(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
A lot more.
The question for Houston was not who was the better player. It had already been established that they felt it was Mario Williams.
The question was whether they were prepared to turn down all of the attractive commercial bonuses that come with picking a star name like Bush, and at the same time alienate their fan base.
The fans wanted Bush. The owners wanted Williams.
Tough decision time.
They did the unthinkable. Picked their No. 1 choice, Williams, over the best player on the board (at the time), Reggie Bush.
Rumor had it that it was a fiscal pick. Financially motivated. Bush had priced himself out.
Rumor was wrong. Houston had basically agreed terms with both players on the eve of the draft, for basically the same pay.
It was a footballing decision. A very unpopular footballing decision.
Fans were perplexed.
Williams was booed pre-season.
The pick cost Casserly his job.
Fan feeling didn’t get any more placid when hometown hero Young won Rookie of the Year, and Reggie Bush starred for New Orleans in their deep playoff run.
This was a disaster.
Slowly, but surely opinion started to change.
Williams started to dominate.
Vince Young imploded on himself – suffering the exact same maturity problems that scared Houston off in the first place.
Bush started having injury problems, and people began to question whether his college game would actually translate to pro football.
Suddenly drafting Mario Williams became one of the smartest first round picks of all time. A team rising above fan and media pressure, to make the right call.
The future. Don’t write Bush off.
Trent Green, in his weekend column, stated that he felt Reggie would have 4 or 5 monster seasons, before he retired—starting next year.
A rushing, catching, kick returning phenom. And possibly a future 1,000-yard rushing, 1,000-yard receiving season. Maybe a few.
I agree. Reggie’s skill set is unparalleled, and he’s been unnervingly quiet all off-season. He may not have 10 big seasons, but the three, four, five that he manages will be up there with the best of all-time.
Vince has much more to prove. Even to win a starting place in the NFL.
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