[Chron] Mario Williams making move to outside linebacker

We look very good at the ends and at ILB.

Past that, everything is uncertain.

My confidence scale

Mitchell and Cody panning out as NT: 5
Brooks Reed panning out as SOLB: 8
Mario Williams panning out as WOLB: 6
Texans bringing in a solid #1 FA CB: 4
Kareem Jackson/Jason Allen holding down the #2 CB spot: 4
Quin panning out at Safety: 7
Texans bringing in a solid FA Safety: 4
Nolan working out as Safety: 7
Keo working out as Safety: 4
Harris working out as Nickelback: 7

Okoye panning out as a football player at age 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 or 28: 2

 

I agree, re: hope. I just find it fascinating that everyone talks so absolutely - in the middle of a muddied-water lockout, no less - about conclusions that won't be drawn for months. I mean, someone is condemning 0-0-in-the-postseaon Kubiak for being unable to win a playoff game and denigrating the possibility of us being a perennial winning team - but somehow, I'm the unbalanced, biased Iranian information officer?

I think it comes down to me simply not being invested in these decisions. Did I think they should fire Kubiak? Yep. Am I upset that they didn't? Nope. Did they at least try and make a bad situation better? I think so. Will it work? No idea. (How Richard Justice of me!) I'm inclined to see how it plays out, though, before rendering a definitive conclusion and then digging in to defend that conclusion about a season that (might) start in five months.

I agree with a lot of opposing viewpoints here, actually - not all but a good #. But I don't think everything is so black and white. There can be shades of gray, IMO. (How gray? Charcoal.)

 

Ha. You are very good at taking one thing and twisting to make it look like we are completely irrational.

I don't think I condemned him. I just said that I have no trust in him doing anything special if we ever get the chance. Nor do I think we could even be perennially good, playoff team every year like the Charges -- I just said that's the ceiling. IMO, his ceiling is nowhere near a championship, and that's what I want. Therefore I think we are wasting our time with him, even if we churn out a couple of playoff births. Hope I'm wrong, though.

He's clearly good enough to get to the playoffs, seeing as how we would have made it two years ago if not for the incredibly tough conference. In the playoffs, the best coaches will out-do him somehow, or Kubiak will shoot us in the foot himself.

 

No one is talking it up, Donny Most - again with more absolutes/black and whites. I specifically said, in this thread no less, that they will (hopefully) make a leap all the way to..... league average. They have enough, as is, to at least accomplish that, IMO.

 

LMAO.

There's that old tap dancing line again... "I'm not talking the defense up, BUT..."

Look at him go, folks!



(FYI Ric, "talking up" doesn't have to be outrageous claims of HOF greatness, but moreso in your case, means turd polishing, something you've become famous around here for)

 

why do you have to bring race into the discussion?

 

really?

someone yesterday suggested we're "stacked" on the defensive end of the ball.

i questioned that.

you responded to my questioning by talking about how many first round draft picks we have on the defensive end of the ball.

we have exactly one more first round draft pick than we did last season when we fielded what was absolutely the worst defense i've ever seen.

i recognize coaching may make a big difference. but to go from worst defense i've ever seen to "stacked?"

 

i hear ya.

i can honestly say, i will not be excited about texans football this fall. i'm sure i'll watch. and if they win i'm sure they'll sucker me in again. but i'm so skeptical of everything coming from that organization. i wish that weren't so...but it just is.

 

Ding Ding Ding...we have a winner...I truly believe they'll be better this season than last...having said that, what he says above is the truth...anyone thinking differently is in for a let down...

 

Damn we in a world of trouble!!! smh

 

More from Peter King:

 

In previous years, we didnt know how good the Texans were until about week 8.....Now because of this new "3-4", I suppose we will know by week 1 ....Fortunately for me, I already know how it's gonna be....."Historic" in every sense of the word....Heads gonna roll this year

 

I hate to break character here, but I have to sort of agree with Ric. It seems like people are arguing whether or not the Texans are going to have the #32 ranked defense or the #1 ranked defense next year, when the answer will probably be somewhere in-between.

The thing is, if we go from 'really really really bad' to just 'slightly below average' next year, that would be a HUGE improvement and could really change the dynamic of the entire team. Maybe we can actually sit on a lead every now and then (i.e. run the ball) instead of constantly having to play catch-up.

I'm not convinced that the Mario OLB experiment is going to work, but you never know. People are acting like he's going to be trying to cover TE's and RB's on every play when Wade himself says that will only happen 5% of the time. That's no more than the DE occasionally dropping into coverage on a zone-blitz in every other NFL defense.

 

well put. If the texans defense is ranked in the 15 range, i'd consider that a success.

As for Mario, people are over complicating it. Mario will be a pass rusher the vast majority of the time...that's all that matters.

 

This is absolutely untrue.

No one is expecting a #1 ranking or else it should be considered abject failure. And no one is saying that even average wouldn't be a nice improvement.

But to sit here and watch people wax sentimental through rose-colored glasses with starry-eyes about our historically bad defense, which hasn't changed much personnel wise, and has yet to even take a practice snap, as if it is some kind of abusive lover that will surely change its ways (one of these days! right?!), is just hilarious and sad at the same time.

I'm past that point with these Texans. I am no longer affording them the benefit of the doubt. I don't care how many 1st round picks are lining up on either side of the ball.

You can float some hope on the Wade Phillips factor (I firmly believe he will help), but don't sit here and rattle off names and draft picks to me, that only rubs salt in an underachievers wound.

 

i don't think it's unreasonable, or hilarious, to think that the texans defense won't be as historically bad as it was last year. Now, that speaks more to how bad they were last year but chances are still very likely that they won't be as bad or worse, even if a marginal improvement.

 

Of course they won't be as bad (knock on... anything), but really, hearing people say things like "our defense is loaded" and "it features 5 first round picks and 4 second round picks; including two DROYs and three Pro Bowlers" isn't funny to you?

I nearly battlefought in my pants after reading that.

There's some seriously ironic pleasure to be gleaned there.

 

If we get in to that 15 range, I'd expect us to make the playoffs. As the team stands right now, I'm expecting us to be around the 20-22 range.

 

not what we're discussing. no one is saying it will be the worst defense ever...again.

we were responding to the notion that we're "stacked" on defense. looking at the worst defense i've ever seen, stacked is not the word i'd use to describe them.

 

Sadly, some of you guys have become so jaded that you would find a way to call improvement a problem and bash anyone who thinks otherwise.

Understandable to a degree, but I am optimistic and look forward to the new season.