Reggie Bush

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New Orleans Saints: 13 Worst Draft Picks in Team History

From a franchise with such a history of futility, you would expect there to be a monumental amount of first-round busts. Yet, there are a remarkably few true busts, even for a franchise that has drafted players in the first round of the NFL draft 44 times. 

Many of the players on this list are busts in the same way Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls was—it was great, just not quite as great as the original. 

Three players on this list aren't as much busts as they are players who were just the victims of unreal expectations. (And all three are running backs taken within the first five picks of the draft.) That's a lot to live up to for any player, especially a running back.

Others are legitimate busts—players whom the Saints undoubtedly would look back and ask for a mulligan.

All are players the average fan will look back at and wonder what happened. Who are they, and where do they rank? Click into the slideshow to find out.

(Note: Only players selected in the first round by the New Orleans Saints were considered for this list.)

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New Orleans Saints: 10 Most Dazzling Touchdowns in Saints History

With the high-flying, potent offensive attack of the New Orleans Saints, pinning down 10 touchdowns even in the last decade is a difficult task.

The Saints have been the most explosive offense in the NFL for the past six seasons under Sean Payton and Drew Brees.

As a result, a lot of eliminating has to be done in comprising such a list. There are some very worthy candidates that will be left off—Marques Colston's array of over-the-middle touchdown grabs between two defenders, key touchdowns in some of the playoff games (though a few playoff touchdowns will also be included), and even some defensive touchdowns that for many teams would make the cut. 

The list I've comprised is meant to be the most spectacular and memorable touchdowns the Saints have had in the past decade, save for one, for obvious reasons. And in most cases they are also the most important. 

Enjoy the touchdown-fest put on by and for Who Dat nation.

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Click to read the original Saints article by Bleacher Report - New Orleans Saints

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New Orleans Saints: 10 Best Draft Picks of Sean Payton Era

The New Orleans Saints are in the middle of their bye week. This is often times a down week for fans because they normally have no news to look into, especially Saints fan.

The Saints do not have many injuries to check on and, of course, no drama surrounding the team.

So what better time than now to look back on some of the things that have happened since Sean Payton took over as head coach in 2006.

Ever since Payton (and Brees) came to New Orleans, the atmosphere has been completely different. The offense always scores points and puts up stats. The defense normally seems to be one step behind, and the special teams, until this year, has been almost unbearable. However, Payton has won a Super Bowl, been to two NFC Championships and made three playoff appearances in five years.

One of the most important factors in Payton's success, or any coach's success for that matter, is the NFL draft. Granted, Payton gets a ton of help from Mickey Loomis, but the Saints' drafts have been darn near perfect since Payton came on board.

Let's take a look at the top 10 players drafted by Sean Payton.
(Side Note: I did not include the 2011 draft on this list) 

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New Orleans Saints: NFL's Modern Day Tale of Redemption

Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005. The Crescent City and the Saints franchise, which was typically destroyed by other NFL teams, were forced to rebuild. And that's exactly what they did.

On December 31, 2005, a single play would change the course of two franchises. When Drew Brees, the San Diego Chargers' QB, injured his shoulder against the Denver Broncos, the long suffering Saints franchise was in the midst of a three-win season.

After New Orleans lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-13 the next day, the Saints completed their pitiful masterpiece and were rewarded for their poor play with the second pick in the NFL draft.

With such a high draft pick, the Saints only had two viable options: Mario Williams or Reggie Bush. However, the San Diego Chargers had a much harder decision to make about their future.

In 2004, the Chargers acquired Phillip Rivers, quarterback from N.C. State, from the New York Giants. The franchise believed that Rivers, not Brees, was the quarterback of the future.

However, the former Purdue standout played well from 2004-2005, making the Pro Bowl both years (once as an alternate). The injury Brees sustained in the final regular season game forced them to make a tough decision.

San Diego decided not to pay Brees the money he desired and handed over the reigns to Rivers.

After the Chargers declined to re-sign the QB, he began to talk with other teams. The shoulder injury scared away most people and only two teams showed major interest—the Saints and the Dolphins.

Although Brees wanted to sign with the Miami Dolphins, his shoulder surgery was deemed too risky by their medical staff. Nick Saban and the Dolphins decided to pass on Brees and instead signed Dante Culpepper as their starting quarterback.

Shortly after the Dolphins pulled out, Brees inked a six-year, $60 million contract with the New Orleans Saints. The black and gold seemed to be gambling on a player coming off serious surgery.

It would have been tough for Brees to disappoint the black and gold fanbase anymore than QB Aaron Brooks had in his recent tenure. As long as the former Charger QB did not throw the football backwards, everybody would be happy.

Once the Saints locked up their starting QB, the organization focused on the draft. With the second pick, they selected Reggie Bush, the Heisman trophy winner from USC.

Roman Harper, Jahri Evans, Zach Strief and Marques Colston were also selected in that 2006 draft. Hope replaced complacency in New Orleans and the black and gold faithful showed their approval by selling out the season for the first time in franchise history.

The Saints achieved much in the 2006 season, but the franchises’ dream of winning the city's first world championship came to an end in Chicago where the Bears defeated the Saints 39-14 in the NFC Championship game.

New Orleans made it to their first NFC Championship game behind their Brees-led high-powered offense. But it was not until the next season that they found their defensive leader.

In three full seasons with the New York Jets, Jonathan Vilma averaged 130 tackles a season, leading the league in 2005 with 169. Seven weeks into the 2007 campaign, he suffered a knee injury that left him sidelined for the remainder of the year.

During the offseason, the Jets traded Vilma to the Saints for a fourth-round pick and a conditional third-round pick in the 2009 draft.

Another NFL team decided a proven player is a risk because of injury—déjà vu for the Saints. Two years after that trade, they found themselves playing in the Super Bowl against the Indianapolis Colts.

Vilma matched wits with Peyton Manning, the four-time league MVP, sometimes changing the defensive call multiple times before the snap. He won the battle against Manning and the Saints came out victorious, defeating the Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV.

Yes, other people besides Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and Jonathan Vilma were essential to the Saints' win in Miami. But those three, especially Brees and Vilma, turned in performances that will not be forgotten any time soon.

In just four years, the Saints went from lovable losers to perennial contenders. Two proven but wounded winners, Brees and Vilma, redeemed an organization mired in mediocrity for much of its history.

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2011 NFL Season: Darren Sproles Doing His Best Reggie Bush Impersonation?

In Late July, amid moves made around the league, Darren Sproles inked a four-year, $14 million contract with the New Orleans Saints. On that same July day, the Saints traded away Reggie Bush, the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner, to the Miami Dolphins.

The move left analysts and fans of the black and gold wondering if the Saints would be able to fill the void left by the dynamic running back. Anyone who attended training camp in New Orleans realized very quickly that the Saints' offense would not skip a beat.

Besides the obvious height difference and the attention each player received coming into the league, Sproles and Bush are very similar players.They both have blazing speed and thrive with the ball in open space. One major exception to the last comment is their running styles. Sproles' north-south running ability is something that Reggie Bush does not possess. 

In just five games with the Saints, the 5'6" Sproles has racked up over 800 all-purpose yards and left defenders grabbing at the air. When his numbers are compared to Reggie Bush, a player some people placed in the Hall of Fame before he took one snap in the NFL, there is no comparison.  At the end of Week 5, Bush has only accumulated 217 all-purpose yards.

In fairness to Reggie Bush, the Dolphins have a far less explosive offense. On the other hand, the New Orleans Saints' offense allows Sproles to flourish. On the Saints, the little running back that played his college ball at Kansas State is just another weapon for Drew Brees to use. From Jed Collins to Jimmy Graham, Brees is not afraid to spread the offensive love around.

To go along with all the benefits that Sproles brings to the table, his contract that totals $14 million is far less than the money that Reggie Bush wanted. The New Orleans Saints' cheaper investment in Darren Sproles appears to be one of the best moves that any team made during the offseason.

Although the NFL season is still in its infancy, Sproles has looked like the player that everyone in the Crescent City expected Reggie Bush to be.

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New Orleans Saints: Darren Sproles Is Just Getting Warmed Up

It's hard to believe that ESPN's Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic get paid five times what most of us make in a year.

Especially when you think back to that day in the summer when they dismissed the New Orleans Saints chances of seriously challenging the reigning NFC South champion Atlanta Falcons.The reason they said- Reggie Bush couldn't be replaced.

Yet, if you have lived enough life you know that truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

Look all around you these days and you'll see that high salary doesn't always translate into high IQ.

As I watched Sproles explode into the Houston Texans defense Sunday afternoon, I felt I was watching one of the best athletes to ever wear a Saints uniform.

Maybe I just got swept away by the emotion of the moment like when you buy one of those $35 concert T-shirts that you never wind up wearing again.

But somehow I think Sproles is every bit the real deal, a will-of-the-wisp running back in a pint-sized body.

Yeah, ole' Mike and Mike said the Saints would never be able to overcome the loss of the dynamic, multi-talented Reggie Bush.

The clear implication was that the newly acquired Darren Sproles was no slouch but he was no Reggie Bush either.

 

Every time over the years you read one of those anonymous scouts in one of those glossy preseason publications saying Reggie Bush was the player on the Saints roster they feared the most because you had to always account for him... they were all guilty of bullshitaky- every last one of them.

Remember football is nothing but a high-stakes poker game and they all lie with a straight face.

The emergence of Sproles in Black-n-Gold may be a surprise to those talking heads at ESPN but not to anyone who saw him in those August practices back in the dog days of a New Orleans summer.

Nobody on the Saints defense could tackle him in practice and now no one one can tackle him in games.

No Jukin'-n-Jivin'. No triple somersaults in mid-air that gain two yards a-la-Reggie Bush.

Sproles is sheer explosion in a north-south direction.

What did Reggie gain down in Miami yesterday? Just 24 yards on 11 carries.

Well, who really cares? He's one of the many the Dolphins' problems now.

Reggie Bush is not and never will be half the football player Darren Sproles is.

But I guess any jackass can knock down a barn., and those guys at ESPN have certainly tried when it comes to the Saints. Good thing the games are decided on the field and not in Bristol, Connecticut.

The best things really do come in small packages after all.

If you think Sproles is electrifying so far, just wait, folks.

He's just getting warmed up.

 

 

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Darren Sproles make it Easy to "Cheer and Forget!"

With Reggie Bush throwing shots at the New Orleans Saints from Miami about "faking injuries on the field", Darren Spoles is making Saints fans easier to forget the former #1 pick, Bush, was in New Orleans for 5 seasons. Sproles has done a better job at doing BUSH, than BUSH. Don't get me wrong, I believe the Saints needed Bush to be successful in the NFL, but Sproles is doing a much better job at creating excitement and "consistency" in New Orleans.

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Reggie Bush disses Saints for Faking Injuries

Miami Dolphins' running back Reggie Bush. Only, he isn't speaking about his current team but his former one...the New Orleans Saints.

“We actually had that before in New Orleans,” Bush said, referring to the fake injury play. “It’s just one of those things when you get those hurry-up offensive teams. I mean, it’s legal. They haven’t made any rules yet to say it’s not legal. “... For the most part you’re supposed to have a designated guy for that. It’s not supposed to be four or five guys falling on the ground at the same time. Obviously that looks real bush league.”

Continue reading on Examiner.com Reggie Bush throws former team under the bus, says Saints faked injuries - National NFL | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/nfl-in-national/reggie-bush-throws-former-team-under-the-bus-says-saints-faked-injuries#ixzz1YjBy82tM

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Future of the NFL Draft: Can Mark Ingram Save the Future of the 1st Round RB?

In the era of "one-hit wonders" of the NFL, there is not a single player that will come into the National Football League without facing scrutiny, harsh criticism or character evaluations. But what measurables do we take into consideration when it comes to "raw talent"?

Obviously the system that we currently have is working out, but there is no doubt in my mind that it's flawed. I could spend the rest of this article reviewing draft classes from 2005-present and give at least 200 draft busts, but I won't do that. I could even get specific and countdown a list of 100 RB's from 2005-present, but I wont do that either. Why? Good question, I believe one RB can dictate the future of the NFL draft RB selection process, and that man is Mark Ingram.

When we look at NFL backs that are either highly-touted coming out of college or Heisman Trophy winners, we expect at least flashes of greatness in their first three seasons, but instead we get three seasons of mediocrity along with a lot of excuses.

We look at a few of the "College-Superman Backs" like, Ron Dayne, William Green, Ki-Jana Carter, Lawrence Phillips and now Reggie Bush and wonder to ourselves "What Happened?". The New Orleans Saints have been infamous for making mistakes drafting highly-touted backs like Reggie Bush, Ricky Williams and Vaughn Dunbar, but with a Pro Bowl offensive line, Drew Brees and Reggie Bush out of the picture, Mark Ingram has every opportunity to succeed. 

The New Orleans Saints chose Mark Ingram with the 28th-pick of the 2011 draft, and it is lowest draft-pick used on the first running back chosen. Could this be a potential sign of things to come from NFL teams? Although many high-pick running backs have found success, I think teams are looking to fill other needs in early rounds in the coming years. Besides, it's much harder to find a franchise LT or QB in the draft, and let's face it, the NFL is now a passing league. The performance of Mark Ingram will greatly impact the future of the RB selection process of the NFL Draft, will it be worth it? We'll see.

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5 reasons the Saints won’t regret losing Reggie Bush

It’s exactly what you fans want, another article from a Saints fan bashing Reggie Bush. Don’t worry, I’ll go light this time.

I’m not going to lie; When it was first announced that Bush was being traded to Miami, I really felt indifferent about the situation.

I wasn’t overzealous that we got rid of Bush, but I wasn’t upset we lost him either. If Bush would have taken the pay cut, I would have loved to have had him on the team for Sean Payton to add more toys for his creative mind.

The bottom line is he didn’t take the pay cut and left the team, and these are five reasons as to why the Saints won’t regret losing Bush.

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Click to read the original Saints article by Bleacher Report - New Orleans Saints