football junkie
11-11-2006, 05:47 AM
We've reached the half-way mark in the rookie seasons of this year's top draft picks Mario Williams and Reggie Bush.
Collegiate tail back extraordinaire Reggie Bush was the consensus overall number one pick -- that was until the night before the draft when Houston announced it had reached a contract agreement with defensive end Mario Williams.
After the pundits finished cleaning their shorts, rage and repudiation quickly followed the announcement. Many "experts" at the time compared the decision to the NBA's Portland Trailblazers' drafting Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan in 1984 and decried the Williams pick as one of the worst draft decisions ever.
Since then things have changed.
Reggie Bush is averaging a meager 2.6 yards per carry in the NFL and hasn't seemed to realize that trying to run side-to-side doesn't work in the pros -- no more Troy States or Buffalo Universities on the schedule. Nine weeks of the regular season are in the books and Bush has yet to rush for or catch a single touchdown. He has scored once, on a kick return. He is projected to rush for 414 yards by season's end and is really little more than a decoy for Deuce "on the loose" McAllister.
New Orleans is 6-2 but very little of the credit for that record is deserved by Reggie Bush.
Meanwhile in Houston, Mario Williams beat out 2004 first-round pick Jason Babin and is starting at defensive end. Williams has quietly amassed at least one sack in four of his last five games and at this rate is on pace to lead his team and all rookies in sacks. Suddenly the "worst pick in the history of the draft" is starting to look a whole lot better.
Assuming we could "re-do" the draft and your team had the number one overall pick, which of these players would you want?
Sidenote: Houston also drafted a running back this year, Wali Lundy, with the 170th overall pick. Lundy's averaging 4.2 yards per carry, has more rushing yards than Bush, more touchdowns than Bush and a far better longest rush than Bush.
Collegiate tail back extraordinaire Reggie Bush was the consensus overall number one pick -- that was until the night before the draft when Houston announced it had reached a contract agreement with defensive end Mario Williams.
After the pundits finished cleaning their shorts, rage and repudiation quickly followed the announcement. Many "experts" at the time compared the decision to the NBA's Portland Trailblazers' drafting Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan in 1984 and decried the Williams pick as one of the worst draft decisions ever.
Since then things have changed.
Reggie Bush is averaging a meager 2.6 yards per carry in the NFL and hasn't seemed to realize that trying to run side-to-side doesn't work in the pros -- no more Troy States or Buffalo Universities on the schedule. Nine weeks of the regular season are in the books and Bush has yet to rush for or catch a single touchdown. He has scored once, on a kick return. He is projected to rush for 414 yards by season's end and is really little more than a decoy for Deuce "on the loose" McAllister.
New Orleans is 6-2 but very little of the credit for that record is deserved by Reggie Bush.
Meanwhile in Houston, Mario Williams beat out 2004 first-round pick Jason Babin and is starting at defensive end. Williams has quietly amassed at least one sack in four of his last five games and at this rate is on pace to lead his team and all rookies in sacks. Suddenly the "worst pick in the history of the draft" is starting to look a whole lot better.
Assuming we could "re-do" the draft and your team had the number one overall pick, which of these players would you want?
Sidenote: Houston also drafted a running back this year, Wali Lundy, with the 170th overall pick. Lundy's averaging 4.2 yards per carry, has more rushing yards than Bush, more touchdowns than Bush and a far better longest rush than Bush.