[Chron] Mario Williams making move to outside linebacker

Im sure thats what Phillips had in mind when he made this move..To avoid screen passes...Right!!.....Dont know which Texans team you saw buddy...But the team I saw last year didnt have to worry about screen passes, it was all the other types of passes that they had to worry about!!.....

 

Conclusion 5: This is where Wade wants to start Mario, before OTA, Training Camp, and the start of the season. If Mario is not effective at OLB, Wade will move him back to DE.

 

This is what I don't understand. If 3-4 DE was good enough for Smith to make the HOF, why wouldn't it work for Mario?

To me, this hints that Mario will not be back after his contract year this year. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but something just doesn't seem right about a 290-pound linebacker.

 

worked for Lavar Kirkland or whatever that fat azz Steeler LB name was

 

I'd like to see Mario Jam up receivers.

 

Wait, I thought Aldon Smith was DeMarcus Ware.

 

I'm skeptical and somewhat optimistic at the same time. It seems like I heard that in this 3-4, the WOLB doesn't have to get out in coverage much -- maybe just cover the flats occasionally.

If this allows Mario to go all-out after QBs and get more speed across the LOS, it could work. Might be better than him constantly bull-rushing and hitting double teams coming off the line.

 

Well, when Wade was first hired, the Chronicle said Connor Barwin was Lawrence Taylor, so who knows...

 

Oh, I'm sure everything is going to work out beautifully.

 

I don't see what you do. Antonio Smith, yes. JJ Watt, yes. Mario?

I've been publicly skeptical about whether Mario fits this scheme for a while. He's a pure 4-3 RE that has struggled in recent years and has demonstrated that he gets worn down physically. Even in Wade's one-gap system, Mario essentially gets moved inside and plays next to Mitchell. This doesn't free him up at all - this makes his job much tougher, as he's essentially become a penetrating DT. If Mitchell doesn't thrive, Mario is going to get punished every snap.

I think Wade realized this, it sounds like he's admitting as much, and that's the real reason they selected Watt (something else I was suspicious of). You don't move the face of your defense unless you have to. You don't burn a first rounder for depth.

I agree with Matt that Mario's chances aren't that much better standing up - we've seen it before. Wade's talking a big game about simple footwork corrections that'll fix everything with Jackson and now Williams at WOLB....but I remember McGrady talking about how he'd make Stromile Swift an All Star.

I think they should trade Mario for draft picks while (when) they can - because he won't fetch a high price if he flops in this system and is a FA.

All that said, I do like this much better than the thought of the right side consisting of Mitchell-Mario-Barwin-Jackson. Teams would be crazy not to run left every down facing that.

 

as long as his job is to rush the qb then i don't care where he plays. based on the "hybrid" 3-4 idea thats mentioned, it appears mario will still be acting like a DE the majority of time.

 

It's not like Mario was tearing up the NFL and breaking sack records while he was a DE. Might as well try this to maximize his pass rush ability.

 

Where he plays will determine how effectively he can get to the QB and how disruptive he'll be to the offensive line.

At RE, my concern is that he can be swallowed by the LG and LT each down, with the C handling Mitchell and the FB watching for Barwin. If I'm an OC, I'm okay with that scenario.

With Watt at RE and Mario at Will, I'm not as confident about things. I need both my tackle and FB worrying about Mario coming at different angles....but that leaves the guard alone against Watt...and one on one Watt could either get through or open more of a gap for Mitchell on the right side.

(on the opposite side, you've got your guard, tackle, and TE dealing with Smith and Reed, which is acceptable)

This is also why I was bummed when we passed on Fairley - we need a NT that will demand more than the C's attention.

BUT - Watt addresses just as big of a need.

 

insert debbie downer pic.

 

Mario played hurt all last year and never mentioned it to anyone until the season was basically over [insert obvious joke about the season being over when we decided to start KJ at CB]. If you watch Mario specifically on every play for an entire game, you know not to question his motor. Guy never quits.

 

Great point - do you guys all remember when that happened.... five years ago? LORD KNOWS Kubiak hasn't done anything offensively to redeem himself since: Trading multiple picks to the Falcons for a back-up QB? Bust. Turning his backfield over to two undrafted backs? Fail. Drafting an unheralded TE in the 4th round of the '06 draft? Waste. Drafting two tackles in the '06 and '08 drafts, including throwing away a first rounder? Awful. He hasn't made Andre Johnson a better WR. He didn't turn Kevin Walter into a productive contributor. He didn’t ring a Pro Bowl-like season out Steve Slaton. Sage Rosenfels was so poorly developed here as a permanent back-up, he only netted a 4th rounder from the Vikings. The team hasn't finished in the top four in total offense the past three years. I mean, what a long and distinguished list of abject offensive failures!

Plus, it’s such an apt comparison. Mario Williams is TOTALLY David Carr: An apathetic, shell-shocked, unsuccessful player that prioritizes family over football and has mentally checked out… It’s like déjà vu!

 

There are a lot of reasons the Texans need to sign a decent safety, but the 5% of plays in which Mario might have pass coverage responsibilities (usually in the flats, at that) isn't high on the list.

 

It's the Texans...what could possibly go wrong?

 

If he is gonna be a pass-rush specialist, he needs to have a high motor with exceptional acceleration to get around the edge.....I dont see it , havent seen it, and probably wont see it........Im not questioning his effort at DE...But being a pash-rushing OLB is a whole different beast for a tall, stout man like Mario

 

Got it. I didn't think anyone besides the last remnants of delusional VY fans were still doing that. I've never seen Mario give anything less than 100% on every play.