Remember this line written by Chuck Klosterman after the Texans took Mario Williams first overall over Reggie Bush and Vince Young?
Obviously, this decision is wolf-face crazy. It's the kind of decision you make when you are drunk, and on cocaine, and on deadline, and on fire.
That was the general consensus when Williams came into the league, and fans certainly let him hear it in his first few seasons. He is no stranger to the jeers of fans who were convinced the Texans had made a huge mistake.
He has spent the last few years overcoming that label and earning the respect of fans and media alike. In that time, he's probably built up a pretty thick skin. As a result, it's going to take a lot more creativity to get to him than Redskins fans showed on Sunday.
In their efforts to throw Williams off his game, Redskins fans decided to use references to his namesake Super Mario of Nintendo fame, particularly his reliance on mushrooms. Dan Steinberg has more.
The exact nature of the taunts is a little unclear. The Texans' Web site said fans were saying "eat a mushroom, and all that." The AP, meantime, said fans were saying "you need a mushroom, and all that." Either way, the taunts involved mushrooms, and the response from Williams was the same.
And how did that work out?
"They got their mushroom," he said. "They definitely got it. It's nothing but motivation, nothing but hard work and playing for each other on the field and, like I said, just getting that crowd quiet."
Williams finished the day with three sacks. Those mushroom chants didn't really work out.
Just because a guy shares a name with someone or something, doesn't mean that comparison should be the basis for a taunt. Mario is arguably the most popular video game character ever, and one of the medium's most popular heroes. More importantly, if the game was played correctly, Super Mario always overcame his obstacles and got the girl.
Fans should seek to compare the target of their jeers to something less appealing, and certainly less effective.
My name is Jordan. When I play basketball and my friends want to throw me off my game, they don't compare me to His Airness just because we have the same name.
Redskins fans will have to be a lot more creative in the future if they want their taunts to have the desired effect.