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Temple 3 - Thought, Word and Deed

a blog about politics, sports, life and death

Posts tagged with "Reggie Bush"

Reggie Bush Buzz

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Some guys have it, some don't. Reggie Bush has it. I won't try to explain. Bottom line - I like the guy and want him to have a Hall of Fame career. Do I know him? Have we met? Does it matter? Nope, nope and nope. Some guys simply have it - and he has it. "It" is not simply talent. "It" is the ability to induce love, respect, appreciation, support, and more.

Michael Jordan had it. When 'His Airness' drove the lane, defenders often moved out of his way. That may be hard to believe for the uninitiated. Why would someone who is paid to stop this guy move out of his way? Fear of embarassment!

When Jordan dunked on you or made some other unimaginable move, the fear of getting juked out of your soiled undergarments simply superceded all other considerations. In football, it's a bit different. Sure, no one wants to be embarassed, but in football, no one moves out of your way. They move into your way. To have "it" in football in something that a truly precious few have had. Jim Brown. Gale Sayers. OJ Simpson. Barry Sanders. Reggie Bush! That's right - Reggie Bush.

This short pantheon of stars have one particular thing in common...legions of defenders left in their wake wondering what happened after the snap of the ball. If you're not a football fan, it's hard to understand how substantially different these players are from all the rest. There are some with comparable numbers - but none with comparable video!

Having "It" means having the capacity to show and prove in a near-mythical way. I believe Bush has it. I haven't said this about another player since Barry Sanders. I suppose for me, the most attractive and amazing quality for a running back is elusiveness. These players have demonstrated this particular quality at a level that often defies explanation. As we wrestle with words and images, they continue to move it!

2006 NFL Draft

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As the final horn sounded to close out Super Bowl XL, the Houston Texans were on the clock with the number one pick in the draft. The Texans were busy during the off-season: they made a commitment to QB David Carr, they hired a new coach (former Broncos assistant Gary Kubiak), and brought in two dynamic free agents that can spread the field. Here's my take.

1) The Houston Texans will be very good next year if they stay healthy. They have two elite Wide Receivers in Andre Johnson and Eric Moulds, neither of whom can be covered one-on-one. Johnson could go for 90+ catches, 1500 yards and 12 TDs next year. The Texans also picked up a pass receiving TE from the Broncos in Jeb Putzier. If you add in Domanick Davis and REGGIE BUSH, this team will be fun to watch. With Kubiak as coach, I imagine they'll use lots of zone blocks in their running game (which makes average linemen very good, and very good linemen great), lots of play action, passes to the backs (Davis and Bush can catch and run - Bush is an elite receiver out of the backfield already). David Carr should have his best year ever. I think this team could be headed in the right direction if they get tougher on defense.

I can also see why they might not want to draft Reggie Bush. As good as he is, I think Domanick Davis could easily go for 1200 yds. and average more than 4 yards per carry against 7 man fronts. No one can keep a safety in the box against the Texans unless they have two elite corners and a dominant front four. The risk of facing Johnson and Moulds downfield is enough to get most defensive coordinators to play it safe.

What if the Texans trade out of the number 1 spot, pass on Bush and get two number draft picks that allow them to take two top flight defensive players like Michael Griffin (Texas) and Broderick Bunkley from Florida State? That would really bolster their defense and they could still reap the benefits of adding Putzier and Moulds in the off-season. The real question is whether or not the incremental value of Reggie Bush (given what Moulds and Putzier also bring to the offense) is greater than what two high performing defensive players could bring to their defense.

If Moulds and Putzier were not on the team, Bush would be tremendously valuable to the franchise. Since they are there, he seems to be "marginally" less valuable - in other words, the team can only be 'X' amount better offensively - some portion of that improvement must be attributed to Bush and some other portion must be attributed to Moulds and Putzier. Since Bush would be joining a team with these 2 new "pieces," his portion of credit is marginally less than it might be if without Moulds and Putzier.

I don't think they are in a position to lose, but suppose that Michael Huff becomes a Troy Polamalu-type player and Bunkley becomes a Warren Sapp-type DT...that puts the Texans in a very different position defensively for the next 10 years - and their offense still improves considerably with the addition of an elite wide receiver and a pass catching tight end.

That's why the GM's get paid the big bucks - and get fired when they don't get it right. Draft day should be interesting. Folks have compared Reggie Bush to Gale Sayers. I think he reminds me of Marcus Allen as well - because of the pass catching and his ability to score close to the goal line (even though LenDale White had most of SC's touchdowns). If his career comes close to Marcus Allen's, that will be worth at least one Super Bowl. We'll see.
January 2010
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