Ther are question for Bush, no doubt. But far fewer in comparison to Mario. There are even questions about whether Mario puts out a full effort for a full game! No such doubts exist about Bush. That is why 21 out of 27 teams preferred Bush. I am not comparing Bush to Dunn, Dunn was just a guy who was able to break 1100+ easily with limited carries. It was Dunn's best rushing year but not really a career year in terms of overall stats.
Which player would you rather have...lets say you have 2 players that played in the same system during the 2004 and 2005 seasons...which one would you rather have: Player 1: 2648 yards rushing and 31 TD's Player 2: 2405 yards rushing and 43 TD's As much as I think Bush is an exciting player with incredible ability, I feel like he is more fun to watch than he is effective. Player 2 is LenDale White. Im happy with DD as our RB and Mario as the #1 player selected.
Don't have time to read the rest of this thread, but these are my comments: 1) That sounds crazy. 2) But DD has been a very good RB for us. 3) I hope the end proves you right. 4) I think in the end RB >>>>> DD (as in HoF great), but we'll get all we need of DD; he'll be fine. Still pissed about the Texans addressing the defense with that first pick.
Ok, so 80% of scouts is not "almost every" You're right as far as wait and see. However, 3 things are known: 1. Reggie Bush has performed at a high level longer than Mario Williams. 2. Until the combines, nobody thought Mario Williams would be the #1 pick. 3. 80% of scouts believe Reggie Bush is the best player. And yet despite these 3 things, there are many people here who believe Mario Williams is better. Based on what? Gary Kubiak (a lifelong assistant with no head coaching experience) and the crack staff scouts of the Houston Texans? No one knows for sure but it's all about the odds. And the odds are a lot higher based on performance on the field and in the film room that Reggie Bush is probably the better player.
We don't know that those are the only six teams to think that way. In fact, Mortensen said that all six teams that Ron Wolf talked to said that... it wasn't six out of 32. So, even 80 percent may be a stretch. But I'll give you a majority. Here's the biggest issue I have, though. I've heard lots of scouts say they have Bush ranked first. I've also heard those scouts use phrases such as "incredible" to discuss Mario Williams and I've heard them say he's a first overall pick type talent. I've heard them say the gap is close. However, the reaction from Texans fans... has been like it was the biggest mistake that's ever been made in the history of sports. People have gone from being optimistic about this upcoming season as of a week ago to making guarantees for the top pick in the upcoming draft. People have said we're the laughing stock of the league. In order for that to be the case, the gap shouldn't even be close. It's clear that a good deal of scouts - perhaps even a majority - consider the players to be relatively close in talent. For the pick to deserve the reaction it's gotten, we don't need evidence as to how Bush is Michael Jordan. We need evidence as to how Mario Williams is Sam Bowie. No one is providing it. The odds are very high that both are going to be excellent NFL players. The odds are also very decent that some scouts are wrong. It's not exactly uncommon.
There are some serious logical flaws in here. First of all, it's Chris Mortensen. He will say anything to get ESPN a decent headline. Secondly, finding 6 teams that like Mario over Bush doesn't mean there are more than 6. There could very easily be ONLY 6. In fact, a second article (in the Titans thread) reported only 6.
After Mortenson said that, he then said another 22 teams had Reggie Bush as the best player. The biggest difference is: Reggie Bush was a wonder both on game film and in private workouts. Mario Williams has amazing type talent. He has not been an amazing player. That's already strike one when evaluating the odds. When people looked at Zach Thomas and Dat Nguyen - neither had combine numbers to say "wow" but they knew both were playmakers. Same reason why Rodrique Wright who was projected as a 1st or 2nd round pick fell to the 7th round. He showed absolutely no desire to improve. he has all the skills to be an elite NFL tackle. Not to say Wright had the same physicial skills as Mario Williams but bottom line - production matters when you're the #1 pick. And Williams has never produced at a high level against top quality opponents. Except the game against FSU, almost all of his sacks were against less quality teams. Bush has played against the very best under heavy scrutiny in a championship environment. Bush has both the combine skills and a 3 year track history. When you have a very very deep draft and the #1 pick, you take the lowest risk player (known quantity) with the biggest upside. That's Reggie Bush not Mario Williams.
Here's an analogy: Wade is excellent. But he is no LeBron. Taking Wade over LeBron would have been a huge mistake.
When did I say there were more than 6? All I said was that there could be more than 6. And for the record, every sportswriter does the same thing - it's not just Chris Mortensen. Every article you read has the risk of being sensationalized, so the same could be said for the report that 20 teams had Bush on the top of their boards.
If Cleveland had taken Wade over LeBron, they'd still probably be in the playoffs. They wouldn't have a guarantee of the top pick in the next draft. There are varying degrees of mistakes that Texan fans seem unable to comprehend.
Mario Williams had 14.5 sacks, and had similar or better statistics in his third season to watch Julius Peppers had in his third season. That's pretty amazing to me. Also, Bush had several great games against less than quality opponents himself... I'm not sure if you want to bring up the rush defense of UCLA and Fresno State. Also, with the exception of a couple of games, Bush has not shown he can be an every-down player at a major level of football. Williams has. The argument can go both ways. There's a legit case to be made that the lowest risk to go first overall is a player that has experience playing every down as opposed to one that routinely carries 12-15 times per game with about 18 total touches.
For those throwing predictions and making absolute statements I'd advice for prudence here. This is the same way of thinking that made many in Houston heart broken - everyone assumed and vehemently predicted Bush will be the pick. Nothing is ever guaranteed (cliche or not). But as projections go, Bush looks to be way ahead of DD on paper. But the games are played on the field. Bush will be going to a better offensive line set than DD enjoyed in his first year but he has Deuce to jockey the position with. He also has the luxury of syntheric playing field. There is pressure on Bush - I am leaning towards him showing of some of his electric moves but I am not putting my money on him in terms of living up to the #2 pick eventually after all is said and done. I have been wrong many times before and it will not surprise me if that repeats itself again here.
Debating this is kinda useless. But I think everyone will agree that Bush is better from what we've seen of him at USC. With that said, I'm expecting DD to have an incredible season (barring injuries). I've said all along that Kubiak's system doesn't require stud RBs, Denver has thrown in guys like Bell, Dayne, Q. Griffin and they have all produced. DD was in some elite company when he rushed for 1000 yards in each of his first 3 seasons and he was only a couple yards off this season despite missing some games. If he can be healthy, I will look for DD to have a very good season.
This thread is pure insanity. Davis is not in the same league as Bush. Why you mention the 2 in the same sentence is beyond me. Davis might have power through the hole, but that's it. Ohh and then there's that injury prone thing.
Sure, their respective college careers would show that Bush is in a different league than Davis. No one has any way of knowing whether or not Bush will live up to the hype.
All the scouts had the same concerns about Bruce Smith and Julius Peppers, and they both turned out OK. In fact here is a snippet for you: CAR's record in 02 before they drafted JP 1-15, the year they drafted him 7-9, the following year 11-5 and a SB appearance. Look, I would have been happy with RB, VY (if they could have traded Carr) or MW, but don't discredit MW to make your point. To be fair there are tons of questions with RB as well as with VY. MW discussed his lack of production early in the season on the radio this morning and he said earlier in the year he had trouble with his technique on cut blocks but he worked that out and started to dominate towards the end of the year. Also, I know that the ACC is not a powerhouse FB conference but they did have the most first round draft picks of any conference.
Michael Smith mentioned that as well when he was stating his case. Michael Smith's case for Mario Williams
Regarding the injury prone issue with DD, I dont think its thaaat bad. Do you guys really think he missed the last 5 games of the year because he was injured? Sure, he may have had to miss one or two games, but the rest of the time, he was "injured"...notice the quotations. The year before, he played 15 games. I think his durability issue is getting blown out of proportion. Now, do I expect him to fully make it through a season without any setbacks? No. But, I dont think its as big of an issue as its being made out to be. Good choice with Mario.
So Bush won the heisman for getting good grades on his report card or something? Bush had to go up against more difficult teams than Williams last year and proved he was worthy of his award every game.
Rod Wright had a torn rotator cuff that he played with last year at UT. Injury hurts Wright's stock By JOSEPH DUARTE Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle The beginning of Rod Wright's NFL career will involve an unplanned trip to the doctor's office. Wright, the All-America defensive tackle from the University of Texas, was informed Sunday afternoon he has a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder that played a role in his draft stock plummeting. Projected as a possible third-round selection, Wright had an extended wait before he was selected in the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins with the 226th overall pick. "A lot of teams red-flagged me," said Wright, a Hastings High School product. "It's pretty obvious that it was strong enough for teams not to take me in this draft." Wright learned of the injury during a phone call with Miami coach Nick Saban, who said the injury was discovered during a medical examination at the Indianapolis scouting combine in February. The 6-5, 306-pound defensive tackle will be evaluated in Miami on Thursday and likely will need surgery in the next couple of weeks. Wright, a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award, said he likely suffered the injury during his junior season at Texas. As policy, Wright underwent an examination by the UT medical staff prior to last season and was regularly monitored throughout the year, team trainer Kenny Boyd said. "We were all caught by surprise to hear that he apparently played with an injury last year," UT coach Mack Brown said. "He's a very strong and tough player that if he performed as well as he did last year with a shoulder injury, the sky is the limit for him in the NFL. We knew that he was going to be a great pro, but now he's a guy that could turn out to be the steal of the draft." Saban told Wright the condition will likely worsen if he does not have surgery, "but once it's fixed you'll be good as gold." "If nobody told him about it, I don't know why they would keep it a secret," Saban said. "It may take him a while to come back, but we thought it was worth it to be able to get this quality a player, even though he may not be able to play immediately." Wright, a four-year starter, called it "a blessing" he was drafted at all and did not have to sign with a team as an undrafted free agent link
