AceRimRat
04-29-2006, 12:46 PM
Live from the Draft: Houston, we have a rusher
April 29, 2006
By Eric “Ace” Strauss, Raiderfans.net/Fanpass.net Staff Columnist
http://www.fanpass.net/2006_NFL_Draft/bush.jpg
The New Orleans Saints would have loved to get Reggie Bush. Forty-eight hours before the 2006 NFL Draft, they were resigned to “second best.”
But then came the Friday night news the Houston Texans, picking first overall, were choosing defensive end Mario Williams, not Bush.
That gave the Saints the Heisman Trophy winner from Southern Cal. And it put them in the driver’s seat for trade talks, as plenty of teams who never figured they would have a chance at Bush came calling.
But the Saints were ravaged by the hurricanes that battered the Gulf Coast region, and if there’s something the team badly needs, it’s a face to rebuild around.
In Bush, they got a superstar. He can run, he can catch, he can return kicks. The junior won virtually every award a college star can win, while playing for powerhouse USC alongside quarterback Matt Leinart and a host of other potential first-round picks.
And if there was a knock on Bush, it was the question about whether he could carry the load for a team — after all, he split carries with LenDale White for the Trojans.
But that won’t be an issue with the Saints, who have star Deuce McAllister (who also began his career as a kick returner) coming back from a season-ending injury. Bush gives the team the best of both worlds behind new quarterback Drew Brees.
(Sources: ESPN television coverage and NFL Draft Guide 2006, Ourlads’ Scouting Services 2006 Guide to the NFL Draft and 2005 Review, Pro Football Weekly 2006 Draft Preview, Raiders media guides, NFL media information, The Sporting News Complete Pro Football Draft Encyclopedia)
April 29, 2006
By Eric “Ace” Strauss, Raiderfans.net/Fanpass.net Staff Columnist
http://www.fanpass.net/2006_NFL_Draft/bush.jpg
The New Orleans Saints would have loved to get Reggie Bush. Forty-eight hours before the 2006 NFL Draft, they were resigned to “second best.”
But then came the Friday night news the Houston Texans, picking first overall, were choosing defensive end Mario Williams, not Bush.
That gave the Saints the Heisman Trophy winner from Southern Cal. And it put them in the driver’s seat for trade talks, as plenty of teams who never figured they would have a chance at Bush came calling.
But the Saints were ravaged by the hurricanes that battered the Gulf Coast region, and if there’s something the team badly needs, it’s a face to rebuild around.
In Bush, they got a superstar. He can run, he can catch, he can return kicks. The junior won virtually every award a college star can win, while playing for powerhouse USC alongside quarterback Matt Leinart and a host of other potential first-round picks.
And if there was a knock on Bush, it was the question about whether he could carry the load for a team — after all, he split carries with LenDale White for the Trojans.
But that won’t be an issue with the Saints, who have star Deuce McAllister (who also began his career as a kick returner) coming back from a season-ending injury. Bush gives the team the best of both worlds behind new quarterback Drew Brees.
(Sources: ESPN television coverage and NFL Draft Guide 2006, Ourlads’ Scouting Services 2006 Guide to the NFL Draft and 2005 Review, Pro Football Weekly 2006 Draft Preview, Raiders media guides, NFL media information, The Sporting News Complete Pro Football Draft Encyclopedia)