To Mario Williams with Love

by steelblue on Feb 16, 2012 11:38 PM CST

Hey Mario Williams, This is for you!(If you ever come on BRB!)

I know there have been a lot of jerks who have never appreciated you from the day you were drafted. I know there are a lot of people who will always treat you poorly because of their own egos and bias for Vince Young(wtf). While there might be fools who assume you are expendable, there are many more of us who love you and appreciate what you have done for us. We understand your importance for this team as a leader and a defensive force.

I know that you have been the most scrutinized player on the Texans since the day you got here. While this city may not have always made you feel as welcome and cherished as it could've, please give us a chance to redeem ourselves.

I am not asking you to take a massive pay cut. Just making sure you know we cherish you and would love for you to be a Texan next season and beyond.

From Texans fans who appreciate what you have done for us

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Comments

It's terribly unfortunate that he got hurt when he did

With Mario, Barwin, JJ Watt and Antonio Smith all rushing the passer together would have been a nightmare.

by SATexan on Feb 17, 2012 1:35 AM CST reply actions

Can Be*

Lets go optimistic on this post

True arrogance has been displayed here- WestministerRavensfan or something
Hi My name is Jack, why don't you help me off?

by WreckNTexan on Feb 17, 2012 9:10 AM CST up reply actions

You realize that

the reality is that any contract which is at all fair to Mario Williams will lead to consequences in the next couple of years that include the possibility of losing Myers, Foster, Duane Brown, Cushing, Barwin, among others. If you don’t sign Mario, I think if they are clever with their spending, they can probably keep all of those players. If you sign Mario, at least 2, maybe 3 of those players are likely gone.

If you think Mario Williams, he of the many injuries and “decent” production, is worth the risk of losing players which are not just schematically crucial to the team, but also REAL locker room leaders, then you’ve been fooled by the name and star power and by the national media telling you how amazingly crucial Mario is.

Look with your own eyes, and I don’t see how you can possibly think that keeping Mario at the cost you will incur is in the best interests of this football team.

by Andres_Johnson on Feb 18, 2012 12:37 PM CST reply actions

re-do contracts later? Like they did to sign Joseph and Manning this offseason.

Also, you gotta realize how good Mario can be in this system vs. Barwin. We all love Barwin, but they guy is no physical match for Mario. “Many” injuries? We keep hearing about this but…wtf? He played EVERY single game until last year when they sat him because were out of the playoff race. This year was the first time in his career he missed important games. So the injury argument is bull. Here’s a link. He played 16 games in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. In 2010, he played in 13 games and sitting the last 3 after we were eliminated from the playoff race. He got a freak injury this year so somehow he is just injury prone? He was the ONLY real defensive threat on this team since he got drafted. Think about that.

I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.
~Muhammad Ali

by steelblue on Feb 18, 2012 6:52 PM CST up reply actions

http://www.nfl.com/player/mariowilliams/2495982/profile

I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.
~Muhammad Ali

by steelblue on Feb 18, 2012 6:53 PM CST up reply actions

Oh, and Frank Bush!

I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.
~Muhammad Ali

by steelblue on Feb 18, 2012 6:56 PM CST up reply actions

Eh.

If you’re going to use injuries as an excuse for why his production suffered in 2006, 2009, and 2010 (which is fair), then you also have to acknowledge it as a concern. He’s either an injury-prone, elite player, or a healthy good-but-not-great player. Pick one.

by Nashmeister on Feb 18, 2012 7:09 PM CST up reply actions

uhhh...2006 was his Rookie Year. 2009, 2010 => Frank Bush Years.

Who didn’t suck during those 2 years?

I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.
~Muhammad Ali

by steelblue on Feb 18, 2012 7:15 PM CST up reply actions

He is the former, which—alas—is reason enough not to give him a Julius Peppers-sized contract.

Some team will offer him that much though, and he will be foolish not to take it.

"How can an idiot be a policeman? Answer me that!"
-Chief Inspector Dreyfus

by FreedomRide on Feb 18, 2012 7:18 PM CST up reply actions

Last sentence = well said

I think that pretty much nails it.

Yeah, he hasn’t missed “many” games, but he’s always got something, whether it be groin problems, plantar fasciitis, a “torn tit” (sorry, I just like that phrasing), and so on… He’s been “good”, and if you wanted to handicap him for injuries, you could probably even convince me he is a great player…

The problem is that there is no handicapping for injuries. You get the whole package, and paying him Peppers money, or even something within 1 or 2 million per year of that (which he WILL get, I feel certain), you have to be banking that he’ll be healthy and producing at something close to optimal. That’s not something I want to bet on, given, as stated in my original post, the costs you will incur – the players you’d have to let go.

One other point – if salary caps go up, they go up for everyone, and it’s going to make keeping our other guys appropriately more expensive. Invalid argument. Star plays still get paid like stars, in disproportionate amounts to the “average joe” NFL player (disproportionate in absolute value, not necessarily in relative value).

by Andres_Johnson on Feb 18, 2012 7:40 PM CST up reply actions

You make it like he wants 30 mil a year

"Some ideas are so stupid that only intellectuals believe them." - George Orwell

I am Barry - I am from Texas

by Barryfromtexas on Feb 19, 2012 12:17 AM CST up reply actions

I get your point but not only is the future of the cap unknown, accurate salary cap information is never available to outsiders like us

Yes Mario has had injury issues, but it is irrefutable that the D is better with than without him. If the scenario you paint actually happens then it is to the detriment of the Texans. The cap will increase when the new TV deal kicks in. I trust that the Texans braintrust will consider all factors and plan prudently. They may or should already have a really good feel for how much the cap will increase, so spending this offseason that seems unwise at the current cap level, may look smarter after the increase kicks in. The cap forces all successful teams to make tough decisions every offseason. True the Texans cannot afford to overpay for Mario, but a fair 5-6 year offer with a 9-10 million cap hit this season may keep Mario here without putting undue future stress on the cap. Just my 2 cents hoping the Texans can figure out a way to not lose anyone this offseason. we wer tantalizingly close last year, and bringing back the same group would be the best case scenario for success.

It took the Astros 44 years to get to the Series, the Oilers-Texans are OVERDUE to get to the playoffs, much less the big big dance...Go Texans!!!!!

by oiler-texan diehard on Feb 18, 2012 2:57 PM CST reply actions