The Chargers and the Saints in London, England...
L.T. versus Reggie.
One of the best young Defenses in the league going head to head with one of the best young Offenses.
The hottest hand in the league, quarterback Drew Brees against the team who first drafted him, then gave up on him.
All of it on an international stage, with the Commisioner and maybe even Sir Paul attending.
It was to be so grand, yet things haven't gone according to plan for the New Orleans Saints this season...or the San Diego Chargers...or rest of the league for that matter.
The knee injury Reggie Bush suffered in Carolina is a tough break for a team who's seen several of it's starters go down with injuries this year, but for NFL Executives the timing couldn't posssibly be worse.
But who really cares if NFL Execs get what they want or not? Nobody, except the Execs, of course. Let's be honest, does the NFL really need to market itself internationally? The league makes bazillions of dollars as it is.
So let's talk about what we do care about...some football.
Reggie is a good punt returner and a darn good pass recieving running back.
But can he do all the things it takes to justify being drafted No. 2 overall?
He still coughs up the ball too often, struggles to effectively pick up the blitz in pass protection, and for the second consecutive season he has failed to be durable enough to play in all sixteen games.
That's the bad news but that's also the good news too, Saints fans.
With Bush sidelined for a month, the Saints might actually be better off.
Teams can gameplan for Reggie...they come in prepared because they know the offense will predictably be run through him. They know if they swarm No. 25, they can vastly improve their chances of stopping Drew Brees and Co.
No team this year has been forced to prepare for Deuce McAllister...and I'd argue that the way he can push the pile, no team really can.
Deuce doesn't fumble, he rumbles. He doesn't whiff on blocks, he knocks out snot.
His head is always in the game and while it may be true that speed kills, so do mistakes, and it has been mistakes which have haunted this team in every one of it's losses this season...more than any of the injuries have.
You can't underestimate the effect a truly selfless player can have on the rest of the team...and that's definitely Deuce's bag.
No commercials, no endorsements, no ego, no cameras pointing to a hi-profile, inexplicably famous girlfriend in the stands...
Just helmets, pads, mass and momentum. Sell that to the world Roger Goodell.
That is what american football is all about, and it doesn't have to be fancy for the Brits to fancy it.
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