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Texans focusing on Williams, Not Bush


myhousekey
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I'll believe it when I see it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/news/story?id=2425818

Even as Houston Texans officials continued to insist they have made no decision about the first selection in the draft, there were strong indications Friday afternoon that the team has redirected its focus to North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams.

 

Texans executives were in substantive negotiations with Ben Dogra, the representative for Williams, throughout the day. Conversely, ESPN.com learned that the agent for Southern California tailback and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush had not heard from the Texans, as of late Friday afternoon, in more than 24 hours.

 

The two sides spoke twice Thursday, but only briefly and made no progress toward an accord. During the week, progress was incremental and one person close to the discussions termed them "a little bit like being in quicksand."

 

In addition, league sources told ESPN.com that, in terms of guaranteed money, the latest offer made to Williams exceeds the best proposal made to Bush.

 

Minus any conversations with the Bush camp since Thursday, there seemed little chance the Texans could strike a pre-draft accord with the draft's highest-profile performer even if they were to jump-start the negotiations on Friday evening.

 

Texans general manager Charley Casserly had cautioned earlier in the week that anyone concluding the team had decided on Bush and was only using Williams as leverage was mistaken. He reiterated that the Texans were serious about both players, negotiating with both agents, and that one of the two would be the top pick.

 

Dogra, however, was originally reluctant to enter into negotiations because he felt that his client might be used to force Bush into a deal. Clearly, the Texans convinced him that was not the case.

 

Were the Texans to choose Williams, it would mark the first time since 2000 that a defensive player was the first prospect off the board. The Cleveland Browns chose defensive Courtney Brown with the first pick that year.

 

The choice of Williams by the Texans could also dramatically alter the landscape of the early segment of the first round. The New Orleans Saints, with the second choice, have indicated they would snap up Bush if he fell to their slot. But the Saints had hinted, in general, that they might entertain trade offers for their pick.

 

The availability of Bush at the No. 2 spot would almost certainly elicit trade offers.

 

Edited by myhousekey
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Profootballtalk reporting it may be a done deal. Again, I'll believe it when I see it.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

 

MORE CONFIRMATION OF WILLIAMS-TO-HOUSTON

 

Although the latest source linking defensive end Mario Williams to the Houston Texans at No. 1 hasn't said that the deal is "done," we're told that Williams and the Texans are extremely close to a contract.

 

Meanwhile, we hear that Joel Segal is pooping Pop Tarts regarding the apparent fact that his client, Reggie Bush, won't be the first overall pick in the draft.  Bush's first order of business after the draft, we believe, will be to fire Segal.

 

Unreal.

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

POSTED 6:22 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 6:39 p.m. EDT, April 28, 2006

 

MARIO TO HOUSTON A "DONE DEAL"

 

A league source tells us that the Houston Texans have informed Joel Segal, the agent for Reggie Bush, that the team has a "done deal" with defensive end Mario Williams.

 

The only question at this point, as the source explained, is whether the Texans are simply making a last-ditch effort to squeeze Segal into taking a more friendly deal.

 

If this isn't just a marketing ploy, it represents a stunning turn of events.  On Thursday, we heard that Bush was a "done deal."  And even though the team denied it, another source told us that the team's interest in Williams was merely a smokescreen, aimed at leveraging Bush into wanting less money.

 

If, in the end, the Texans pass on Bush, the question is whether the team decided to make the move based on merit, money, or mischief.  Our guess is that it's a mixture of all three, and that the most recent round of ugly news reports regarding Reggie, his family, and the dudes of New Era was the thing that made the Texans decide to move on.

 

Still, we've re-confirmed that, earlier in the week, the Texans' interest in Williams arose solely from their desire to drive down Bush's price tag, and that the Texans viewed Williams as the guy whom Bush's camp would most likely regard as a legitimate alternative.  So if the Texans have indeed locked on to Mario, it represents a complete 180 from their earlier position.

 

We're still chasing this on.  For now, this has got to be the craziest run up to the draft that we've ever seen.

 

 

Edited by myhousekey
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More reports coming out on this:

 

http://www.kffl.com/hotw/nfl

Texans | Team telling Williams' people he will be No. 1

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 16:42:14 -0700

 

Jay Glazer, of FOXSports.com, reports the Houston Texans are in intense negotiations with the agent for North Carolina State DE Mario Williams to become the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. The Texans have even gone as far as telling Williams' people that he is their No. 1 choice. Texans general manager Charlie Casserly denied to FOXSports.com that Williams was their direction, but the source insisted that such talks are very much going on and the two sides are huddled are intense talks. Agent Ben Dogra did not want to enter intense talks unless he was confident that Houston was genuinely interested in his client for fear that they would use such a negotiation in dealings with the USC RB Reggie Bush's camp.

 

 

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle was on SportsRadio 610am (in H-town). Said "he expects the Texans to take Mario Williams".

Edited by myhousekey
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The NFL Network is reporting the Texans have agreed to a contract with Mario Williams, it is flashing BREAKING NEWS all over the place.......

 

WWL radio (New Orleans) just reported Mario Williams agreed to terms with Houston.

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This is awesome for the Saints. They can't really mess this up. I will be happy as long as they don't take a DE (like the Will Smith draft) an over rated DT too soon (Sullivan was ranked the 6th DT by sources just before the draft) or a Heisman winning RB with off te field issues (Williams)...oops :D

Seriously I don't see the house thing as an issue and wouldn't mind taking that Bush kid.

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