For all of those pundits out there that think Houston should have picked Reggie Bush, please take a good look at the Texans’ roster. I am a long time fan of teams with great defenses – New York Giants and the current Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston learned what Jack Del Rio already knows. To beat the Colts, a big front line is the first step toward a division championship. Would Reggie Bush have helped this Sunday? Might have been closer, but no, not at all. I have to watch the pathetic Texans play every weekend and I am very happy that Williams is a member of the front line. The Jaguars have a great record against the Colts because they have big Marcus Stroud and John Henderson (Big John Henderson to his fans) anchoring a solid defensive front.
So the Texans made the wise football decision if they want to build a contender. Williams may or may not be a bust (jury is still way, way out as of today), but Houston made the same decision I would make if winning the division is a goal of the franchise.
Chris, after taking a look at Houston’s roster prior to the draft, there was one conclusion to draw – the Texans need a lot of parts. o-line, d-line, questions at HB (they had to know the injury was bad), and so on.
You are right on one point, it is much too soon to say if Williams (or for that matter Bush) is a bust. With that said, I do not think very many people think Mario is a once in a generation player, but many “experts” would argue the point as far as Bush is concerned.
Do I think Mr. Bush is the second coming? No. I doubt he is going to be as good as Berry Sanders, but I think he has a better shot at greatness than Mr. Williams. Bush is always going to be one hit to the knee away from retirement, while Williams should be built to last.
If I held that first pick in hand, I would have attempted to move down and gain extra picks *and* someone that could help me now. If I could not do that, I would go with a safe pick in Bush. A solid running game could keep a poor defense off the field.
I do not think Williams is going to pull an Aundray Bruce (see 1988 draft), but I think the Texans should have gone in a different direction. A great defensive end will do wonders for a team (see Falcons – Abraham), but I think Bush could help the Texans improve now and later, while Williams can only help later (maybe).
Bush is a role player. He can return kicks, work out of the slot, and carry the ball a couple of times a game. Texans don’t need that. They need a defense and they drafted like a team serious about improving a very very bad defense. Their defense was so bad last season that they shouldn’t have added one offensive starter – every dime should have been spent on the defense. Reggie Bush did not fit Houston’s roster. New Orleans can use him because they have Deuce to do the heavy lifting and it is a perfect fit.
Reggie Bush is not going to carry a big load. He’s no Marshall Faulk, OJ Simpson, or Gale Sayers as people keep comparing him to. And the Texans need defense so badly they would have been foolish to pick Bush. You can argue that maybe they should have traded down and received even more defensive players, but I think anybody that watches the Texans for five minutes can see where they need some big time help. And it ain’t in the backfield.
I think that Bush is being waayyyy over-hyped. I watched the Cleveland game, and his performance really wasn’t spectacular. He just cleared 140 total yards, including punt returns. McCallister was a better rusher, although Bush made one nice catch and run out of the backfield.
I can’t stand how ESPN is all over Bush’s jock, so to speak. After one game, I could list a dozen backs in the league at least that are better than Bush. Yes, he is electric, and has great potential, but he’s not Barry Sanders yet. He’s not even Barry Foster yet…
I am not saying that I love Bush, but I do think he is a terrific talent. Maybe even a once in a generation talent; I think he is that special. But he could be extremely fragile. And also remember that I picked Walsh over Aikman. Oops to that one.
With all that said, I still think defense wins championships, but I also think that the best way to protect a poor defense is with a strong running game (i.e. control the clock). I think Bush could get the Texans healthy a lot faster that Mario could, but Chris thinks I am talking out my rear, which makes this all the more fun.
I agree about Bush’s talent and potential, I’m just saying make the guy do something first!
I remember the preseason game where Bush rushed for 7 yards on 4 carries. That’s right – 7 yards on 4 carries. Stuart Idiot Scott and Sean Idiot Payton were talking like he was the second coming of Gale Sayers, breaking down the cut he made on his 4 yard run, or whatever. It really was a joke.