Flash back to the 2006 NFL Draft. The Houston Texans have the first pick. An absolutely horrible 2-14 team had a need at virtually every position. Could they have used a Heisman Trophy winning, highly touted, human highlight reel at running back? Of course. Did they need a possible franchise quarterback; a Houston native who was carrying with him an insurmountable level of local popularity, as he skated in fresh off of a BCS National Championship? You bet.
But instead, they "gambled." They went for the boom-or-bust pick, the one that didn't sit well with most fans and experts. The Houston Texans chose to select a 6'7", 290-pound man-child at defensive end. His name was Mario Williams, and after much debate, it's now safe to say that they chose wisely.
Mario Williams' 29.5 career sacks don't say enough about what he means to a football team. After he was drafted, it was a known fact that it would take some time to mold his abilities and harness his freakish skill level. However, the impact he is having this quickly is the type of thing that people only hoped for at the time.
Offenses are constantly scheming away from him, developing their game plans to avoid him. Yet despite their best efforts, Williams has been completely disruptive on his side of the field. He currently ranks in the top 10 overall in sacks this season, and ranks sixth among defensive linemen alone; a more telling stat, which excludes the 3-4 outside linebackers. In addition, he also ranks in the top 20 in tackles (51) for defensive linemen.
Mario no longer just engages the offensive lineman, he has learned how to use technique which makes his power that much more effective. He plays the run extremely well, always pushing his blocker backwards two to three yards, and disrupting the play if aimed his way. He is constantly getting pressure, and if he can't sack the quarterback, he has learned to do a nice job of forcing fumbles from the quarterback's blindside (4 so far on the season).
All of this, mind you, he is doing virtually alone. Great pass rushers almost always have great counterparts along the defensive line to compliment them, to provide a push from a different direction, which leads to more tackles and sacks for everyone. Mario is doing this by himself. Below is a list of the five defensive linemen currently ahead of Mario on the total sacks list this season. All except one, John Abraham, has had significant help this season from his counterparts in the trenches.
As a 6'2", 245-pound defensive end, the Indianapolis Colts only ask Robert Mathis to do one thing; get after the quarterback. His 11.5 sacks tie a career-high for him, but would he have been nearly as effective this season if teams weren't concentrating on Dwight Freeney and his 10.5 sacks on the other side of the line?
Justin Tuck has really made a name for himself with the New York Giants these last two seasons, compiling 22 sacks in that span, 12 of which have come this year. While he has been busy achieving a career-high in sacks, fellow defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka has also been busy getting to the quarterback 8 times this season, for a career-high, as well.
Julius Peppers is known as a long-time sack artist, and this season he too has achieved a career-high at 13.5. However, while that was going on, fellow Carolina Panthers teammates Charles Johnson (6) and Tyler Brayton (4.5) have done enough to keep the offense honest on the other side of the ball.
The Minnesota Vikings got exactly what they were looking for when they traded for Jared Allen in the offseason. His 14.5 sacks have absolutely terrorized offensive coordinators this year. It has to be nearly impossible for them to decide who to key in on for their blocking schemes, however. Do they choose Allen or defensive tackle Kevin Williams, who's 8.5 sacks are the most he's had since 2004? Ray Edwards has chipped in 5, as well.
As for Mario, well Tim Bulman has 4 sacks ... and that's really about it. What, you've never heard of Tim Bulman?
Meanwhile, the other first overall pick possibilities aren't fairing quite as well. Reggie Bush has no doubt shown glimpses of stardom after being selected second overall by the New Orleans Saints, but along with those glimpses there have been long stretches of mediocrity. His inability to stay healthy the last two seasons has hurt his productivity, as well. Although able to amass 9 touchdowns this season (3 on kick returns), he has recently been placed on injured reserve due to a sprained left knee, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. A knee injury caused him to miss significant time last year, as well, and by seasons end, he will have missed a total of 10 games during the span. Although the will and effort have been there, Bush has yet to crack more than 600 yards rushing in a season, averaging 3.7 ypc in his career.
And then there's Vince Young. The Houston fans would have loved him. Well, at least for a season or two that is. After being taken third overall by the Tennessee Titans and getting off to a hot start, the "Vincanity" has cooled quite a bit. Despite taking over the starting job during his rookie season, and even leading the Tennessee Titans into a first round playoff appearance last year, some off-the-field issues have left Titans fans uncertain about their quarterback's future.
Furthermore, some would even argue that the Titans made the playoffs last season despite Vince Young's play, not because of it. After a solid rookie campaign, Young was handed the starting job. But by the second season's end, he had posted a 71.1% passer efficiency rating, including just 9 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
But after a 138-yard, 1-interception, 3-sack loss to San Diego in the first round of the playoffs, the Vince Young honeymoon had officially ended. This year, Young lost the starting job to Kerry Collins. Despite this, his team currently has the best record in the league.
And as for the Houston Texans, they're currently sitting at 7-8, outside looking in for the playoffs this year. However, it wasn't but a couple of weeks ago that Young watched from the sidelines as the Texans handed the Titans their second loss of the season. Mario Williams recorded 4 tackles on the day, and a week later, he was being named to his very first Pro Bowl appearance. As for Vince Young and Reggie Bush, their careers aren't over, but any debate over the 2006 first overall pick surely is.
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