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Michael Smith "Williams right fit for Texans"

D-Rob23

D-Rob23

Waterboy
Williams right fit for Texans

By Michael Smith
ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/columns/story?columnist=smith_michael&id=2426963


Mario goes to Houston
If you read my column last Monday, then you already know my feelings -- and obviously the Texans felt the same way -- about Houston taking Mario Williams over USC's Reggie Bush. So the only thing that surprises me is that more people don't agree.

I guess people are just having a hard time comprehending how the Texans could take a player most fans and many in the media (including myself, in all honesty) never had heard of before the scouting combine over one who we had watched in amazement for two years. Nobody seemed to believe Houston, but it's obvious now that the Texans were serious about going one way or the other.

They went the right way.

It's not about Williams being a better player than Bush. That's debatable. It's about who's better for the Texans. That's been my point all draft week. It's about the more valuable, more impact position -- defensive end. It's about having a potentially explosive offense or a competitive defense. Houston gave up the most points in the league last year. Opposing quarterbacks put up MVP-type numbers against Houston: 65 percent, 24 touchdowns, seven interceptions, a 100.0 efficiency rating. Unless Bush was going to play cornerback, too, he wouldn't have helped the Texans in that department. And thus he wouldn't have helped Houston add a Super Bowl championship to the national title the state's university won this year anytime soon, because defense wins ... well, you know.
 
Houston never has beaten Indianapolis in eight tries. If the Texans are to ever overtake the Colts they have to start harassing Peyton Manning the way the Chargers, Patriots, and Steelers do. And now the Texans have to deal with Vince Young in the division. They see Byron Leftwich twice a year. Williams made more sense.

And while we're on the subject of cents (and dollars), believe me when I tell you that Williams over Bush was not a financial decision, either. Take that back, finances had a little something to do with it. The Texans had reservations about paying $9 million a year to a player who they weren't certain was going to carry the ball more than 15 times a game. Sure when he's on the field he has to be accounted for but, in Houston's mind, it's questionable accounting to invest so much in a player out of whom a team may get the most if his touches are limited. We'll soon see. And don't think the Texans didn't notice Bush standing on the sideline at key moments of the Rose Bowl.

Back to Williams. A lot of people like to point out that all but one of his 14½ sacks came in NC State's first four games and that he had a sack in only 16 of his 36 collegiate games. Well, how many players have a sack in every game? Production by an end can't always be measured in sacks. The Texans studied the film and saw how often Williams pressured the quarterback out of the pocket or drew double teams and extra attention or penetrated the backfield (52 tackles for loss along with 25½ sacks in his career). The Texans didn't have a defensive player that teams feared, and Williams' presence should make not just Houston's defensive line but also its young secondary better.

Saturday's winners

We won't really know for several years but these are the teams I think did well for themselves Saturday:

1. Houston: Generally, good defenses have a fearsome front-seven defender. The Texans got theirs in Mario Williams. And they get the linebacker help they desperately needed in Alabama's DeMeco Ryans.
 
Casserley, McNair and Kubiar are freaking morons for not picking Bush and of that there can be no denial. Mario was a workout warrior ala Babin who didnt produce in the big games and was inconsistent. That coupled with the fact that he was teamed with 2 other 1st round Defensive Lineman show that he was arguably not even the best DL on his own team much less the best player in the draft. However, Bush's scandal and his unwillingness to make a deal made the organization go with Mario. I think this was a blatant mistake and once Bush was not a possibility they should have traded down to #4 or #5 and gotten either D'Brickashaw or Hawk.

They didnt maximize the value of their first pick and put more pressure on a #1 pick than you could ever imagine. If MW isnt the next coming of Freeney or Lawrence Taylor this pick will go down as a failure.

HOWEVER, the Texans drafting in rounds 2 and 3 were brilliant and their patience was rewarded with 2 1st round quality Offensive Lineman. Winston is the best OL we have ever drafted and that made me smile. Ryans was considered a possibly top 10-15 choice at the end of the season and both the OL were great value picks. I wish they could have found a way to get Griffin but still we did really well with our other picks after #1.

Kubiak better start winning games though and Williams better look good because McNair and Co just succeeded in kicking a whole fanbase in the cajones (balls).

Take care everyone and I support Mario now that he is a Texan but anyone that says we did a good job picking a workout warrior with the #1 pick is an unequivocal homer and in complete denial.

Imagine the same draft with AJ Hawk or DBrick instead of Mario plus another 3rd round pick this year and another 1st round next year.....that could have been made to happen with a little patience and less of a vanguard mindset by the powers that be....

Doug from The Woodlands
 
Snapple said:
So, because one writer likes the Mario pick, he must be right, and the 1000 other writers must be wrong.
Click to expand...

no, but it doesn't mean he's wrong and the 1000 other writers are right either because, guess what, nobody knows- if everybody knew the right and wrong picks- we'd have no ryan leaf's etc or no tom brady's. you think kubiak and co. found it easy not to pick the near un-animous #1....

no, they knew it was a risk and they would have to live by the consequences but they felt they were making the right decision for this football team- and you have to admit they may know more about that than some talking heads that probably only look at texans' game's box scores every year
 
THANK YOU!!!

How many DEs are drafted that avg a sack a game?? Seldom any. Look at Dwight Freeney, arguably the best pass rush DE in the league. He came out as highly heralded as Mario Williams.......here are his game by game stats:

He was consistent his SR year, 2 sacks in 7 games, 1 sack in 3 games, and vs Pitt and Miami, he combined for 3 tckls and 4 QB hurries (no saacks or TFL).

Mario Williams dominated several of his games.

Here is how his 2005 season broke down by game:

VaTech: 4 tckls, 1 PBU
EastKY: 1 Tckl, 1/2 TFL, FR, 1 Block, 1 QBH
UNC: 5 Tkls, 2 TFL, 1 sack
GaTech: 2 TKL
Clemson: 4 TKL, 1 TFL, 2 QBH
Wake Forest: 5 TKL, 4 TFL, 3 sacks
SoMiss: 11 TKL, 6 TFL, 4 sacks, 7 QBH
FSU: 3 TKL, 1/2 TFL, 1/2 Sack
Boston College: 4 Tkl
MTSU: 8 Tkl, 3 TFL, 1 sack, 1 QBH
Maryland: 8 TKL, 5 TFL, FF, 4 sacks, 2 QBH
*USF: 7 Tkl, 4 TFL, 1 PBU, 1.5 sacks

* Bowl game
 
MikeMc said:
THANK YOU!!!

How many DEs are drafted that avg a sack a game?? Seldom any. Look at Dwight Freeney, arguably the best pass rush DE in the league. He came out as highly heralded as Mario Williams.......here are his game by game stats:

He was consistent his SR year, 2 sacks in 7 games, 1 sack in 3 games, and vs Pitt and Miami, he combined for 3 tckls and 4 QB hurries (no saacks or TFL).

Mario Williams dominated several of his games.

Here is how his 2005 season broke down by game:

VaTech: 4 tckls, 1 PBU
EastKY: 1 Tckl, 1/2 TFL, FR, 1 Block, 1 QBH
UNC: 5 Tkls, 2 TFL, 1 sack
GaTech: 2 TKL
Clemson: 4 TKL, 1 TFL, 2 QBH
Wake Forest: 5 TKL, 4 TFL, 3 sacks
SoMiss: 11 TKL, 6 TFL, 4 sacks, 7 QBH
FSU: 3 TKL, 1/2 TFL, 1/2 Sack
Boston College: 4 Tkl
MTSU: 8 Tkl, 3 TFL, 1 sack, 1 QBH
Maryland: 8 TKL, 5 TFL, FF, 4 sacks, 2 QBH
*USF: 7 Tkl, 4 TFL, 1 PBU, 1.5 sacks

* Bowl game
Click to expand...

He racks up tackles as well i read that he had 57 tackles for loss.


Can u imagine him decking Vince Young to the ground one sunday and tackling Reggie in the backfield. Not to mention the fact that with Mario and Travis Johnson and Weaver our linebackers will be free to drop back and protect against the pass and not have to worry about the run so much.

Although i wanted Bush like the rest of us im not angry about them not picking him but im optimistic about this team now.
 
You can't compare Freeney and Williams.

Freeney is a speed rusher only, he is a non factor in the run game.

Williams is a well rounded end who will stuff the run and pressure the QB.

He is a complete package. :drool:
 
You know whats funny....is that if you go to any other NFL teams message boards or NFL message boards and everyone is giving us rave reviews on our draft. Sure, they are still saying "how can you pass on a player like Reggie Bush"....but then come to realize that our glaring needs were filled today.

Things will be fine everyone. I for one was on the Bush bandwagon...and was extremely upset. Now the only thing I'm upset about now is all the people that keep calling me or want to talk about it. Its done...so its time to move on an embrace our new Texan.
 
[[Gary Kubiak]] said:
That in itself is Amazing. This guy has amazing control, even if he is going full bore. You saw him run at the combine, pure awsome!
Click to expand...
Mario Williams is only 20 years old, I think he's going to be a force.
 
HoneymoonIsOver said:
Kubiak better start winning games though and Williams better look good because McNair and Co just succeeded in kicking a whole fanbase in the cajones (balls).
Click to expand...

Mario, Weaver/Payne, Robair/TJ, Babin/Peak....... we've put Mario in the same situation he was in at NC State. He will poduce. He will play every down..... he does for our D, what Reggie will do for N.O. offense.

Offensively, I think we stack up pretty well with N.O. on paper..... however successful N.O.'s offense will be with Reggie, I think will be a good gage to what might have been here in Houston. so we'll see.

N.O. has a better Defense than we had in 2005, I can't see how that can be denied. When we've got to play Leftwhich, Manning, and McNair/Vince twice every year..... it makes more sense for us to take Mario.

If you would have been happy with the trade down senarios we entertained, I don't see how you canbe upset with the pick. It made sense to trade down, and fix the team....... it makes just as much sense to fix the team if we couldn't get the value we deserved.........

I'll admit, we played the whole poker thing all wrong...... we should have traded down, and grabed Mario/D'brick, and picked up extra first day picks. That didn't happen, but in no way changes the obligation for the FO to do the right thing.

We've got a team that can score 30+ on any given Sunday, you're blind if you can't see that..... we were last against the run........ second to last against the pass, last again(I think) in turnovers......... all that has changed.

If you're a PSL holder, thinking about selling, I think you should hold on two more years.... sell your tickets if you want, someone will appreciate it. But once we start knocking on that play-off door, the value of your PSL is going to sky rocket, and if we can keep that up for years(which a strong defense gaurantees more than a Reggie Bush(SD) or a Vince Young(Atlanta)).

This is the beginning of something special. Alot of the "experts" are going to be crawfish'n come week 8........ I'm calling it now, write it down.
 
Man you stole my Thunder :yahoo: . I've never seen a big man with the measurables as Mario . I think Mario will hit his peek in 3 years and sustain this into his 30's .:superman:

Bush has had great coaching , great players around him , and was hyped to you wanted to hurl . It seems he has peeked and in New Orleans he want be part of a offensive machine .
 
I was in the trade down camp, yet I can't imagine what would have happened if we in fact traded down.. say we traded with the jets

Jets get Bush
Saints would have gotten Mario
Titans would still have gotten VY

here we sit... D'brickack at 4? well that changes our 3rd rounders because we wouldn't have needed Winston.

hindsight is 20/20 huh
 
I was all for Bush... well, I started wavering when all this ganstalicious, NCAA violation stuff started getting deeper and deeper.

I like the Williams pick. I can't bring myself to complain when a team finally gets fundamental by going after the big uglies. This team needed an elite talent on the line. Now they have one. His versatility will allow the DC to get crazy creative with the stunts and blitzes. On top of it, the dude hasn't gotten the best coaching in the world. He has a lot of potential -- that is not to say he isn't good right now, cause he is. By adding Ryans, the team now has a top talent/leader at each level of the defense. Folks, we might as well start thinking of nicknames for this defense right now. After getting a year to gel (and add some more pieces), these guys are gonna take off.

This has been a fundamental football draft. Kubiak is making it clear that the line of scrimmage is where the action is at. I still can't beleive both Winston AND Spencer were there at the top of the 3rd. The Texans had a hell of a first day.
 
Snapple said:
So, because one writer likes the Mario pick, he must be right, and the 1000 other writers must be wrong.
Click to expand...

Because "1000" writers have never been wrong about anything. Because the majority opinion is always right. Whatever.

Seriously, I expected this backlash and I expect to read about it for the next few weeks and pretty much anytime Bush scores a TD next year, or if, God forbid, Mario Williams goes an entire series - let alone a game - without a sack. I too very much liked Reggie Bush, but for a long time now I have been saying that Mario Williams is simply the better fit for this team. He brings extreme talent and playmaking ability to a position that needed it far more than running back on this roster. Our defense was ranked dead last against the pass last year and I lost track of how many novice to downright bad QBs we made look like Pro Bowlers. Equal parts Fangio's playcalling and the fact that we had absolutely no one outside of Dunta Robinson that you had to gameplan for. Mario Williams is a guy you gameplan for. He will command extra protection, do worlds for our pass rush, and contribute in turnover production. When a quarterback has less time to throw, it makes your DBs' jobs easier and makes them look better in the process. Trust me, Dunta Robinson is not upset about this pick. He probably slept well last night knowing that he would no longer be required to cover a WR for 5-6 seconds on every play.

This certainly isn't the first and will not be the last time a coaching staff/ GM has made a then unpopular decision, while going on to later be vindicated by history.

And New Orleans? Damn, Reggie. I wish him the greatest success and hope he has a great NFL career, but quote me when I say, Reggie Bush is going to look very mortal playing for the Saints. Their coaching and ownership is a total joke (sickens me when people blithely deride McNair: you have no idea what bad ownership is) and even if Reggie puts up 1,600 yards next year (personally I project him at about 1,200) ... let's wait and see what a big "difference" that is going to make in the W column.

I am glad to see Michael Smith supporting this pick.
 
Craig Mortenson likes the pick also as does "Stink" and a few others that understand (as they said in the Denver Post sport section) "it wasn't the sexy pick, but it was the right pick" for the Texans.
 
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