Switch Mario to the other side

[misterpc]

I love the guy and think he can contribute to making our defense great. But Mario is not a dominant pass rusher right now, he doesnt have the technique or experience. His best move is the bull rush, where he overpowers the opponent with his strength. I think Mario would be much more usefull on the strong side where he could function more as an anchor to the d-line. The weakside is typically where you put your best pass rusher, right now that is not Mario. Should we move him over?

[outofhnd]

We have commited him to that side. I don't know if we yank him now and ruin his confidence or do we pray he gets better and end up moving babin to his side in week 8 when he is still without a sack... He isnt playing with balance at all because he cannot keep his footing when he beats the o line.

[Trutexanfan]

I think that you are correct, I feel that he has alot to prove to us the fans and I know that he is a Big player but I still do not believe he was even a first round pick much less 1st all around player. I know that the D-line was a weakness for the team, but I believe that there were many more pics they should have gone with and not just Vince or Reggie. I think that every posistion on the Team should have been up for grabs.

[misterpc]

I read an interview a while back where Mario said it was challenging for him to adjust to the weak side after playing on the strong side last year. He said it was like doing everything backwards (different hand down, different back foot). I dont think it would hurt his confidence to move him back over to the strong side, I think it might help because it would take pressure off him having to get a sack on every play.

[Trutexanfan]

I was not impressed at all with the Defencive line today in the first half there was no pressure on the quarterbacks, and they were ran on more than they should have

[TexansFight the original]

Seems like part of the problem is with the coaching. Moving him up and down the line last year was a mistake which they admitted. He is basically admitting that his head is still spinning. The guy is THINKING way TOO much. The coaches need to get his to play more with instinct and let all hang out.

[HydrOshocK]

I agree. Something needs to be done to generate a pass rush now. We can't afford to keep allowing opposing QBs that much time throwing the ball. I'm not sure what Mario's problem is but we've got some of the best coaches in the league and I hope they can get him straight. In his defense, he wasn't the only one playing with a lack of effort. The Cards started a rookie T today and we couldn't do anything to exploit that even one time.

And where was Babin? I don't remember hearing about him being injured but he obviously wasn't out there.

[Vinny]

Mario is not a weak side edge rusher....square peg in a round hole. He needs to go back to the strong side where is run stopping skills are in the right place, over the larger run blocking Tackles of the NFL. Let's get a real edge rusher on the weakside.

[HydrOshocK]

Mario is not a weak side edge rusher....square peg in a round hole. He needs to go back to the strong side where is run stopping skills are in the right place, over the larger run blocking Tackles of the NFL. Let's get a real edge rusher on the weakside.

How bout we put Babin on the 1st string weak side. By far he's proven to be our most dominant DE this preseason. His absence was felt out there today.

[misterpc]

How bout we put Babin on the 1st string weak side. By far he's proven to be our most dominant DE this preseason. His absence was felt out there today.

+1
This is probably our best option for pass rush.

[Zagen30]

How bout we put Babin on the 1st string weak side. By far he's proven to be our most dominant DE this preseason. His absence was felt out there today.

Sounds good to me.

Only question is where does Weaver end up?

You know, that's one thing that made me question when the Texans FO decided to draft Mario, and makes me think he wasn't always the first choice. Why'd we bring in Weaver, a 4-3 SDE/3-4 DL if we thought we'd be getting Mario, a SDE? Not that I'm complaining about Mario at all, but it just seems as if another guy was the original plan, but we switched closer to draft time.

[Koolbrz]

I love the guy and think he can contribute to making our defense great. But Mario is not a dominant pass rusher right now, he doesnt have the technique or experience. His best move is the bull rush, where he overpowers the opponent with his strength. I think Mario would be much more usefull on the strong side where he could function more as an anchor to the d-line. The weakside is typically where you put your best pass rusher, right now that is not Mario. Should we move him over?


Mario Williams has always been and always will be overrated. Has anyone heard of having a Corvette body with a beetle engine. Well, looks like that is what we got for 50+ million dollars. The dude had an excuse last yr as to why he could not perform up to ability. What is gonna be his excuse this yr?? I am curious too know. Looks like we can look forward to another 4 and a 1/2 sack season...If We are Lucky!!

This has been my opinion about him since before he was drafted. Starting to like i was right. Dont get me wrong, I wish that he would be a beast on our d-line but i just dont see that happening. What a wasted pick!! Oh well, we learn from our mistakes.

[Football Time In Hou]

How about admitting we made a mistake by drafting Mario and move him to defensive tackle. Mario should be a good run stopper on the strong side.

[HydrOshocK]

C'mon guys let's be sensible and not turn this into another flame thread. I'll be the first to admit I haven't seen Mario do anything special, but the real focus should be on the D-line as a whole. Save the "bust" posts for the end of the season because we all know he's not coming off the field. Our coaches will no doubt be discussing how we get the most out of all of them.

Babin has been the hottest. His play has stood out when he has been in the game, so he needs to be on the field. But...he's not really an every down DE IMO...that's why Weaver or Kalu can start at that spot early in the game. The objective will be to use our guys to shut down the run early on, then put the other team in a position to have to pass. That's when you bring Babin in. He's always been best a situational pass rusher, but he's good enough to disrupt the run if they happen to audible out of the pass.

Okoye is getting manhandled, but any sensible person knows that's to be expected. Not everyone can just walk in this league and dominate.....he'll be fine but they may want to think about starting TJ and rotating Okoye in. That would allow him to see what's going on from the sideline a little bit more, and a LOT of players are on record as saying that helps them learn the game (I'm not hating on Amobi...I love the kid but I have to look at it from a coaching perspective)

Then you bring in guys like Zgonina in the 4th quarter to wear down the other team and we have a better chance to win.

The bottom line is that I don't expect the coaches to allow this lack of pressure to continue...they'll shake things up soon.

BTW....what's up with Babin not playing?

[outofhnd]

Mario is not playing with balance he is losing his footing on every play. The touchdown to edgerrin if he keeps his feet I dunno if leinhart completes that pass I think Leinhart eats it or scrambles.

[TexasToro]

Mario is not playing with balance he is losing his footing on every play. The touchdown to edgerrin if he keeps his feet I dunno if leinhart completes that pass I think Leinhart eats it or scrambles.

Mario is not playing with heart right now either!

[misterpc]

actually i think Okoye was closer to making the sack on that play. if he had put on a finishing burst he might have disrupted the TD

[willieg52]

I'll give my perspective towards the end of the season, but babin has stood out more to me this year. If Mario can't somehow transition into what we all hope for then I would rather the team move him inside to DT like STL did with A. Carriker.

[wrestler4life]

Mario Williams has always been and always will be overrated. Has anyone heard of having a Corvette body with a beetle engine. Well, looks like that is what we got for 50+ million dollars. The dude had an excuse last yr as to why he could not perform up to ability. What is gonna be his excuse this yr?? I am curious too know. Looks like we can look forward to another 4 and a 1/2 sack season...If We are Lucky!!

This has been my opinion about him since before he was drafted. Starting to like i was right. Dont get me wrong, I wish that he would be a beast on our d-line but i just dont see that happening. What a wasted pick!! Oh well, we learn from our mistakes.

Yeah. You can tell taht after one season and two preseason games. You should inquire about opening in the scouting department and see how quickly they scoop you up?! Lets all relax a bit. If he has a mediocre season after this year, then we can start bashing him. I am worried that you are right, but I doubt it up to this point.

[sleepwalker]

Nobody is moving. We are becoming obsessed with this pass rush thing.

They held the BEARS to under 100yrds and Edgerrin James to 11yrds in 5 carries tonight. That's pretty **** good!

HOWEVER, I would like to see some more FIRE and DRIVE in what Mario does on the field.

[Crank_It_Up]

Yeah. You can tell taht after one season and two preseason games. You should inquire about opening in the scouting department and see how quickly they scoop you up?! Lets all relax a bit. If he has a mediocre season after this year, then we can start bashing him. I am worried that you are right, but I doubt it up to this point.I won't bash him for being mediocre, after all, it's not his fault, it's his destiny. Just sad we screwed up again. Hopefully we'll have a winning season next year so too many fans won't lose interest. We all know what happens then.

[Rosstafarian]

Mario Williams has always been and always will be overrated. Has anyone heard of having a Corvette body with a beetle engine. Well, looks like that is what we got for 50+ million dollars. The dude had an excuse last yr as to why he could not perform up to ability. What is gonna be his excuse this yr?? I am curious too know. Looks like we can look forward to another 4 and a 1/2 sack season...If We are Lucky!!

This has been my opinion about him since before he was drafted. Starting to like i was right. Dont get me wrong, I wish that he would be a beast on our d-line but i just dont see that happening. What a wasted pick!! Oh well, we learn from our mistakes.


As fantastic as your metaphors are, you really don't seem to be adding much more to this topic other than sticking your tongue out and saying "Nyaa nyaa I told you so". Honestly, we get it, you didn't like the draft pick and you don't like him playing for the Texans. Now go back to wherever you came and think of some actual decent analysis that involves such enlightening topics such as "why he sucks" (other than the obviously hilarious beetle in a corvettes body), or "what opposing linemen are doing to nullify him" and bring that back to us. At least then you will be adding to the topic at hand.

Thank you :)

[ib4texans]

HE NEEDS TO GET HIS HANDS UP!

Watching the TD pass from Lienart, all he needs his to get his hands up. He was definatly close enough. Maybe he needs to take balet or something because he sure got tripped up alot today.

I was so proud of Mario last year because he is such a physical specimen, I just didn't see him owning anyone today. He started out last year much the same way,so I'll be a little patient. I don't need him to be a sack machine just creating "in your face pressure".

[NRowl]

No one doubts Mario's physical abilities. I just rarely see him play with any fire. In the beginning of the second quarter (a running play by Edge and the next play that was the long pass to Fitzgerald), Mario was untouched at the line then he was blocked out of the play by the fullback using a chip block. I was sick to my stomach after watching that. My old coach had a saying for players like this that seem to fit perfectly; "Looks like Tarzan; plays like Jane!"

[misterpc]

I dont think Mario's problem is a lack of effort or intensity, I think it is more tangible than that. When I watch film on him it looks like he takes about 3 steps before even making contact with the blocker. That is a lot of time considering QBs often release the ball after 3 steps. Being on the right side Mario could explode directly into the tackle instead of trying to take the long way around. That way he can use his strength more to his advantage.

[Vinny]

Nobody is moving. We are becoming obsessed with this pass rush thing. one of the single most important aspects of the NFL is getting a good pass rush...that's why great edge rushers make so much money. Teams that can't get a good pass rush don't tend to be very good in the regular season...I won't even mention the playoffs.

[cbnjwill]

i think we should move mario to the other side. the other side of the bench. this guy is terrible

[texun]

Seems like part of the problem is with the coaching. Moving him up and down the line last year was a mistake which they admitted. He is basically admitting that his head is still spinning. The guy is THINKING way TOO much. The coaches need to get his to play more with instinct and let all hang out.

I agree. I am not a Mario fan and think he was a stupid pick. However, the coaches have not put Mario in the best positon to succeed and must bare part of the blame for his poor performance. It is strange to me that we have 4 first round picks on the D-line and none of them play like it.

Hmmmm!

[TexansFan03]

Man I hated when we drafted Mario but then I saw the reason and it made all the sense in the world. Not that I wanted RB or VY but still, this guy was getting single man blocked most of the time (sometimes doubled) but he only had like 2 or 3 half *** pressures. I say half *** pressures because the ball was already in the air by the time he came back to the QB.

Its still too early to finalize the bust label but if this effort (if you want to call it that) continues, then our offense is going to be the only excitement in this town.

[NaCl H2O Angler]

When the news broke the night before that we took Mario, I tried to be optimistic about it and figured "Hey, maybe these scouts and coaches who do this for a living know something we don't see as regular fans". I kept thinking that and defending that decision for as long as I could against all our fans, my friends, etc.

But you're absolutely correct. He hasn't shown squat in my opinion. And I don't know where these guys come up with him being "double teamed".

[redkoolaid]

One of the biggest Cliches on this board, in defense of Mario is "well hes getting doubled teamed"....which is the biggest misconception ever...

Mario Williams doesnt get double teamed...teams arent scheming against Mario Williams...he hasnt proved anything..

*patiently awaits HyDr0sHoCk to come flame me..and call me a troll*

[TexanFan23]

It's too early to give up on him, hopefully he got up to speed on the NFL last year and will be ready this year...

[benefactor]

Maybe if we make 7 more Mario threads he will start being the player everyone wants him to be.....

[tsip]

IMO, we need to do a better job selecting our first round draft choices. Our first pick in 2oo2 was a qb that had 1 outstanding collegiate season--ONE. Too, he came out of college with a 'laundry' list of bad mechanics that all his profiles warned needed to be fixed for him to succeed in the NFL. Did we discuss this with him?

WE draft Babin at 1 position/4-3 defense and put him in another position/3-4 defense and then switch him back to a 4-3 and wonder why he doesn't produce 'instant' outstanding results.

Then, there is Mario. As another poster pointed out, it's obvious our first choice in the '06 draft was Bush. We had already signed Weaver for $25 million--but, when news came out about Bush's parents free rent and he wouldn't sign a contract when we wanted, we switched to Mario.

Mario's profiles talked about him being a work in 'progress' and that he had a habit of taking 'games' off in college--i.e., his motor does not run non-stop like Ryans.

So, not prepared to draft him, what do we try and do with Mario?? We try and play him at 3 different positions!! He couldn't give 100% to 1 position in college, so the Texans want him to learn/excel at 3!!!...even posters on this board 'cried' foul, let him learn 1, and-don't forget the injury and negativity of drafting him in the first place.

How much pressure can 1 football player take? Kubiak's take from Sundays press conference is that it's just part of the job!!!???

JMO, but Kubes needs to realize that we have a potential 'failure' situation here and needs to put Mario where he can be the most comfortable 'right' now--the position where he'll have the best chance to succeed the quickest. Then, once he's dominant there and is comfortable playing in the NFL, consider switching him. If we keep trying to play Mario where he's not comfortable (square peg in round hole), I don't think he'll ever be 'all' the player he can be.

[joedinkle]

I don't believe this has been mentioned, but Mario played the Giants game(his best by far) on the left side. He also played the game against Maryland on the left side(probably why we drafted him). I don't want to move him just yet, but if he remains unproductive through the first half of the season, I think it's only fair to him to switch him to the other side to see how he performs.

[wildroot]

IMO we should trade our 1st round picks for multiple 2s. I'm starting to think these 1s lose their drive once they get that fat contract. The 2s get comfortable money but still have the drive working towards their payday, the second contract. There are exceptions, but when you miss on a 1, boy it sure hurts the team.