Seattle Seahawks: 5 Reasons Why Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart Could Reunite
On almost every 2006 NFL Mock Draft, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush were predicted to go in the top three and most had them going number one and two to Houston and New Orleans respectively. Reggie Bush went second to New Orleans and Leinart went 10th to the Cardinals. Leinart was considered by some to be the biggest steal of the draft.
The NFL careers for these two looked extremely bright and prosperous.
Fast forward five years. It is now 2011, Leinart has been released from the Arizona Cardinals and in 2010 was a back-up for the Houston Texans where he took zero snaps. Reggie Bush's contract is massive and burdensome for the Saints. Bush currently is not the starter and may not even be the back-up running back for the Saints with Pierre Thomas coming back healthy and Chris Ivory's breakout year. It seems there may not be room for Bush on the Saints' roster.
Bush and Leinart had two of the most illustrious careers in college football and are extremely talented, so why wouldn't their success translate to the pro game in Seattle? Here are five reasons why the Seahawks may try to get them both.
Position Depth
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The only quarterback that is under contract for the 2011 season is Charlie Whitehurst. That name doesn't sound like a winning quarterback, especially with a 65.5 career QB rating (for a reference point, JaMarcus Russell has a career QB rating of 65.2).
Even if the Seahawks re-sign Matt Hasselbeck he clearly cannot be an option long term. Leinart is still only going to be in his sixth year in the league. Aaron Rodgers was in his fourth year in the league when he started for the first time. Matt Leinart certainly has not had the pro career that Rodgers has had but not many quarterbacks can perform like Rodgers.
Last year the Seattle Seahawks made the trade for Marshawn Lynch so that he could be a feature back in Seattle's rushing offense. He rushed for 573 yards with Seattle over 12 games. Some may argue that Leon Washington and Justin Forsett may have stolen some of his yards, yet they only rushed for 623 yards together.
Reggie Bush didn't put up great numbers but all you need to do is look at his highlight tapes and his 2006 numbers with the Saints to be convinced (over 1300 all purpose yards with 8 touchdowns).
Former USC Coaching Staff in Seattle
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Steve Sarkisian—the former Offensive Coordinator at USC—is at the University of Washington which is five minutes from Downtown Seattle. Nick Holt—the former Defensive Coordinator at USC—is also at the University of Washington. Carl Smith—Leinart's former QB coach at USC during their 2004 national championship (oh maybe not anymore) run—is the Seahawks QB coach. Chris Carlisle—USC's former strength and conditioning coach—is the Seahawks' strength and conditioning coach.
And finally the obvious kicker, Pete Carroll the mastermind behind the USC championship run and bowl game appearances is the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. But we'll get to that later.
Mike Williams
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Mike Williams at USC was phenomenal. To say the least he was a superstar wide receiver. He put up over 2500 yards and 30 touchdowns as a freshman and sophomore. Mike Williams was a superstar prospect for the 2005 NFL Draft. He was drafted 10th by the Detroit Lions and was supposed to be the superstar number one wide out for the Lions.
Williams never lived up to his pre-draft expectations and bounced around from Detroit to Oakland to Tennessee. When Williams signed with Tennessee he weighed 271 pounds, unthinkable for a wide receiver. He was later released.
Williams spent three years away from football until the fallen star tried out for the Seattle Seahawks with who as a coach, Pete Carroll. Not only did Williams make the team but he also did well in his first season with the team, helping the Seahawks to the playoffs and defeating the defending champion New Orleans Saints.
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Pete Carroll
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The Ra-ra recruiting legend for USC is now in Seattle. From winning Rose Bowls to winning NFL playoff games, Pete Carroll succeeds with football and knows what it takes to win. At USC, Carroll created a dynasty. A dynasty with players like Mike Williams, Anthony McCoy and Lofa Tatupu all of whom now play for the Seahawks.
Pete Carroll has been known to create relationships with those he coaches. Whether that be with Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, Lofa Tatupu or Mike Williams, he looks out for his players.
Carroll has gathered a staff and created a system around him that is an adaptation of his USC dynasty at the next level. Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush could ease into and excel in this same system like they once did.
Which brings me to my last point of why Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Pete Carroll joining up in Seattle makes sense...
The Leinart-Bush Legacy at USC
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They were unstoppable. The Trojans under Carroll with Leinart and Bush were arguably the greatest college football team of all time. Forget about the recent violations and rules that they broke because none of that dealt with on-field performance.
Reggie Bush was amazing as he won the Heisman and could be the most exciting college football player to ever watch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SElGPaxBE_0&feature=related). Leinart was also incredible, winning the Heisman Trophy and being named the NCAA QB of the year, twice.
While they were amazing in college separately, together they could not be beaten. They lost twice in three years, going 37 for 39. These two set the college football world on fire under Pete Carroll
Carroll has worked with setting his former projects straight as we've seen with Mike Williams. Why wouldn't Carroll want to try and recapture some of the glory that he had with his dynasty in the mid-2000's.
Just a thought.
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