Former SBGville resident Chuck Klosterman analyzes the decision by the Houston Texans to bypass Reggie Bush with the first pick in the draft.
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Just another game at Target Center tonight.
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I don't know that I'm sold like Klosterman is about Bush being a can't-miss NFL'er. Sure, in college, he was able to look unstoppable, breaking tackle after tackle. But, Vikings defenses of the past aside, NFL defenses are much, much faster and much, much better at tackling than college defenses are.
I know much, much less about football than baseball, but my gut instinct is that being strong enough to run through tackles transfers to the NFL better than avoiding tackles. Though Barry Sanders made a nice career avoiding tackles.
That said, though, I think I'd take Bush just for the PR. This just seems like a really high-risk move for a young franchise. How disenchanted is the fan base going to become if Bush turns out to be a stud? Even if Williams turns out to be good, it's a lot tougher to look good to a fan as a solid DE than as a star back.
My buddy Moss is absolutely against taking running backs in the first round. I don't have that much of a problem with the pick.
Moss NORMALLY is against taking RBs so high. That is because it is not too difficult to find a passable RB working at your local UPS or road construction crew. Plus, the shelf life of an NFL RB is only a few years, usually.
However, Moss is not against drafting an elite RB (like Bush) that high. They say this guy could be the second coming of Gayle Sayers.
Moss thinks Houston screwed up, big time. There is no upside to this pick. They will constantly be scrutinized over this choice. Isn't it far more likely that they can improve their win total with Bush than with whatshisname? And think of the pressure on him now. Not to mention the fan appeal. Bush will sell tickets, whatshisname won't.
(Moss also longs for the days of Robert Smith. The guy was very good to excellent at every aspect of his position. Never fumbled, great blocker, strong but with track-star speed. Extremely underrated. A digression, but it needed to be said...)
Robert Smith was a first round pick, Denny's first draft pick ever. The Vikings got laughed at for taking him, but I think the Vikings laughed last there.
He got drafted by the Saints? I predict he will have an injury plagued career, and will never get a chance to live up to the potential he has.