Just because he is an athletic DE does not mean he is interchangeable an a DE OLB. The guy is 6 7 almost 300 lbs. You wouldnt make Richard Seymour try his hand at the OLB spot so can stop with all this nonsense that he can fill a spot at OLB in the 3-4. The guy is a DE pure and simple 3-4 or 4-3.
that is not tru he could be an olb he is faster than alot of olb now he is def faster than hobson there is no reason why he couldnt play olb. He is a catalyst type player that we could line up anywhere like adalius thomas last year he lined up in every defensive position and i guarantee no one thought he c0uld play corner so sayin he cant play linebacker is bs
Mario Williams will never be a OLB in any base formation. But, I imagine that he could lineup in a 2 point stance in a 3-4 formation and succeed. With Ellis, Drob, Kimo as the starting DL in a 3-4, I could see SuperMario getting some time as a 3-4 rush backer. But, I'd imagine this would be purely a situational thing and as the older members of the team left and he grew into his body, he'd never leave the field as a DE, either in the 3-4 or the 4-3.
Mario Williams said after the combine that a lot of coaches asked him how he felt about slimming down a bit and switching to linebacker. He said hed do whatever was asked of him. And for the record, I dont think hes ever cracked 300, 290 is the number I usually hear.
Shawne Merriman is 275, Mario Williams is 295 and they both ran the 40 in 4.66. With proper work ethic he can lose 10-15 lbs by the season. I don't see many Charger fans complaining about Merriman being to heavy. I have said this many times with Mangini we will try to cause miss matches. He's to big for backs and tight ends to block, he's to fast for tackles, and he's to strong for everyone. No matter where you line him up he will do something, he won't stay at linebacker the whole time rather he will be used as a pass rushing 3-4 OLB.
I have heard 297...so I just rounded up...either way, he ain't playing LB...write down...the guy is a playmaking DE...
I agree. The guy is a FOOTBALL PLAYER. Stop acting like there is no precedent for guys like this playing OLB in the 3-4. In fact evidence is just the OPPOSITE. Willie Mcginest played DE at about 280 and then was a PREMIER rushing OLB in the 3-4 with athleticism that is 1/10th of Mario Williams'. Shawn Merriman is in the similar mold and became an instant impact player. In addition, considering we will be running a hybrid defense Marios lack of coverage ability is WAY overrated. Our personnel is a fit right now for the 4-3. Mangini will not put his team in a position to fail. So say we run the 3-4 35% of the time and then as the rush backer williams is only in coverage 25% of the time we are in the 3-4. That is not very significant. Bottom line. This guy is going to be a playmaker...
I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would WANT Williams to play OLB for us. We're talking about a very rare prospect here w/ the ability to play DE in a 3-4 scheme, hold up in the 2 gap and also provide extreme agility and big play ability at the position. That is extremely rare. Most 3-4 DE's are strictly guys to eat up blockers and maintain their gap assignment. Williams can do that AND add big play incentive. Why in the world would we want to move him to a different position, make him have to start all over, and take him away from a need position, when he's at least 20 lbs too heavy for OLB?
Who the hell thought Williams was an OLB? What's up with this thread... next: Jay Cutler is NOT a Kicker.
If Mangini is as creative on D as Belichek is - then expect to see anyone anywhere. He won't start and end the season at OLB. But on any given play the opposing teams QB will scratching his head trying to figure out what's going on looking at a myriad of different formations/personnel.
Mario Williams will not play OLB.... a fast 40 doesnt make you able to play certain positions....If that were the case then we might as well make him play possible DE, OLB, D-back, and hell why not a full back on plays. Theres more to speed then a 40 time. At a LB position you need to be agile, quick, do not need to be the fastest guy, but have to be able to have good reaction times in a hectic situation. Its not like DE where you straight rush or clog holes.
