Thanks to Johnny Utah from the Texans Message Board: http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-23/1145515768278430.xml Expensive Bush may be there for Saints Unflappable back's asking price has Texans exploring options Thursday, April 20, 2006 By Jimmy Smith Staff writer What if, nine days from now, the unthinkable happened? What if the Houston Texans follow through on the charade they're currently playing and take North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams with the first pick of the draft? What if, when the Saints are in the clock, USC running back Reggie Bush is still available? Fantasy? Perhaps. But there are about 30 million reasons why that scenario just might play itself out April 29. That's the figure, in dollars, Bush's negotiating team apparently threw out in their only round of "contract talks" with the Texans, according to word circulating throughout the draft grapevine the past week or so. And is it any coincidence that the day after that $30 million dollar figure was mentioned, the Texans had Williams in for a visit? So Saints fans can sit and wonder for the next week or so what it would be like to see the Heisman Trophy winner wearing black and gold. What a possibility. Bush is without doubt the No. 1 prospect in the upcoming draft, a solidly put-together package of speed, strength and elusiveness that has drawn comparisons to Gale Sayers, one of the most thrilling ball carriers in NFL history. But being the first overall draft pick is something to which Bush has aspired, and something about which he has spoken on numerous occasions. "Playing in the NFL is a dream for me," Bush said. "Obviously I'd like to be the first pick, but at the same time the team doesn't make a difference to me." In the months leading to the draft, there has been no question Bush would be the first overall choice. Now money seems to be muddling the situation, more than questions about Bush's height (5 feet 11¾) and weight (fluctuating between 200 and 208 pounds). Those were the primary concerns about Bush heading into the draft, although he has done everything he could to erase those doubts. At USC's pro day earlier this month, shirtless Bush displayed the physique of a bodybuilder and the strength to match. He bench-pressed 225 pounds an impressive 24 times. He also ran 4.33 seconds in the 40-yard dash, had a vertical jump of 40.5 inches and a standing broad jump of 18 feet 8½ inches. Yet what he can do with the football is what excites the most. He can run. He can return kicks. He can catch passes. He can make defenders miss. Most of all, he can score. Often. "I like his versatility," said Houston coach Gary Kubiak. "Having a player you can line up all over the place presents a problem for the defense. He can return and catch, and we all know he runs well. "The good thing about him is that the kid can get touches a lot of ways. He can get touches as a runner, receiver and returner. You don't have to ensure him so many carries. I don't think he'll have any problems getting his hands on the ball." Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio, whose team, drafting 28th in the first round would have zero chance to see Bush's name still on the board, didn't bother going back to his alma mater to see Bush's pro-day performance. "No," he said. "I figure I'll get to see Reggie Bush enough this year. Twice a year is plenty." Yet while Bush seems to possess all the intangibles, the fact that he wasn't on the field every down in the Trojans' Rose Bowl loss to Texas raised concerns about his durability in the NFL and whether he could sustain the punishment of being an every-down back in pro football. "You never know until you get into a game-time situation," Bush said. "Maybe I wouldn't even be able to know. I know that's something I'm going to work toward, and I'm going to work hard at proving to people that I can be an every-down back. Obviously I want to be in there; if I could, I'd (carry the) ball every play. That's just the competitive nature inside me. "I always play like I have something to prove, and I think that's what's made me so successful in my career, playing like I have something to prove every day, practicing like I have something to prove every day, working out like I have something to prove every day. I feel like that's what's made me so successful and what I'm going to continue to do." Bush has traveled the country in recent weeks, meeting with various teams -- he met with the Jets this week, which prevented him from coming to New Orleans for face-to-face contact with the Saints on Tuesday night or Wednesday. Whether a great running back can be the difference between a contending team and a championship team is open for debate. If you look at the all-time list of running backs who were the first overall pick, the only modern-day runners who have won a championship are Green Bay's Paul Hornung, the first pick in 1957, and the New York Giants' Kyle Rote, the top pick in 1951. Since the inception of the Super Bowl, no running back who has been the No. 1 overall pick has been the primary contributor to a team that has won the big one. The lone exception: George Rogers, the first overall pick by the Saints in 1981 who won a Super Bowl ring with the Washington Redskins near the end of his career. None of the others -- O.J. Simpson, Ricky Bell, Earl Campbell, Billy Sims, Bo Jackson or Ki-Jana Carter -- played in the Super Bowl. What will make Bush different? "I know what I can do," he said. "Know what I mean? I just feel like I can do it. I don't know what happened to the other past running backs and why they weren't successful and what they did, but I know that I'm going to be successful and I won't fail."
Yeah, the Mario Williams rumors make a lot more sense if this is true. 30 mil for a signing bonus is ridiculous...however, it did mention that this was the first request in the initial negotiations...during which you would expect the Bush camp to be exhorbitantly high because they know it will be negotiated down. If Alex Smith got 25mil, I imagine Bush will get 1-2 mil more than him in the end.
You mean they didn't give it to him? I thought Reggie Bush was the pied piper who people followed around and universally loved. At least thats what his agent said in an article I read.
Um. Quarterback money is traditionally much more than running back money. Simply because of the value of the positions. If there was any doubt before (which there shouldn't have been), this erases it. Drafting Vince makes perfect sense. He's from Houston. He's a Texas hero. He wants to play for Houston. He will be less expensive to sign than Reggie. Kubiak comes from a system in Denver in which they plug in anybody at running back and get a successful running game. How many 1000 yard rushers have they had up there? Terrel Davis was a 6th round pick, Mike Anderson is a fullback, the other guys are undersized. Dom Davis is plenty sufficient to suceed admirably in a Kubiak scheme. Vince is the answer.
I guess they thought they could find somebody to stand on the sidelines with the game on the line for slightly cheaper. Maybe they decided to target somebody who actually is on the field?
#! pick QB's get a lot more money than other positions, afaik. $30 million is ridiculous, and he knows it. He should and will be slotted into a salary based off his draft spot, and his position. I know relatively little about football salaries, but I'd imagine most GMs wouldn't be willing to give him any more than Alex Smith money at #1. At #2 he should be getting #2-ish money. For comparison purposes, last year Ronnie Brown, at #2, got $34 million over 5 years, but only $20 million guaranteed. 2 spots later, Cedric Benson got a similiar deal, but with only $17 - $17.5 million guaranteed (after a club record hold-out, btw). If it was me, I'd be offering Reggie $22.5 million guaranteed and hope to come to agreement at or around $25 million guaranteed. And I'd certainly still take him despite not having an agreement at draft day. Will he hold out...maybe, but who cares...this isn't even a playoff caliber team right now.
Somebody is willing to pay that amount. If not us, then trading down makes the most sense. I can't say I'm surprised, but I can't help but be disappointed. If he is unwilling to negotiate it down, perhaps we can trade down and get Mario and a mess of future picks. I believe Peek is worth a first rounder, if we trade him. I wonder if anyone would be interested. I don't see teams jumping for the chance at Babin and Weaver. I might have been interested in Hawk, but I think he will do better at strong-side OLB. This certainly opens things back up. I would have said VY, if Carr didn't already get his new contract. We'll see.
