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| Williams won't be needing his helmet the rest of the 2011 campaign. |
The Texans have lost outside linebacker Mario Williams for the rest of the season after he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in their 25-20 loss to the emotionally driven Oakland Raiders Sunday.
Williams was injured after sacking Oakland quarterback Jason Campbell late in the first quarter. The injury couldn't have come at a worse time after their superstar wide receiver Andre Johnson was injured just a week prior.
Johnson sustained a right hamstring injury in their Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but has yet to play since, having to undergo a minor procedure to help repair his hamstring, putting his status for their Week 6 game in Baltimore in doubt.
As for Williams, who changed positions this spring from defensive end to outside linebacker to accommodate newly hired defensive coordinator Wade Phillip's 3-4 defensive scheme, was just starting to flourish in the new system. The 26-year-old linebacker had recorded 5 sacks through the team's first five games and had forced a fumble.
Williams has been placed on injured reserve and is said to be undergoing surgery sometime next week.
The injury to Williams leaves a gapping hole at the linebacker position for head coach Gary Kubiak with him now having to rely of his eight-year defensive end out of Oklahoma State, Antonio Smith, and linebacker Brian Cushing, to carry much of the defensive load.
Williams played his college ball at North Carolina State and was selected with the first overall pick by Houston in the 2006 NFL Draft, surprising many when they elected not to take collegiate star Reggie Bush out of the University of Southern California.
It looked like a terrible move out of the gate when Williams struggled mightily in his first year in the NFL. In the 16 games Williams played in '06, he only recorded 4.5 sacks with 47 tackles, 35 were solo.
In 2007 that all changed. Williams became a defensive force and had monster season recording a career-high 14 sacks with 59 tackles, forcing two fumbles and recovering one of them and returning it for a touchdown. His 14 sacks ranked third in the NFL that season, but he was snubbed of his first career Pro Bowl when he obviously deserved to play in Hawaii.
2008 might have been his best season overall when he forced a career-high four fumbles and totaled 12 sacks. Those numbers were good enough to have himself selected for his first career Pro Bowl and then again in 2009.
His 2010 season was hampered by a sports hernia, causing him to miss three games during the regular season, but his numbers were still impressive. Williams recorded 8.5 sacks in his limited action, giving him his fourth-straight season of nine sacks or more.
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| Johnson hasn't played since Week 4 & probably will not play Sunday against the Ravens. |
Williams is a free agent at seasons end, putting himself and the Texans organization in a tough situation. You can bet they most certainly want him back, but at the right price.
For now Houston must continue on with what they have and set their sights on their first division title in the franchise's brief history.
They are currently tied for first-place in the AFC South with the 3-2 Tennessee Titans while the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) and Indianapolis Colts (0-5) are starting to plan for next season. They will need their Pro Bowled filled offense of quarterback Matt Schaub, running back Arian Foster, who is currently dealing with a hip issue and was injured to start the season, and Johnson to stay healthy and lead the way if this is the year they are to make the postseason.
Williams will have to sit watch, wondering if he has played his last game as a member of the Houston Texans.
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