Mario Williams agrees to contract with Texans, will go #1 overall...

[jAZ]

ESPN just reported this "breaking" news. I didn't see a thread, sorry if it's a dupe.

[Jim Jones]

HE's not all hype...he has alot of talent, but i havent seen anything to prove that he can carry the load in the NFL. If he couldnt carry the load in the NCAA, how in the hell is he going to carry a team against paid professionals? It doesnt click in my mind, I could be horribly...horribly wrong, time will tell.

Who ever said he CAN'T?

He just didn't because when you have two elite RB's, especially ones who combined give you an amazing speed/power tandem, it makes sense to play both, doesn't it?

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by beer bacon

Drafting Mario is better for winning football games, but not drafting Bush could get Houston burnt to the ground. If Houston drafts a good tackle and interior O-linemen with their 2nd and third round pick they could be much better next season.

They already have a good running back, but it doesn't matter how good the back is if he can't take two steps with the ball without getting smothered by defenders. Bush probably would have put up pretty mediocre stats behind that line. Even if he did put up good stats, does anyone remember Tomlinson in 2002-2003? He was one of the top three backs both those seasons, but the team was still horrible.

Houston is already pretty decent at the offensive skill positions with Davis, Carr, and Johnson. An O-line that can actually block and a defense that can actually stop somebody will do much more towards making Houston into a competitive team then Bush would have.

I refer to my prior statement. Williams has been hyped up just as much as Bush the last two weeks. He may be a consistent 10 sack guy in the league, but he's not going to be a franchise left tackle, like tha' brick, and he's not going to get you some more draft picks, like dropping down to 4 and picking tha' brick would have. This is the worst kind of football move, it's cheap and stupid all the while thinking that it's actually smart. If you wanted to really be clever you should have traded down and takent the guy who can actually save the ass of your 'franchise' qb.

[chubychecker]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

I refer to my prior statement. Williams has been hyped up just as much as Bush the last two weeks. He may be a consistent 10 sack guy in the league, but he's not going to be a franchise left tackle, like tha' brick, and he's not going to get you some more draft picks, like dropping down to 4 and picking tha' brick would have. This is the worst kind of football move, it's cheap and stupid all the while thinking that it's actually smart. If you wanted to really be clever you should have traded down and takent the guy who can actually save the ass of your 'franchise' qb.

Can't disagree with you there. Oline is still unerrated. brick is an all pro two years from now and will be for another ten years. He could be the cornerstone to a program.

[beer bacon]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

I refer to my prior statement. Williams has been hyped up just as much as Bush the last two weeks. He may be a consistent 10 sack guy in the league, but he's not going to be a franchise left tackle, like tha' brick, and he's not going to get you some more draft picks, like dropping down to 4 and picking tha' brick would have. This is the worst kind of football move, it's cheap and stupid all the while thinking that it's actually smart. If you wanted to really be clever you should have traded down and takent the guy who can actually save the ass of your 'franchise' qb.

I see Mario more as a Richard Seymour then anything else. He may not be posting 15+ sacks every season, but he will always be a good pass rush threat against any team because of his combination of size and speed. He is also big and versatile enough to move in and play DT in the 4-3 or DE in the 3-4. He is the type of player you can build a defense around.

Also, while I don't think taking Mario is a bad decision, I definately think taking Brick would have made a ton of sense as well. While Brick isn't an extraordinary run blocker, he is a superb pass blocker and may have actually allowed Carr to actually hold the ball for longer then 1.5 seconds every once in a while. Mario is on a level all his own this draft as far as DEs go, but I think the calibur of OTs that will be left at 42 is much higher then the DEs that will still be around.

My point is that if they focus on the O-line for the rest of the fist day, they can still do a lot towards having an actual NFL calibur O-line, while still having Mario to build their defense around.

[tk13]

Harsh.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...e/3828722.html

[Miles]

Originally Posted by tk13

Harsh.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...e/3828722.html

I was wondering when the reaction from the Chronicle would make it out tonight. Its going to definitly be a rough public relations situation for the team.

[Ultra Peanut]

Bush is a ridiculous athlete, but I can't say he's the ONLY person they should consider. I really like the idea of trading down for D'Brickashaw, in all honesty.

Picking Williams at #1 seems like a bad move in comparison, though.

[beer bacon]

So is Houston mad that McNair didn't make the Carl Peterson move and decid that asses in the seats are more important then Ws in the left column?

If Houston fans/media are really putting that much stock in a player that is "exciting" and "interesting to watch" then they should have just traded their #1 pick for Michael Vick. I am sure he would put plenty of asses in the seats. There isn't an exact parallel between Vick and Bush, because Bush on a team like the Panthers or Broncos would be a gigantic boost capable of making them Super Bowl worthy, and Vick is still more of a side show.

With that said, it still seems pretty evident that if you would have put Bush on Houston's team from last season, they still would have been a five win or less team. For every big run he would have broken off because of his great moves and speed, he would have got hammered multiple times behind LoS due to horrible blocking. Carr would have still been getting hammered two seconds after the handoff, and the defense still would have horrible.

For all anyone in the NFL knows, if Houston tried to lean on him like the Chargers did on LT from 2001-2003, the poor guy might have just broken under a gigantic load he was not used to carrying. Even if he did still manage to shine through, it wouldn't have really mattered if the rest of the team around him was still being dominated.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by beer bacon

Even if he did still manage to shine through, it wouldn't have really mattered if the rest of the team around him was still being dominated.

And Mario Williams changes this...how? He'll just be double-teamed.

[Ultra Peanut]

For all anyone in the NFL knows, if Houston tried to lean on him like the Chargers did on LT from 2001-2003, the poor guy might have just broken under a gigantic load he was not used to carrying.

I don't think that would have happened, though. They would have still had Davis to relieve some of the load, unless they were total morons who expected someone who had less than ten (maybe less than five, IIRC*) 20-carry games in three seasons in college to be able to carry an NFL load right off the bat.

If Bush is expected to be a workhorse, it could be bad for all involved. If he gets a chance to be a playmaker and pick his spots, so to speak, he could be amazing.

* I remember comparing him to DeAngelo during an argument about "true" running backs once, and being stunned that DeAngelo had more 30-carry games than Bush did 20-carry games. Part of that is that Bush had a star-studded supporting cast, of course, but still, he hasn't had to carry that sort of load just yet.

[beer bacon]

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

And Mario Williams changes this...how? He'll just be double-teamed.

Dominick Davis is already a good RB that would be even better behind a good O-line. Along with Davis, Houston already has two other high calibur players on offense in Carr and Andre Johnson. On the other hand, they don't really have anyone on defense other then Robinson. There DEs are just plain bad.

Don't get me wrong, unless Houston can take both of their lines from really bad to above average between now and the regular season they will be a below average team. In the long term, I think infusions of talent in the D-line and O-line will help a lot more then replacing one good back that underperforms because of horrible blocking with an even better back that will underperform because of horrible blocking.

Even if drafted Bush with the 1st pick, and then got two good O-linemen in 2nd and 3rd that both contributed right away and made them O-line at least average this year, they would still be in bad shape. At the best they could hope to be the DV era Chiefs with that strategy.

[Miles]

Originally Posted by Ultra Peanut

I don't think that would have happened, though. They would have still had Davis to relieve some of the load, unless they were total morons who expected someone who had less than ten (maybe less than five, IIRC*) 20-carry games in three seasons in college to be able to carry an NFL load right off the bat.

If Bush is expected to be a workhorse, it could be bad for all involved. If he gets a chance to be a playmaker and pick his spots, so to speak, he could be amazing.

* I remember comparing him to DeAngelo during an argument about "true" running backs once, and being stunned that DeAngelo had more 30-carry games than Bush did 20-carry games. Part of that is that Bush had a star-studded supporting cast, of course, but still, he hasn't had to carry that sort of load just yet.

Yep the Houston situation with Davis would have been ideal easing him into more carries. I think the whole he can't carry the ball 20+ times is more to do with what he was used to rather than his size.

Still the RB approach seams to be shifting back towards the larger backs with S Jax, Mcgahee, LJ and maybe some are forgeting it doesnt take that huge size to carry the ball as a feature back.

[beer bacon]

Originally Posted by Ultra Peanut

I don't think that would have happened, though. They would have still had Davis to relieve some of the load, unless they were total morons who expected someone who had less than ten (maybe less than five, IIRC*) 20-carry games in three seasons in college to be able to carry an NFL load right off the bat.

If Bush is expected to be a workhorse, it could be bad for all involved. If he gets a chance to be a playmaker and pick his spots, so to speak, he could be amazing.

* I remember comparing him to DeAngelo during an argument about "true" running backs once, and being stunned that DeAngelo had more 30-carry games than Bush did 20-carry games. Part of that is that Bush had a star-studded supporting cast, of course, but still, he hasn't had to carry that sort of load just yet.

I don't hate Bush or anything. I think he is great, and not drafting him could still easily blow up in Houston's face if Mario turns into the next Courtney Brown. I just think that drafting Mario over Bush isn't as horrible as some people make it out to be.

I do think that if they trade back up into the late first to draft another running back that their entire front office should be dragged out into the street and shot.

[Kerberos]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

I apologize...it was rude.

Good thing we don't expect much more from a donk fan!

J/K




.

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by tk13

Harsh.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...e/3828722.html

"Let's be clear: Bypassing Bush smacks of stupidity"

fun article...


"Once the Texans are finished explaining their decision today, they can release one other bit of information: the phone number that fans can call to cancel season tickets."