The Texans' real problem
Mario Williams could be the next Bruce Smith or the next Courtney Brown. He could even be the next Lamanzer Williams.
Who really knows at this point?
But I'll say this for my hometown Houston Texans, their fans and their critics, let's just stop with all this teeth-gnashing about passing on Reggie Bush with the top pick.
In my lifetime (27 years), the two best running backs of my life were Barry Sanders and Walter Payton.
How much influence did that dynamic duo have on the postseason fortunes of their respective franchises? Not much.
Sanders' Lions teams went 1-5 in the playoffs during his 10 seasons, and Payton's Bears went 4-4 in the postseason over 13 years, including a Super Bowl run in '84 when Buddy Ryan's 46 defense ruled Chicago.
Do you think Bush will be a better player than Payton, Sanders or LaDainian Tomlinson (one playoff appearance with San Diego in five seasons)? Anything is possible, I guess.
But remember those playoff marks when some analyst, scout or fan tells you that Reggie Bush would have been the answer to all the Texans' ills.
Blair Thomas was the cure for all of the N.Y. Jets' ills wasn't he? Ki-Jana Carter turned it all around for the Bengals, huh? How'd the Ricky Williams era in New Orleans work out for everyone?
No, the problem with the Texans isn't that they didn't take Employee No. 5. It's that Charley Casserly can't figure out they need a friggin' offensive tackle, not an undersized, lead-footed linebacker from Alabama.
Who really knows at this point?
But I'll say this for my hometown Houston Texans, their fans and their critics, let's just stop with all this teeth-gnashing about passing on Reggie Bush with the top pick.
In my lifetime (27 years), the two best running backs of my life were Barry Sanders and Walter Payton.
How much influence did that dynamic duo have on the postseason fortunes of their respective franchises? Not much.
Sanders' Lions teams went 1-5 in the playoffs during his 10 seasons, and Payton's Bears went 4-4 in the postseason over 13 years, including a Super Bowl run in '84 when Buddy Ryan's 46 defense ruled Chicago.
Do you think Bush will be a better player than Payton, Sanders or LaDainian Tomlinson (one playoff appearance with San Diego in five seasons)? Anything is possible, I guess.
But remember those playoff marks when some analyst, scout or fan tells you that Reggie Bush would have been the answer to all the Texans' ills.
Blair Thomas was the cure for all of the N.Y. Jets' ills wasn't he? Ki-Jana Carter turned it all around for the Bengals, huh? How'd the Ricky Williams era in New Orleans work out for everyone?
No, the problem with the Texans isn't that they didn't take Employee No. 5. It's that Charley Casserly can't figure out they need a friggin' offensive tackle, not an undersized, lead-footed linebacker from Alabama.
posted by Joel Anderson at 3:07 PM
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