Mario Williams Switched To Outside Linebacker

[NAHSTE]

Not disagreeing with you, but its kind of odd that a team would spend a high 1st round draft choice on a 3-4 DE.

Chiefs fans nod grimly.

 

[Senser81]

Chiefs fans nod grimly.

 

[BigBucs]

BLASPHEMY :devil:

Id should Groan you.

Harsh truth. Beast of a pass rusher but he cant cover for shit. What makes it worse for you Skins fans is you all drafting a 4-3 DE once again in Kerrigan and trying to put him at LB. :confused2:

 

[Blick]

Why not let him play the position he's actually better suited for (by far, remembering this is a 1-gap), before putting a cap on him there? Not to mention a cap well below his average. Who's to say he improves on his numbers now when playing OLB? He's NOT a fit for it any way you slice it. It'd be like playing Sean Taylor at CB. Gifted enough for it, but no one in their right mind would put him there....
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It's not like Sean Taylor at CB. Sean Taylor was always a safety. Mario Williams has always been a 4-3 end. 4-3 ends always translate to 3-4 OLB's. That's how it works. I'm just going to agree to disagree about where he fits in Houston's defense. It will be interesting to see how he does this year. I think you will be surprised.

 

[Blick]

And where exactly did KC fans want him to go? Hali doesn't work as an end, it goes against his strengths. He's not a great fit for OLB, and by extension Mario is a turrrible one, but it's his only spot in the D. It's either that or trade him.
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KC fans didn't like the switch to a 3-4, period. It was a bad fit for their personnel. Glenn Dorsey is a classic 3 tech in a 4-3...they had no true nose tackle (still don't)...Hali was a huge question mark. The only fit in the front 7 was Mike Vrabel's old ass.

It looks like a great move now, but back then it looked retarded.

I think we'll be looking back at this move by the Texans in the same manner. A lot of people will question it, but it will turn out well, IMO.

 

[steeljake]

I think you can say that about any scheme though.

lol... thank you captain obvious... who did you hear say that on tv today btw?

You could put Mario Williams at Corner Back and he'd still fuck you up.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEkWH8DB7b0[/ame]

They still don't have a true 3-4 NT, do they?

Their D is young and won't be good for a while. I think Reed and Watt are going to take some time to develop.

this.

 

[Shayn•Da•Pain]

Not disagreeing with you, but its kind of odd that a team would spend a high 1st round draft choice on a 3-4 DE.

Richard Seymour 6th overall
Ziggy Hood 32nd overall
Louis Castillo 28th overall
Travis Johnson 16th overall
Gerard Warren 3rd overall
Tyson Jackson 3rd overall
Glenn Dorsey 5th overall
Adam Carriker 13th overall

to my knowledge, maybe more.

 

[s@ppisgod]

It's not like Sean Taylor at CB. Sean Taylor was always a safety. Mario Williams has always been a 4-3 end. 4-3 ends always translate to 3-4 OLB's. That's how it works. I'm just going to agree to disagree about where he fits in Houston's defense. It will be interesting to see how he does this year. I think you will be surprised.

Sean Taylor was always a safety? Sure, and he was athletically gifter enough to play CB. Thats what you've been arguing about with Mario. He can "make it work", despite being unconventional.

And if you're going to play the ignorance card about DEs, why am I wasting my time with you? Would you put Charles Grant at OLB? Or where are they going to play the lighter JJ Watt who was a 4-3 DE? By your logic, you could put him at Mike because there's comparable 260+ lb LBs and guys have made the move from DE to LB too.

But honestly, if you want to act like Mario and Woodley or Ware or 9 out of every 10 transition LBs are the same animal, then we're clearly not going to get anywhere here. So I'm done with it...
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[Blick]

Sean Taylor was always a safety? Sure, and he was athletically gifter enough to play CB. Thats what you've been arguing about with Mario. He can "make it work", despite being unconventional.

And if you're going to play the ignorance card about DEs, why am I wasting my time with you? Would you put Charles Grant at OLB? Or where are they going to play the lighter JJ Watt who was a 4-3 DE? By your logic, you could put him at Mike because there's comparable 260+ lb LBs and guys have made the move from DE to LB too.

But honestly, if you want to act like Mario and Woodley or Ware or 9 out of every 10 transition LBs are the same animal, then we're clearly not going to get anywhere here. So I'm done with it...
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Thanks...:applause:

 

[Gmen0820]

Wade is a good coach. He better coach him up though because you can't play hesitant.

 

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

The decision wasnt to move him . The decision was to bring in Phillips. Moving him was a no brainer. Cant hold back an entire defense over a maybe on one guy.

If Greg Ellis can make the transition well so can Mario Williams.

What you need to worry about is how many plays hes going to give up in the flat and red zone. Not his sack totals. Sooner or later he will be asked to cover.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

It's not like Sean Taylor at CB. Sean Taylor was always a safety. Mario Williams has always been a 4-3 end. 4-3 ends always translate to 3-4 OLB's. That's how it works. I'm just going to agree to disagree about where he fits in Houston's defense. It will be interesting to see how he does this year. I think you will be surprised.

Not all of them. As a defensive end, you rarely, if ever, have to cover. Thats the hardest part of the transition for DEs, and LB's going to DE have a similar adjustment in always facing linemen right at the snap.

There have certainly been many instances, but one I've watched is Andre Carter. Twice has he been on a team thats gone from a 4-3 to a 3-4. No one is going to dispute that Carter is one of the better pass-rushers in the league, usually good for at least 10 sacks, but he's just not a fit in the 3-4 and will struggle.

Might that be Mario Williams? Who knows...........but to say that 4-3 ends always translate to 3-4 OLB is not a smart statement to make.

 

[Blick]

Not all of them. As a defensive end, you rarely, if ever, have to cover. Thats the hardest part of the transition for DEs, and LB's going to DE have a similar adjustment in always facing linemen right at the snap.

There have certainly been many instances, but one I've watched is Andre Carter. Twice has he been on a team thats gone from a 4-3 to a 3-4. No one is going to dispute that Carter is one of the better pass-rushers in the league, usually good for at least 10 sacks, but he's just not a fit in the 3-4 and will struggle.

Might that be Mario Williams? Who knows...........but to say that 4-3 ends always translate to 3-4 OLB is not a smart statement to make.

They're not going to ask him to cover much. If they do, it will likely be dropping into a zone. It's not like he's going to cover tight ends man to man. Remember he's only playing standing up on first and second down. On passing downs it's business as usual.

When I said translate, I wasn't implying anything about success. When a team switches to a 3-4, the ends almost always move to olb. 4-3 defensive tackles move to 3-4 end or nose if they're big or strong enough. That's how it works. Look at all of the 3-4 olb's in the league and the overwhelming majority were 4-3 ends in college because there aren't that many teams that run a 3-4 in college. Translate was a poor choice of words...transition makes more sense.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

They're not going to ask him to cover much. If they do, it will likely be dropping into a zone. It's not like he's going to cover tight ends man to man. Remember he's only playing standing up on first and second down. On passing downs it's business as usual.

When I said translate, I wasn't implying anything about success. When a team switches to a 3-4, the ends almost always move to olb. 4-3 defensive tackles move to 3-4 end or nose if they're big or strong enough. That's how it works. Look at all of the 3-4 olb's in the league and the overwhelming majority were 4-3 ends in college because there aren't that many teams that run a 3-4 in college. Translate was a poor choice of words...transition makes more sense.

Thats a better term I think. He's still big enough to play DE in a 3-4 though.

In my opinion, I consider Mario Williams a franchise cornerstone. He's one of the few players where a team should build their system around him, not the other way around. Taking Williams out of his comfort zone is a risky decision.

 

[Blick]

Thats a better term I think. He's still big enough to play DE in a 3-4 though.

In my opinion, I consider Mario Williams a franchise cornerstone. He's one of the few players where a team should build their system around him, not the other way around. Taking Williams out of his comfort zone is a risky decision.

He is big enough. But like I've said, it would be a waste to put him at end. Moving him to end in a 3-4 would be like moving him to tackle in a 4-3. Sure, he's big enough, but it's not what he's best suited for. You don't want your best athlete and cornerstone of your defense to line up inside when he's used to lining up outside the tackle and running the arc to get to the quarterback. Lining up inside, his explosiveness gets negated because he's closer to the offensive line. He's also more susceptible to double teams and just getting caught up in the trash of offensive line play.

Williams is the type of talent that will work in any system. For whatever reason, Houston brought in Wade Phillips. Wade did what any other 3-4 guy in the league would do...put his best pass rusher in position to rush the quarterback.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

He is big enough. But like I've said, it would be a waste to put him at end. Moving him to end in a 3-4 would be like moving him to tackle in a 4-3. Sure, he's big enough, but it's not what he's best suited for. You don't want your best athlete and cornerstone of your defense to line up inside when he's used to lining up outside the tackle and running the arc to get to the quarterback. Lining up inside, his explosiveness gets negated because he's closer to the offensive line. He's also more susceptible to double teams and just getting caught up in the trash of offensive line play.

Williams is the type of talent that will work in any system. For whatever reason, Houston brought in Wade Phillips. Wade did what any other 3-4 guy in the league would do...put his best pass rusher in position to rush the quarterback.

True, but if they still plan on switching to a four man front on third down/passing downs, it would make equal sense to put him on the line instead of linebacker. He's one of the few players who could do that.

 

[ryne candy]

They've said that whenever Mario is on the field...he will be rushing the qb. He is not going to be on it intended to cover.

 

[Blick]

They've said that whenever Mario is on the field...he will be rushing the qb. He is not going to be on it intended to cover.

Exactly. And for the guys who don't think this is a good idea, who are the best pass rushers in a 3-4? What position racks up the most sacks in a 3-4? The position in which Williams will be playing...like he should be.

 

[Cody]

Learned today that if the Texans were to take the field now, he would be the biggest linebacker in the history of the NFL.

 

[Aso]

Learned today that if the Texans were to take the field now, he would be the biggest linebacker in the history of the NFL.

He's listed at 282 right now and I think Levon Kirkland was probably bigger than that right? Doesn't sound right to me.