Yep. That is the situation that will turn him into everything the media has forecasted, and then some... but that situation also is very hard to put together (and even if you get it, its very hard to sustain it for that long, see St. Louis Rams). I don't think he can do it without some major help... he's not Barry Sanders.
Where is jgreen91? I figured, with Bush having such an impressive day (11 carries, 22 yds), he would be all over this thread today.
I was really high on Maroney during the draft. Everyone was talking about Bush but I really thought Maroney would end up having the best career out of RBs in his class. I knew Bush would contribute but I didn't like his running style for the NFL nor did I think he could become a every down back. I also liked Maroney over Adai and D. Williams.
Yup - Bush would be fantastic in a system like Indy where he's a complementary piece. He's not a primary running back though. Maroney or Adrian Peterson (if he can stay healthy) are the types of backs that are critical in the NFL.
I'll say it again: Bush could be a tweener who may not excel at either receiver or running back. In the NFL, he could end up being a glorified Dante Hall, but his return yards aren't all that great. Like pgabriel implied, put him behind a dominant O-line and he could probably be a dominant player. But in the NFL, he'll never have an O-line that will push around NFL defenses like his USC line did in college.
I was BW3 watching football with my son yesterday so we could watch the cowboys, texans and astros all play at one time. The loudest ovation came when Mario got his first NFL sack. I thought that was awesome.
Good for him....It's always the hardest to get the first one out of the way...Too bad it took him 4 games, but it's better late than never...
I watched the NFL show on ESPN last night. Comments from commentators (paraphrasing): On Bush: They started off by showing the long pass. They even mentioned his troubles rushing. However, they attributed the troubles to the line not keeping holes open for him long enough. While they were mentioning the rushing troubles they did show the play where he fumbled, but no one mentioned the fumble. They also showed a highlight on his total yardage decreasing in each game. On Mario: They showed the sack and someone said in a sarcastic way "That was was a sack". They did show the game saving tip at the end, and ended with Williams has more sacks than Bush has TD's (however the same sarcastic announcer said "look at ya trying to justify the pick"). Since total yardage is what it's all about for "stud" RB's these days, why isn't Mo Jones-Drew getting more love? Someone posted this on another site and I found it interesting. Reggie Bush: rushing: 47 attempts, 147 yards for a 3.3 YPC avg. 0 TD's receiving: 23 recs, 187 yards for an 8.1 YPC avg. 0 TD's punt returns: 9 for 57 yards, a 6.3 avg. 0 TD's Maurice Drew: rushing 20 attempts, 118 yards for a 5.9 YPC avg, 0 TD's receiving: 9 rec's, 91 yards for a 10.1 YPC average, 2 TD's kick returns, 9 for 233 yards, for a 25 yard avg, 0 TD's. More "total" yards, more TDs and better averages.
Icehouse... did they talk about Maroney at all? If they didn't, that's pretty shocking/ignorant (esp. since ESPN is Pats country). Honestly, if they're going to talk about rookies, NFL experts should just start and end the conversation with him. And if they're going to compare Bush with ANYBODY, it should be a guy who was drafted far far below him... not a defensive end who's performance is completely independent and non-comparable to anybody who plays an offensive skill position.
Icehouse, I was watching PTI last night (God only knows why) and one of their topics was something like "were we wrong and the Texans right about Bush and Mario?" or something to that effect. They mentioned that Bush's production had gone down in every single game this season and that he had more yardage in his first game than his next 3 games combined. They also said something about how they think Bush will never being an every down back. Needless to say, I was pretty shocked. I really think the Bush hype is SLOWLY starting to die down. It should die down even more as Mario (hopefully) continues to improve.
The line seems to keep the holes open long enough for Duece. ESPN has to do everything they can to prove they weren't wrong about Bush. He has been decent, but EVERYONE (except for Michael Smith) at ESPN was hyping Bush as the best thing since sliced bread. They'll blame Payton for not using him right, they'll blame the OL, Theisman was blaming the turf during MNF. It was so funny because he was just talking about how guys with shorter steps play better on wet turf compared to guys with long strides, only to see Bush slip on the turf on the next play. Theisman's reaction? "See...this field isn't good for Bush." This is type of crap that just pisses me off. What will justify the pick?
They didn't really focus on Maroney. I just remember them saying the Pats aren't dead. They didn't really focus on Mario either, besides the comments I posted. Bush got his usual couple of minutes coverage of most of his plays though, lol.
This doesnt surprise me but remember something a few years ago, Seahawks and/or Bengals and contender brought laughter to the ESPN pundits. Now, who's laughing? The only way Mario and the Texans shut up the critics is win. Win games you're supposed to and maybe steal a few (such as: Dallas maybe again) that you arent supposed to. I am all but certain the odds makers will be saying Houston a 15 pt underdog to the Pokes. Respect is something that is earned not something that is handed to you on a silver platter. Ryans and Williams have fire up that defense into a contender. Someone in the locker room has to inspire greatness before greatness will be achieved on the field. Bottom line, Carr, AJ, Moulds, Mario, Demeco and Dunta produce wins the criticism will disappear. Hell, the teams they're REALLY down on are the Fins and the Raiders. Mark Schlereth already thinks the Raiders will be the team in the NFL last to get a win, any win. Al Davis has got to be sick right now beyond belief unless he's out of the country. With the way the Raiders are playing who would blame him? Its bad, real bad at RaiderNation right now.
Bush with 161 total yards today and 11 receptions and the game winning touchdown on a punt return. Saints are 4-1 and look like a playoff team to me. Great game today by Reggie.
Yeah, the Saints needed a miracle touchdown in the final minutes at home to sneak past one of the worst teams in the league starting a 6th round rookie at quarterback. Yup, the Saints look playoff bound!!! At some point, the Saints will play teams not named Cleveland, Green Bay or Tampa Bay... sad but true. Oh, and Reggie had yet another awful performance running the football. It looks good when you include "total yards" and receptions, but you're hiding the awful running statistics, the mediocre yards per catch statistics and not reflecting how much of his performance was in that one return. Reggie can be an excellent returner, and he was today, but how exactly does he distinguish himself from Dante Hall? 23 yards on 9 carries carries isn't cutting it, unless you're a homer. And, for what it's worth, Mario still has more sacks than Reggie has touchdowns.
uhh, I wouldn't call Atlanta a bottom feeder. perhaps some of you will take a bit longer to realize that the texans screwed up "big time"
