Z-report:Mario Williams - I'm not panicking, I'm just being honest

[Wolf]

When it comes to Mario Williams it looks like the two camps are dividing into "everything is all right - chill out" and "the sky is falling". At least that is how each group paints the other group. With respect to my man John McClain, I have to disagree with his article last week. It IS okay to start questioning whether or not Mario is going to ever be a star and I'll tell you why in just a second.

For those of you who have heard me on the radio or read my writing in the "View From the Sideline" newsletter or here on this blog, you know I'm not the type to jump to conclusions. I don't freak out over guys coming around slowly - if they "flash" from time to time.

I don't think the sky is falling, but I also haven't seen Mario flash (really stand out over a relative period of time) since he's been a Texan with the exception of the New York Giants game last year. The question is why.

I'm not labeling the guy a bust. I think every player needs up to three years to show whether or not they will live up to their advanced billing while some players show it earlier. Once a player has shown that ability, he gets another couple of years to take the next step. Steve Francis and David Carr "flashed" from time to time with Francis playing at a higher level than Carr, but neither was able to make the next step by five years in.

Mario is a physical freak and yet he doesn't physically dominate clearly inferior talent. He went up against Mike Gandy on Saturday and didn't even really muster much of a pass rush. Mike-freaking-Gandy? I had an NFL scout call me who I don't talk with all that often and he said "Mario looks like he's 'just a guy' out there." It isn't good to be called "just a guy" if you are a 5th round pick. It's really bad if you were the first pick of the draft.

In his press conference Sunday, Gary Kubiak said that one of the things that Mario has to do is have a better understanding of down and distance so that when it is a passing situation he really pins his ears back. That's football IQ, folks... or lack thereof. It isn't necessarily the most important thing for a defensive lineman, but if he doesn't have that, you would like for him to have a great motor and/or tremendous pass rushing skills.

Here is how I see it. Mario's motor is average. If his motor was great do you think average tackles in this league would be able to stick with him considering his quickness and strength? The answer is no. As for pass rushing skills, he's still stuck on bull rush and Kubiak even acknowledged in the press conference that to be a puss rusher in the NFL you have to have a variety of pass rushing moves.

The scariest thing that the Texans face right now (and I'm not sure if they are willing to even entertain the notion yet) is that there is a possibility that Mario Williams doesn't have a burning desire to be great. He hasn't shown that type of intensity and ability to impose his will yet and those are two things to look for. If he doesn't have a burning desire to be great, his ceiling will be much lower than the Texans and their fans have hoped for.

Mario's play is a concern to me but there are plenty of good things from last night and I'll give you my opinion of everything I saw in the game on the Monday morning podcast.

http://blogs.chron.com/fantasyfootba...8/post_21.html

[Second Honeymoon]

yeah, he pretty much sums it all up. i agree 100%.

one thing we know is that if he starts to play well the crowd will really get behind him. last year at the colts game he practically got a standing ovation for his forced fumble. we need more of that or to at least have team success or Mario would really be on the hotseat.

If he doesnt shape up Kubes probably owes it to the rest of the team to demote him and put someone in there that can get to the QB and actually be a factor. Give him a few regular season games and if he looks anything close to what he has looked like in preseason, he needs to get the hook. let him compete for playing time like everyone else. it seems that the moment we take Mario out and put in someone else, the defense seems to get after the QB better. Maybe its my imagination...i dunno.

*scratches head*

[HJam72]

Yep, that's about how I feel. I'm completely unhappy with Mario, and mad at the organization for spending a #1 pick on him, but I'm nowhere near ready to call him a "bust" yet.

As far as making him earn his position in the starting lineup, that should've happened from day 1. I don't care where somebody was drafted, we need the best "right now" players on the field when the games start to count, although Babin is probably better right now than he was last year.

[STEEL BLUE TEXANS]

Although highly unlikely, I'd like to see them play Mario on the left side and let Babin start on the right side since Anthony Weaver is out. We have nothing to lose anyways and Weaver didn't exactly blow us away with his play last season. If it works out and helps improve our passrush then bite the bullet and have Weaver rotate in at left defensive end and defensive tackle once the real season begins. Babin has stepped his game up so far this preseason so why not reward him?

[BattleRedToro]

Originally Posted by STEEL BLUE TEXANS

Babin has stepped his game up so far this preseason so why not reward him?

In addition, it might be nice to reward TJ for his improved play as well, and let him start in place of Anthony Maddox.

[Errant Hothy]

Originally Posted by BattleRedToro

In addition, it might be nice to reward TJ for his improved play as well, and let him start in place of Anthony Maddox.

Can't do that, most everybody here has already labeled TJ a bust, and we all know that some posters word is law. And we all know no player can get better over time...I mean c'mon everybody but us stupid people already know that Mario is a bust (I mean c'mon he's played 20 NFL games and had maybe 8 full weeks of practice, who needds more time then that).

I disagree with Lance...

Look at this video: Oh what a short and selective memory we have

also notice in the video, on that last play Mario wasn't the one being doubled...Babin was...

Mario is capable....I've seen him do some good things on the field...

He could get away with his style of play at the other DE position...If he could be on the side TE's side consistently he would be made to look so foolish in space...he could use his mass to take on the TE and the Tackle and he'd be one of the better SDE pass rushers...Sorta like what Anthony Weaver does...We hardly hear this guys name called, but it's a wide perception he's a good football player...Mario is bigger stronger more athletic Anthony Weaver....

Everyone always gets caught up in whether he "is" or "isn't", or whether he sucks or is good....But that's not what it's always about...He's a good ball player that the Texans need to figure out how to use in an effective way.....atleast that's my outlook on it...

[Porky]

To me, Mario's future is at tackle. Put him at tackle with Okoye, with Travis and Maddox spelling them from time to time. Try to make them into a Henderson - Stroud type combo.

Mario doesn't have any suddeness or initial burst at all to his game. I disagree with Lance. He is fast, but not all that quick. He only has one real move, a spin move. Usually he just tries to bull rush his man back into the QB. That might get him a couple of sacks a year, whoppde freakin doo.

I do think he plays the run pretty decently and is stout at the point of attack, and a bull rush up the middle can help the ends reach the QB, so that's why I think he should be moved to tackle sooner rather than later.

That probably won't happen because they are trying to save face, but I maintained before the draft and since that Mario is a workout warrior. I wish I was wrong in my initial evaluation and wrong now, but the truth of the matter is that I was and am right.

[Second Honeymoon]

Originally Posted by xtruroyaltyx

I disagree with Lance...

Look at this video: Oh what a short and selective memory we have

also notice in the video, on that last play Mario wasn't the one being doubled...Babin was...

Mario is capable....I've seen him do some good things on the field...

He could get away with his style of play at the other DE position...If he could be on the side TE's side consistently he would be made to look so foolish in space...he could use his mass to take on the TE and the Tackle and he'd be one of the better SDE pass rushers...Sorta like what Anthony Weaver does...We hardly hear this guys name called, but it's a wide perception he's a good football player...Mario is bigger stronger more athletic Anthony Weaver....

Everyone always gets caught up in whether he "is" or "isn't", or whether he sucks or is good....But that's not what it's always about...He's a good ball player that the Texans need to figure out how to use in an effective way.....atleast that's my outlook on it...

xtru, the only reason Mario got to that QB was because the TE released out for a pass. It was a poorly designed blocking scheme and had nothing to do with Mario's ability to beat a block. your better than that xtru.

fwiw - i have never called Mario a bust yet, but he is well on his way to earning that title.

Originally Posted by Second Honeymoon

xtru, the only reason Mario got to that QB was because the TE released out for a pass. It was a poorly designed blocking scheme and had nothing to do with Mario's ability to beat a block. your better than that xtru.

fwiw - i have never called Mario a bust yet, but he is well on his way to earning that title.

Did you only look at the first play ?

Look at the entire video then you will better understand....

After Mario got that cheap sack He wen't off for the rest of the series...He was coming off the line hard, he out leveraged the tackle and he was either hitting the QB or putting himself and the OT in the QB's lap....On the last play in the video Babin was doubled on the other side and Mario did a good job of getting close to the QB causing a bad throw which was almost picked off...

He did the same thing against the Giants when he got fired up and had that great series of plays....

[The1ApplePie]

Mario's total lack of technique and football instinct are holding him back more than anything else. He isn't playing junior colleges anymore, so he can't just shove guys over.

[Runner]

Carr received 5 years of time to prove what he had.

There is a raging debate if Mario has already proven what he has or should get another couple of years to develop.

I think it is ironic that the coaches and the fan base of the Texans have historically had far less patience than that for the development of players picked in the later rounds. It seems kind of backwards that first round picks need all this development time when late round picks had better perform immediately or else.

This lack of patience with player development has hurt this team just as badly as missed first round picks, IMO. Had they developed players with potential that were picked 3-4 years ago, they might be solid starters by now. We'll never know.

[Vinny]

Kubiak is talking about Mario right now on 610am

[Second Honeymoon]

Originally Posted by Runner

Carr received 5 years of time to prove what he had.

There is a raging debate if Mario has already proven what he has or should get another couple of years to develop.

I think it is ironic that the coaches and the fan base of the Texans have historically had far less patience than that for the development of players picked in the later rounds. It seems kind of backwards that first round picks need all this development time when late round picks had better perform immediately or else.

This lack of patience with player development has hurt this team just as badly as missed first round picks, IMO. Had they developed players with potential that were picked 3-4 years ago, they might be solid starters by now. We'll never know.

runner ftw

[GlassHalfFull]

This is my first post and I picked my screen name because I hated reading all the negative stuff. So my goal is to be optimistic.

I too wish he was setting the field on fire at this point, but don’t see any reason to declare him a bust. Let’s wait and see what happens in the season before trashing the guy. He has all the physical tools and I think given a chance he can develop into a special player.

[76Texan]

How about coach Bum Phillips for honesty?

http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/5...ry/108190.html

[Vinny]

Lopez article...

Perhaps layman's sabermetrics could shed light on where Williams is in his development.

Factor No. 1: Williams was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.

Factor No. 2: He will be paid $3.3 million this year as part of a five-year, $54 million contract.

Factor No. 3: Through two preseason games — coaches' stats notwithstanding — Williams has had zero tackles, zero assists, zero sacks, zero forced fumbles, zero fumbles recovered, zero impact.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5067216.html

[76Texan]

We carried about 7 D-linemen at any one time last year, didn't we?
So the $15MM seems to be in line as far as its percentage of the team salary cap, doesn't it?

[disaacks3]

Originally Posted by Vinny

Lopez article...
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5067216.html

I pray he's saving it for the regular season. He's all but invisible on the field right now.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by Vinny

Kubiak is talking about Mario right now on 610am

Did you hear the guy asking the question regarding Mario's motivation and Morlon Greenwood?