He’s a can’t miss. He’s the best player in college football ever. The Houston Texans were idiotic for not choosing him. This is Sam Bowie/Michael Jordan all over again.
Two years later the “he,” Reggie Bush, is now sidelined with a slightly torn posterior cruciate ligament. Bush is the 36th leading rusher in NFL this season, accumulating just over 48 yards per game and scoring only four touchdowns.
Through two years, Bush’s career has been nothing short of disappointing. He has as many fumbles as he does rushing touchdowns (10), he has averaged only 3.7 yard per carry, and his longest run in two years? 22 yards.
Meanwhile Mario Williams, Houston’s No. 1 pick, has nine-and-a-half sacks this season, including three-and-a-half in the last two weeks.
Williams has been an anchor on the up-and-coming Texans’ defense that went from the 30th ranked defense the year before Williams, to the 28th ranked defense last year, and now is the 21st this year. His 14 sacks and 93 tackles in his two-year career have statistically dominated Bush’s on offense.
I will be the first to admit, I did not see this coming. On our radio show, my co-host Sean Blackburn and I spent more time arguing for Bush than we have for any other athlete. When we heard the Texans had reached a draft-day deal with Williams, we were shocked.
But since Williams was drafted, the Texans have steadily improved. In 2005, the year before Williams became a Texan, Houston went 2-14. Williams’ rookie year the Texans went 6-10. This season they have already matched last year’s six wins, but they still have three games left to improve on it.
The Saints made a playoff run last season that ended short of the Super Bowl, but this season have been inconsistent at best. They too are 6-7, but are considerably worse than last season.
Even the third pick, Tennessee Titans’ Vince Young, has been significantly better than Bush. Tennessee went 4-12 the year before Young, went 8-8 Young’s rookie season, and are 7-6 in Young’s sophomore campaign.
Young has passed for over 4,200 yards and rushed for nearly 900 yards in the 28 games he’s played in, and has 19 passing touchdowns to go along 10 rushing touchdowns. He can beat you with his arm or legs. Sure he turns the ball over too much, but he can beat you in so many ways.
I think it’s clear, two years later, that Bush was the bust while Williams and Young were to become stars.
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I'd like to defend THE Reggie.
No. 1 He was so hyped coming out of college that NFL defenses were geared from the very beginning toward stopping him. He lost confidence once he realized that everyone and their mom was gunning for him.
No. 2 The Saints have misused him. Bush is not a traditional running back. He has pass-catching ability and punt-return ability that have been severly mishandled in the Saints limited offensive scheme. Personally, I'd like to see him in a Marshall Faulk type role, catching 8 balls a game and rushing 15 times. In obvious passing situations, hand it to him on the draw. On rushing downs, run screens and short passes. Bush's offensive prowess is impressive, but he needs to be used in the right way which is true for any player.
Look at Randy Moss. He gets stuck in a crappy situation in Oakland for two years and sucks. Now he's breaking all-time records for touchdown catches in a season.
I can't call Reggie a bust until he plays a full season in a system that will utilize his many talents.
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