From The News Blogger . . .
Expensive Bush May Be There for Saints
Unflappable back's asking price has Texans exploring optionsø
Thursday, April 20, 2006
By Jimmy Smith
Staff writer
What if, nine days from now, the unthinkable happened?
What if the Houston Texans follow through on the charade they're currently playing and take North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams with the first pick of the draft?
What if, when the Saints are in the clock, USC running back Reggie Bush is still available? Fantasy? Perhaps.
But there are about 30 million reasons why that scenario just might play itself out April 29.
That's the figure, in dollars, Bush's negotiating team apparently threw out in their only round of "contract talks" with the Texans, according to word circulating throughout the draft grapevine the past week or so.
And is it any coincidence that the day after that $30 million dollar figure was mentioned, the Texans had Williams in for a visit?
So Saints fans can sit and wonder for the next week or so what it would be like to see the Heisman Trophy winner wearing black and gold.
What a possibility.
Bush is without doubt the No. 1 prospect in the upcoming draft, a solidly put-together package of speed, strength and elusiveness that has drawn comparisons to Gale Sayers, one of the most thrilling ball carriers in NFL history.
But being the first overall draft pick is something to which Bush has aspired, and something about which he has spoken on numerous occasions.
"Playing in the NFL is a dream for me," Bush said. "Obviously I'd like to be the first pick, but at the same time the team doesn't make a difference to me."
In the months leading to the draft, there has been no question Bush would be the first overall choice. Now money seems to be muddling the situation, more than questions about Bush's height (5 feet 11¾) and weight (fluctuating between 200 and 208 pounds).
Those were the primary concerns about Bush heading into the draft, although he has done everything he could to erase those doubts.
At USC's pro day earlier this month, shirtless Bush displayed the physique of a bodybuilder and the strength to match.
He bench-pressed 225 pounds an impressive 24 times. He also ran 4.33 seconds in the 40-yard dash, had a vertical jump of 40.5 inches and a standing broad jump of 18 feet 8½ inches.
Yet what he can do with the football is what excites the most.
He can run. He can return kicks. He can catch passes. He can make defenders miss.
Most of all, he can score. Often.
"I like his versatility," said Houston coach Gary Kubiak. "Having a player you can line up all over the place presents a problem for the defense. He can return and catch, and we all know he runs well.
"The good thing about him is that the kid can get touches a lot of ways. He can get touches as a runner, receiver and returner. You don't have to ensure him so many carries. I don't think he'll have any problems getting his hands on the ball."
Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio, whose team, drafting 28th in the first round would have zero chance to see Bush's name still on the board, didn't bother going back to his alma mater to see Bush's pro-day performance.
"No," he said. "I figure I'll get to see Reggie Bush enough this year. Twice a year is plenty."
Yet while Bush seems to possess all the intangibles, the fact that he wasn't on the field every down in the Trojans' Rose Bowl loss to Texas raised concerns about his durability in the NFL and whether he could sustain the punishment of being an every-down back in pro football.
"You never know until you get into a game-time situation," Bush said. "Maybe I wouldn't even be able to know. I know that's something I'm going to work toward, and I'm going to work hard at proving to people that I can be an every-down back. Obviously I want to be in there; if I could, I'd (carry the) ball every play. That's just the competitive nature inside me.
"I always play like I have something to prove, and I think that's what's made me so successful in my career, playing like I have something to prove every day, practicing like I have something to prove every day, working out like I have something to prove every day. I feel like that's what's made me so successful and what I'm going to continue to do."
Bush has traveled the country in recent weeks, meeting with various teams -- he met with the Jets this week, which prevented him from coming to New Orleans for face-to-face contact with the Saints on Tuesday night or Wednesday.
Whether a great running back can be the difference between a contending team and a championship team is open for debate.
If you look at the all-time list of running backs who were the first overall pick, the only modern-day runners who have won a championship are Green Bay's Paul Hornung, the first pick in 1957, and the New York Giants' Kyle Rote, the top pick in 1951.
Since the inception of the Super Bowl, no running back who has been the No. 1 overall pick has been the primary contributor to a team that has won the big one.
The lone exception: George Rogers, the first overall pick by the Saints in 1981 who won a Super Bowl ring with the Washington Redskins near the end of his career.
None of the others -- O.J. Simpson, Ricky Bell, Earl Campbell, Billy Sims, Bo Jackson or Ki-Jana Carter -- played in the Super Bowl.
What will make Bush different?
"I know what I can do," he said. "Know what I mean? I just feel like I can do it. I don't know what happened to the other past running backs and why they weren't successful and what they did, but I know that I'm going to be successful and I won't fail."