Texans_Chick
Utopian Dreamer
From the Hartford Courant:
Newsflash: Sean Salisbury is an idiot. You can make the case that Bush is a great player but his comments on this subject are, well moronic.
Look at the Texans," said ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth, a former NFL offensive lineman. "I saw a team before the draft that had a very weak core on defense and the offensive line. I talked to [Texans coach] Gary Kubiak before the draft and he told me that it wouldn't have mattered if they took three Reggie Bushs if they didn't do something to fix the core because they'd never be able to deploy them."
So the Texans defied conventional wisdom and didn't take Bush. They followed their instinct and organizational blueprint, which indicated the way to improve was from the inside out.
"If all I was interested in was selling tickets, my first choice would have been Vince Young [the Texas quarterback]," Texans owner Bob McNair said this summer. "And our fans would have been thrilled with Reggie Bush. But here's how I look at it: For us to make the playoffs, we first have to beat Indianapolis. And the only way to beat Indy is to put pressure on Peyton Manning."
Their solution was Mario Williams, a sack master from N.C. State whom the Texans felt would eventually help repair their competitive disadvantage against the Colts, who have beaten them eight straight times by an average of 15.5 points.
Williams, 6 feet 7, 294 pounds, is fast (4.73 40-yard dash), strong (35 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press) and projected at right end in Houston's new 4-3 defense.
"You build your team to try to be the best you can in your division," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.
Not everyone agrees.
"The best way to beat the Colts is to outscore them," ESPN's Sean Salisbury said. "You are not going to stop them. Look, I love Charley Casserly [former GM of the Texans]. But I'm also part of the conspiracy theory that believes the NFL needed Reggie Bush to be in New Orleans and there's a reason why Charley left the Texans a couple weeks after [making the pick]. Truth is the Texans left the best player on the board.
"Bush is a great football player. Will Mario Williams be great? He may. But if you talk about everything that goes into a franchise, making your team better, ticket sales ... I'm telling you they left the best guy out there."
The Texans do not agree and much of their ambivalence about the criticism is rooted in the philosophy that Kubiak, longtime offensive coordinator of the Broncos, brought with him Jan. 26 when he was hired to replace Dom Capers.
"There's one thing to remember about where Gary Kubiak comes from," Schlereth said. "The Broncos have the belief - you can call it arrogance if you want - that you can plug anyone in and get a 1,200-yard back.
Newsflash: Sean Salisbury is an idiot. You can make the case that Bush is a great player but his comments on this subject are, well moronic.