One point worth mentioning–the marketing impact of Reggie Bush. Mario Williams has been a nice player, but the Texans have not been able to build season ticket campaigns and jersey sales around Williams the way they could have around Bush. Also, despite Steve Slaton’s 2008 numbers, by and large the RB position has been a large void in the Texans offense.
While substance over style might have translated to a slightly better team on the field (a point which is highly specious given the different impacts of a RB/RET vs. DL), off the field, quite the opposite is the case. The Texans missed out on a chance to increase their revenue streams by latching on to Reggie Bush and promoting him as the face of the franchise. Instead, Williams is at best the fifth most recognized player in Houston (Johnson, Schaub, Cushing, Slaton/Daniels/Walters).