"Maybe if Mario Williams had been cheered instead of booed when he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Texans, everything would have been different.

Maybe he would have basked in the love and enjoyed it a little too much. Maybe the sophomore sensation would have instead faced a sophomore slump.

Gary Kubiak didn’t wish any of the negative treatment on Williams. But the Texans coach did watch closely the past two seasons as Williams was forced to deal with intense scrutiny and constant comparisons to Reggie Bush and Vince Young.

Kubiak ended up liking what he saw – a young defensive end determined to rise above the criticism and not succumb to the pressure.

All that determination and hard work has the third-year veteran in the midst of a new, more fulfilling debate. Is he becoming the best defensive end in the NFL?

“It’s been a rough road,” Kubiak said. “Usually, to be successful, you’re going to have some bumps in the road. And he’s had his bumps, but I think he’s always handled himself with class. He’s always worked. He’s never complained. And that’s the people that usually make it in this business, so no doubt in my mind he’s going to be very successful.

“And how he ends up as far as ranking players in this league – you know, my biggest concern is that he’s as good as he can be, and I think the sky’s the limit.”

Before training camp, Williams’ name was all over the various preseason rankings. In one, he was listed as the sixth-best player in the NFL – behind only Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, LaDainian Tomlinson, Randy Moss and Champ Bailey.

In another, he was listed as the league’s second-best pass rusher, trailing only Minnesota’s Jared Allen.

Williams admitted he has heard such rankings, but he isn’t about to throw himself a party. It’s hard to forget how many people had him on the bottom of their lists just a year ago.

Williams also has an incredibly hard time being satisfied with his own play.

“The only thing I think about in the past is that it wasn’t good enough – no matter what I did,” Williams said. “So I don’t dwell on it. But I know whatever I did wasn’t good enough, so I just try to go out and be better than what I thought I was before.”

His coaches have taken notice. Williams is listening to their tips. He’s being quick, disruptive and he’s using his hands better than he has in the past. He is also playing more instinctively.

“We’re expecting a lot, but I think the most important thing is Mario’s expecting a great deal out of himself,” Kubiak said. “(He’s) as good a worker as I’ve ever been around in football at a very young age right now, and (he’s) taking his game to a new level every day. (He’s) very well-conditioned and having a lot of fun. That’s important; that’s when players get better, and that’s what you see right now.”

Defensive coordinator Richard Smith said Williams has an aura of confidence that started building last season.

“The better you feel, the better you perform,” Smith said. “You are who you think you are and I think he’s going to have a much better year than a year ago.”"