Robert Edwards - Busted Pick?

[PatsChowder]

So, I was scanning the Patriots boards over at FanNation the other day (not as good as this one) and found a fairly heated discussion over Robert Edwards.

I figured I would bring the discussion to a different set of eyes. Edwards a first round pick with all of the promise in the world had a fantastic rookie season and was injured in a charity event. It essentially ended his career, though he did make a valiant comeback with limited production. I believe he is playing in the CFL at the moment.

Check out my blog on the subject by clicking the link in my signature and scrolling down. I apparently haven't been here long enough to post them in my thread.

What do you think?

Busted pick?

 

[patsfan-1982]

So, I was scanning the Patriots boards over at FanNation the other day (not as good as this one) and found a fairly heated discussion over Robert Edwards.

I figured I would bring the discussion to a different set of eyes. Edwards a first round pick with all of the promise in the world had a fantastic rookie season and was injured in a charity event. It essentially ended his career, though he did make a valiant comeback with limited production. I believe he is playing in the CFL at the moment.

Check out my blog on the subject by clicking the link in my signature and scrolling down. I apparently haven't been here long enough to post them in my thread.

What do you think?


Busted pick?

i think he was great as a rookie just bad luck playing in a rookie flag football game at the pro bowl got hurt and all most lost hes leg he finshed 3rd in the rookie of the yer aword fred taylor # 2 randy moss #1 lol thay are both pats now but its the same thing with andy katzenmoyer had a great rookie yer then he got hurt that why pete carroll never toke the pats deep in the playoffs lots of bad luck

 

[letekro]

i think he was great as a rookie just bad luck playing in a rookie flag football game at the pro bowl got hurt and all most lost hes leg he finshed 3rd in the rookie of the yer aword fred taylor # 2 randy moss #1 lol thay are both pats now but its the same thing with andy katzenmoyer had a great rookie yer then he got hurt that why pete carroll never toke the pats deep in the playoffs lots of bad luck

Punctuation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[TrueBeliever]

Yeah, I saw that on your blog and did a . Edwards was definitely not a bust because 1) in his lone year he was a very good RB and 2) his career was ended by a freak accident that didn't really have anything to do with football and wasn't really his fault. It might be different if he had been doing something reckless like Kellen Winslow II when he screwed up his leg; but he was playing beach football in an NFL-sanctioned event.

There is a difference between being a bust and being a disappointment. IMHO, a bust is someone who doesn't live up to expectations due to his own shortfalls, like not being as talented as everyone thought (like Tony Mandarich or Tim Couch), being unable to handle the pressure (like Todd Marinovich or whatever his name was), or just having a piss-poor attitude (like Ryan Leaf). I don't think anyone whose career ended prematurely due to an injury that was largely out of their control can be considered a bust. Some people consider Ki-Jana Carter to have been a bust, but I don't think it's fair.

 

[dryheat44]

Sure he was. Just like Len Bias and Normand Leveille were bust picks.

 

[TheBaronPatriot]

Given how well he performed his rookie year I don't think he was a bust.
He prob came back from the injury too early and his knee never recovered properly so that his running style was changed into something else all together preventing him from being the player he once was.

Sad story.

 

[mgteich]

On this board, the primary judgement is about production and measuring up to your original draft spot and expectations. So anyone who was injured and then later didn't produce is considered a flop and a busted pick. This list includes Edwards and many, many others. BTW that standard also applies to players we trade for and are injured playing for the pats. Those trades are also busted or lousy trades. Edwards sometimes gets a pass because he was a board binky and was injured in a non-football injury. Others do not get such tolerant/resonable treatment.

Current players who have been injured and have not yet produced include Maroney, Watson, Wheatley, and Crable.

 

[Deus Irae]

I don't consider players who's careers are destroyed or significantly impacted by injuries to be busts. Now, the PICK can be a 'bust' in that it doesn't pan out. I just don't conflate the two.

 

[TrueBeliever]

I don't consider players who's careers are destroyed or significantly impacted by injuries to be busts. Now, the PICK can be a 'bust' in that it doesn't pan out. I just don't conflate the two.

Okay, but my point is when you say the word bust these days the first image people usually have is Ryan Leaf, and he and Edwards are opposite ends of the spectrum.

If you're going to say that any draft pick who doesn't meet expectations for any reason is a bust, then 2/3 of drafted players are busts.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

He's not a bust just like I didn't think Katzenmoyer was a bust. Both sustained injuries early in their career which forced them to eventually retire. Edwards had a good rookie season but really would have taken off when BB arrived. But then again, had Edwards played in '99, the Pats would have probably made the playoffs and Carrol might have been the coach a little while longer.

 

[Deus Irae]

Okay, but my point is when you say the word bust these days the first image people usually have is Ryan Leaf, and he and Edwards are opposite ends of the spectrum.

If you're going to say that any draft pick who doesn't meet expectations for any reason is a bust, then 2/3 of drafted players are busts.

The word "bust" is like the word "reach" or "steal", in that they are words used based upon general consensus. As I said, I don't call players who's careers were destroyed by injuries "busts". People have Leaf as the first image, as you claim, because he's a very high profile example. Bosworth used to be held up as one as well, and Mamula is often wrongly used as an example of a workout warrior who busts.

 

[The Coon]

He's not a bust just like I didn't think Katzenmoyer was a bust. Both sustained injuries early in their career which forced them to eventually retire. Edwards had a good rookie season but really would have taken off when BB arrived. But then again, had Edwards played in '99, the Pats would have probably made the playoffs and Carrol might have been the coach a little while longer.

May sound cruel cause you never want to see a career ending injury but had edwards and katz stayed healthy and the pats made the playoffs, BB may have never become our HC. Looking back, carroll getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to this franchise

 

[efin98]

May sound cruel cause you never want to see a career ending injury but had edwards and katz stayed healthy and the pats made the playoffs, BB may have never become our HC. Looking back, carroll getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to this franchise

That's assuming that he chooses the Patriots over the Jets in the first place after Tuna stepped down...we just as easily have had Dom Capers as the head coach here in 2000.

http://www.patriots.com/search/index.cfm?ac=searchdetail&pid=5634&pcid=41

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

He was a bust indeed as was Katz. Edwards had a fundamental problem; he did not know how to protect himself and stay low to the ground. He was a magnet for the big hit. His first game against the Dolphins, their goons beat him up badly; worst beating he ever took according to Edwards himself. He would not have survived long in the pros.

Katz could not shed blocks; they stuck to him like glue. In college he could run over blockers, but not in the pros. Wasted pick.

 

[Sicilian]

My question on him always was: Who's bright idea was it to have NFL players playing flag football on SAND? Granted, I'm no professional athlete, but I feel like I'm going to sprain and ankle every time I walk across the beach, let alone try to make athletic moves on unsure footing.

 

[JoeB]

Edwards was definetly not a bust. He got severly injured and it ruined his career. When healthy he was a beast.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Edwards was definetly not a bust. He got severly injured and it ruined his career. When healthy he was a beast.

So by the same token, Ken Sims was not a bust because of all the broken legs he had?????

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

He was a bust indeed as was Katz. Edwards had a fundamental problem; he did not know how to protect himself and stay low to the ground. He was a magnet for the big hit. His first game against the Dolphins, their goons beat him up badly; worst beating he ever took according to Edwards himself. He would not have survived long in the pros.

What do you expect from a rookie running back? He was learning the game and still managed to rush over 1,000 yards and 12 total td's. Sure, he wasn't the most explosive back but he got the job done. Also, New England's O-line was terrible at run blocking. Lastly, those defenses back in the late 90's were brutal. In fact, every team in their division except for Indy had very tough run defenses and had excellent pass rushers. If Edwards is a bust, Maroney was a bust after his rookie season.

Katz could not shed blocks; they stuck to him like glue. In college he could run over blockers, but not in the pros. Wasted pick.

While only starting 11 games, he sure was able to shed enough blocks to get over 100 total tackles (77 and 62 assisted), 3.5 sacks, 1 interception and 1 touchdown. Also, he was playing a position that he wasn't used to. He had to take over the MLB position after Ted Johnson got injured.

The following year, almost everybody on the 2000 defense played like crap and that was when he got injured. What Katz suffered was a pretty damn serious neck injury which he was never the same after that. Had he been healthy and coached up by BB, Katz would have been a major part of their defense for years.

My question on him always was: Who's bright idea was it to have NFL players playing flag football on SAND? Granted, I'm no professional athlete, but I feel like I'm going to sprain and ankle every time I walk across the beach, let alone try to make athletic moves on unsure footing.

They haven't had it since that Robert Edwards injury.

 

[rookBoston]

Edwards was not a bust. He had like 12 TDs as a rookie. A bust is a bad pick, someone we should never have taken, who never justified his draft position. Edwards was injured in a freak accident. That's like a lightening strike. Could have happened to anyone, and is not a reflection of the quality of our front office or scouting department or the player himself.

Chad Jackson... now, that's a bust. He never came close to fulfilling expectations and had every opportunity. Belichick has only had a few. Bethel Johnson was a bust.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Edwards was not a bust. He had like 12 TDs as a rookie. A bust is a bad pick, someone we should never have taken, who never justified his draft position. Edwards was injured in a freak accident. That's like a lightening strike. Could have happened to anyone, and is not a reflection of the quality of our front office or scouting department or the player himself.

Chad Jackson... now, that's a bust. He never came close to fulfilling expectations and had every opportunity. Belichick has only had a few. Bethel Johnson was a bust.

Robert Edwards gets a pass but Chad Jackson doesn't? Granted Edwards did better his rookie season but the both got injured. Didn't Chad Jackson sustain a freak injury by tearing his ACL on special teams? To this day, I still believe that was one of the dumbest decisions by BB. By forcing a high draft pick that was just coming off a nagging injury to defend a kickoff (and that means making a tackle) was very stupid. I'm sorry, if I invested what New England invested to get Chad Jackson, I make sure that guy is healthy for next season. Remember, at the time, New England didn't have jack at WR. When he was on the field, he made some great plays his rookie season. Again, it was unfortunate that he had a nagging hamstring injury which kept him out most of the season. It's unfortunate Jackson didn't work out, but I would have rather seen what he could have done had he not ripped his knee up his rookie season. If he sucked playing relatively healthy for a couple years, then it's fair to call him a bust.