That's Mario's 2nd ESPN cover. How many does Reggie have in a Saints uniform? really neat cover I think.
The article in the magazine named the Texans as their "it" team. And predicted the playoffs for us. Hope they are right.
I hope I'm wrong, but im thinking only 7 or so sacks for Mario Williams this season. I still don't see that elite type burst from him.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3558457 Mario Williams is about to step out of a meeting room inside Reliant Stadium when he turns around and waves good night. It's an odd gesture, considering a nearby clock reads 1 p.m. Then again, there are two hours to kill before the Texans' second grueling practice of this scorching August day, and the face of the franchise could really use a few winks. Williams walks deeper into the stadium's bowels, until he reaches the greenroom that the team normally uses to host VIPs. There the Texans have inflated 50 queen-size mattresses and lined them up from wall to wall, making this dark and cold players-only sanctuary feel like a kid's moonwalk ride. Williams passes kicker Kris Brown, cuddled up with his favorite Nebraska blanket, and heads for the left-hand corner of the room, which is occupied by the defensive line. He plops down on an empty bed, where his 6'7", 291-pound frame swallows up the mattress. This is the perfect setting for Williams and the Texans. Every NFL season features at least one team that emerges from the shadows to shake up the league hierarchy. Think of the 2007 Browns or the 2006 Saints. And the youthful, brash Texans—coming off a quiet 8—8 season—see themselves as this year's slumbering giant, just waiting in the greenroom for their cue. "People still have their backs turned to us," says Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in 2006, who finished tied for third in the NFL with 14 sacks last year. "So it's time to establish ourselves as a great team." Not many folks, including Texans fans, would have guessed a year ago that Williams would turn out to be the team's biggest It factor. When the Texans passed over Heisman winner Reggie Bush and Houston native Vince Young in the draft, a host of experts panned the move, while the Houston Chronicle said it "smacks of stupidity." And as a rookie suffering from plantar fasciitis in his right foot, Williams looked lazy, lost and, worst of all, indifferent. It didn't help that the team experimented with him all over the line, including at tackle and as a stand-up pass-rusher. The 2006 Texans finished 610 while their $54 million prize managed just 47 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Everything changed last season. Williams settled in on the right side, where his rare combination of speed on the edge and strength inside prompted Tony Dungy to compare him to Mean Joe Greene. Williams was unblockable over the last two months of the season, rolling up 10 sacks in six games. And though the injury-plagued defense struggled to keep up with the AFC South's furious offenses, it did cut down its points allowed per game from 26.1 in the first half of the season to 21.9 in the second. "Mario's starting to realize that he's one of those special players," says Texans QB Matt Schaub. "He's a guy who elevates everyone around him." Williams grew up in Richlands, N.C., a tiny, anything-but town where he spent many happy days playing, hunting and exploring in the woods behind his family's trailer. Following his Pro Bowl snub last season, Williams flew home for a few weeks of chill time. But after three days, he was on a plane headed back to Texas. "For the first time, when I left Houston I felt like I was missing something," he says. "Growing up, I was always extremely happy and at peace in the woods, and that's where I am now with football. When you're the first pick overall, there is a sense of chasing it, the pressure of living up to what you know you can do. I've stopped chasing it. Football is coming to me, and I'm running with it." Hang out in Texans camp, and you'll find that Williams' vibe is clearly infectious. This is a loose, energetic team with a considerable swagger. Or watch the Texans now, several hours after nap time, during their first night practice of the year. Under a breezy, platinum sky, with Flo Rida on the speakers and the stands packed, they put on a show. Wideout Andre Johnson, a two-time Pro Bowler who missed seven games with a knee injury in 2007, flawlessly catches passes every which way: off his fingertips, with one hand and, on deep, rainbow bombs, over his shoulder. Linebacker DeMeco Ryans, the NFL's leading tackler since 2006, flashes the kind of jaw-dropping burst to the ball that would make Ray Lewis jealous. Not to be outdone, Williams twists his Texans baseball cap backward and goes to work. He flashes crazy speed on the corner, bull-rush strength on the inside and refined pass-rush moves that look more like jujitsu than football. Afterward, as Williams makes his way off the field, the team's once fickle fans chant, "M-V-P! M-V-P!" But Williams never looks back. He just keeps moving forward, faster and faster with each step.
really?! last season you never saw a "burst"? Maybe he doesnt have a "burst" but rather he is just always fast...because from what i saw, he was moving at a completely different speed than most.
My mom met Mario at Sam's Club today (Westpark Tollway @ S. Rice). He was there signing autographs. She got me an autographed picture (with Sam's logo in the corner).
Really. I just don't see the explosion. The first step really... Look, I would love to see a monster 18-20 sack year from Mario but to me it feels like he's going to be up and down in regards to "sack numbers" until he learns better technique. He has plenty of talent to become a Hall of Fame type player and I would love to see him accomplish that here in Houston, but I feel that he's just not there yet. We'll see.... and like I said, I hope that I'm wrong.
He translates a so-so rookie year... where everybody and their mom was scrutinizing him (and the franchise) for being the first pick, ridiculing him every time he didn't get a sack on any defensive play, and basically rooting for the guy to fail... into a year where he gets 14+ sacks, and you're not impressed? Had Reggie Bush turned his so-so first year into a mega-studly 2nd year (which if you translate Mario's year to a RB... would be 1,500 yards, 16 TD's)... he would already be fitted for a yellow jacket. Had Vince Young turned his so-so first year into a mega-studly 2nd year (which if you translate Mario's year to a QB... would be 3,000 yards passing, 25 TD's)... he would be back to being compared to Jesus. The bias continues in the Mario Williams saga... forget the fact that he had his best training camp yet, and had trainers/coaches in awe with his work ethic (esp for a guy who could have easily let up after last year). Forget the fact that he still has the ability to play anywhere on the line, and he's just as good a run-stopper as he his a pass-rusher (a rare commodity out of a defensive lineman). Forget the fact that he's only TWENTY THREE, isn't even close to his physical prime, and already has Bruce Smith-type numbers (with the similiar first and leap to second year comparison). But yea... lets just arbitrarily state "he will only get 7 sacks" without absolutely any logic, analysis, or logical thinking. And if he can get 14 sacks when you feel he's not there yet... I fear for every QB's life when he does, in your eyes, get it.
Do you think you could be anymore of a drama queen? Where did I say that I wasn't "impressed"? You randomly throw Reggie Bush and Vince Young into a statement when neither have remotely anything to do with anything. Don't be a douchebag.
You don't "learn" a faster first step with technique. Technique equals a better swim move. It is like saying a basketball player needs to work on his technique so he can jump higher to dunk better. It is nonsensical gobbldygook. So what is his problem? Is there something wrong with his technique or his first step? Because your complaints as they stand don't make any sort of coherent sense.
Im not saying he's going to learn a quicker first step. Why would you think that I was even implying that? Anyhow, by technique I mean pass rush moves and better use of the hands at the point of attack. I think Mario is a very good defensive end and I wouldn't say he has "a problem". I feel that what he lacks from an explosive standpoint he'll have to make up with technique. I hope he puts up a monster season, I do.
Good thing you aren't a scout. Everyone in the league saw the "explosion" you seemed to miss. On your second point, he went from an injured rookie, whom was still adjusting ot the league on a bad team, to one of the most explosive defensive players in the NFL. Everyone sees it. Fans like you are ones we don't need. Go play with your VY bobblehead
Not a big proponent of Vince Young. He was a solid player in college that was able to out talent lesser players, but his glaring weaknesses are being exposed at the NFL level. In other words, he's one of the worst quarterbacks in the league.
Saying he has an average to slow first step as a pass rushing DE is, no mater how you slice it, is saying that he has a problem. In any case, I'm thinking that because the first thing you pinpointed as a deficiency in this thread was his lack of an explosive first step. Then you started harping on learning technique. Are you just saying he is an athlete of average quickness and he has poor technique? I guess that could fit the statements that you've made. But if he was both slow and lacking in skill, you would think he wouldn't be in the NFL, or at least would have been a mid round draft pick. Anyway, the problem I'm having is you started talking about explosion and acceleration. Then you some how transitioned to solving the problem by him learning better technique. That is why I think you are implying that. Because you started talking about one as the problem, and somehow transitioned to the other as the way to become acceptably good.
The fact that you're sensitive at the mere mention of the above mediocre players (in comparison to Mario)... to the point that you resort to name-calling, even further indicates your bias.
Its not that uncommon to go from a high sack total one year and a drop off the next. Julius Peppers went from 12 sacks his rookie year playing 12 games, to 7 sacks the next playing all 16 games. And he has one of the most explosive bursts in the league for a lineman. Most players get the "knack for the sack" when they're 25 and after. So I wouldnt expect a career high from Mario either. Though if Mario gets 7 sacks but 9 forced fumbles and twice as many QB hurries and plays the run well they'll say he had a "down year".
You're the first person I've ever heard of that has had a problem with his explosion/first step. By most accounts of people around the NFL, he is one of the most explosive guys off the line in the league.
