I'm not one to buy into conspiracy theories, but I have thought about this silently to myself and then they actually talked about it on the radio so I now that i'm not alone i'll put it out there. Does anyone think the NFL set it up so that the Saints could get Reggie Bush in the draft? The city of New Orleans was nearly lost, superdome trashed, the team was ready to move, etc etc.... we know the story. This upcoming game Monday night from the Superdome will probably have the higest ratings of any monoday night game ever. The NFL in New Orleans is alive again and higher ratings = more money for the League. The Texans always sell out their season tickets, with out without Bush, so the NFL wasn't worried about that. Now that the Saints have Bush, their season tix are sold out and Bush now has the #1 selling NFL jersey. Is it possible that the NFL compensated the Texans in some way to not draft Reggie Bush? The Texans were dead set on taking him all along, even our insider Kas13 said they were taking him, and then bam something happened at the last minute. Was the NFL involved?
I did some google research and others are now having this very same debate: NFL gave the Saints Organization 20 million: http://www.nola.com/saints/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/1152859148250880.xml&coll=1 http://boards.atlantafalcons.com/index.php?showtopic=180584&st=0 http://saintsdoggle.blogspot.com/2006/07/saints-exit-clause-payment-reduced-by.html
WAS BUSH-TO-NO AN NFL CONSPIRACY? There has been a lot said since the April NFL draft about how in the world Reggie Bush fell into the Saints' laps. One line of thinking argues that the Texans simply liked Mario Williams better, and that with Gary Kubiak at the helm, they don't need a star RB to succeed on offense. The other side contends that the NFL had its hands in the Texans' top pick, so that Bush would be taken by New Orleans. It's an interesting conspiracy theory. The potential for NFL involvement is two-fold. There are two situations that emerge if Bush goes to the Saints as opposed to the Texans: (1) Bush brings massive fan and business support to New Orleans, thus ensuring that the team remains there. Bush further helps lead the team to victories, ensuring same. (2) Bush comes to a team that still doesn't get sufficient fan and business support by Benson's standards. The NFL wants a team in LA, and Bush is already a star in LA, making the Saints an easy candidate for relocation (and an instant hot ticket in LA when they get there). Plus, the price tag for a prospective buyer goes up with Bush included in the package. Couple that with the reduction in exit penalty charges ($81M to $61M), and the league sure seems to be hedging its bets. None of this would have been possible if the Texans had taken Bush. The Saints would have selected AJ Hawk instead, and it would have killed both (1) the potential increase in fan support to keep the team in NO, and (2) the potential relocation value to LA. So was there a conspiracy? I don't know...but it sure is funny how clean all this fits together - especially considering Domanick Davis is still nursing a bad knee that hasn't healed right after surgery. He didn't participate in minicamps and is a questionmark for training camp, leaving the Texans thin at RB. Their other options are Antowain Smith (age), Vernand Morency (coach's doghouse plus injury) and Wali Lundy (rookie). But the Texans were already well-stocked on the defensive line, and had just signed FA Anthony Weaver (Baltimore) to play DE. Plus, their first round pick in '05 was a DE (Travis Johnson). Now, with Mario Williams also in the mix, the team is overstocked on the defensive line...and understocked at RB. Plus, if Casserly really wanted to get into the NFL front office, is it conceivable that he encouraged the Texans to take Mario over Reggie for NFL purposes? There's a lot of smoke... http://saintsdoggle.blogspot.com/2006/07/saints-exit-clause-payment-reduced-by.html
Everyone thought Casserly would be fired a long long time ago. Did the NFL make it so that he stayed with the Texans until after the draft to somehow influence their decision to not take Bush and as a reward the NFL hand casserly a job in the NFL front office? Why was Casserly fired AFTER the draft? It makes no sense. Why?
Yes, clearly it's a conspiracy. No one would or could ever dare pass on the magic of a player at a non-cornerstone position who rushed 6 times for 5 yards last game. It's gotta be a conspiracy.
Dumbass. What does a consipiracy have anything to do with someone who only got 6 carries? Deuce is their starting running back. The conspiracy has to do with selling tickets, and bringing in money to the NFL, and the Saints possibly moving to Los Angeles. Cat, take off the orange glasses. Bush had 140 total yards in his first game and 90 in his second and he isn't even the starting running back. Watch the game this monday night and then come back and make smart ass comments.
So what do the Texans get for passing on Bush???? Makes no sense, unless the Texans are rewarded with picks/players???? This theory has so many holes.
I agree, but what if the NFL gave them money under the table, millions. What if they told the refs to give the Texans a few calls each game? A promise to the Texans to get more monday night and prime time games in the future?
Shouldn't the greatest player in the history of the league get more than 5 yards out of those 6 carries? Total yards are the most absurd statistic ever. Why? Well, on all kick returns and many punt returns, you could put Chester Pitts back deep and he could get an automatic 5-10 yards simply because of the space. Adding in kick returns and punt returns is silly (unless they have a significantly above average rate, like Dante Hall) because any back in the league could do the same if given the opportunity to pad their numbers. Bush is good at catching the ball out of the backfield, but so is Kevin Faulk. His career will be defined by his production running the football out of the backfield, and as of now, he's rushed 21 times for 72 yards (3.4 average) against two of the worst defenses in the entire league. He's averaging the same YPC as Wali Lundy, a 6th round draft pick playing behind one of the worst offensive lines of all-time. I'm not writing the guy off. I'm simply saying he hasn't done much yet to try and keep the Bush fanboys in check. As for Monday, you can bet I'll be in front of the TV and cheering my heart out for that Falcons defense.
Doesn't look like the Texans are getting any calls based on their 0-2 record. And I don't see them on any primetime slots scheduled this year. Hell, Fat Antonio just gave them the shaft. Only thing that might remotely make sense is the CBA that was negotiated prior to the draft. Remember, the Texans were part of the "rich club" contingent that didn't want to share certain revenue. In which case we should follow the money. But as the saying goes the simplest answer is probably the right answer and in this case the answer is.... The Texans are stupid.
Sounds like you are the one that buys into conspiracy theories. You're talking about THE biggest scandle in the history of sports. The NFL is a 12 billion dollar business, they are by far the most successful sport (in terms of popularity and revenue) in the United States. They don't need to fix drafts to stay afloat. Nothing is worth this risk. Why was Casserly fired after the draft? Probably because the Texans didn't want to go into a draft without a GM. Why do coaches still stay on after they've announced they will leave the team at the end of the season? And what would the Texans get out of this? The Texans were/are a Top 5 team in terms of revenue. I don't think Bob McNair is willing to risk a franchise he paid for himself. Why did the NFL hand Casserly a job in the NFL front office? That's the question we should be asking.
I get what you are saying Cat and respect your opinion. But why do you guys root against him so badly? What did he do to make you hate him? I don't think its because of the "fanboys" or the fact that espn made him a hype machine, I think it has everything to do with the Longhorns. There are thousands of football fans in this world who think Bush is a badass player and they pull for him to do well. But, I have yet to meet a longhorn fan who even thinks he is a decent player, they all hate him and root against him. It is Bias criticism. I don't want to get off topic tho, this thread is about the NFL, Casserly, Texans, Saints, Bush & the possible conspiracy theory.
Millions? Do you know how much these guys are worth? Les Alexander is a billionaire himself, I don't even want to know how much McNair is worth. Like I said, this is a huge risk that no person in their right mind would take. If you really think this is a conspiracy...giving Monday Night and Prime Time games to the Texans is about as close as giving it away as it gets. And even if they could...I would think they could atleast convince Fox not to drop coverage of their game in SA. Look at what Baseball and their fans have done to Pete Rose, and all he did was bet his own money on some games. You're talking about the NFL front office cheating with billions of cash, fans, endorsements, and a whole lot more at stake. Mario Williams made a name for himself by getting 14.5 sacks and 24 TFLlast season. He is a 6-7 290lbs. beast who ran a 4.6 40, benched 225lbs 35 times, and had a 40 inch vertical. Those numbers are unheard of for a man his size. Could it have been the wrong pick? Time will tell, but MW was the highest rated defensive player on the board and the Texans were the 2nd to worst team in defense, it makes more sense than you think.
Perhaps they put it off for a year or two so that it doesn't look so obvious? Did he sign a multi year contract with CBS?
Texas beat USC; it's not like there's that much to prove there. Believe it or not, I'm not nearly as much of a Vince fan (in the pros) as I was four months ago. Don't get me wrong; I appreciate everything he did and I wish him the best. But the hype for him gets on my nerves a little too. Actually, I ended up (by accident) meeting Reggie's dad and brother outside the Rose Bowl before the game this year. Very nice people. I have a lot of respect for the USC program. It's nothing with that. It's everything to do with this bizarre obsession people have these days of making over-the-top, guarantee statements without actually waiting for an appropriate amount of evidence to come in. Two weeks ago, Bush hadn't even played in an NFL game! Now, he's played in a grand total of two - 1/8 of 1 out of likely 10-15 seasons. Do you realize how small that is in the grand scheme of things? And besides the fact that he's only played in two games, he hasn't even looked that great! He hasn't looked terrible, but he hasn't looked like a sure fire Hall-of-Famer either. All I want is for everyone to relax a little bit and wait for an appropriate amount of actual evidence to come in before making final judgments about how these entire careers will play out. I figured Rockets fans in particular would be sensitive to this issue, given the idiocy of the Jay Williams over Yao crowd, but even Rockets fans have their share who still do it. It's nothing to do with the Longhorns. It's about a bigger issue, and I just love seeing these can't miss, guaranteed Hall of Fame players become busts because I hope one day we can all become a little more patient in our analysis.
