I have to ask. Why do so many people still hate Mario? I can't understand this. I was thinking about that today, and I was saying to myself that the St.Louis Rams would chop off their arms to make sure they would lose every game to get him in the draft. Same goes for the Dolphins. I just don't understand why poeple hate Mario Williams so much. I love the dude, I root for him every play and I can see the difference between his rookie year and his second year. Why can't other people?
Mario Williams was the #1 player on Bill Parcells' 2006 Draft Board and I'm quite sure that if he was on the Cowboys' board he was on others. But when the Texans take him they all say that Mario is an automatic bust and that he won't ever live up to his draft status. But it was almost asured that Mario would have went to New Orleans with the 2nd pick. So how does being the #2 pick differ from the #1 pick? I mean really? It seems like when Mario was taken with the #1 overall, people took it so personal and they took it like a slap in the face. Why? These people (NFL front offices) are in these jobs for a reason. They forget more then any of us will ever know. If you people are such draft guru's why are you posting mock drafts in some "nobody cares" forum on some second rate website? It's mind numbing.
But you people know that Mario Williams was a mistake? Please. I assume these two guys would have fared better in Houston and have done better so far?
Vince Young 2007 season: 33rd ranked QB in passer rating.
But some how because the Titans are 6-2 Vince Young gets a pass. I would argue that the Titans are winning in spite of Vince Young's horrific performance thus far. Their defense and running game have been elite while Vince Young has been in the cellar consistently.
Reggie Bush 2007 season: Not even the starter untill Duece McCallister went down.
Reggie Bush also gets a pass becuase some how he isn't a prototype NFL RB. He's considered a hybrid, not a RB, a hybrid. Gimme a break. Have you ever heard of anything more pathetic. People know he can never carry the work load so they make an excuse for him and call him a hybrid. Adrian Peterson is a playmaker, but he's a RB first. Bush gets a pass because people know he isn't a pure RB, but they make excuses for his size, strength and ability to carry the load. What a bunch of ####. I wouldn't take him over Peterson and I wouldn't even take him over Darren McFadden, but some how the Texans were completely retarded by not taking him.
I guess Bush and Young are franchise stalwarts who are far and wide better than Mario. Gimme a break. Mario's stat line is 23 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 defensive TD. Not bad considering he's playing on one of the youngest defenses in the league. Not bad considering that the offense can't stay on the field and the defense can't get off, not bad considering that Petey ####gins could be the worst starting CB in all of professional football, not bad considering that the two starting safeties are both no names, 1 was drafted in the 6th round by the Colts and cut and the other was an undrafted free agent signed by the Ravens then signed with the Giants then CUT, not bad considering that everyone behind Mario besides Dunta Robinson and DeMeco Ryans are completely useless and wouldn't start on 90% of the NFL teams in the league. But some how Mario Williams is the one to blame, some how Mario Willims is the player that should win games all by himself. What a bunch of total ####.
I understand that he needs to pick his game up and play with more passion, but he's been ultra consistent this year. He never gets hurt and he plays with great explosion and atheticism. Coach Gary Kubiack has been pleased with Mario performance more than any other player including the beloved DeMeco and Dunta. And we all know that if Kubiak doesn't like whats going on with a player he doesn't have any problem sharing it with the media and the fans. David Carr anyone?
So in essence I think we owe it to Mario just like we owe to other top draft picks to let them adjust and get totally acclimated to the NFL and the lifestyle of playing football as a career. Just like we allow Vince Young, Reggie Bush, Cedric Benson, Cadillac Williams, Alex Smith, Matt Leinart, Michael Huff, A.J. Hawk and many many others. To dump on Mario Williams because it's the popular thing to do seems sort of lame and kind of a cop out, especially if you've never watched him play and are going by what some TV analyst says.
My boy was a one man wrecking crew on Sunday. Super Mario racked up 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and a fumble recovery for a......that's right biaaaaaatch......a 40 yard TD.
Mario was so dominant that by the end of the game the Chiefs were not just doubling him off the snap but even using chips and TE's to try to control him with the double. And also there were even a few times during running plays that he was being TRIPLED. Yeah, that's right, tripled poeple. Herm Edwards knew that Mario is a different level than other defensive lineman and that to at least have a chance the Chiefs would have to control him. They didn't.
During the 1rst quarter he switched from the right to the left and went up against Kyle Turley. As the ball was snapped Mario got off the line like Howitzer and charged Turley. Mario hit Turley so hard that he looked as if he were doing jumping jacks going backwords in the middle of a play. Needless to say that was the last time Turley went up against Mario one-on-one again.
Mario Williams was a total terror in yesterday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He was chasing plays down from behind and getting constant pressure on the quarterback. He was also being moved from left to right all game giving Huard a difficult time trying to fing him. He in essence was a total beast who was uncontrolled by anyone yesterday. Mario showed his dominance against yes, a lowly Chiefs team, but non the less was a NFL team. He showed yesterday why the Texans drafted him with the 2006 #1 overall pick and he showed what a domianant defensive force can do to win the game and what a player can do to get his team fired up.
Mario will be a Pro-Bowl player and this isn't coming from some lame who just watched yesterday's game, this is someone who has been watching Mario since his soph.days at NC State. He has the ability to be great and this year WILL BE his breakout year into becoming a Pro-Bowl player.
The Texans may have had one of the best consecutive defensive drafts this side of the millennium. People obviously outside of Houston absolutely despise Charlie Casserly because many believe he was the ring leader behind the Mario Williams pick. But if you, the reader, take the time out, register and read some of the threads and posts in the Houston Texans official website you’ll find out how real Texan fans feel about Mario. The short story, we love him. As much as I would like to counter any argument and explain how great Mario will be, this years draft is just half about him. The 2007 NFL Draft for the Texan fans is more about our new team badass; Amobi Okoye.
At 6’2 305 lbs. the 19 year-old Amobi Okoye has quickly become one of the most intriguing prospects the league has seen. Before his senior season this past year Okoye was literally a speck on the NFL prospect radar. No one knew nor cared who he was. The only thing that even made him interesting was that he was a 19 year-old senior. Other than that Amobi was seen as a nobody. But then came his senior season and like any other true football player looking to turn scout heads and raise GM eyebrows he busted onto the seen with a new attitude and competitiveness. Amobi put extremely high numbers up for a 19 year-old kid, not a man yet, a kid. Okoye set a high standard during the 2006 season posting career bests in tackles (55), sacks (8), tackles for loss (15) and forced fumbles (3). With these outstanding stats coupled with his incredibly high ceiling for potential scouts surely took notice of this ####ian native.
After the 2006 NCAA season Amobi Okoye was being heralded as a top 25 pick, but still behind Alan Branch, #1 ranked DT. Then the pre-draft schedule and workouts where scouts, general managers, and coaches could get a chance to poke and prod the athletes started. This was the time where Amobi Okoye was going to distinguish himself from the rest of the defensive tackle competition…….And he did. He started his massive assault on the DT field at the Senior Bowl where he continuously dominated offensive lineman, not only in one on one drills, but during full pad scrimmages and then during the Senior Bowl game itself. Amobi Okoye was now moving himself up into the top 15 range and quickly making a case for himself as the top DT in the 2007 draft. The next scheduled event where he could show off his extreme athletic ability would the NFL Combine at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. This is where he would show off his strength, agility and most importantly his explosiveness. During his combine workouts he once again impressed scouts, general managers, and coach’s alike running a 5.07 40 yard dash. He also showed his explosiveness during his sprint with 1.81 10-yard and 2.96 20-yard increments along with his 30 inch vertical and 9-foot-3 broad jump. His agility was no joke either with a time of 7.46 in the 3 cone drill. Not to mention his 29x225lbs. bench press. He really showed his athletic ability along with his strength and he had wonderful interviews with teams that showed his maturity and great character. His Louisville Pro-Day also showed very good numbers with a sub 5.00 40, 4.97. Amobi also upped his bench press total with 33x225lbs. But more importantly during all of these workouts and pre-draft events Okoye showed his personality. Amobi showed his maturity beyond his years and I believe that is what impressed coaches the most. Think about it this way. Going into the off-season workouts most analysis had Alan Branch as the number 1 DT, but Amobi Okoye took advantage of all of these face to face times with NFL front office people while Alan Branch disappointed workout after workout and interview after interview. Once the dust had settled Amobi had positioned himself as the #1 ranked DT.
When the Houston Texans were on the clock on Saturday for their 1rst round pick I was praying that the they would take Amobi instead of taking Alan Branch. I was literally praying on my hands and knees. This draft pick was the single most important pick not for the Texans or the Houston fans, but for Mario Williams. This pick was going to signify how the Texans felt about the Mario Williams pick. The 10th overall pick was going to be either be a focal point of the defense or be a focal point of the offense and since Adrian Peterson didn’t fall to the #10 spot Amobi Okoye was the perfect fir for them. Amobi Okoye and Mario Williams are going to be one of the most dominating defensive sides of the line there is in the entire NFL. The kind of athletic ability these two defensive players own is unbelievable and almost inconceivable. The only other team that has 2 dominating players in a 4-3 scheme with that much ability is Carolina with Julius Peppers and Kris Jenkins. This combo is as important to the Texan defense the way Simeon Rice and Warren Sapp were for the Tampa Bay Bucs defense. Amobi Okoye has the ability to not only play in the one gap system but he also has the potential to occupy two blockers and let Mario Williams face a single offensive lineman. This combo may not produce as much in this upcoming year because of the youth factor that’s involved with Okoye, but the following seasons the two, Mario and Amobi, will be a combo to be reckoned with. Both have incredible speed and burst off the line, and both have incredible athletic prowess.
The offensive line needed help but neither Joe Thomas nor Levi Brown was within range for the Texans to take. The next best thing was to build around their all world talent Mario Williams and they did with a phenom 19 year-old Amobi Okoye. I, as a Texan fan am seriously happy with this pick. I wished we’d have had a 2nd round pick, but with our 1rst round pick being so good I’m confident the Texan front office has done the right thing for this organization. Great pick Texan front office, great decision, just watch people, Okoye and Mario are going to be Pro-Bowl mainstays for years to come.
Will Alex Smith suffer the same fate David Carr suffered in Houston? Will the 49ers franchise head honcho’s build around Smith? Or will the front office neglect him just as the Texans did with Carr? Who will the 49ers draft in this upcoming April’s draft? Will they add more defense to this year’s big free agent signings are will they draft players that will grow, help and progress along with Alex Smith’s career? What will the future hold for the University of Utah product?
These are the questions that I’ve been asking myself in the last few months. Especially seeing what has happened to my beloved Carr and the correlations between him and Alex Smith. I’ll start out with a few similarities that I’ve seen with Carr and Smith. First is obvious. They both are from small programs, Utah and Fresno Sate. Both of those schools are not exactly NFL pipelines especially for #1 overall picks. Second comparison is that both are incredibly mobile capable of breaking off 10 or 15 yard gains. Carr and Smith also share a very good understanding for the game and they both are very intelligent. They both don’t have a tremendously strong arm, but they can make every NFL throw. And they also have the accuracy to succeed in the league too. And finally they both have that good boy attitude that makes them very likable in the media and among their teammates. There characters were never a question when being interviewed by the Texans or the 49ers during their respective draft combines and workouts.
Well, I spoke about the positives the two shares, but what about the negatives that Carr and Smith have. As I said before their good ol’ boy attitude is not exactly a great thing in the rough and tumble ego heavy NFL. What I mean is that they are both quiet family orientated guys. Will Alex Smith hold up when being criticized heavily? Obviously one of David Carr main down falls was that he had a tremendous time trying to thrive under the pressure of the media and horrid treatment he started to receive in the final games of the 2005 season. Next, when you talk about Alex Smith or David Carr you will never find any knowledgeable fan say that they are a pure franchise QB. They both are quarterbacks who need their franchises to surround them with offensive talent for them to succeed. They will never be mistaken for Carson Palmer, Payton Manning, Donovan McNabb, or Tom Brady. All of whom can succeed with minimal talent around them.
David Carr could’ve succeeded in Houston had the organization provided him the talent and veterans he deserved. Only selecting 1 offensive player with the 1rst round pick in five years isn’t exactly installing confidence in the David Carr run offense. After the selection of Andre Johnson the Texans managed to pass on plenty of offensive talent. None of which was more shocking than in 2005 when the Texans passed on offensive tackles Jammal Brown and Alex Barron and selected a one year wonder in defensive tackle Travis Johnson. Even in free agency I bet you can’t name one offensive significant signing that the Texans made during that time. I’m not saying that David Carr didn’t regress during the past two seasons or that he could’ve gone deep, or he stared down his receivers a little too much, but most of the blame is on the shoulders of the GM Charlie Casserly and the last coaching staff. We as NFL fans literally watched a QB with an enormous amount of potential totally and completely waste right before our eyes. It was quite horrifying to watch if you were a fan of David Carr.
As for Alex Smith the comparisons aren’t that far off when talking about the 49ers organization. The 49ers have now for the past five years been a laughing stock right along with the Houston Texans. And the media sure didn’t let up until the end of the 2006 season. But as you probably already know after the Houston Texans first two seasons they looked to be on the right track too. But now look where we are at……starting all over again. Before Mike Nolan was the 49ers coach in 2005 the San Francisco front office had been making horribly bad personnel decisions. Drafting guys like Reggie McGrew, Mike Rumph, Kwame Harris, and Rashaun Woods. None of whom except Harris is still with the team. But since Mike Nolan came in he made sure that the draft is how he would build the franchise. And after taking Alex Smith they made sure to take the 2nd best guard in the 2005 NFL Draft out of Michigan, David Baas. The 49er organization also found a 3rd round steal in RB Frank Gore who in 2006 was one of the best backs in the entire NFL. With the first four picks in 2005 the 49ers drafted offense to go along with Alex Smith. In the 2006 NFL Draft the 49ers again drafted 3 out of 4 of their first 4 choices on offense, adding a playmaking TE in Vernon Davis and a WR in Brandon Williams. Can you see where I’m going with this? The 9ers also have signed veteran offensive lineman. In the 2005 free agent singing period they netted offensive tackle Jonas Jennings away from Buffalo. And in 2006 they signed guard Larry Allen the All-World, Hall of Famer away from Dallas and also signing a very capable and solid WR in Antonio Bryant. Not to mention also in 2006 they traded for QB Trent Dilfer to backup and mentor Smith. They are building around Alex Smith surrounding him the talent to succeed in the NFL. And in the upcoming 2007 draft I wouldn’t be surprised if the 49ers would draft wide receivers Dwayne Jarrett or Ted Ginn Jr. Two of the most highly touted and productive wide receivers in college to also go along with their 2005 #1 pick.
The way the 49ers have been fortifying their team with offensive talent is how you build around a young QB. This is where the Texan organization failed David Carr. As a matter of fact the 49ers literally turned a laughing stock into a playoff contender in just two seasons. Had the Texans GM and coaches made sure to build around Carr instead of trying to build a fledgling defense maybe Carr might be a top 10 QB.
Thus answering my burning question at the beginning of my thread. Alex Smith won’t turn out like David Carr despite his physical similarities. What a shame, maybe David Carr can resurrect his flailing career in Carolina. Maybe even following in the footsteps of Steve Young, who once was a high draft choice, but soon became a tackling dummy playing for the God awe full Buccaneers. To then go on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
