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ProFootball Talk: http://profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
BUYER BEWARE ON BUSH?
Of course, not everyone is convinced that a running back with an expected NFL shelf life of less than 10 seasons is worth a contract in excess of $50 million. As one league insider explained to us on Thursday, folks who are quick to compare USC running back/receiver/kick returner Reggie Bush to Gale Sayers should keep in mind the full range of Sayers' pro career.
The Kansas Comet burst onto the NFL scene in 1965, and he excelled for the Bears through the 1969 seasons. Injuries limited him dramatically in 1970 and 1971, and he retired before the 1972 campaign.
And, sure, injuries can happen to any player. But could it be that Sayers' duties as a running back and a receiver and a kick returner and a punt returner made him more vulnerable to getting snapped, crackled, and popped? And won't Bush -- if used to maximum capacity and ability -- be in precisely the same position?
There is, after all, a huge difference between the Pac-10 and the NFL. Some of Bush's best work in 2005 came against collections of football players who wouldn't last a morning in an NFL minicamp. When Reggie starts to get banged around by the big boys, will he still be as effective?
Let's also not forget the fact that Sayers, while incredibly effective in five NFL seasons, didn't exactly lift his team to lofty heights. Indeed, Sayers and his Bears didn't play in a single postseason game.
We're not saying that Bush isn't among the cream of the current crop of players poised to enter the NFL in April. But whether he's the second coming of Gale Sayers is an open question. And even if he is, perhaps a team looking to build toward long-term success might be best served with a player with a lower risk of injury and a better chance at being a cornerstone of the organization for more than a decade.
BUYER BEWARE ON BUSH?
Of course, not everyone is convinced that a running back with an expected NFL shelf life of less than 10 seasons is worth a contract in excess of $50 million. As one league insider explained to us on Thursday, folks who are quick to compare USC running back/receiver/kick returner Reggie Bush to Gale Sayers should keep in mind the full range of Sayers' pro career.
The Kansas Comet burst onto the NFL scene in 1965, and he excelled for the Bears through the 1969 seasons. Injuries limited him dramatically in 1970 and 1971, and he retired before the 1972 campaign.
And, sure, injuries can happen to any player. But could it be that Sayers' duties as a running back and a receiver and a kick returner and a punt returner made him more vulnerable to getting snapped, crackled, and popped? And won't Bush -- if used to maximum capacity and ability -- be in precisely the same position?
There is, after all, a huge difference between the Pac-10 and the NFL. Some of Bush's best work in 2005 came against collections of football players who wouldn't last a morning in an NFL minicamp. When Reggie starts to get banged around by the big boys, will he still be as effective?
Let's also not forget the fact that Sayers, while incredibly effective in five NFL seasons, didn't exactly lift his team to lofty heights. Indeed, Sayers and his Bears didn't play in a single postseason game.
We're not saying that Bush isn't among the cream of the current crop of players poised to enter the NFL in April. But whether he's the second coming of Gale Sayers is an open question. And even if he is, perhaps a team looking to build toward long-term success might be best served with a player with a lower risk of injury and a better chance at being a cornerstone of the organization for more than a decade.
