You find me the post of mine where I said he can't play in this system. I said CONCERN. Geebus. If it isn't ok to have concerns then what the hell is the point of this thread? You want everyone to come in here and just sing the praises of the Texans? Try 610.
I do wonder whether standing up is affecting him because with his height, he's not able to get the same kind of leverage as he does when he lines up in a 3 point stance.
Majority of the comments I read don't deserve a response, but to enlighten you will only take a second. First off, standard DE moves? There's no such thing only combination of moves because the first rarely ever works. Your right he doesn't have a spin move, due to the fact he's 6-6 290 and that move is for smaller DE's who use their quickness to get a oversized tackle off balance. Does Julius Peppers have a spin move? No player masters any move only adds it to what they already know. He uses his size to create problems and while he can improve his moves, he's a pro bowl player and the best we have. He's technically still a DE just labeled a OLB, and I'm sure your lack of confidence in him keeps him up at night...
Only laughing at the post. I'm glad that first quarter was enough for you to become very aware he won't be a dominant player. Have you ever considered he was nervous, overwhelmed, tired, protecting himself, or not into a preseason game in which he knows he's done after a quarter? Were not discussing Yao Ming, he's only 6-6", a difference of 2-4" between most DE's and LB's. I'm pretty sure J.Peppers is same size and has no problem getting to the QB. FYI, A dominant player isn't defined by sacks but how the offense schemes are directed toward him. If he occupies an extra blocker or a slide protection and that frees up other players then he is dominant. I do agree his first step needs work, and he does lock up far too often. But he can overcome that with his pure size and strength which is what mathis, harrison, and ware don't have.
In a typical 3-4 alignment you would be correct but this isn't. A normal NT occupies 2 gaps usually both A's and is more an anchor that clogs space. Wade Phillips' scheme is a 1 gap alignment getting upfield. Creating lanes for LB's to run through not space for them to run. I'll let the man calling the plays determine who's doing their job and yea it does take 11 for a defense to work which is why you thinking Mitchell is the key doesn't make sense.
I haven't really read much of this thread so I don't know if this has been discussed yet. What did y'all think of Bryan Braman? I thought he looked really good and has a great chance at making the team. He has great size for a linebacker as well
They're still going to need an effective NT regardless of what his duties will be. Odds are Earl will have to step up his game in order for this defense to be effective. Wade had probowl NTs in both San Diego and Dallas, and both Jamal Williams and Jay Ratliff had two-peat vote-ins. It could be the player makes the system or the other way around, but nose tackle will be a big piece of this defense, and a makeshift conversion might not just do.
I love him. I really liked him at training camp a couple weeks back when I was there. I'm just afraid he'll get caught up in a numbers game. The front seven is kinda crowded.
What a pain in the ass argument... There were what, less than a handful of run plays total while Mario was in? And of those handful, how many went right to Mario? 1-2? So, were judging Mario's run stopping ability on a couple plays in his very first outing at a completely brand new position? I dont care if he fell down in a fetal position the moment the ball was snapped. To try and even remotely predict his status as an OLB at this point is completely insane. Now, Im not going to sit here and act like I was pleased with his performance. I wasnt. He underwhelmed. But, thats as far as Ill go with it. All this talk of possibly moving him back to DE is so premature that its annoying.
Once he stood up and I watch his first step and his rush it reminded me of his past performances, he has been my favorite player along with Andre. It was so obvious watching him play from a standing position that he take long strides because he has long legs. Just proportional to his height. I've seen Bolt play and he also doesn't have the initial edge quickness but he if very powerful. Mario actually looks like a more athletic Too Tall 'Ed' Jones. Mario is powerful and explosive, but his first step is too long and if he tries to shorten it for quickness it will be awkward and place him off balance to use his power, It is a physics and physique problem. I am not saying he won't do well, he averaged 11 sack/season over 4 yrs. I am saying that the expectation that he will be like Demarcus Ware or Robert Mathis is wrong. There physical build his more compact and they have explosive first steps. Watch James Harrison or Clay Mathews, they have shorter legs and better initial quickness. They get leverageon the blocker by getting into the attack quicker on the intitial step. Just watch Mario and see how his longer first step allows the blocker to lock him up . I think my theory will prove out, I am guessing that his over /under for sacks this year will be 11. Those 11 will come from his strength at the point of attack, use of his arms, his bull rush and strong back side pursuit. Mario has never been able to collapse a pocket fromt he outside because he gets engaged to quickly with the blocker.
This is a huge point, because the key to the defense is really the preparation the week before the game to have a good idea on the offenses tendencies and favorite plays and the subsequent play calling that is chosen. Simply because, by relying on lanes for LB's to run through to tackle the RB or sack the QB, they have be in the correct lanes at the right time. In essence, you don't prepare by figuring out the opposing teams plays in the 1st preseason game, nor do you really make playcalls for specific alignments. Your more about trying to see how your defense reacts to a play and works together for a few plays in a faux-game situation. Now I'm not saying that even if Mitchell, Williams, Ryans, or Cushing can coast and not play well. Recognition of the oppositions plays and situation and quick execution is necessary for them to succeed. However, this type of 3-4 defense requires a lot more trust in Phillip's play calling than the traditional 3-4 which uses the NT to clog up the middle on virtually every play.
Lighten up Buck. Coach FixIt is the name we used up here in Dallas to describe Wade. It was given to him by Randy Galloway a sportswriter at the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram and it really describes the current situation here. After all, wasn't Wade supposed to FIX the sorry Texans' defense? In fact, that's been his calling for quite some time now - he always arrives in town to fix what's wrong with your football team. If you prefer, I can always refer to him as the savior of professional football in Houston which is how some here want to view him. I mean before there was Wade, we had no one to teach our brave lads how to properly play defensive football.
Naw, Randy Galloway at the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram gave that to him although I did hear him refer to himself using this nickname several times while he coached the Cows.
Do you understand the concept of something getting worn out? Whether or not the name has a good meaning (which I actually think it does and chuckled initially at some of your posts) it becomes annoying when you beat the same drum every post.
I don't really care what his nickname is, or who gave it to him, or what people in dallas think of him. If he improves our defense, that's all that matters to me. And judging him on how Mario looked 1/16th of the way through the preseason seems a little premature to me.
I have this fear that the defense improves, but Mario gets left in the dust. Will I consider Wade a failure if that happens? Hell no. But it seems like such an unfortunate circumstance, having to basically ditch a potential HOFer like that. I seriously think people are underestimating the possibility that Mario gets traded if he's not adapting well, or if Reed does really well, or both. The only saving grace here is that Mario is not immune to the franchise tag next year. So that may buy us some time to evaluate him and find a better way to use him. But I'm really nervous about his future either way.
