midwestpatsfan

Just throwing this out there as I thought it might be a good discussion before we get to training camp.
I have seen Maroney play a lot more than Bush, but leading up to the draft I think we all saw plenty of his highlights. I think the one big plus that Bush was recieving over all the other top RB's was his ability to catch the ball. I really think that people will be suprised at how well Maroney does in this aspect of the game. While he never really was a huge factor in the passing game in college, the catches that he was involved in were anything but simple. He made a few catches that would rival some really good catches by top WR's in college.
So here is how these 2 break down
Reggie Bush:
Positives:
Speed, Vision, Hands, initial burst, pass blocking, kick return
Negatives or Concerns:
Rushing Power, Durability

Laurence Maroney:
Positives:
Speed, Vision, Patience, Rushing Power, kick return
Negatives or Concerns:
Pass Blocking, Hands (although my personal opinion is that this will be one of his biggest positives)

Overall, I think Bush probably comes into the NFL with more natural talent, but they are going to completely different situations. Bush is going to a team that overall is not very good, and the few players they do have with talent is a young running back named McAllister. The Saints have a new coach that will try to learn and teach at the same time.

Maroney is coming to a team where he will get excellent coaching, a better offensive line, and while Dillon is a talented back, he will be willing to help Maroney learn the ropes and share the load a little better then McAllister will be able to help Bush.
What are your thoughts on this? Am I crazy.

Remix 6

but if we had Bush u wouldnt say that.

Bush is the best player in the draft. Maroney is not better. Williams is not better. Addai is not better.

They have a great offense..we have a great O. Durability a concern..? thats because he shared a bit with LenDale. Rushing power..please..Bush is strong..fast..elusive. Maroney will be a great player but Bush will be better. Too much bias around here now a days :\ Btw Saints OL is pretty good actually. Mayberry when healthy is a great guard..Brown was their 1st rounder few years ago. Even though they lost Bentley..they have a good OL..a great QB in Brees if he can go back to pre injury. Good WRs in Horn and Stallworth. McAllister is a great powerfull back..will teach Reggie..opened his arms and accepted and let them team take Bush without a single complaint because he knew it would help team win . Bush is more athletic than Maroney and looks to be more versatile but both come with high risk/high reward

Reggie: Can he do what he did in college? If he can live up to the comparsions to Faulk..tremendous talent ..great pick Saints. If he cant? The hype took over? Can he handle the load? We'll see

Laurence: Was it the zone blocking? Did we make the right pick instead of Lawson? Wait and find out.

BelichickFan

How often does the #1 pick end up being the best player in the draft ? Not often. To answer the question, I have no clue. As a pure RB Maroney will likely be better but as a sparkplug big play guy, Bush looks like the real deal if they can get him out in the open field consistently.

bunzoburns

Does Maroney really have descent power? I always thought of him as a sped back rather than someone who moves the pile...

I'm Ron Borges?

If the Pats traded up and selected Bush, I'm sure we would be discussing this. I absolutely love Maroney and it's true any player can be a bust but don't make fools of yourself. Bush has the kind of ability that is unique. No one on the planet put these two players in the same class before the draft so don't do it now just because Maroney is on the Pats. Like I said, I am a huge Maroney fan but I've also seen Bush play quite a bit and as far as physical talent goes, no one is close to him.

Also, Bush is a rock-solid 212 pounds now and virtually the exact same size as Maroney. The guy is built like a tank so if you are claiming that he can't carry the load, you need to say the same thing about Maroney then.

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mgcolby

I agree with BF. It is rare that the first back taken or the first player taken at his position in the draft ends up being the best. Bush played in the spotlight and against big time competition. I think it is a little to early to say that one player is better than another at this point. Give it a year or two.

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BelichickFan

Well at their pro days and the combine, Bush was 201 and Maroney was 217. Maybe Bush is bigger now, I don't know, but Maroney is said to be able to get to 225 without losing quickness and speed (so the scouts say), I doubt that Bush can gain 25 pounds from his playing weight without losing anything.

LA Pats Fan

Just by the standards you identified here Bush is Better.
If there is one aspect that is required of all Patriots Running Backs is there ability to pick up the Blitz and protect Tom Brady. If you rank that as a positive for Bush and Negative for Maroney - Stop there.

In addition Bush was on a team of Stars and was consistantly a threat. Teams had to plan for him and still couldn't stop him...

PatsDeb

Even if I don't "think" he'll be better (because I haven't seen either of them play yet in the NFL) I sure hope he's better!!

HEY BRO! WHAT UP?

Your exactly right. As much as I want Maroney to do well, fans need to cut down on the bias approach. I live on the west coast and watched every trojan game. Reggie Bush is INSANE! He has ridiculous skills and while Maroney is similar to him, no one compares to Bush. I still don't know why the Texans passed on him, the Mario Williams pick will haunt them for a very very very long time. We can't assume just because the Pats signed a player or drafted a player guarentees success. Take last offseason for example, most signings if not all turned out to be busts. On the other hand, Maroney may end up being the best runner of the bunch . Or for all I know some fourth-fifth rounder ends up being better than all of them. Or Reggie Bush ends up being a bust. We will only find out in time. Fun to debate about it though.