Beating Around the Bush
I wasn't planning on throwing up another post until the games started on Saturday, but I feel that it is absolutely neccessary to address what I like to call the Reggie Bush Madness. It is a disease that is spreading rapidly and today it infected my boys Kornheiser and Wilbon over on PTI. They spent a signficant amount of their time (although it might have been less than 5%, which basically means it didn't happen, according to fraudulant writer James Frey) today discussing why Bush won't be a legit every-down back in the NFL. They said he wasn't big enough, that he should be used like Marshall Faulk, and that LenDale White has between a 40 and 50 percent change of rushing for more yards at the next level. Um ... what is going on here?
It's not just the PTI guys. The whole world seems to be turning against Reggie. Out of sight, out of mind. Nobody is remember the incredible runs, the consistency, the vision, the toughness. Whatever. Anyone who doubts this guy is going to regret it. As for his size, he's 6'0 and 200. He will easily add 10 pounds in the NFL, which means that he will be much bigger than Warrick Dunn (one of the best backs in the league now that they finally just let him run despite being "too small"), as big as Curtis Martin (over 14,000 career rushing yards), as big as Clinton Portis (runs exclusively between the tackles now in Washington), bigger than Tiki Barber (1,860 rushing yards last year to go with 17 appearances on late night talk shows), and only a few pounds lighter than Edge and LT. Did anyone catch Tatum Bell this year? He's a shade under six feet and right around 210 pounds. Reggie Bush is going to be a faster, better version of that. But yeah, go ahead and doubt him.
2 comments:
I couldn't agree more. The "experts" are always quick to find something wrong with a player who doesn't have the perfect physical attributes. Reggie Bush is big enough, and he's stronger than people give him credit for. He is capable of running between the tackles. I'm sure that when Barry Sanders came out of Oklahoma State, people doubted him because of his size, as well. Foolish. Bush has been college football's best running back since Sanders, and he will excel in the NFL as well.
Good point. Plus, most of those guys were lighter in college as well. It's not a stretch to put Bush at between 208-215 by his second year in the pros. Tiki Barber is the best example, because people labled him as a "third down back" for the first few years of his career, and it was only recently that people finally admitted he can carry the load. I don't even know why the Giants bother with "goal line backs," because Barber can do it all. Bush will be the same way, but I think even better.
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