this is true. i've only learned this recently, but the legends of the broncos system being a substitute for talent is just that... a legend.
Truth is, Mario and Bush are both way overpayed versus their production right now, today. Bush has hardly set the league on fire, aside from the media blitz. He's not shown he can run between the tackles, and has been closer to being a good 2nd or third option reciever than "the next Gale Sayers." Maybe that changes, we're only 3 weeks in now. However, the point remains switching Mario for Bush wouldn't make us 3-0 right now, and I highly doubt we'd have a single win regardless. Make the offense a little better and this toilet paper defense a little worse and we still don't win. I've always felt that we needed to find a way to trade the pick, even if it wasn't going to be a blockbuster draft board return. Move the #1 and one of the third rounders to try and get the two Jets picks. Try and get the 49 picks. SOMETHING. Don't hold onto to the #1 if you're not going to use it on the #1 guy. Don't tell me that no one was going to trade for Reggie Bush. Casserly saying there was "no interest" meant that no one was bending over. So now we're stuck with a guy that I'd be calling a disappointment even if we got him at #25 instead of #1. Evan
I'm not saying it was the right or wrong pick, but you go on what you know. Ric- You're post is flawed in that you are disregarding that both Droughens and Anderson split time with other backs. Droughens split time with both Tatum Bell and Quentin Griffin, and Droughens still managed to gain 1240 yards for the season. Anderson split time with Tatum Bell as well as Dayne (not as much). Anderson still rushed for over 1000 yards and Bell rushed for 921 yards himself!! I don't think you can just look at individual backs and say their running game is in chaos. The fact is that the Broncos were 2nd in the NFL in rushing the past 2 seasons despite not having a Portis and Davis on their team.
Great example. The Longhorns' defense was the fastest that USC had faced (but still a notch slower than the elite SEC defenses) and for the most part kept Reggie Bush in check. He did break it for one play, but in general was kept in check and rarely made it to the sideline. The truth is this: I never saw Bush caught from behind in his college career. I haven't watched the Saints much, and I've already seen it a couple of times.
I think Kubiak wants a certain kind of talent at RB. His system probably works best with a between-the-tackles type back, not a jitterbug type like Bush. As such, he may not have been as high on Bush as everyone else. Still no excuse for picking Mario as high as we did. Bush may not be Kubiak's ideal RB, but Mario is a project.
nah, i just trimmed the fat. bell averaged 61.4 the year anderson averaged 67.6; so together, they were nearly outperformed by davis and portis individually, underlining my point. droughens started 15 games and carried the ball 275 times in '04; only 10 other backs that year had more carries. i wouldn't label his time as "split." also: droughens with denver, 2004: 77.5/game droughens with cleveland, 05: 77.0/game so he's by no means mediocre or a product of their system. he's a good back. but not nearly as good as davis or portis. i've used this analogy before, but being former oiler fans, would you have preferred warren moon or cody carlson running the run-n-shoot? haywood jeffires or jerry rice catching passes in the run-n-shoot? did you ever get gary brown or lorenzo white confused with earl campbell while they were racking up thousands of yeards in the run-n-shoot?
Yes, with Reggie Bush we'd still be 0-3 because the Texans' defense is a national joke right now. But Bush would have brought an excitement and optimism that the Texans DESPERATELY need right now. Had they chosen Bush, they wouldn't be the laughing stock they are now. For example, today on the Internet I'm listening to Jim Rhome & Dan Patrick take pot shots at the Texans for passing up Bush and as much as I hate to admit, they are right. This is just a complete PR disaster that looks to never go away. Just look at all of no. 25 jerseys on display last night and you'll see how Bush would have helped the Texans on the business side. Also did you see how geared up the Falcons were to stop Bush last night BECAUSE of the threat he represents? Think the Texans' offense could have used a player like that? When you pass on real talent you end up where the Texans now find themselves and I'm afraid that events have now started to spiral out of control. This season could very well take on a historically ugly character.
I was just pointing out that while you said that the Bronco's running game has been "progressively less successful," they were still 2nd in the League in rushing 2 seasons in a row. No one is debating that Droughens, Anderson, or Bell are better than Portis or Davis. Clinton Portis is one of the premier RBs in the league right now and Davis is HOF bound IMO. But my point is that the Bronco's running game was still 2nd best in the league w/ less talent.
i know; and DD was a leading rusher the past 3 years... but would you have hesitated to upgrade even before the injury? rushing for a 1,000 yards is no longer a big deal (which is why i prefer yards/game); denver's backs were effective and plummer minimized mistakes. Ds gave them the middle of the field and hoped they could rattle plummer inside the 20's. they did the same with DD and carr.
I think this is a pretty big assumption. IF the Texans were still 0-3 and Bush was putting up the same numbers he is giving NO, I still don't think we'd be excited and optomistic about the system. Bush isn't putting up great numbers and at the end, we just want to win games. I can't see how we'd be excited if we weren't getting the 2. Likewise, if we picked Reggie and the Texans defense was still a national joke, many would be complaining about why we didn't address the defense (which was 2nd worst in the NFL last season).
first, we'd be a better team with bush; mcnair admited as much when he drafted mario - bush would have the more immediate impact. defenses DO pay attention to him; he's closer to having the impact on their offense that we expected mario to have on our defense - they're game-planning, watching... as advertised, truthfully. i think we'd still be 0-3, but a better 0-3; his presence would have lifted the O, kept the D off the field. but assuming, as a texan, bush is what he's been - a second, 3rd option; mildly producitve with the ball; a threat w/o it, and the team was losing... not as badly, but still 0-3 - do you really think people would be this upset?
I've made that same point here in the past. If you stay healthy, 63 yards a game will get you 1,008 yards for the season.
Well, first of all, I think Reggie's numbers would be better because he'd be getting more carries. We don't exactly have a Deuce McAllister in front of him on the depth chart. Second, I think even with our 0-3 record (which I agree we would still have if we had Bush) the fans would only be half as pissed as they are now. There would be a light at the end of the tunnel, whether it be real or perceived. Right now, we don't seem to have that light at the end of the tunnel. At least not from Joe Texan Fan's perspective.
How would we be better? What game would we have won? Would our defense still not make QB's look like HOF'ers? Bush hasn't sniffed end-zone on a team with a solid line, a good QB and ok receivers. How would he be better...we would still suck.....
Bush's YPC isn't all that...so you think it would improve with a worse line? If anythign he would take more of a pounding.
you obviously didn't even read my post; i didn't say he'd be better; i certainly didn't say the texans wouldn't suck. in fact, i said they'd still be 0-3. hell, they'd be 0-3 if they drafted bush and williams. but bush would have added a dynamic to the offense it currently doesn't have: a threat out of the backfield. since the texans have had spurts of being quite good on offense, my guess is that adding a guy who's drawing a lot of attention from opponents playing on a team you admit has a better qb and ol, would, i'm guessing, command even more attention here where he'd clearly the best player we have. that, in turn, would free up aj, moulds, putzier, and daniels even more and put more teams on the heels.
AJ > Bush. They have Deuce...we don't. Bush is allowed to play a more complimentary role in NO. They have to pay attention to both of their backs...which is good...until you look at how much salary that costs. I think Bush would add excitement but that's about it.
let's not forget, that team still made the afc championship game with running back by committee, and that's the bottom line. you don't need a franchise rb to win games. bottom line winning. look at some of your dynasties, look at some of the patriots teams. you don't need a great back. the steelers and the patriots are invested heavily in the defense. tampa bay, who was their back, but they had sapp and rice.
