John Lopez is a putz

[Double Barrel]

There were a lot of Mario jerseys at the Texans preseason opener, I agree. People in Houston want him to succeed, and are pulling for him. That doesn't necessarily mean that everyone thinks it was a better idea to take him over Bush. And it doesn't mean that the majority of NFL football fans think it was a better idea either.

I don't disagree with you that a lot of folks thought picking RB was a better choice. But most of those folks have gotten over the decision and moved on. It's been 4 months already and no amount of moaning and groaning will change what is.

And honestly, I could care less what the rest of the NFL thinks of us, same as they could care less what I think of their teams.

As for the defensive line, they had already signed Weaver and were converting to a 4-3 where some of the other players could re-adjust from other positions to their native positions on the line. But at RB, they knew about Davis' knee before the draft and knew they were going in with nothing. They took Wali Lundy and are trying out him, Morency, and two undrafted rookie free agents for arguably the most important position on offense. That can be considered by some as a mistake, or by others as a correct move. I think most have the former view.

And guys, you just aren't getting my point about Bush's big-play ability - no, he's not going to do that on every play. But the thing is, he can eke out three and four yards just like Lundy. But he can be a gamebreaker too. Plus, he can line up at wideout without problems, and with all the motion out of the backfield from the Chiefs game, that would've been a plus too, with him, AJ, and Moulds.

These are valid points, and can be understood from a variety of perspectives.

Obviously Coach Kubiak didn't think just adding Weaver was enough to improve our d-line. And it's also obvious that Kubiak - an offensive minded coach - was not so impressed with Bush that he felt it was a no-brainer pick. I honestly believe that he comes from a franchise that has proven - time and time again - that good backs can be made from middle round picks, and this is his perspective.

As has been mentioned, control the line = control the game (Football 101). This choice of Williams over Bush indicates this is Kubiak's mentality, as well. Bring in Flanagan at center, and hire Sherman to teach these guys how to block. Offensive line, check. Then bring in Weaver and pick Williams to give our d-line a much needed boost.

I'm not a Bush (the player) basher. Dude is going to be a human highlight reel, and I honestly look forward to watching him develop (as well as his ESPN highlights). I might be more skeptical about Bush the person, but that's a different story for another day.

But you can score all the points in the world, and if your defense can't stop the other team, then you've got to have a philosophy of outscoring opponents. But this is a dangerous course, because you rely solely on your offense to always be on. By building a solid defense, it takes pressure away from the offense to have to win games by their lonesome.

My main point is, Lopez isn't off-base in his article. He's speaking what a lot of people are thinking.

You know, you're right....if this article had been written four months ago!

Lopez just seems like he's run out of ideas, and has to take issue with something that has been discussed ad naseum for months now. Why not go back and gripe about the Astros letting Nolen Ryan go? Or gripe about the Rockets picking Hakeem over Jordan? It's all the past to me, and serves absolutely no purpose to cry over spilt milk.

 

[da.texans]

Its hard to get over Bush because:

1. Mario hasn't show anything

2. VY and Bush have looked good (with Bush lookin really good)

3. DD is probably never coming back as the same person before his injury (thank god we drafted Lundy!!)

4. Texans went against the adage of drafting the BEST player and lets face it Williams, at this point, looks like the second coming of Courtney Brown

I can say, just from the first game observation, that this years draft will probably turn out to be the best draft in franchise history. Only time will tell if Mario will be included as a reason for saying that.

U are freaking Kidding me right????at this point???first preseason game of his rookie years playing only a first quarter and u calling him abust????/get real man.......

 

[joetexan]

profootballtalk.com and SI's Don Banks both have articles/mentions on Bush/Mario today. So I think it's something that is still resonating with a lot of people, and will do so especially as the season nears.

I also think that based on what I've seen, Mario is probably a better person than Bush is. I'll definitely give you that.

But, I think that Kubiak with Bush would be a very explosive offense, along with a shored-up defense with Weaver and the 4-3 change (including DeMeco, who I think will win Defensive Rookie of the Year...).

And I agree to a certain extent that "control the line, control the game" applies, BUT...you've got to also be able to run the ball and score some points.

I think what it comes down to is, hype aside, if we had taken Bush, would we be worried about depth on the defensive line? I think not.

 

[Vinny]

U are freaking Kidding me right????at this point???first preseason game of his rookie years playing only a first quarter and u calling him abust????/get real man.......

It's amazing how Carr gets 5 years and some give Mario 11 snaps.

 

[Battle Red Flash]

If they would have put more iron in the hull of the Titanic .

What a moron ... .

You are right about that.

 

[Texan Gal 312]

He's already been justified. Coach Kubiak wanted him over Bush. Do any of you really think you're smarter or know more about football than Kubiak? Give me a break.

We needed BOTH positions filled. Acting like our d-line was not a priority is looking at this team with blinders on. When was the last time we put pressure on an opposing QB?! When did we ever have a pass rush for that matter? How about our run stopping?!

We've had adequate runners, even on a sorry arse team. But we've NEVER had a d-line worth squat. Give me dominant defense any day over a flashy individual player. Guess which one is more apt to take a team to a winning season?

EXACTLY -- And count me in as a member of "vast minority" or is it the "Silent Majority" ?

 

[da.texans]

Sorry, guys - I didn't see anything in the Lopez piece that qualifies him as a putz or a moron or a schmuck. People who think the Texans did the right thing in taking Mario are in the vast minority. Lopez makes some very valid points, which culminate in the 900-pound gorilla in the room:

The Texans Need a Running Back.

And, let's not kid ourselves here - Bush did make a lot of fast guys look real slow last week. He ran decisively and, even if he did average 3 yards per carry on the other carries, he has the potential to do what he did on that 44-yard run on every single play he touches the ball.

Mario has been recognized for three things to date:
1. Being the top overall pick
2. Having really bad toenails
3. Getting put on his back by Kyle Turley

The guy needs to really be something to justify passing on Bush. And the Kubiak system needs to really be something, for the same reason. Otherwise, the Texans will look more ridiculous than ever for passing on Bush. That's not just the opinions of the national media - that's people I know who are and are not Texans fans, but who watch football and dislike the national media. That opinion is the majority.

And no, the debate is nowhere near over. Mario over Bush might have been the biggest shock in NFL draft history. It won't just go away in five months time.

Your right the texans need a running back...... Not A 56 Millions Running back. Lundy,morency or who ever we will bring in via FA with much cheaper price could solve the problem and uh.....one last time R BUSH RUNNING STYLE DOESN'T FIT COACH K RUNNING STYLE

 

[Vinny]

having a back with a cap hit of 9 mil a year is not something you need to have in this offense. Look at Denver and what they did when Portis was in a position to bang their cap with a massive hit...they got rid of him and didn't miss a beat. No doubt Portis is a great back, but Denver didn't miss him and had money to upgrade their team in other areas.

 

[da.texans]

having a back with a cap hit of 9 mil a year is not something you need to have in this offense. Look at Denver and what they did when Portis was in a position to bang their cap with a massive hit...they got rid of him and didn't miss a beat. No doubt Portis is a great back, but Denver didn't miss him and had money to upgrade their team in other areas.

That exactly what i'm talking about. In coach Kubiak system (AKA Denver System) you don't need a 60 Millions running back. And if you still Love BUSH so much please Join the Aint fan base and stop posting on this board. Why stick around with the texans when u don't like them????

 

[Honoring Earl 34]

The thing that really gets my goat is bringing this up in the paper again . I want to read about the team . If they wrote about VY thats fine he's a local kid but writing about Reggie is stirring the pot .

I must go and find a live chicken for a voodoo ritual so Mario gets 2 sacks tommorrow night .

 

[Double Barrel]

profootballtalk.com and SI's Don Banks both have articles/mentions on Bush/Mario today. So I think it's something that is still resonating with a lot of people, and will do so especially as the season nears..

Well, we can see it one of two ways: still resonating with people, or writers that have run out of ideas.

It's the beginning of football season! There is so much to discuss on a national level with 32 teams that beating up on a 2-14 Texans team shouldn't even be a consideration. It's lazy journalism, IMO.

(I'm not down on you, joetexan, but we've just had this exact same debate for four months in the forum now.)

I also think that based on what I've seen, Mario is probably a better person than Bush is. I'll definitely give you that.

Character has always been a consideration on this team, so it could have been a deciding factor behind the scenes.

But, I think that Kubiak with Bush would be a very explosive offense, along with a shored-up defense with Weaver and the 4-3 change (including DeMeco, who I think will win Defensive Rookie of the Year...).

I agree, it could have been something to watch. I admit that I was looking forward to seeing Bush in action, even though I was a trade down/defensive pick fan.

And I agree to a certain extent that "control the line, control the game" applies, BUT...you've got to also be able to run the ball and score some points.

I think what it comes down to is, hype aside, if we had taken Bush, would we be worried about depth on the defensive line? I think not.

This is true, but who do you want on your team: the Colts 2005 offense or the Steelers 2005 defense? (and remember who won that battle for the AFC Championship, too)

With regards to our d-line, we shall see. It was in shambles, and the only true veteran (even now) is Weaver. TJ is still in training, Williams is a rookie, and Peek/Babin were LBs last year. I can't say with any certainty that we would not have been worried, considering we were the 31st ranked defense last year.

 

[Hervoyel]

Bad teams get lousy coverage, even locally. The Texans have been a bad team so nobody's spending any time looking hard at them to try and find truly interesting angles to write about. Reggie Bush/Mario Williams is the most recent "noteworthy" topic that the Texans have been involved with according to many sports writers. None of them are going to leave at least a passing reference to that out of their stories.

Porky is right, this debate is just beginning and we'll be hearing about this every time Bush has a big game, Mario has a big game, Bush has a bad game, or Mario has a bad game for at least another 2-3 years.

I thought the Lopez article had some good stuff in it but the general direction was irritating to me because I'm tired of reading about the Bush/Williams "thing". I think it just looks silly to be writing a chicken little'ish article about our running backs when we're coming off of a 173 yard effort. If we do something similar tomorrow against St Louis then it will look even more out of touch.

We have four young men in camp (Morency, Lundy, Taylor, and Rhodes) who appear more than capable of filling the role until Domanick Davis comes back or until the end of the season, whichever comes first.

The last think I'm worried about is our running game. The last thing I want to read about is the Saints running game and how it could be ours. We'll be fine, Reggie will be fine, and Mario will be fine.

 

[HOU-TEX]

Bad teams get lousy coverage, even locally. The Texans have been a bad team so nobody's spending any time looking hard at them to try and find truly interesting angles to write about. Reggie Bush/Mario Williams is the most recent "noteworthy" topic that the Texans have been involved with according to many sports writers. None of them are going to leave at least a passing reference to that out of their stories.

Porky is right, this debate is just beginning and we'll be hearing about this every time Bush has a big game, Mario has a big game, Bush has a bad game, or Mario has a bad game for at least another 2-3 years.

I thought the Lopez article had some good stuff in it but the general direction was irritating to me because I'm tired of reading about the Bush/Williams "thing". I think it just looks silly to be writing a chicken little'ish article about our running backs when we're coming off of a 173 yard effort. If we do something similar tomorrow against St Louis then it will look even more out of touch.

We have four young men in camp (Morency, Lundy, Taylor, and Rhodes) who appear more than capable of filling the role until Domanick Davis comes back or until the end of the season, whichever comes first.

The last think I'm worried about is our running game. The last thing I want to read about is the Saints running game and how it could be ours. We'll be fine, Reggie will be fine, and Mario will be fine.

Ditto! I don't think the whole situation can be explained any better than this.:bananasplit:

 

[Double Barrel]

Good post, Herv. One of your posts covers everything (as always).

 

[cred]

I am curious to see if anyone has wrote him a letter. I ask this because I did, and here is what I said.


I am just curious, you do realize that Bush is not with the texans, right. Here it has been months since the draft and you are trying to bring up controversy. Personally I don't care what Bush does, why? Because he is not a texan. I am a texan fan, even while in the military here in Ft. Benning, GA. Is there a possibility that Bush will be a great running back, yes. Is there also a chance that he may be a bust or get hurt? yes. Is there a chance that Mario Williams will be a bust? Yes. Is there a possibility that Williams will be superb player worthy of the first overall pick and perennial pro-bowler? yes. This is the NFL a "professional" football organization where nothing is guaranteed, year in and year out. I do not wish anything on Reggie Bush, but I am a little curious what you and the rest of the media types would say to a career ending injury in his first year? So how about you being a little more "professional" and report on what we do have and not on what we don't.

----------end-------------------------------------------------------------

Now I can understand the theory behind the debate, but personally I would leave that up to the "national media", not the local houston media. I want to here about the stuff we are doing (good or bad), not what could, would, or should have been.

just my

 

[HomeBred_Texan]

Well I got also.

While I did want us to get Reggie Bush, but we didn't, I got over it. I also wanted us to get De'Angelo Williams from Memphis, and we didn't. I got over it. So no matter what I want, or who we get, I will get over it. When the time comes and I can't get over it, I will not renew my season tickets. And that my friends isn't going to happen until I am in a coma or dead.

As I have said before, Bush may be a great back, a good back, or a total bust. No one knows that answer right now. Nor do we know how Mario is going to turn out. I put absoulutely no stock in the 1st pre-season game. Them kids were all nervous and did not know what to expect on the field in front of a huge audience. I always look at it like this,

If this year sucks, then there is always next year. There are going to be some hit and miss kids in that draft as well and we will be sitting here 1 year from today having this same debate over that draft. We should have taken Quinn, no we should have taken Peterson, no we should have taken an OL, no we should have taken a DB, and on and on. That is what makes America great, we all have 2 things, an opinion, and a buttock........:bananasplit:

 

[threetoedpete]

If they would have put more iron in the hull of the Titanic .

The draft is over fool ... why do we still read this crap when I want to know how the Spencer vs Wand battles going or hows Bennie doing at FB . I don't want to read about Reggie freakin Bush .

Please Houston Chronicle send Mr. Lopez to report at Gulf Greyhound Park . He can then go around to the folks who are tearing up their tickets and tell them who they should have picked .

What a moron ... I got to tell you I was'nt expecting a Reggie Bush story the day before a game ... I got it . John start writing about taking Adrian Peterson next year .

LOL, you KNEW that chibcha was going to run over as fast as he could as soon as soccer season was over, and raise his leg on our fire hydrant and let go.

That's his job. Throw fecal mater to the wall and let it splater where it will. Stop reading him.

 

[NoBullTexan]

For you Porky! Only for you!

 

[cbnjwill]

ok but do we need a $60 million dollar defensive end?

 

[Doug]

I don't mean to sound like an idiot but what article is everyone talking about? I didn't see a link or anything.

 

[Texans_Chick]

Well, we can see it one of two ways: still resonating with people, or writers that have run out of ideas.

My theory.

What most people know about the Texans is that last year they sucked and they passed Reggie Bush.

And the preseason game picked that scab again.

And the first AP article out there on the Texans played up the Mario was forgettable angle first. So there was more piling on about that.

If you listened to the Justice/McClain recent audio thing, they seemed to be imploring people to be patient.

But who can be patient when all the predraft hype was all Bush/VY, that the local and national people said it was stupid, and 99.999% of people don't know squat about Mario.

I know that there is no good in depth articles on Mario anywhere because I've read every blasted one of them, and felt compelled to write my own. And I am still a voice out there in the wilderness if you look for articles on Mario. If someone who researches him has a hard time finding good info on him, then what will the fan that is spoonfed everything by ESPN think?