TexanAddict
Texan 'til I Die
From Solomon's chron blog:
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I wasn't there, but sometimes in person what you see is not what actually happened. That's why after a game coaches always say, "I have to look at the film."
Well, that's what I did. I'd hoped to have an NFL coach or player check the film for me, but they are even busier in preseason than during the regular season, so you have to rely on my layman's observation, though I did talk to a defensive lineman about what I saw to see if it made sense. He said I sound on point generally, but he couldn't be sure unless he knew what was called on every play.
So here the Mario breakdown:
Play 1 - Quick three-step drop for Rex Grossman, running back popped down to double Mario, no chance of doing any damage. Just guessing here, but Mario also slowed to read the back, because if it were a handoff he was the only defender in the area.
Play 2 - Play-action with a seven-step drop gave Grossman extra time, but after initially honoring the fake, Mario ripped through a tackle-tight end double-team to pressure the QB.
Play 3 - Who the heck knows? By the time Ch. 13 got back to live action, Cedric Benson had broken a tackle (announcers say it was DeMeco Ryans) and been brought down on a run to the right.
Play 4 - Mario was one-on-one with a tackle (though the tight end probably missed a chip), initial outside move was thwarted and couldn't get free with inside adjustment. Tried to toss 315-pound John St. Clair to the side with a power swing (the move Reggie White made famous) but he didn't budge. Excellent footwork by St. Clair.
Play 5 - False start on the Bears. Mario might have caused it. We don't know because Ch. 13 didn't show the play. (Hey, it's preseason for TV too.)
Play 6 - Choppy three-step drop for Grossman. No chance for any pass rush from the outside.
Play 7 - Running play, where Mario had outside contain (particularly since C.C. Brown ran up out of position which could have led to a big play), and he locked up the tackle, forcing Benson back inside where Ryans dropped him for a two-yard loss.
Play 8 - Beat St. Clair with an outside rush, but it was too deep to get near Grossman's five-step drop, so St. Clair led him further wide.
Play 9 - Was making progress into the pocket when Grossman threw a dump-off on a quick read. Had Grossman even thought about his second option in stead of looking at the first and checking down, Williams would have gotten to him.
Play 10 - Quick penetration to the outside on a running play. His move opened a cutback hole for Benson, but Charlie Anderson was there and Dunta Robinson closed with authority.
Play 11 - Texans were preparing to bring a blitz, drew St. Clair offsides. Granted a couple of people moved, but if the guy in front of you jumps, you get credit for a nice play. Hooray Mario.
Play 12 - Wins race to the outside, forces Grossman to step up and dump off to Benson.
Play 13 (second series) - Mario slides left as if he read run, but it was a play fake and short throw to the fullback.
Play 14 - Held the point on an iso running play right at him, but couldn't shake free to make the tackle. 11-yard gain.
Play 15 - St. Clair did an excellent job of pass blocking on this one, and again, Grossman wasted little time checking down, though it appeared he did make two downfield reads before overthrowing Benson for his first incompletion.
Play 16 - Mario read run, and he was right, but he jumped away from the point of attack - something that at times is strategy, but more likely a bad habit created by his ability to chase ball-carriers downfield. (That's why you so often see him arriving on the scene in the secondary after a tackle has been made.) I'll have to ask Texans coaches if it's a problem. Surely there are times Mario is supposed to peel off, but many times he seems to do so because he is waiting for something to happen instead of making it happen.
Play 17 - If Mario had been setting St. Clair up for an out-and-up move, this was the time to whip it out, but he stayed outside on Grossman's five-step drop until a desperation spin as the ball was being thrown. This is what will determine if Mario will either become a stud or just decent. He has to develop a sense of what to do and when to do it. He'd gone outside almost exclusively to this point, so much so that St. Clair instantly dropped back to protect against the outside rush. Mario had St. Clair sliding almost off-balance to his left, yet still chose to go the long way around. He didn't get there.
...Texans' coaches say Williams played OK, and he did. They don't seem to upset that Mario won't make the preseason Pro Bowl.
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