we have a boat load of 'expert' fans who don't see the game accurately and spew forth some insane premises.
If Mario 'took plays off' he wouldn't play,especially as often as it is being assumed by many here in this thread.
Guys that take plays off like that in the real NFL (not Joe Fan's version of it) don't play for long. They get benched and they get cut.
Mario is playing hurt now.
3-4 Ends (besides Bruce Smith) don't gather stats typically either, especially playing mostly from the strong side of the formation like Mario. That's just another small point that folks that understand the strategy of the game already know. Their assignments aren't the same (even from 3-4 scheme to 3-4 scheme sometimes).
Almost All I read on here these days is completely incorrect statements about players such as he, or the talent limit of a guy like Sammy, or the assumed limitations of our 1st year starting QB, or how "terrible" our center is.
Are ALL these guys all-pros or have all-pro potential? Of course not.But they are also not nearly the liabilities they are made to be.
People that debate the visual reality of what these players can do get all caught up in demanding "proof" of this and statistical analysis of that.
When you've been around (and paid attention) to the game of football long enough, maybe played it a bit, maybe enjoyed not always watching where the ball is at live games once in a while, coached it in some capacities, etc. you know what you're watching out there. It's not hard to see a good player out there and it's also nearly impossible for that player to hide such a disgraceful thing as taking plays off. The coaches see all. They review every player on every play over and over and over again.
Mario is an excellent player who is a bit of a duck out of water playing hurt now in a new scheme for him that he may not be the best fit for.
Does his contract need to be tweaked due to age, other player retention needs and scheme fit? YES or he may need to find another team.
Is he a lazy or poor team player? No
Rex isn't ALWAYS spinning it up there guys... Notice his mention of the layman's eye in many of his commentaries.