Could the Houston Texans Really Pass On Reggie Bush in the NFL Draft?

Here they comeâÂ?¦no matter how “positive” Bob McNair insisted he was that the Texans were going to draft Reggie Bush, no matter how rabid the Houston fan base was about the possibility of Vince Young coming homeâÂ?¦the inevitable rumors that SOMETHING ELSE could happen with the number one pick in the NFL draft. It all started Friday with the announcement that the Texans were also negotiating with blockbuster DE Mario Williams from North Carolina State. Why these negotiations? Well, number one, the kid’s amazing. 13 Ã?½ sacks in the last half of the season aloneâÂ?¦relatively young, unsculpted talent ready to move up to the next level. He can defend the pass, the run, whatever. And number two, if you saw the Houston defense last year, well, I’m sorry. It was painful even for a non-Houstonian to watch offenses run down the field like nobody was there.

Some people, such as ESPN’s Michael Smith and Skip Bayless, argue that while Bush is great, teams don’t ride spectacular running backs to Super Bowls. Sometimes it’s a wonderful quarterback with leadership, presence, charisma, as Young has. More often, as you could attest by watching teams like this year’s Pittsburgh Steelers, championships begin with stifling defense. A defense made up of warriors. Granted, I would love to see Reggie in Houston. But how long will he stay good? How long before the Texans do to him what the Colts are doing to Edgerrin James? “Thanks for the good times, but you’re too expensive and getting old.” The days of a running back like Emmitt Smith, a back that carries a team for years on end, are over with the consistent fresh talent the NFL sees. You just don’t see that kind of loyalty, especially now that we’re living with a salary cap and free agency.

So, Bush might not be an every-down back, and he might not be great for too much longerâÂ?¦but do the Texans really want to be the “team that let the big one go?” If you’re being really honest, Charlie Casserly, the Texans GM, has made some pretty wretched draft decisions lately. Travis Johnson (WR), last year’s first-round pick, did pretty much nothing after arriving in Houston. Jason Babin (LB) hasn’t been so fantastic either.

I have a feeling that betting on a Mario Williams or even a Vince Young, not to mention D’Brickashaw Ferguson (T), who could really help David Carr out in the offensive line department, would not be a bust, any way you look at it. To be honest, everything about the Texans is bad, except Andre Johnson and sometimes not Carr. So bolstering the offensive line, or the defensive front can’t hurt and probably would help a lot.

Try to explain that to the hordes of half-drunk fans crowding the sports bars when they announce anyone other than Vince Young or Reggie Bush, or announce that the Texans have traded their pick awayâÂ?¦I think I’ll probably stay home.