Sporting News says "Mario's a 'Hit'"

[ObsiWan]

found this yesterday in TSN.com, Mario was at the top of the list of "hits".
Please delete if its a repeat...

Hits and misses from '07: defensive players

Yesterday, I reviewed my offensive breakout players for the 2007 NFL season and tallied how many hits and misses I had. Today, let's look back at my defensive picks.

Mario Williams, DE, Houston Texans. His selection as the league's defensive player of the week in the opening game was a harbinger. Williams started all 16 games at right end, recorded 14 sacks (tied for third in the league) and was picked as a Pro Bowl alternate. Maybe the Texans knew what they were doing after all when they selected Williams instead of Reggie Bush with the No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft. Hit or miss: Hit.

I think its becoming fashionable to admit "they knew what they were doing after all..."

I need a "smug" smiley right now

[DBCooper]

Originally Posted by ObsiWan

I think its becoming fashionable to admit "they knew what they were doing after all..."

Everyone I speak to says they thought Mario was the right pick from the beginning. lol

[BattleRedToro]

I will never forget how I was derided for supporting the pick of Mario Williams.

My wife bought me a Battle Red Mario Williams jersey for a Christmas present that first year, as I had told her that I wanted that more than anything else that year.

I wanted to show all of those Vince Young crybaby supporters that I was a Mario Williams fan.

I was angry at how they booed the pick of Mario Williams

Now those same individuals don't want to admit that they were wrong about Mario, instead they pretend that they were always for the Mario pick.

Well, I know who some of them are, and they might be able to fool some people, but they'll never be able to make me forget.

[YoungTexanFan]

I was anti-bush and anti-young. I was actually more in favor of D'brickshaw Fergueson, but was supportive of Mario. I was aprehensive about his sporadic production though I loved his physical ability. I was happy with the pick, and would have been happy with D'brick as well at the time. Those were my two guys.

[gtexan02]

The only thing worse than the thousands of threads that criticized the Williams pick, are the thousands of "I told you so" posts we now have to endure.

i guess the bright side is that it means Williams worked out

[Marcus]

I just wish I did a screen print of the threads on this board a day after that 2006 draft, just to show what what some of you were saying then.

"I knew the Mario pick was the right one from the very beginning". ?????

Some of you "revisionist historians" ought to be jailed.

[gtexan02]

Originally Posted by Marcus

I just wish I did a screen print of the threads on this board a day after that 2006 draft, just to show what what some of you were saying then.

"I knew the Mario pick was the right one from the very beginning".

Some of you "revisionist historians" ought to be jailed.

Seriously? Who cares any more. Williams is great, and hes a Texan, so thats even better.

All of you who supported Vince, but now support Williams, I say welcome aboard!
To all of you who supported Reggie, but now support Williams (me included) I say Go Texans!
To all of you who supported Williams and want to say "I told you so" I say who cares, we all cheer for the same team anyway!

[BattleRedToro]

Originally Posted by gtexan02

Seriously? Who cares any more. Williams is great, and hes a Texan, so thats even better.

All of you who supported Vince, but now support Williams, I say welcome aboard!
To all of you who supported Reggie, but now support Williams (me included) I say Go Texans!
To all of you who supported Williams and want to say "I told you so" I say who cares, we all cheer for the same team anyway!

That sounds nice, but when you are called names for wearing a Mario Williams Jersey by a Vince Young fan, then you aren't quite so ready to join hands, sing kum bay ya with them, and say welcome a board to these people.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by gtexan02

The only thing worse than the thousands of threads that criticized the Williams pick, are the thousands of "I told you so" posts we now have to endure.

i guess the bright side is that it means Williams worked out

No, this is not about enduring "I told you so"s.

If you said that you didn't like the Mario pick back then, admit that you were wrong. Don't come back here 3 years later, and say that you liked the pick from the beginning. That's pure BS.

[Second Honeymoon]

Before the draft, I wanted the Texans to send Carr packing so they could draft Vince after the 2005 NCAA National Football Championship for The University Of Texas. We could have signed the DE Julian Peterson away from SF with the money we would have saved not having Carr's superstar salary, kept two 2nd Round picks and we would have been fine.

imho Petersen (Carr's Salary), Young, and two 2nd Round picks > Mario, Schaub and Carr

i am happy where we are at, but I am left wondering what could have been...that was a magical year and momentum would have been sky high. Everyone knew Carr sucked except Kubiak and a few stragglers.

obviously on a Texans board, everyone is gonna bash VY, but I think the guy has done as good as just about any of the QBs drafted recently outside of Eli and Rivers. Trent Edwards has looked OK at times, but I would take VY over him. Obviously VY over Carr is a no-brainer. Alex Smith. Jason Campbell. The Titans have the 2nd lowest payroll in the NFL and have managed to have an 8-8 and a 9-7 season since VY came to Tennessee. They had two sub .500 seasons the previous two years. They were the 3rd worst team before he got there. It's not all been Vince but he has helped their team take some small steps towards respectability...and has done so while playing for one of the cheapest owners in existence. He has a long way to go to be a star, but he is already a viable and winning NFL QB and that is a fact.

[Hardcore Texan]

I supported the pick right out of the gate. I was never pro-VY despite being a UT fan, I had accepted that it was going to be Bush, I really wanted to trade back or D'brick. But when the news came out we signed Mario the day before, I was totally okay with. No lashing out, no anger, and thought it was a solid move. I started learning more about him, and the more I did, the more I thought he was a stud. Soon after, when the Texans were being ragged on day in/ day out and people were bashing Mario as a rookie. I invested in this sweet little purchase at a charity auction:



I showed it off to a few of my friends and they picked on me about it and said it was a waste of money and blah, blah, blah. I am guessing the value of this is going up a little more everday, although I would never part with it.

[BattleRedToro]

Originally Posted by Second Honeymoon

obviously on a Texans board, everyone is gonna bash VY, but I think the guy has done as good as just about any of the QBs drafted recently outside of Eli and Rivers.

You forgot about Jay Cutler. I believe he has outperformed Vince Young, as well.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by Second Honeymoon

obviously on a Texans board, everyone is gonna bash VY, but I think the guy has done as good as just about any of the QBs drafted recently outside of Eli and Rivers.

Vince did fine his rookie year. Went to the Pro Bowl even.

But last year was different. Either someone convinced Vince, or Vince convinced himself, that he no longer wanted Vince to be Vince. Vince now wants to be drop back passing quarterback. Now the reasoning behind that might indeed be a valid one. If he remains a running style quarterback, statistics show he won't be around long in the NFL.

Problem is that, as a drop back passing quarterback, Vince isn't even a mediocre quarterback.

[False Start]

Originally Posted by DBCooper

Everyone I speak to says they thought Mario was the right pick from the beginning. lol

I had someone tell me at the doc's office one day Demeco Williams was their favorite player , and they knew he was the right pick from the start . :elle:

[BattleRedToro]

Originally Posted by Marcus

Vince did fine his rookie year. Went to the Pro Bowl even.

But last year was different. Either someone convinced Vince, or Vince convinced himself, that he no longer wanted Vince to be Vince. Vince now wants to be drop back passing quarterback. Now the reasoning behind that might indeed be a valid one. If he remains a running style quarterback, statistics show he won't be around long in the NFL.

Problem is that, as a drop back passing quarterback, Vince isn't even a mediocre quarterback.

Vince didn't do fine his rookie year. He was terrible, and the only thing that was worse was the NFL's PR machine trying to create a new cash cow by putting him in the Pro Bowl. All they did was cheapen the meaning of the Pro Bowl forever.

[OzzO]

Originally Posted by Marcus

I just wish I did a screen print of the threads on this board a day after that 2006 draft, just to show what what some of you were saying then.

"I knew the Mario pick was the right one from the very beginning". ?????

Some of you "revisionist historians" ought to be jailed.

I didn't see the old draft threads in the draft section or archived, but if you REALLY want to relive that time - go back to around (currently) pages 300-315 in the Texans Talk section. I checked it out, and it was a good flashback of what was happening at that time. I'd link one - but there were about a zillion threads over and over and over (kudos to the mods that worked through that time).

Remember all the new trolls that infiltrated around that time - that's what your gonna see alot of. Funny thing is, quite a few that were leading the "OMG" threads - I don't see many of them posting here anymore. It's also around the same time of bringing on Sage and Demeco, among others, along with Casserly's last hurrah.

I'll admit - I was all into the Bush bowl and was thinking that would be the first pick, but I didn't go all psycho when we got Mario - I went the direction assuming "Kublak" (yeah, someone titled a thread spelled like that back around that same time) and his crew knew more what they were doing than Capers and since Casserly was on his way out....

Anyway - kudos to Mario. I like the players like that, keep your mouth shut - take what they say, and prove yourself by the actions on and off the field. Better for someone else to pat you on the back than to pat yourself... thanking teams that passed on you in the draft.

[Second Honeymoon]

Originally Posted by BattleRedToro

You forgot about Jay Cutler. I believe he has outperformed Vince Young, as well.

I don't think that is the case. Cutler has had a lot of talent around him and he has pretty much failed with the Broncos. He could be good and has an OUTSTANDING arm. great arm but I don't think he has shown much other than that. Coming out of Vanderbilt, I thought he would be a smart guy but he makes a lot of bad decisions.

anyone who says that Vince sucked his rookie year, just doesnt know football. Vince was an incredible playmaker his first year. He lost a little of that last year, but look at who he has around him...that's right. no one. That rookie guy made play after play late in the game. He took a team that was 0-3 and they went 8-5 the rest of the way with him. How does that suck? You woudl think that some of those that were so enamored by Carr's smile and stats would realize that its all about winning and making plays...not fantasy football stats, garbage time TDs, and completion %. VY had a miserable Week 17 in New England in his rookie year but if he wins that game he is 2-2 for the playoffs...and after all that is all that matters. Carr had decent stats and everyone now knows that dude sucked balls.

I understand where the VY hatred/ignorance comes from, but the guy is a good football player and he has already shown the ability to make plays....and that is what its all about. It's just so funny how a fanbase that was so blind to Carr sucking is so eager to say someone sucks after just 2 years....it took you 6 for Carr.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by BattleRedToro

Vince didn't do fine his rookie year. He was terrible, and the only thing that was worse was the NFL's PR machine trying to create a new cash cow by putting him in the Pro Bowl. All they did was cheapen the meaning of the Pro Bowl forever.

Ahhh, now you're letting your 'Vince hate' bias get the better of you. I'm no Vince fan by a long shot, but even I admit that he won those games with his feet the latter half of that season.

Last year, he decided that he wanted to win with his arm instead of his feet. He wants to be like Peyton or Brady.

[BattleRedToro]

Originally Posted by Marcus

Ahhh, now you're letting your 'Vince hate' bias get the better of you. I'm no Vince fan by a long shot, but even I admit that he won those games with his feet the latter half of that season.

Last year, he decided that he wanted to win with his arm instead of his feet. He wants to be like Peyton or Brady.

No, I believe he was statistically worse than many other QB's that were passed over for ProBowl consideration that year and he got far too much credit for winning games with his feet than he deserved. PacMan Jones and the Titans Defense won many of the games he was often credited for winning, in my opinion.

[ChampionTexan]

Originally Posted by Marcus

Last year, he decided that he wanted to win with his arm instead of his feet. He wants to be like Peyton or Brady.

Which could very well be his undoing.