Texans 2009 Training Camp: Part II, Position Battles

By Spenser T. Harrison

For the second part of my two-part series on what to watch out for in Texans 2009 training camp, we're going to examine at the position battles facing this young team.

Weak Side Linebacker: Zac Diles vs. Xavier Adibi

The most prominent and interesting position battle in training camp will be at the weak side linebacker spot, between Zac Diles and Xavier Adibi. The position is up for grabs following the release of Morlon Greenwood and drafting of Brian Cushing with the 15^thoverall pick.

Since the Texans expect Cushing to start right away at strong side linebacker, the weak side position is vacant going into camp.

Although the Texans signed former Pro Bowler Cato June, don’t expect him to compete for the starting spot as they’ll look to develop the two young backers they have. However if both Adibi and Diles fail to impress during training camp or early season don’t be surprised if June takes over.

Diles and Abidi share a passion for the game, hard work, and the willingness to improve.  But, they share little else. In fact, their uniquely different styles of play at the position is one of the reasons this position battle is so interesting.

Zac Diles saw limited action as a rookie in 2007, backing up DeMeco Ryans. However he proved to be a special teams demon, leading the Texans in tackling in that part of the game. During last years training camp Diles wowed coaches with his improvement and earned the starting job at strong side linebacker going into the 2008 season. He quickly lived up to expectations and played admirably in that role. In his nine starts he recorded 66 tackles, a forced fumble, a sack, and an interception, before being sidelined by a freak injury in practice.

Now, Diles looks to prove that he’s recovered from his injury and build on last year’s improvement.

A move to weak side could be a blessing for Diles, who is slightly undersized for the strong side position and tends to get smothered by bigger offensive lineman because of it. He does a great job of diagnosing plays and pulling the trigger. Moreover he is a superb tackler and rarely gets caught out of position. But for Diles to beat out Adibi as the starting weak side linebacker he’s going to have to prove he can be an asset in the passing game. Diles lacks the raw speed to recover when beat and has a tough time staying with smaller running backs. In addition, his size makes him a liability in coverage against tight ends. 

If Diles can improve coverage of the passing game there’s no reason to believe he can’t beat out Xavier Adibi for the weak side linebacker spot. If not, he’ll serve as a worthwhile backup as well as a great addition to the Texans special teams.

Xavier Adibi was used sparingly during his rookie season before replacing Morlon Greenwood at the starting weak side linebacker position in week ten. From there he played very well racking up 35 tackles in his five starts. The highlight of his season was a 15-tackle performance in week eleven against the Colts.

Adibi continued his solid play until a groin injury in week fifteen sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

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