drew4008
In the Starting Line-Up
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2004
- Messages
- 2,364
- Reaction score
- 6
via SI.com
[clipped from]
First things first
Texans have three choices to start off 2006 draft
By Peter King, Sports Illustrated
Monday February 20, 2006
"There's been no guarantee that we'll take Bush,'' Casserly told me. "We're wide open. We're wide open for trades for the pick. The way I see it, here are our options. Keep David Carr and take Reggie Bush. Keep David Carr and draft Vince Young. Take Vince Young and see what we can get in trade for David Carr. And trade down. We're going to visit with people at Indianapolis and take our time. Nothing will get done, I wouldn't think, until the week before the draft.''
My biggest question about Bush has been -- and continues to be -- this: Can he be an every-down player in the NFL? This is a guy who rushed more than 20 times twice in a three-year USC career and who, playing at around 198 pounds, will have massive durability questions in the NFL.
"It's the same question we're asking ourselves internally, quite frankly,'' said Casserly. "He didn't do it in college, and you don't know if he can do it in the NFL. I guess here's what I would say: Is Randy Moss, ability-wise, worth the No. 1 pick in a draft? I think you'd have to say yes, based on ability and nothing else -- and he'll touch the ball eight or nine times in a game. Sometimes you have to look at how a guy can affect a game. When I came back from scouting him, I told [owner] Bob [McNair], 'The coach will have to go on the board and tell us how he's going to use him.' If he's a 17-touch-a-game guy [touching it 17 times rushing, receiving and returning combined, on average], is he worth it?''
It's clear Casserly thinks Bush is. "When I came back from scouting him, I thought he was one of the better players I've scouted in my career. It's like some college coaches have told me: You look at the tape and he's really good, and then you see him in person and he's faster. His separation from linebackers is unique. He'll create a really difficult matchup problem for defenses out of the backfield or split out.''
Not many people know this yet, but a slightly different Bush will show up at the Combine this week. He's put on eight pounds since season's end. He weighs 207, more than he ever weighed as a college player. He's put the weight on using a personal chef and working out to bulk up. "He knows what people are saying about him,'' someone close to Bush told me. "They're saying he's not big enough to take the punishment in the NFL. He's out to combat the idea that he won't stand up to the punishment.''
Bush will be hard for the Texans to turn down. He really wants to play in Houston. The players he's spoken to say it's a good place to play, with a strong owner and coaches ... and with no state income tax. That could save him several hundred thousand dollars of his guaranteed money, which will be somewhere around $22 million. He'll be pretty bulletproof, even to the most right-wing of NFL conservatives. No tattoos. No cadre of hangers-on. Personable. Bright. Loves football. Interviews well. Unselfish.
Houston's pick should not be in much doubt, even with the push to take Young. It'll be interesting to see how intense the local pressure will be to take the hometown kid, Young. I can't see it making McNair's decision for him. But lots can happen in 68 days. Let the game begin.
[clipped from]
First things first
Texans have three choices to start off 2006 draft
By Peter King, Sports Illustrated
Monday February 20, 2006
"There's been no guarantee that we'll take Bush,'' Casserly told me. "We're wide open. We're wide open for trades for the pick. The way I see it, here are our options. Keep David Carr and take Reggie Bush. Keep David Carr and draft Vince Young. Take Vince Young and see what we can get in trade for David Carr. And trade down. We're going to visit with people at Indianapolis and take our time. Nothing will get done, I wouldn't think, until the week before the draft.''
My biggest question about Bush has been -- and continues to be -- this: Can he be an every-down player in the NFL? This is a guy who rushed more than 20 times twice in a three-year USC career and who, playing at around 198 pounds, will have massive durability questions in the NFL.
"It's the same question we're asking ourselves internally, quite frankly,'' said Casserly. "He didn't do it in college, and you don't know if he can do it in the NFL. I guess here's what I would say: Is Randy Moss, ability-wise, worth the No. 1 pick in a draft? I think you'd have to say yes, based on ability and nothing else -- and he'll touch the ball eight or nine times in a game. Sometimes you have to look at how a guy can affect a game. When I came back from scouting him, I told [owner] Bob [McNair], 'The coach will have to go on the board and tell us how he's going to use him.' If he's a 17-touch-a-game guy [touching it 17 times rushing, receiving and returning combined, on average], is he worth it?''
It's clear Casserly thinks Bush is. "When I came back from scouting him, I thought he was one of the better players I've scouted in my career. It's like some college coaches have told me: You look at the tape and he's really good, and then you see him in person and he's faster. His separation from linebackers is unique. He'll create a really difficult matchup problem for defenses out of the backfield or split out.''
Not many people know this yet, but a slightly different Bush will show up at the Combine this week. He's put on eight pounds since season's end. He weighs 207, more than he ever weighed as a college player. He's put the weight on using a personal chef and working out to bulk up. "He knows what people are saying about him,'' someone close to Bush told me. "They're saying he's not big enough to take the punishment in the NFL. He's out to combat the idea that he won't stand up to the punishment.''
Bush will be hard for the Texans to turn down. He really wants to play in Houston. The players he's spoken to say it's a good place to play, with a strong owner and coaches ... and with no state income tax. That could save him several hundred thousand dollars of his guaranteed money, which will be somewhere around $22 million. He'll be pretty bulletproof, even to the most right-wing of NFL conservatives. No tattoos. No cadre of hangers-on. Personable. Bright. Loves football. Interviews well. Unselfish.
Houston's pick should not be in much doubt, even with the push to take Young. It'll be interesting to see how intense the local pressure will be to take the hometown kid, Young. I can't see it making McNair's decision for him. But lots can happen in 68 days. Let the game begin.
