First of all....it is a really BIG stretch to say Reggie Bush was the best back in the league before his injury. Yes I agree, he was putting big numbers and doing some work, but your going to put him in front of some of today's greats like AP, Portis, Westbrook, Jacobs, LT, or Steven Jackson, Forte, Slaton, Barber, Grant, Gore, Lynch, Thomas Jones, etc etc. How about the this season's tag team duos like White/Johnson, Williams/Stewart?
Yea, some of these guys are dealing with injuries, but still are leet rushers. (maybe I'm biased towards Forte cause I'm a Bears fan, but one can still argue that he is having a better season than Bush...)
I don't know if Bush is a true "RB." I mean, he has so much versatility that makes him so dangerous. He is a weapon no doubt. He is a punter returner, lines up as RB, WR...an "X-Factor" that can dynamically change the course of a game much like Hester IMO (again Bears fan, sorry for being biased). He makes defenses totally adjust to his abilities which allows for the Saints O to work with a slight edge over some d-fences at times.
I feel he is at his best when he is getting the ball as WR, running the outsides and sidelines, or a dump pass in a screen or what not. This is where he can use agility and speed to make his opponents miss and move down the field. IMO, to be an NFL back, one has to run the middle hard and be successful. As far as his running between the tackles...I have been slightly impressed lately just because he has actually gotten more success at these runs but I still few its his weakness and with Pierre Thomas emerging as a big back, I feel Bush's opportunities to run the middle will be even more lessened.
Let's not bash Bush at all. He has proven himself to be very vital for the Saints.
And back to the question......Bush or Mario (someone mentioned Young too).....I just feel it hard to bash the Texans for what they did with Mario. Yea, Bush would have made a difference too, but everyone knew that the Texans were a work in progress and they wouldn't just be instantly good right after this draft. They had to build this team up piece by piece. Getting Mario was a very smart move for the future. He strengthened their D-Line which IMO, how much success a team will have in the NFL is centered and based around how strong/dominant the O-Line & D-Line are. They are the keystone to the arch, they are the fundamental building blocks of a team.
SO, for the Texans, it was great move. I probably would have done the same thing. I might be biased because I am a strictly a defensive mind fan (due to the Bears leetness and well its pretty obvious, the Bears O has struggled since 85' when Peyton ran the show). As for the Saints, they couldn't pass up Bush.
As for Young....I think I recall that he was somewhat questionable going into the draft. He preformed poorly on his IQ test and the big negative aspect to him was his throwing motion. I think I remember many scouts wondering if he could translate his unique throwing motion and his dominate running (which he would have to learn to run less and stay in the pocket more) from college to the NFL. No doubt did he have leadership skills and that tool of knowing how to win.
Well, to finish my long spiel....I think everything worked out just perfectly. The Saints continued to be a dominate and feared Offense, the Texans strengthened their D and gave Andre a QB (Schaub) and a RB (Slaton). Well, maybe everything didn't work out perfectly....We all know what happened to Mr. Young. Maybe this wasn't such a great draft for the Titans. Could this have been foreseen? Could the IQ tests possibly shown how fragile and weak his mind was?
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