Houston Texans: Is Larry House Out of His Mind or Does He Have a Point?

Now, on to Mr. House’s final assessment…

"The Texans should franchise and trade Mario Williams. Because 1) Texans Defense achieved high success without Mario 2) the huge amount Mario’s salary/Contract will count against the salary cap 3) emergence & success of Brooks Reed – Mario is now a trade priority. If the Texans made a trade with Carolina (#9) they could ask for a 1st and 3rd RD or say San Diego (#18) a 1st and 2nd or (2) 3rd RDs (See Jared Allen trade 2008). *This trade can be made before the draft and more likely to happen in order for Mario to negotiate a contract. If it were to happen before the draft the acquired draft picks could also be used as ammunition to move up to select RG3."

FINALLY! An argument that I can agree with.

Now, Houston Texans fans, please do not crucify me for saying this but…I believe that the Texans would be wise to let Mario Williams walk. There, I said it.

Mario Williams is an outstanding player capable of achieving great things. However, he is best suited for a 4-3 defense where he can come out of his three-point stance with more explosion. His injury this season could set him back for a while and there is no guarantee that he will be healthy for the 2012 season either.

Most importantly, however, is the fact that Super Mario would have tremendous trade value if we were to franchise him. Teams such as the Carolina Panthers and San Diego Chargers could offer a great position in the draft in exchange for Mario. Likewise, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have a gaping need at the DE position, could also offer great trade value.

Secondly, the Texans defense proved this year that they can be great – without Mario. They have gelled as a defensive unit and it is often not a good idea to mess with good chemistry. OLB Brooks Reed has proven that he has what it takes to play in the NFL and truly earned the position in which he was playing.

Altogether I believe that Mr. House was either drunk or high when he suggested most of these moves. To gut the team’s best players in hopes of finding draft picks who will last for the long-haul and in hopes of filling the holes during free-agency is just beyond dumb. Sure, freeing up cap space should be a priority for the Texans but I believe that if the Texans trade Mario and WR Jacoby Jones they could free up enough space to land some great prospects.

I also believe that there will be enough quality wide receivers in this year’s draft that the Texans will not need to necessarily pursue the cream-of-the-crop. However, I do not know the Texans front-office as well as I would like and I have no idea what they will do this year. They have fixed the defense and now, it is time to finish building the Super Bowl team of the future.