Mario Williams News: Pro Sports Daily

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November 19

Houston Chronicle

"Mario Williams has been at his best in prime time, so maybe this is the week he turns back into Super Mario. "I think the bigger the game, the more important it is to him," Texans middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "He just seems to step up when he's put on the big stage." A few lockers down, cornerback Dunta Robinson made a prediction. "I think you can expect a big game out of Mario Monday," he said. "Some guys are just better on the big stage when they feel like it counts the most." Let's hope it's that simple and not something more. Months from now, we may find out Williams was playing this season with more pain than anyone will admit. Those aren't things players admit in the grind of ..."

Williams has to answer questions at Indy

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November 6

Houston Chronicle

"The Texans drafted Mario Williams to get Peyton Manning, but considering the puny pass rush he's provided over the first half of the season, that doesn't seem possible when they play at Indianapolis on Sunday. Williams is supposed to be one of the most feared NFL pass rushers, but he has fewer sacks at the midway point than any season of his career. Williams has three sacks, one more than Jeff Zgonina, 39, who was the oldest defensive starter in the league until New England linebacker Junior Seau came out of retirement more than Brett Favre. Williams' injured shoulder must be much worse than the Texans are telling us. How else do you explain 39 players having more sacks than the top pick ..."

Mario's injury remains a constant

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October 20

Houston Chronicle

"Kicking not a concern Even though Kris Brown has had two field goals blocked in the last two games, coach Gary Kubiak isn't concerned with Brown being able to convert field goals. "I thought Kris had been struggling on his kickoffs a little bit, but he kicked the ball much better (at Cincinnati)," Kubiak said. "Our problem with the field goal is protection right now, and that stems from this offensive line issue we have with some of these new young guys coming in. "We've got to get some extensive work on that this week because that can obviously cost you a game. "I believe in our kicking game. Our special teams have been good, but we definitely have some things to improve upon." Mario ..."

Much more for Mario

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August 3

Houston Chronicle

"Being named to the Pro Bowl last season should have been a redeeming moment for Texans defensive end Mario Williams, but he shrugs it off. "It's what they expected out of me when they drafted me, and it's what I expected of myself," Williams said. "So it was an honor, but it was just a step in what I hope to do." It seems like a long three years ago when many Texans fans booed when Williams was drafted first overall, but during his tenure in Houston, Williams has more than proved the ability the scouts and coaches saw in him. "The guy's a hell of an athlete and a hard worker," defensive line coach Bill Kollar said. "The type of person he is and the way he works is just really a pleasure." ..."

Williams, Texans turn up the heat

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December 2

Houston Chronicle

"Off the field, Mario Williams hates having the spotlight on him. Post-practice group interviews at his locker especially unnerve him. But put him under the lights in prime time and he strides straight to the center of the stage. Denver found this out last year, when Williams posted 3½ sacks in the first night game of his NFL career. Then, against Jacksonville on Monday evening, the once-maligned top pick in the 2006 draft added three more while also forcing a fumble on the last one that set up an insurance touchdown in what became a convincing, last-place escaping 30-17 Texans victory over the Jaguars. “We finally got a chance for the whole world to see us,” Williams said, “so you’ve got ..."

Casserly vindicated for unpopular pick

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September 14

Buffalo News

"It’s time to admit that Charley Casserly and the Houston Texans were not idiots in 2006. The Texans drafted defensive end Mario Williams No. 1 ahead of Reggie Bush and Vince Young and then took heat for it for the next year and a half (including in this space). The Williams pick improves with age. The latest evidence was last week’s meltdown by Young in the season opener against Jacksonville. Young was booed by his home crowd in Nashville after throwing an interception and then initially refused to reenter the game on the Titans’ next possession. He was seen sitting on the bench, inconsolable, hanging his head in despair. Then the Titans were so worried about his mental state they sent the ..."

For Texans’ Mario Williams, best is yet to come

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September 5

Houston Chronicle

"As a rookie, Mario Williams was hurting from top to bottom, from his spinning head to his aching foot. At every turn, the Texans’ mountain of a manchild found himself challenged emotionally, intellectually and physically. What eventually saved him was what got him into this mess in the first place — his preternatural, freakishly good football skills. Although Williams spent too many Sundays in 2006 showing his Stupor Mario side to the world, not for a moment did he ever stop believing he was Super Mario, a player worthy of the status the Texans had conferred upon him when they called his name before anyone else’s in the 2006 NFL draft. Williams knew all along he had to get acclimated to ..."

Kubiak, coaches pleased with Mario

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August 25

Houston Chronicle

"No one is unhappier with the lack of a pass rush than Texans defensive coordinator Richard Smith. But Smith also doesn’t want to run everything in his playbook until the regular season begins. Smith and coach Gary Kubiak are satisfied with the preseason performance of Mario Williams. The problem, according to the coaches, is getting others to help him. “I have no problem with his performance, but we need some production and pressure from other people,” Smith said. “Up front, we have to put more pressure on the quarterback. We have to win the one-on-ones. “In return, if we bring a linebacker, we have to be able to slip a block and make a play on the quarterback. It’s not the sacks that ..."

Texans DE Williams set apart from Saints RB Bush

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August 14

Houston Chronicle

"Whenever the Texans and Saints get together, whether for practice or a game, defensive end Mario Williams and running back Reggie Bush will be reminded of how different their careers could have been. Williams and Bush will be linked for as long as they play in the NFL because of the controversy ignited before the 2006 draft. Bush was supposed to be drafted by the Texans with the first pick. Williams may have been taken by New Orleans with the second selection. “I didn’t know where I was going,” Williams said after the Wednesday morning practice with the Saints. “It was out of my hands, one of those things I couldn’t control, so I don’t worry about it.” Three days before that draft, ..."

Everything in its time for Mario Williams

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July 28

Houston Chronicle

"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 ..."