Houston Texans

Big bucks on defensive linemen are a waste if you don't have a QB

Published Oct. 5, 2015 12:15 p.m. ET

Mike Garafolo

My FOX colleague Peter Schrager and I don't agree on much, yet we were in lockstep on one thing on Twitter on Sunday: Paying interior defensive linemen huge money is a waste if the rest of the roster -- namely the quarterback position -- isn't solid.

The enormous contract the Dolphins gave Ndamukong Suh was just too big for my tastes. That's quarterback money. If you've got a top-notch quarterback, you're in the playoff mix every single season. An interior lineman can't carry a team like that. How many playoff games have the Houston Texansplayed with J.J. Watt dominating the last two years?

None. Exactly.

And here they are again, playing quarterback yo-yo, all the while Watt is on his way to another Pro Bowl season. And he'll be available for the Pro Bowl because his team isn't going to the postseason. Again.

None of this is to disparage Watt at all. He can play for my team any day. In fact, I feel badly for the guy. He's out there dominating on a consistent basis and yet his play hasn't been enough to lift a franchise that can't get things straight on the other side of the ball.

When Suh is motivated and focused, he can play for me, too. Unfortunately, he's been far too inconsistent, which is why the Dolphins probably should have allocated their money better. Because unless you're also paying a quarterback big money he deserves, all of that talent on the defensive line is for naught.