In Case You Have Completely Forgotten...

About Reggie Bush, he was recently quoted in the New Orleans Times-Picayune saying, "I've got to come out and have an equal or better year. I've got to get the crowd chanting M-V-P. I've had plenty of time to reflect. I missed the last four games. That really hurt me because I never really had to miss any games before. I had a lot of time to think and just go through what approach I want to take this year and how I want to go about this year and getting to that elite level of athletes."

Reggie Bush for MVP. That is laughable.

Let's break down his rushing stats:

Reggie was ranked 143rd in the league in yards per carry in 2007. This was an improvement from his 2006 numbers, where he was ranked 168th. His rookie season he had 0 runs over 20+ yards. So much for the most exciting player to ever step on a football field. Gale Sayers? I think not. Bush also fumbled twice in 2006.

In 2007 though, Bush had 3 runs of over 20 yards. However his season long was 22 yards. So it's not that impressive. He also fumbled 7 times last year. He only averaged 48.4 yards per game.

But isn't Reggie a great receiver?

His receiving stats:

Although Bush was near the top of the league in receptions, he was ranked 371st in yards per reception. He only had one catch that went for over 20 yards (25 yard gain). To make matters worse, he ranked among the lead leaders with 10 dropped passes. These also aren't bombs down field or in routes across the middle. These are mostly screen passes where the is no excuse for drops.

To compare, let's take a look at Adrian Peterson's rookie season:

Every time Purple Jesus runs the ball, he gets 2 more yards than Bush does. In one year, AD has more rushing touchdowns that Bush has totaled in 2 seasons - with the Saints doing their best to boost Reggie stats by giving him the ball on 1 yard line, only to see him take 3 tries to get put 6 points on the board.

Peterson had 11 runs of over 20 yards and 5 of over 40 yards in his rookie season. He also averaged 95.8 rushing yards per game, only getting 17 touches. He also has converted more first downs in one season than Bush has in 2. Adrian Peterson's reception average blows Bush's out of the water. He had 3 receptions that went for over 20 yards and 1 that went over 40 yards. If he would have caught 11 more passes (30 receptions), he would have recorded more receiving yards than Bush did in 73 receptions.

Reggie Bush, like Steve Slaton, is scared of contact. I can't even count the number of times Bush has had 1 player to beat and either steps out of bounds or gets tackled. I have never seen him lower his shoulder or even stiff arm anyone. Maybe Sheldon Brown's hit really did something to his psyche...

But it is more than that. He was fast enough to be productive against slow teams at USC. LenDale White did the dirty work. He would get the tough yards. He would grind and pick up yards up the middle. Reggie would come in and score easy touchdowns against a tired defense. When USC played a fast defense, Pete Carroll would put in LenDale. When they played a slow one, he would put in Bush. In the NFL defenses come at two different speeds - fast and faster. Bush tries to do too much. He takes 1 step upfield and takes 2 steps backwards. I've seen him get past the first down marker, only to run backwards and end up losing yards, forcing the Saints to punt.

A list of NFL MVPs since 1995 (from various organizations):

1. Brett Favre
2. Brett Favre
3. Brett Favre/Barry Sanders
4. Terrell Davis/Randall Cunningham
5. Kurt Warner
6. Marshall Faulk/Rich Gannon
7. Kurt Warner/Marshall Faulk
8. Rich Gannon
9. Peyton Manning/Steve McNair
10. Peyton Manning
11. Shaun Alexander
12. LaDainian Tomlinson
13. Tom Brady

Reggie Bush doesn't even belong in the same sentence as any of those players, with the exception of Shaun Alexander. But at least Shaun was once productive AND a franchise back. You can't be the NFL MVP splitting carries. You can't be the MVP averaging 3.7 ypc. You can't be the MVP if you can't break tackles. You can't be the MVP if you can't pick up yards after contact. You can't be the MVP if you have only had one 100 yard game in 28 appearances.

Reggie Bush, you can't be the MVP. You won't be the MVP. You don't even know how to be the MVP.

Switch to WR and shut up or stick to Hollywood and stop wasting our time.

Warning! Stay Away from QBs, WRs, RBs

Bill Walsh used to say, "You coach offense, but you draft defense."

He was exactly right.

Walsh was an innovator on the offensive side of the ball, introducing the West Coast offense, scripting plays to start a game (known as the "first 15"), but he was also one of the first coaches to find, scout, and draft his own players.

Incredibly, he won his first Super Bowl (Super Bowl XVI) with the 49ers with three rookies in his defensive secondary - Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright, and Carlton Williamson. That same team had a league-best 13-3 record as well. Montana was only 25 years old at the time. They also couldn't run. The 49ers used three RBs that year, neither of which averaged more than 3.6 ypc and only scored 1 td as a group.

But back to Walsh's drafting philosophy. Excluding last year's first round draft class (numbers based on an ESPN Page 2 study):

Players Picked in the First Round
OL - 70
DE - 55
CB - 52
WR - 51
LB - 48
DT - 42
RB -41
QB -30
S -19

More interestingly though...

First Round Bust Percentages
QB - 53%
RB - 49%
WR - 45%
DT - 33%
OL - 31%
DE - 31%
CB - 29%
LB - 16%
S - 11%

And finally...

First Round Pro Bowl Percentages
S - 53%
DT - 40%
LB - 39%
RB - 36%
DE - 33%
QB - 33%
WR - 31%
OL - 26%
CB - 23%

So on April 26th, you should be hoping that your team passes on Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm (be especially wary of Ryan), Darren McFadden, and DeSean Jackson. Based on the numbers, you should be pulling for Sedrick Ellis, Keith Rivers, Kenny Phillips, and Jake/Chris Long. If you're going to pay a 20 year old kid an exorbitant amount of money, you might as well make a safe investment and make those dollars count. To beat a dead horse some more, the Texans were fiscal geniuses for passing on Reggie Bust and taking Mario Williams. This past year, barely took the field, Calvin Johnson was underachieving, Ted Ginn Jr. was average, Brady Quinn lost the preseason battle to Anderson, Meacham came into camp weighing around 500 lbs and then got hurt, and Buster Davis (WR) was worthless. On offense, Anthony Gonzalez played well, so did Greg Olsen. Dwayne Bowe was great. Of course Purple Jesus and Marshawn Lynch had solid, though injury slowed rookie campaigns.

The "bust proof" side of the draft fared better. Joe Thomas solidified the left side of Cleveland's line, Levi Brown played well, LaRon Landry became an impact player towards the end of the season, Amobi Okoye was a force, Patrick Willis won Defensive Rookie of the Year, Adam Carriker has NFL talent, Revis had several good games, Aaron Ross can play ball, Michael Griffin helped the Titans, Reggie Nelson started on the Jags defense, and Jon Beason was a monster in Charlotte.


This makes me wonder about all the money teams threw at free agents - in other words, players whose teams deemed them expendable or didn't think they were worth the money. 26 offensive players now find themselves in a new city, compared to 27 defensive players now on a new team. In 2008, expect to see teams that spent money on defense and on the offensive line to be the most improved.

I can't really see Bernard Berrian doing too much in Minnesota, Michael Turner will be tested in Atlanta, DJ Hackett will probably get hurt again, Donte' Stallworth = overrated, Ernest Wilford = also underrated, Bryant Johnson is a good #3 (why is San Fran looking to another backup to start?), Javon Walker's knees are about as solid as Philip Rivers', Isaac Bruce and Warrick Dunn are walking corpses, and the list goes on.

The Patriots found a quick fix for their offense in free agency last year, but I don't see any teams whose offensive acquisitions will have a similar impact.

I commend Ted Thompson (Packers GM and George Young National Football League executive of the year winner) for keeping a tight budget in free agency. And I've grown to like his draft philosophy of taking the best player available, regardless of position or team need. The draft, he says, is a means of improving for the future. Yes sir. As long as you don't draft like the Bears, the Lions, the Eagles, and the 49ers - simply, as long as you draft intelligently.

Bill Walsh was a genius. RIP.

Click here for a list of the biggest Heisman flops. See the trend?
Click here for the 100 worst draft picks ever (all sports).

David Carr!?!?!

While we have some time away from the glorious tournament, I figured I'd post about an issue that has been bothering me for a few weeks now.

The Giants signed this guy:Oh wait, that's not right...

Sorry, the weird white glove confused me.

David Carr and Michael Jackson have more in common than their odd white gloves. Neither of them are good at football. da duh tsk! Thanks I'll be here all night.

In all seriousness, David Carr is a terrible player. He was awful in Houston, but many people gave him a pass because his line was terrible. Then he joined Carolina, where he showed an uncanny ability to hold onto the football for way too long. Perhaps he was once a good quarterback and was damaged by the pounding he received in Houston, but now he is just terrible. he is so bad that the Panthers were forced to bring in 76 year old Vinny Testaverde to play.

Yes, the Giants are only signing him as a back up quarterback, but even that bewilders me. If he clearly cannot play Quarterback in the NFL, why carry him on the roster. If Eli gets hurt and the Giants are forced to play Carr, the Giants are screwed, plain and simple. Just because this guy has starting experience and was a Number 1 pick does not mean he is a serviceable quarterback.

Plainly stated, starting experience is an overrated quality in a backup quarterback. Sure, Carr started, but he FAILED. Just because he happened to be on the field does not make him a better option than a late round rookie or, even better, this guy:
That's right, the Hefty Lefty! While I have no illusions that Jared Lorenzen is an NFL starter, he can stand out behind the center and play at a mediocre level just like David Carr, except Lorenzen will, at the very least, entertain me (Fat quarterbacks are funny...). And who knows, maybe he will show some Quarterbacking acumen, which Carr has, in multiple opportunities, exhibited that he lacks.

Tom Brady had no starting experience when he took over for Drew Bledsoe, and he is doing pretty well for himself. If Eli does happen to get hurt, the Giants are screwed regardless. They may as well take a chance on an unproven commodity, or it Lorenzen's case, an entertaining sight. Signing a veteran who has proven he is not a good quarterback is a waste.
Plus, David Carr looks like a combination of Steve Lavin and Michael Jackson when he is on the field. Quite frankly, aside from the on the field stupidity of the decision, it is embarrassing, and unbecoming of a champion (which, the GIANTS are) to have such a player wearing their uniform.