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NFL Week 8 thread: Oh Troy Aikman, where art thou?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Football_Bat, Oct 26, 2010.

  1. Guy_Incognito

    Guy_Incognito Well-Known Member

    Are you Mrs. Esiason?
     
  2. YGBFKM

    YGBFKM Guest

    The 1993 season disagrees with you.
     
  3. albert77

    albert77 Well-Known Member

    I don't disagree that Mario Williams has turned out to be the better pro player, but drafting Reggie Bush was not a mistake for the Saints. That pick was made as much for the morale of the fans as for any football potential.

    You've got to remember how beaten down Saints fans were after that '05 season, which was as depressing as any season any team could possibly have. A lot of them, myself included, were convinced they were all but gone - to San Antonio or L.A. Suddenly, the Heisman Trophy winner, the most electric player in the college game, had literally dropped in their laps.

    I was in the city at Jazzfest the day after they picked Reggie, and you would not believe how giddy people were about it. Even more so than signing Drew Brees, getting Reggie Bush was what finally convinced the masses that the Saints might actually have a future in New Orleans, and that they could get excited about the team again.

    Even if his production hasn't quite matched the expectations, Bush is still a player opponents have to reckon with, and the Saints are a far better team with him than without him.
     
  4. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    I cannot tell you how much I hate the idea of drafting for fan morale. You draft to get the best player possible. Now, I can understand the Saints believing that Bush was that player at that time, but I would hope that the impact on the fanbase wasn't a factor.

    If it was? That sounds far too much like the bad old days in New Orleans, when the Saints loved to grab local boys and they just expected to lose. This ain't those Saints. Not any more.

    Now maybe that is an over-reaction on my part, but I spent a great deal of time in New Orleans as a kid. I attended some games in the Superdome. I remember the days of the fans wearing bags on their heads. I remember these wonderful, passionate fans who deserved far better than the incompetent organization they used to have.

    I'm sure I will be thinking about that a lot this week. The last time I attended a game in the Superdome was when the Steelers played there on a Monday night in 1984. There I am, the little 12-year-old goofball wearing my Steelers gear, surrounded by drunk Saints fans. The Steelers were on the way to winning the old AFC Central. The Saints were going to miss the playoffs, but on that night, the Saints won.

    My father made us leave early to beat the traffic and I must have had the most miserable look on my face imaginable. This woman comes up to me and says, "Don't cry, son. We've been crying here for 20 years."

    Still makes me smile. I hope that lady got to enjoy last year. And I hope she has a much more unpleasant time this Sunday. :)
     
  5. mjp1542

    mjp1542 Member

    The Saints picked second. The Texans took Williams at No. 1. Bush was the obvious pick at No. 2. It wasn't for morale. It was the nearly universally accepted best pick at that spot in the draft. If it helped morale, all the better.
     
  6. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    I'm not saying it was a reach, They certainly weren't going to take Vince Young there. I understand that most draft lists had Bush that high. I just happen to agree with Mizzougrad that you shouldn't take that type of back so high.

    albert was the one who brought up the importance of the pick for the fans' morale. I'm just saying that kind of thinking reminds me of the days of Guido Merkins.
     
  7. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    Actually, the Texans took considerably more heat for not drafting Vince Young at the time.

    He played high school ball in Houston and had just won the national championship at UT. That's the guy the fans wanted and the Texans were crucified locally for passing on him for Williams.
     
  8. zagoshe

    zagoshe Well-Known Member

    Houston - Not one playoff berth since taking Mario Williams.
    New Orleans - Super Bowl championship with Reggie Bush.

    Seems to me the Saints did just fine.
     
  9. JC

    JC Well-Known Member

    So the Texans would have won the Super Bowl if they had drafted Regiie Bush?
     
  10. zagoshe

    zagoshe Well-Known Member

    No, but they might have made the playoffs and the Saints likely would not have won the Super Bowl without him.
     
  11. nmmetsfan

    nmmetsfan Active Member

    Troy Aikman > Terry Bradshaw
     
  12. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    That's funny. Imagine Aikman and his health history in the 1970s, when quarterbacks received far less protection. And I can't imagine Michael Irvin and Alvin Harper pushing off with anywhere near the same success, given how defensive backs could maul receivers however they saw fit.
     
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