maybe we can put saints jerseys on all of the texans' opponents from now on. games like this excite you and disappoint at the same time, mario should make plays every game. maybe not sacks, but just be active.
I think the evidence is mounting that Mario is so much more active when they play him standing up. He doesn't have to get his hands tied up with the OL, and he can hit him with a speed burst. His mechanics just look so much more refined when they have him coming into the play with his hands up. He looks like a player that deserves to be drafted #1.
Agreed! The way he blew up that OL on the screen was a sight to see. I think the coaches have found out the way to use him on passing downs. He is so fast off the ball standing up.
Yeah, it's unbelievable what a different player he is when he's standing up. He was playing like a man on a mission yesterday. Even the Fox pro-Reggie announcers were salivating over him. Why didn't we think of this earlier? He needs to be standing up on all passing downs. I even saw him bust up a draw play from the standing position.
Yes, especially when he's playing against a guy making his 2nd NFL start. Not to sound too skeptical but I'd like to see what he does next week against a substantially better offensive line. All I saw yesterday was Mario having his occasional big game after which he goes back to his impersonation of the invisible man. He has been a disappointment to me this year because after what happened to him last season, I expected seeing him rise to the challenge and play with that kind of effort every week. The fact that he hasn't speaks volumes to me about his heart and determination and that's something the top pick in the draft should possess at the very least.
Again it's probably his technique - his technique has been horrible which is why he's so often out of position on plays. Maybe by standing up he can actually see what the QB is doing. I dunno, maybe the Texans need to play him in the same way the Cowboys play Greg Ellis. It doesn't explain why he's so up and down in terms of effort however.
I dont know. If I remember correctly I heard on the radio that the Mario and A.O. combination had the 2nd best yards against avg in the NFL on runs to their side. I believe it was 2.3 or .4 per run. I believe Mario has had a better year than people give him credit for.
I have never witness this from Williams, even last year when he was hurt. Are we watching the same game?
Yes we are. This is simply my way of describing his week-in, week-out effort because you just never know what you're going to get from him. With Mario, the issue isn't physical ability, it's his motivation to play up to that physical ability. Yesterday he was motivated because Reggie Bush was in town and all that entailed. Last week he had 1 tackle. Next week against Cleveland his pattern says that he'll revert to the Mario of a week ago. That's simply not good enough production if you were the top pick in the entire draft.
Assumption duly noted. Statistic duly noted. Did you watch him play? Which was pretty good, unless you have your nose shoved up a box score. Take that up with the Texans.
On another topic was anyone else pleased as much as I was on how Demps played yesterday? That dude was cracking skulls! It was nice seeing him finishing off plays yesterday with some hard hits. Finally someone who can bring the pain!
OK, this type of defense of Mario does no good because it's the old: well other guys at his position sucked so Mario's sucking is acceptable. That's the kind of attitude you have if you want to coast along and collect game checks. That's just not an attitude that will bring a championship here. They have to want to be the best and to show everyone that they are the best. That's what New England, Dallas & Green Bay are doing right now and the results are there for all to see. That's the kind of attitude I want to see from Mario EVERY week and not just occasionally when VY or RB comes into town.
Fact. That wasn't a Pro Bowler he was going against but to his credit, he did what he was supposed to do which was eat his lunch. Yes I did. Wasn't impressed - was more of the same old Mario. If you liked his performance then I'm glad for you. He has a ways to go yet before erasing my skepticism. If we are still having this discussion next year at this time then he'll officially be another Travis Johnson in my book (as you can tell, I'm not a "fan"). I'm on record here that they made a mistake taking a project player like Mario with the top pick in the entire draft. I'm also on record as not believing that they really believed him to be the best player available but merely the one who agreed to their salary offer when RB balked. That's a major reason why I am still not sold on Kubiak - it's because of that decision and the Carr decision.
a) It's not my "attitude", it's a factual observation. Nobody plays his very best statistical game against the very best observation. Isn't that common sense?? b) It's not my job to "bring a championship here". If you're projecting my comments onto Mario's disposition, that's not logical at all. Yeah, that's it. They're superior from a talent standpoint at every freaking position on the field. They just "want it more". You don't know a blessed thing about Mario's attitude. You're making wild-assed, baseless speculation about his motivation and you're supporting those assumptions with numbers from a box score. Brilliant. ...and that's why, 20 months after the draft, we still have to listen to people b**** about the draft. We have a great nucleus for a defense that can become great for years to come. But, that's OK. Do keep b****ing about the 2006 draft well into 2008.
