Sorry for the Mario Williams deluge today. Just feel like putting some good things out about him to combat all the negativity from the talking heads were embarassed on Sat. The USA Today had a piece out today that had some touching points in it that let you know what kind of guy were talking about here.

The biggest surprise concerning Williams? The defensive end’s dream day nearly didn’t happen.

Paul Attner wrote an article for the Sporting News today that gets into the details and the path that eventually led the Houston Texans to draft Mario Williams instead of the fan favorite Reggie Bush. Quite an interesting read.

Around 5:30 Friday afternoon, Dogra asks Williams, “How would you like to be the first choice?” They celebrate by drinking $10 bottles of water and eating from $20 cans of Pringles from the minibar in their hotel room in New York. Williams can afford the bill.

FWIW, and I have stated this already several times, I think in 10 years, the decision will still be a tossup. Both of these guys, Williams and Bush, will be superstars for the foreseeable future.

• Tom Glavine gets a shutout against the Braves. It’s a good thing, because his own team could only muster a 1-0 victory.
• The Seattle Mariners put an end to two of their troubling trends and extended the Baltimore Orioles’ significant early season bullpen problems Saturday, sending 11 men to the plate and erupting for six runs in the sixth inning on the way to an 8-6 victory before 34,161 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
• NEWSFLASH: The Memphis Grizzlies lost in the playoffs again.
• Jagr left the game 53 seconds in, and the Devils dispatched the rest of the team 3 periods later. The Rangers first trip to the playoffs didn’t end the way they had envisioned it.
• Tony Stewart walked away unscathed from a frightening accident Saturday when his car flipped onto its roof during the Busch Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

And special to the Quick Hits today, I have just a few observations about the draft today:

• First and foremost, my Wolfpack had 3, yep I said 3, first round draft picks.
• As stated in my post earlier today, Matt Leinart may really have backed into a prime spot in Arizona. I look for him to do big things there, and not too far in the future.
• Regardless of what the Packers say, they happy to be done with Javon Walker.
• I was glad to see the Titans take both Vince Young and LenDale White. Both of those guys are exciting players, and since I have a soft spot in my heart for Nashville, I wish them both the best.
• Folks can argue all day long, ’til the cows come home about the way the #1 pick went down. As someone who has been able to watch Mario Williams from the sidelines for the past 2 seasons, he is a star in the making, or perhaps already made. Now, that’s not to say Reggie Bush won’t be a super, SUPER player, but I am saying in 10 years, it will still be a tossup.
• The 49ers made out like a bandit today. Getting a receiving target like Vernon Davis and a speed rushing DE to replace Julian Peterson with Manny Lawson, both in the first round.
• Filed under “Huh?”, the San Diego Chargers drafted another QB, Charlie Whitehurst out of Clemson. You’d think they had their fill of QB’s of the last couple of seasons. Just seems to me they could have gone after another wide receiver, but what do I know.
• The Carolina Panthers picked up a steal late in the first round when DeAngelo Williams fell to them at the 27 spot. Over the past few seasons, they Panthers have been forced to be a “running back by committee” team due to injuries. Williams rushed for over 6000 yards in college. I don’t care who you are or where you play, there has to be a lot of talent there and also a lot of durability. NICE pickup!
• The Patriots were, well the Patriots on Sat. They managed to pick up Laurence Maroney who fell farther down in the draft than expected at RB and also got Chad Jackson, who most scouts had as the #1 WR on the board.
• Two players that fell a lot farther than I would have though earlier in the day were Daryl Tapp and Eric Winston. Both are going to be really, REALLY good in the league.

Just because I’m going to be sitting here watching the draft all day, I figured I would join the rest of the sports world and have a draft tracker going on. You bring the chips!

• Another milestone for LeBron James: his first winning shot in the playoffs.
• Steve Howe, the relief pitcher whose promising career was derailed by cocaine and alcohol abuse, died Friday morning when his pickup truck rolled over in Coachella, Calif. He was 48.
• Greg Maddux picked up a win and is 5-0 for the first time in his career. He has five of the Cubs’ 13 wins and a 1.35 ERA. He earned his 323rd victory, one win shy of tying Nolan Ryan and Don Sutton for 13th place all-time.
• Posey, called for a flagrant foul two and ejected with 3:15 left in the game, will miss Game 4 of the Eastern Conference series Sunday.
• Grizzlies guard Mike Miller won the NBA’s Sixth Man Award on Friday after making the transition from starter to key reserve. Miller led the NBA in scoring off the bench this season, averaging 13.7 points. He ranked second in scoring for the Grizzlies and was second in rebounding with a 5.4 average. He also tied for third in assists.
• Rod Brind’Amour scored 5:54 into the third period to give Carolina a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens that tied the first-round playoff series on Friday night.
• After ordering teams to relax front bumpers for the race this weekend at Talladega, a tiny bit of contact might cripple a car and drivers didn’t want to risk it during Friday’s two practice sessions.
• By taking Mario Williams #1 in tomorrow’s NFL draft, the Houston Texans have thrown a huge curve into the first few picks. The Saints, which were content to take Williams in the draft, are now in a prime spot to take Reggie Bush or move the no.2 pick, which has increased tremendously in value. According to ESPN as of 11pm, at least 5 teams, including the Packers and Jets had contacted the Saints about possibly moving up. If this happens, and the Saints trade down a few spots, look for them to take AJ Hawk.
• Mike Paulus of Christian Brothers Academy (Syracuse, N.Y.), the No. 2 quarterback in the class of 2007 according to recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, told USA TODAY on Friday afternoon that he has verbally committed to play football at the University of North Carolina.

PLEASE EXCUSE MY RED SHADED GLASSES FOR A MINUTE:

I asked my wife tonight if she now understood why I lost my mind screaming at the top of my lungs a few years ago as Mario Williams, the then high school prospect, pulled out an NC State hat and placed it on his head, announcing his decision to join the Wolfpack family on Countdown to Signing Day. I absolutely cannot believe it. I have been looking forward to this draft for several weeks now, as a both a football fan and a Wolfpack fan. With 2 potential first round picks, and more surely to follow in the later rounds, it is going to be a good day. But never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that Mario would be picked #1. I was part of the crowd that believed he was being used as leverage to get Bush to come down on the asking price. Even after they specifically said, “we aren’t using him as a bargaining chip”, I still didn’t believe it. So tonight, my buddy Stonecoldjz called me and broke the news. I’m on cloud nine! Sounds a little funny that I am so excited about having a #1 draft pick from NC State, but I love my Pack, so that’s just the way it is. I also know that Mario is a first class guy, very respectful young man (unless you’re an opposing QB). He deserves everything he gets and we are proud of him.

Just a few links about Super Mario:

Texans sign Mario Williams with No. 1 pick

Mario Williams Bio

6 year, $54 million deal

Texans to draft Williams No. 1, not Bush

Since I am a Wolfpacker at heart, just ran across something this morning that I wanted to get out. Manny Lawson has lived in the shadows of Mario Williams for the past few seasons, but according to NFL talent scouts, his stock is rising quickly. In fact, one scout had this to say:

Lawson is a pretty reasonable facsimile of Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor. At 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, Lawson is long and lean. He runs a 4.45 40-yard dash and scored a 40 on the Wunderlich exam, meaning his extraordinarily bright. Further proof of that is that Lawson already has a degree in engineering.

Good luck to Manny, who I know for a fact is a great kid and has worked hard for ALL he has accomplished.

With the draft coming up, all eyes are on the Houston Texans, and what they will do with their #1 pick. The most obvious choice is Reggie Bush. Both Bush and the Texans are in ongoing contract talks. The main sticking point appears to be, hold on to your seats…..MONEY. The Texans aren’t shy about ponying up the cash, but Bush’s team is letting it be known that the #1 contract should be more than the previous years contract. Last year’s #1, Alex Smith, got a $24 million deal. And like I said, the Texans WILL overpay, but they contend that they shouldn’t pay more for a player who is NOT a QB. With that in mind, the Texans have also opened up communications with Mario Williams’ camp. The stud DE from NC State is widely acknowledged as the best defensive player in the draft, with measurables similar to and in some cases surpassing those of current NFL star Julius Peppers. If I had to put money on it, Bush is the #1 pick. This kid is going to be one of those guys who…..well, he is just going to be one of those guys. We will look back on him 15 years from now and marvel at his career. That’s not to take anything away from Williams, who I think will also have a stellar career in the NFL, but if you have that #1, you have to take someone who can take some of the pressure off D. Carr.
Also, the Titans have the 3rd pick. Now, I am not going to get into the screw job they’re giving Steve McNair, at least in the post. It is almost a given they are going to be taking a QB, but which one. Most talent scouts have tabbed Leinart from USC as close to a given as you can get. With that said, Vince Young from Texas offers an extra layer of ability and skills to the QB position. In fact, the Titans may be favoring Young at this point, and that offers up the possibility of trading back, picking up a few more positions, and taking Young a little later in the draft, as it’s not expected for Young to go to any of the teams immediately following the Titans. Of course, there are some in the Titans organization who would love to get Matt Leinart in there and team him up with Norm Chow, his former offensive coordinator from USC. Right now, the Titans could change the landscape of the first round with what it decides to do.