Cameron Crazy
04-24-2006, 01:58 PM
How would they announce it? Would they just drop it into their big "Hey everybody, we're doubling ticket prices and cutting the size of beer cups in half!" press conference? Would Charley Casserly hold up a Reggie Bush Texans jersey, then scream "Just kidding!" and then hold up a Vince Young Texans jersey, then scream "Gotcha AGAIN!" and then hold up a Williams jersey? And while he did it, would he be wearing a bulletproof vest?
Casserly has had a run of failure as Houston's general manager — a job he somehow earned with a run of mediocrity as the Redskins' general manager. But would even he try this?
I can't believe the Texans are serious about drafting Mario Williams, the defensive end from North Carolina State. It seems pretty obvious that Houston just wants to drive Bush's asking price down. And if so, this is the lamest negotiating ploy of all-time.
"Reggie Bush is going to be the No. 1 pick in the draft." This was repeated as fact for the last five months. The simple reason is that Bush is a ridiculous talent — only an injury can keep him from being a Pro Bowler. All the words and non-words that dominate an NFL draft can be attached to Bush: upside, high ceiling, jukability, stick-to-itiveness, etc. He will win games and sell tickets, which are pretty much all that matter in this enterprise.
If I were Williams (and I could certainly pass for a 5-foot-10, 180-pound white version of the man), this is what I'd do: lowball Casserly. Tell him I'd be happy to sign for whatever the third pick in the draft is likely to get. See what Houston does.
The debate has never been Bush vs. Mario Williams. It has been Bush vs. Vince Young, because Young is a Houston native and an athletic freak — and, as a quarterback, he can potentially have a greater impact on the game than Bush.
Given the choice, Bush still makes the most sense. Even Young's biggest fans must admit that there is a chance he struggles in the NFL, but Bush is as close to a sure thing as the draft has ever seen.
He has electric skills. He is the right size for his position. He has excelled on the field and in workouts. And he plays the position that is easiest to project.
Maybe Young will turn into a better Michael Vick (though he doesn't have Vick's arm strength). But even if he does, picking Bush is perfectly defensible — just as nobody gives the San Diego Chargers a hard time for essentially trading Vick and ending up with LaDainian Tomlinson, nobody would rip the Texas for taking Bush.
But Mario Williams? Well …
Let me take a moment here to calm down the Williams family, the North Carolina State fan base and anybody else who thinks I'm trashing Williams: Look, for all I know, Mario Williams will be the best player to come out of this draft. He obviously has a lot of people in love with him. I'm not ripping his football ability, because I don't spend much time breaking down film of North Carolina State's defense, and unlike most people who opine about the NFL draft, I don't mind admitting it.
He might be a bigger Julius Peppers. But I'm not buying the Texans' interest. Wouldn't they at least try to trade down a couple of spots and nab him? I don't know how they can sell Mario Williams to their fan base, and maybe that shouldn't matter, but if you have Casserly's record, it sure does.
A little draft-day intrigue is fun. It keeps the country's biggest geeks off the streets. It fills talk-radio airwaves with something other than sexist garbage.
But in order for draft-day intrigue to work, there has to be some, you know, intrigue. Mario Williams as the No. 1 pick? I don't buy it. I don't think most of America buys it. I expect Reggie Bush to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, just like he was supposed to be for the last five months. Maybe Charley Casserly will shock all of us. I doubt it.
Casserly has had a run of failure as Houston's general manager — a job he somehow earned with a run of mediocrity as the Redskins' general manager. But would even he try this?
I can't believe the Texans are serious about drafting Mario Williams, the defensive end from North Carolina State. It seems pretty obvious that Houston just wants to drive Bush's asking price down. And if so, this is the lamest negotiating ploy of all-time.
"Reggie Bush is going to be the No. 1 pick in the draft." This was repeated as fact for the last five months. The simple reason is that Bush is a ridiculous talent — only an injury can keep him from being a Pro Bowler. All the words and non-words that dominate an NFL draft can be attached to Bush: upside, high ceiling, jukability, stick-to-itiveness, etc. He will win games and sell tickets, which are pretty much all that matter in this enterprise.
If I were Williams (and I could certainly pass for a 5-foot-10, 180-pound white version of the man), this is what I'd do: lowball Casserly. Tell him I'd be happy to sign for whatever the third pick in the draft is likely to get. See what Houston does.
The debate has never been Bush vs. Mario Williams. It has been Bush vs. Vince Young, because Young is a Houston native and an athletic freak — and, as a quarterback, he can potentially have a greater impact on the game than Bush.
Given the choice, Bush still makes the most sense. Even Young's biggest fans must admit that there is a chance he struggles in the NFL, but Bush is as close to a sure thing as the draft has ever seen.
He has electric skills. He is the right size for his position. He has excelled on the field and in workouts. And he plays the position that is easiest to project.
Maybe Young will turn into a better Michael Vick (though he doesn't have Vick's arm strength). But even if he does, picking Bush is perfectly defensible — just as nobody gives the San Diego Chargers a hard time for essentially trading Vick and ending up with LaDainian Tomlinson, nobody would rip the Texas for taking Bush.
But Mario Williams? Well …
Let me take a moment here to calm down the Williams family, the North Carolina State fan base and anybody else who thinks I'm trashing Williams: Look, for all I know, Mario Williams will be the best player to come out of this draft. He obviously has a lot of people in love with him. I'm not ripping his football ability, because I don't spend much time breaking down film of North Carolina State's defense, and unlike most people who opine about the NFL draft, I don't mind admitting it.
He might be a bigger Julius Peppers. But I'm not buying the Texans' interest. Wouldn't they at least try to trade down a couple of spots and nab him? I don't know how they can sell Mario Williams to their fan base, and maybe that shouldn't matter, but if you have Casserly's record, it sure does.
A little draft-day intrigue is fun. It keeps the country's biggest geeks off the streets. It fills talk-radio airwaves with something other than sexist garbage.
But in order for draft-day intrigue to work, there has to be some, you know, intrigue. Mario Williams as the No. 1 pick? I don't buy it. I don't think most of America buys it. I expect Reggie Bush to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, just like he was supposed to be for the last five months. Maybe Charley Casserly will shock all of us. I doubt it.