surprising burst for his size.

RB: Brandon Stephens, Plano. Down year at the position in the area but Stephens has good burst and a great body projection.

X: Dee Anderson, West Mesquite. Big, outside field stretcher.

Y: Devin Duvernay, Sachse. Somebody named Devin the Duve should definitely be from Houston, but sadly he’s not. Explosive slot receiver with good hands and ability in traffic.

Z: Camron Williams, First Baptist. His highest upside may be on defense, but he can definitely stick at wide receiver. I’m very high on Williams’ overall football-ness.

TE: Kaden Smith, Flower Mound Marcus. Best tight end prospect in years; great size and can do it all.

LT: Jean Delance, North Mesquite. Bouncy athlete, moves very well. Has tackle length. He may not be Greg Little, but he projects better at left tackle than at right and Little can play either with ease.

OG: Tope Imade, Arlington Bowie. Raw, tons of potential due to length and strength.

C: Chris Owens, Arlington Martin. He’s a guard in college but a center on this team. Tremendous athlete for an interior offensive lineman.

OG: Kellen Diesch, Trophy Club. The Texas offer will be a tackle in college but he’s needed on the interior for this hypothetical.

RT: Greg Little, Allen. A nearly perfectly balanced offensive line prospect.

HOUSTON’S OFFENSE

The goal is to get the best personnel on the field so I’m going with the broken diamond – 20 personnel.

QB: Jalen Hurts, Channelview. If this game was real, and I truly cared to win it, I may go with D’Eriq King here from Manvel. But it’s not. Hurts is the better quarterback prospect; King the better high school quarterback.

RB: Trayveon Williams, C.E. King. My all-purpose back, he’d be motioning out to the slot quite a bit. He’s a true homerun threat.

RB: Rakeem Boyd, Stratford. Bigger back with good burst, he’ll be able to carry a heavy workload in college.

X: Tyrie Cleveland, Spring Westfield. Good size and speed for the outside.

Y: Reggie Hemphill, Manvel. Don’t let the slot designation fool you, he’ll be a vertical threat as well.

Z: Courtney Lark, Bellaire. Has ‘X’ game breaking ability; deceptively long and fast.

LT: Travis Bruffy, Ridge Point. Under-the-radar player at this point, but offensive linemen with his 6-foot-7 length don’t stay hidden for ever.

OG: Giovanni Pancotti, Bellaire. Big mauler who should fare well mixing up with the more powerful defensive tackles.

C: Keenan Murphy, Crosby. Excellent athlete for offensive line. If he were taller, he’d be a household name.

OG: Mackenzie Nworah, Manvel. Strong base in pass pro, powerful in the run game.

RT: Austin Myers, Manvel. Highest upside might be at guard but he can certainly remain at tackle in college.

DALLAS’ DEFENSE

Going with a traditional front paired with nickel to put the D in Dallas.

DE: Brandon Bowen, Byron Nelson. Fantastic length and athleticism for the position. Just needs to add some mass.

DT: Michael Williams, FW All Saints. Powerful and quick. Two descriptors you want to see for an interior lineman.

DT: Chris Daniels, Euless Trinity. Good length and athleticism. Daniels could play 5-tech in a multiple front.

DE: Justin Madubuike, McKinney North. Peel away 35-40 pounds from Daniels and you get Madubuike. Great size and first step.

MLB: Marvin Terry, South Oak Cliff. Former defensive end understands playing the edge.

WLB: Deonte Williams, Prestonwood. Great player in space; moves like a big safety.

CB: Tyrell Alexander, Lancaster. Love his length, fluidity, and running ability. I had to find a place to fit him on this team.

CB: Obi Eboh, Southlake Carroll. Recently invited to The Opening, Eboh is big for being a cover corner.

N: Jared Mayden, Sachse. Great size and coverage ability for the position.

FS: Jaylon Jones, Allen. A bit light in the britches, Jones is still a willing hitter with great range for center field.

SS: Greg Eisworth, South Grand Prairie: Eisworth’s a wild man on the field playing the game 100 mph. I line him up here and ask him to run around and hit people. He can hold the spot down for his teammate, Jeffrey Okudah, who will be the 2017 SS for this exercise.

SUMMARY

I have to admit, it’s close. Houston’s defense is stout top to bottom, but Dallas’ offensive line is far greater than their H-Town counterparts. This one may come down to coaching. Bill Belichick will coach Houston and Dave Campo will coach Dallas.

So there you have it, but who ya got?

**h/t to 2017 offensive lineman, Jack Anderson (Frisco), for starting the discussion on Twitter. He’ll assuredly be on the 2017 Dallas roster.