I get a little worried when I see people saying we don't need Mario because we have Barwin and Reed. Both had good years last year, but neither are anywhere near the player Mario is. Do you think any team actually game planned for Brooks Reed? Mario had 5 sacks in 5 games last year and that was before he even knew the system. Once the defense started clicking, he would have been unstoppable if not for the freak injury. I'm not saying I think we should sign him at all costs, but if we don't sign him, it shouldn't be because we think we're just as good without him. That's just not true.
No, but who's to say if Mario was healthy and playing that game he doesn't change the game by his defense?
Comes down to this. Would you rather have Mario or Myers? Obviously Mario is the better player so I'll take Mario. Would you rather have Mario at $15 million per year or Myers at $8 million per year? It's Myers all the way.
I think it's a matter of figuring out where you have reasonable substitutes. You can't keep both, so which one can you most live with losing? I can't imagine the Texans defense being appreciably better last year had Mario not been hurt.
I can't imagine how adding Mario Williams to this defense doesn't make it that much better. Don't get me wrong, I don't think we should make him the highest paid defensive player in the league. If that's what he wants, well...it's been nice. But if they're any way we can sign him without crippling our future financial situation, I think you do it. You don't just show him the door simply because Brooks Reed had a decent season last year. All that being said, understand that I'm pretty clueless on the salary cap. By choice. The accounting acumen that seems to be needed to be a sports fan these days just bores me, frankly. I really just like watching the games.
5 times, but I know what you're saying. Reed did go 5 weeks without a sack and had 6 sacks for the year while Mario had 5 in 4.25 games. Simply not as good as Mario. The texans were very good at getting after the QB, no doubt, but Mario would certainly take it to a whole new level...if they can afford him.
Tough decisions have to be made by good teams with the cap. Good players get let go because you have to manage the cap not just year by year, but also by taking the future into account. Those who say we should be all in this year are short sighted. We have a super bowl core for a least the next 3-5 years if we manage the cap right. Considering not only Myers this year, but also Duane Brown, Cushing and Schaub next year. Mario will make us better, I have no doubt. But he is gonna command a goliath contract, and considering our pass rush is already highly effective it's only prudent to use that money to keep everybody else around. Myers is gonna make less than half of what Mario will command. Not an easy decision, but the Texans are making the right one. Offer him a reasonable contract but don't break the bank or else we will regret it down next year.
Correct. And John McClain will be right then, in that we have to restructure the naming rights of the stadium.
Who's to say that having someone less skilled or experienced than Myers wouldn't have resulted in 6 INTs, or a much less productive game by Arian? Everyone can play the what if game.
From LanceZ on Twitter, for what it's worth: I don't think that means that you have to keep Mario, but if Mario leaves, OLB immediately becomes the most important position on the team, well above #2 WR.
Not really. You can always find good 3-4 OLB pass rushers in the 2nd and 3rd round. Just ask the Steelers who are always replacing at that position. Another reason why the Texans should not spend too much on Mario.
If pass rushing wins championships then stopping or slowing down a good pass rush must be equally important (common sense). Thus Chris Myers is very important.
Reed does have to come a long way to become a real threat on a game to game basis. I was pretty confident that Mario could be kept here but I'm taking the opposite position now. ..Im thinking he's gone. Im hesitant on taking a WR in the first round based on who's projected to be available. For the value, I just don't see a WR deserving at this point so there is no need to force the issue. You can get a helluva OLB in that position. I think you can find a quality WR in the 2nd, 3rd and even 4th and 5th rounds. I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple of LBs taken in the first 4 rounds. Depth is desperately needed if Mario isn't here. Relying blindly on Reed is a little too risky for my taste...and this is coming from a Reed fan
Wow. No way. Other than quarterbacks pass rushers and corners are the most valuable positions in football because they work alone. An offensive line works as a unit. You can have undersized and unheralded guys play together as a line very effectively, especially in a zone scheme. I just think that the value of a guy like Mario that teams have to account for on every single play far, far outweighs the value of a single lineman, so much so that their respective salaries become irrelevant. In order to go to the Super Bowl the Texans will have to beat Brady, most likely in New England. That will be much more doable with Mario. Please do not think that I am minimizing the value of Myers or Breisel. I saw all too clearly what the OL looked like when you swap Breisel for Caldwell and I did not care for it.
I know what you're saying. This regime has done extremely well in building the o-line and finding inexpensive parts to make it work. But, the financial burden of keeping Mario may be detrimental...that can't be ignored. He doesn't have to be kept at any cost ands that's the real issue here. If Mario comes back at a reasonable, and not overly inflated deal like Arian, then they should rock it. If a premium is going to have to be paid then it's best to move on and trust that the texans can continue to find guys like Barwin, Reed and Watt.
