[Official] Reggie Bush or Someone else -- Vince Young out of running

i'm so excited we're taking reggie bush. i've told you jokers all along that he was the guy we should be taking.

GO TEXANS!!!

 

Good DEs have more long-term impact than RBs

By Michael Smith
ESPN.com
Archive

Let me begin by assuring you that, to my knowledge, I never have suffered a head injury, not even a minor one. I've never used/abused recreational or prescription drugs. And it has been well over a week since I last consumed any alcohol. Also rest assured that when I wrote the following, I did so with a straight face.

With the first pick of the 2006 NFL draft, the Houston Texans should not select running back Reggie Bush of Southern California. And my reason has nothing to do with the recent report that his family allegedly accepted improper benefits during Bush's junior season.

And sorry, Houstonians, this isn't another plea for the Texans to pass over Bush in favor of University of Texas quarterback (and hometown hero) Vince Young.

They shouldn't trade down, either, or they might miss out on the player they should take. Mario Williams, the North Carolina State defensive end, should be the Texans' pick.

Choosing Williams over Bush is the smart choice if not the most popular. It isn't that Williams is the better player; a college scouting director whom I swear by told me that Bush is the best player he's ever evaluated, that Bush received a rating one point below perfect on his scale, while Williams graded out one point behind Bush. So I believe the Texans are in fact torn between Bush and Williams, whom they have rated equally atop their draft board.

The choice of Williams comes down to whether the Texans want to sell tickets now or distribute Super Bowl tickets later.

Turn off your television, turn down your radio, put down your draft guide, and ignore the mock drafts. Look at the facts.

History teaches us that you don't need to draft a star running back as much as you need a running game to win a Super Bowl. The Steelers were the latest example, having won February's Super Bowl with a running back tandem of undrafted Willie Parker and 33-year-old Jerome Bettis.

Consider what happened (or didn't) this offseason with regard to several high-profile running backs. Indianapolis let Edgerrin James go as a free agent (the same James general manager Bill Polian drafted after he dealt Marshall Faulk to St. Louis, and the same Polian who, when he was in charge of the Bills, picked Thurman Thomas in Round 2). Shaun Alexander re-signed early with Seattle because the money was with the Seahawks and not on the open market. Free agents Jamal Lewis (Baltimore) and Ahman Green (Green Bay) ended up re-signing with their old clubs for short money.

The Texans should take Williams because he plays the position with more impact, D-end. Good running backs come in all sizes, shapes and rounds. Great pass rushers are rare. That's why backs don't get paid what ends do. Look, money talks: The highest franchise and transition numbers (the average salaries of, respectively, the top five and 10 highest-paid players at each position) belong to quarterbacks, followed by ends, linebackers, offensive linemen, wide receivers and then running backs. You might even argue that cornerbacks have more value than running backs. Two years ago, Denver dealt two-time 1,500-yard rusher Clinton Portis (a second-round pick, by the way) to Washington for corner Champ Bailey. Running backs, which have the shortest career span of any position, seem to come and go, often because teams decide to let them. New Texans coach Gary Kubiak knows this, having served as offensive coordinator in Denver, where the system -- the same one he's brought with him to Houston -- has produced five different 1,000-yard running backs (and a few yards short of two more last year) in Mike Shanahan's 11 years as head coach. None of those backs was a first-rounder. So Kubiak should be able to get plenty of production, if not the home runs, out of Domanick Davis (3,195 yards in three seasons), Vernand Morency, or whomever.

Granted, none of the backs mentioned is in Bush's league when it comes to acceleration and big-play ability. He's coming into the NFL being compared to all-time greats such as Sayers, Sanders and Faulk. Bush is special as a receiver and returner, too. He's instant offense. He's a game changer.

But even if he goes on to be the best ever, Bush still won't change the game. Championships still are won with defense.

From Pittsburgh, New England, Tampa Bay and Baltimore to the Giants, Bears, Steelers and Dolphins -- they all won Super Bowls with great defenses.

Adding Bush to a Texans offense that already features Davis, Andre Johnson and Eric Moulds potentially would give Houston one of the league's most explosive attacks. Texans' opponents: You will have problems. But I have a hard time imagining Houston's offense being any better than the Colts' and Chiefs' have been the past four, five years. And how many Super Bowls have they won? That's right. None. Reason No. 1 is that they're still working on pairing those high-powered offenses with comparable defenses.

Any good defense begins with an effective pass rush, which is why you don't pass up a chance to get a freak like Williams and why if you can help it you don't let the good ones go. Two years ago, the Giants acquired the No. 1 overall pick, Eli Manning, from the Chargers, but did so without general manager Ernie Accorsi's including a then-little-known defensive end by the name of Osi Umenyiora in the deal. Indianapolis let four-time 1,500-yard rusher James walk partly because it is going to need money to sign end Dwight Freeney. Notoriously frugal New England just broke the bank for Richard Seymour, perhaps the best defensive lineman in all of football.

A Jevon Kearse, a Julius Peppers, a Simeon Rice, a Michael Strahan, a Jason Taylor … the Bruce Smiths, the Reggie Whites … those are the type of player around whom you build your defense and your team. Obviously, White and Rice are the only Super Bowl winners of the bunch, but the rest -- except Taylor -- were defensive catalysts for teams that reached the championship.

The question is: What are the Texans trying to build? Short-term excitement or a title contender? Was owner Bob McNair sincere when he told the Texans' brain trust not to concern itself with selling tickets but, because winning fills seats, to select the best football player for the team long term?

Houston's first mission has to be to catch the Colts, whom the Texans haven't beaten in eight tries. The teams that give Indianapolis trouble (New England, San Diego, Pittsburgh) are the ones that pressure Peyton Manning.

Last year opposing quarterbacks completed nearly 65 percent of their passes and threw 24 touchdowns to just seven interceptions for an efficiency rating of 100.0 against Houston. The Texans lost six games last year in which they led in the second half, suffering five such defeats to end the season (and the Dom Capers era). Houston had the league's second-worst defense in 2005, its worst run defense, forced the fewest turnovers (16, none until the fifth game), and allowed a league-high 26.9 points per game.

So, Houston, you want to try your luck in a shootout with the Colts? Take Bush. Want to get to Manning? Get Williams.

Mario Williams
AP Photo
Williams brings a skill to the NFL teams covet -- getting to the quarterback.


The Texans are negotiating with the agents for both Bush and Williams, but I don't believe, as the skeptics do, that they're trying to use Williams to drive down Bush's price. I believe that, deep down, Kubiak and general manager Charley Casserly know what has to be done. I think they'd love to trade down a few slots, pick up a couple of picks, and still get Williams but they can't because no one wants to go up to the top spot and the Texans know passing Young and Bush won't be received well locally. Houston would never forgive the Texans if it turns out they picked Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan.

Except the Texans would be picking Shaquille O'Neal.

"I've seen solid players, impact players," Titans coach Jeff Fisher told The (Nashville) Tennessean, "but nobody that has a potential to impact a defense like [Williams]."

The game hasn't seen a man of Williams' size (6-foot-7, 295 pounds and growing -- he could carry 310) and strength (35 reps of 225 on the bench press) who moves (40-yard dash time in 4.6 to 4.7 seconds, 40½-inch vertical jump) with the knee-bend that he does. Cross Peppers with Seymour and add a touch of Minnesota's Kevin Williams and you get this kid. Peppers, scouts say, was more fluid in his change of direction and a bit quicker than Williams but was not as physical and didn't have as good a motor coming out of North Carolina. There hasn't been a defensive end prospect with Williams' package in years. Asked to whom he would compare Williams, our college scouting director replied, "Nobody. I've never seen anybody like him."

Williams is that rare edge rusher who plays the run as well as he pursues the quarterback; he's no Freeney or Rice, i.e., a one-trick pony. Everyone talks about Bush's versatility but Williams not only can play but be effective all along the defensive line: at 4-3 base (left) end, 4-3 open-side (right, most often opposite the strong side) end, "three" technique (shading the guard's outside shoulder) tackle, or 3-4 end.

With Bush, you're talking 15-20 touches a game plus a few returns. Williams will play 60 snaps a game and give the Texans more for their money. Speaking of money, it's true the Texans have a lot of it invested in their defensive line. Travis Johnson and Jason Babin are former first-round picks, Antwan Peek will play for the first-round restricted tender this year, Robaire Smith was a big signing two years ago and Anthony Weaver just got $12.5 million to sign. Perhaps the last thing the Texans need to do is invest more money in their defensive line, but they don't have anyone like Williams.

No one does.

Another thing: Williams has more -- yes -- upside than Bush. He's 21 years old, still raw. Dare I say it: We may already have seen the best of Bush. I can't help but wonder if it's possible for him to look any better or even as good, and the same goes for Matt Leinart, without the line and the supporting cast he played with at USC. It's like, Tom Cruise stars in a lot of good movies, but you add Jack Nicholson, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon and Demi Moore and you've got "A Few Good Men."

Wait until Williams gets NFL coaching and learns how to really use those long arms. At NC State the coaches didn't spend a lot of time teaching hand techniques and such. "I feel like the sky's the limit," Williams said.

Critics point to the fact that 13½ of Williams' 14½ sacks last season came in the Wolfpack's final seven games and wonder about his consistency. Williams offered an interesting explanation for that. It took him four games to figure out how to better deal with cut blocks. Instead of wasting time pushing down with both hands on blockers' shoulder pads and stepping around the block the way linemen are taught, Williams learned how to handle blockers with one hand or just hurdle them. He had three sacks in NC State's fifth game, against Wake Forest.

A longtime defensive line coach says that on film, Williams appears to be playing a bit "cautious." Williams concurred with the observation. At NC State, the ends' first responsibility was outside containment (bootlegs, reverses) and at one point they weren't even allowed to take an inside rush. That discipline might give the impression that Williams was taking plays off. "I don't feel like my play changed from the beginning of the season to the end of the season," he said. "Maybe my numbers were different, but I ran the same way."

In the short term, Williams wouldn't impact Houston's defense the way Bush would the Texans' offense. They'd still have a lot of holes on defense. The offense is on its way, ready to set it off. Still, the end is the way to go.

Williams says he'd like to go No. 1 overall, but he's more concerned about where his team picks in the future.

"I want to go to a team that's going to best utilize my abilities, so I can help them win a championship," he said, "and maybe next year we can be at the 32nd pick."

Bush or Williams? Williams or Bush? The Texans can't go wrong either way. But the right choice is Williams.

 

Burzmali is closer to correct. UT had a LB in coverage on Bush, Drew Kelson, and he did fine. UT also had their standard defense on the field when Bush + a fullback or Bush + TEs were in the game for the most part. Sure, UT tried to make sure they had the right guy matched up on Bush in pass coverage and probably told their players to take wider than normal angles to cut him off around the corner, but they certainly didn't make any major changes, nowhere near the level teams had to make adjustments for Vince Young (which ended up failing anyway, see the 4 biggest games VY played during his win streak-Mich, OSU, OU and SC).

And UT did largely contain Bush. He got the corner 1 time on a running play (about 30 yard gain), and got two big plays off of dump/screen passes (not downfield routes), one when Texas has in a prevent with less than 15 seconds left. To ignore what happen for the most part the rest of the game, and ignore the fact Carroll knew they were more effective running with LenDale for the most part, is to not be honest about the releatively modest impact Bush had on the game. He was good, he made some plays, but you could argue Leinart, Jarrett, and White were nearly as critical to the offense as Reggie Bush.

And the argument Carroll blew it is so tired. It was LenDale and the SC interior Oline who had converted the 4th downs that game and most such situations the last 3 years. It was LenDale and the Oline of SC that opened up the rest of the offense for SC in a nearly perfect second half. Carroll made the right % play based on the game and SC's 30+ game win streak, it was just a foot short one time.

I don't think that is fair at all to Bush. He is a great college player and great pro prospect. Yes I think ESPN and ABC did exaggerate things quite a bit (greatest of all time is laughable, to compare his talent and ability to being greater than say Bo Jackson is ridiculous), but that isn't Reggie's fault. I also think he has some flaws and I have some doubts about him being a game changer in the NFL (where everyone is fast and quick, and just being a little faster or quicker is not enough), but he has a ton of talent and could be a great player. I think Young has more upside as a game changer because he beats you more ways, but that is more a credit to the unique athletic and competitive gifts Young has and the fact he plays a more critical position than a knock on Bush's prospects.

But this is my opinion on VY having more upside, and I do believe either the Texans don’t share it, or are too confined in their roster/committed salary to consider rolling with VY. That draft won’t tell us who was right, history will.

 

Is anyone watching the ESPN Reggie Bu...I mean the ESPN Draft Special?

 

There's no way Williams goes No. 1
Michael Rosenberg / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 44 minutes ago

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5535056?print=true

Yeah, so the Houston Texas might use the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft on Mario Williams.

OK.

How would they announce it? Would they just drop it into their big "Hey everybody, we're doubling ticket prices and cutting the size of beer cups in half!" press conference? Would Charley Casserly hold up a Reggie Bush Texans jersey, then scream "Just kidding!" and then hold up a Vince Young Texans jersey, then scream "Gotcha AGAIN!" and then hold up a Williams jersey? And while he did it, would he be wearing a bulletproof vest?

Casserly has had a run of failure as Houston's general manager — a job he somehow earned with a run of mediocrity as the Redskins' general manager. But would even he try this?

I can't believe the Texans are serious about drafting Mario Williams, the defensive end from North Carolina State. It seems pretty obvious that Houston just wants to drive Bush's asking price down. And if so, this is the lamest negotiating ploy of all-time.

"Reggie Bush is going to be the No. 1 pick in the draft." This was repeated as fact for the last five months. The simple reason is that Bush is a ridiculous talent — only an injury can keep him from being a Pro Bowler. All the words and non-words that dominate an NFL draft can be attached to Bush: upside, high ceiling, jukability, stick-to-itiveness, etc. He will win games and sell tickets, which are pretty much all that matter in this enterprise.

If I were Williams (and I could certainly pass for a 5-foot-10, 180-pound white version of the man), this is what I'd do: lowball Casserly. Tell him I'd be happy to sign for whatever the third pick in the draft is likely to get. See what Houston does.

The debate has never been Bush vs. Mario Williams. It has been Bush vs. Vince Young, because Young is a Houston native and an athletic freak — and, as a quarterback, he can potentially have a greater impact on the game than Bush.

Given the choice, Bush still makes the most sense. Even Young's biggest fans must admit that there is a chance he struggles in the NFL, but Bush is as close to a sure thing as the draft has ever seen.

He has electric skills. He is the right size for his position. He has excelled on the field and in workouts. And he plays the position that is easiest to project.

Maybe Young will turn into a better Michael Vick (though he doesn't have Vick's arm strength). But even if he does, picking Bush is perfectly defensible — just as nobody gives the San Diego Chargers a hard time for essentially trading Vick and ending up with LaDainian Tomlinson, nobody would rip the Texas for taking Bush.

But Mario Williams? Well …

Let me take a moment here to calm down the Williams family, the North Carolina State fan base and anybody else who thinks I'm trashing Williams: Look, for all I know, Mario Williams will be the best player to come out of this draft. He obviously has a lot of people in love with him. I'm not ripping his football ability, because I don't spend much time breaking down film of North Carolina State's defense, and unlike most people who opine about the NFL draft, I don't mind admitting it.

He might be a bigger Julius Peppers. But I'm not buying the Texans' interest. Wouldn't they at least try to trade down a couple of spots and nab him? I don't know how they can sell Mario Williams to their fan base, and maybe that shouldn't matter, but if you have Casserly's record, it sure does.

A little draft-day intrigue is fun. It keeps the country's biggest geeks off the streets. It fills talk-radio airwaves with something other than sexist garbage.

But in order for draft-day intrigue to work, there has to be some, you know, intrigue. Mario Williams as the No. 1 pick? I don't buy it. I don't think most of America buys it. I expect Reggie Bush to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, just like he was supposed to be for the last five months. Maybe Charley Casserly will shock all of us. I doubt it.

Detroit Free Press columnist Michael Rosenberg is a contributor to FOXSports.com. An archive of his Free Press columns can be found here.

 

I think he is right on until this.....

I don't like claims Bush is more of a "sure thing" as a great NFL RB than Bo Jackson, Earl Campbell, OJ, Jim Brown, etc. He isn't not anywhere close as a sure thing dominant NFL player coming out of college as those guys were.

I don't even like saying Bush is more of a sure thing than Faulk, Sanders or Tony Dorsett--all with similar size issues despite being them also being phenom college players supported with less talent around them than Bush had helping him play to his strengths.

Bush has a good case to be the best RB prospect in the last 10 years, but he is nowhere close to the best RB prospect ever. That is bastardization of history, and of greater talents and greater college football players before him.

 

Apparently most scouts disagree though. Do you think scouts en masse have bastardized history without knowing it?

And about RB's not having as big an impact than other positions- is that why THREE of the top five picks last year were RB's?

 

Most scouts said Ryan Leaf would be a good NFL QB.

 

IIRC, DE's in the NFL made more money than RBs, which would be a pretty big indicator of which is more valuable . Of course QBs make the most of all by far.

 

this is sooo true.

i've made my peace with all this. but to listen to some of the talk about bush...man, it's just silly. the guy is gonna run the ball better than any RB in the league...he'll catch the ball and run routes as well as any WR in the league....he'll block well....incredible kick returner...and he's gonna play free safety for us, too. in fact...we don't need to pick anyone else. just him.

reminds me of the chicago fans talking about mike ditka.

i saw reggie play quite a bit. i wouldn't put him anywhere near the same class of player as a bo jackson...or an earl campbell. he doesn't need to be that good to be hugely effective. but some perspective is good. bo could knock you on your ass or outrun you. bush may outrun you, but he's not gonna be a power back by any means. there have been some who've combined incredible speed with power. that's not what we're getting here.

i

 

Way to ignore every other draft except one. The truth is last year's draft was a strong draft for RBs and a lot of the teams early on were in need of a RB.

As far as saying RBs don't have as big impact as other positions, I don't necessarily agree wtih it. But there are reasons why there have only been a handful of RBs to be selected w/ the #1 overall pick, none of which were picked in the last 10 years.

 

there's less than 5 overall, right?

who other than Ki Jana Carter...Earl Campbell...?? i can't remember.

 

Charles Rogers, Bo Jackson. I think there's one more.

 

Actually there have been quite a few. If I am not mistaken, O.J. was a # 1 pick and so was Billy Sims from OU.

 

But none of those RBs were rated as highly as Bush. If guys like Ced Benson and Ronnie Brown go in the top 5 then I'd say Bush is worthy of #1.

Also, "Since 1999 when James and Ricky Williams were selected Nos. 4 and 5 overall, at least three running backs have been taken in the first round four times."

So RBs aren't taken #1 often, but they are often taken in the first round.

 

Ok..I just went back to 1970...so the past 36 years. There have been 6 RB's in selected in those 36 years.

1977 - Ricky Bell (ronnie, bobby, ricky and mike, if I like VY, who cares who you like?)

1978 Earl Campbell

1980 Billy Sims

1981 George Rogers

1986 Bo Jackson

1995 Ki Jana Carter

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/peter_king/04/24/mmqb/2.html

 

delete

 

IMHO, the Texans are making a big mistake drafting Bush over VY. Texas' fast defense easily shut Reggie down, the only reason his stats for the game were even close to his season averages was because of two or three plays; the prevent defense the last 19 seconds come to mind. Young and Leinart have been stellar the last two season which is more than I can say for Bush.

Bush will be a good back in the NFL, but won't be a game changer. If the Texans don't pick up VY, they'll be regretting it for a long, long time. Scouts say there's so much that one can't tell just from workouts, like intangibles, leadership, and stepping up in the clutch. VY has shown that consistently throughout his college career. If the Rose Bowl showed anything it's that a good college defense can keep Bush in check. I'd rather endure a few years of mediocrity before a dynasty than be continually knocked out of first round of the playoffs.

 

You sir, are brilliant !!

The rest of you Bushians, are cowardly, fat and ugly, oh and your breath stinks like ape doo doo !!

So THERE !

DD