No Frills--This is Simply a Poorly Written Article

Jeffri Chadiha tackles 5 running backs for whom 2008 will be a year of some note


Here goes:

1.Reggie Bush, New Orleans Saints: The hype machine for this guy has lost quite a bit of steam over the past year. What we learned about Bush in 2007 is that he's always going to be a talented open-field runner who will need a creative offensive mind to maximize his skills in the NFL. In other words, he'll never be an every-down back in this league. He proved that much when Deuce McAllister sustained another season-ending knee injury last season and Bush became an unreliable answer to that loss.

As a beleaguered Notre Dame fan, I have absolutely no problem with writers piling on Bush. As a matter of fact this isn't a particularly poor piece of analysis--especially when compared with what comes later--but this begins a spell of absolutisms that plague this article.

So 2007 taught us that Bush will NEVER BE AN EVERY-DOWN BACK in this league? Seriously? Not in a different offense? Not if he puts on weight? Not if he changes his running style?

I'm not high on Bush, and I think he's probably going to be a huge bust before all's said and done, but to say he'll never be an every-down back because of a poor sophomore year is silly. He doesn't lack speed, agility or toughness (remember when he came back to play after THIS:

)

Let's soften our absolutes, duder. Oh and one more thing:

Prediction: A scout once declared Bush a Marshall Faulk clone. He's starting to look more like the second coming of Eric Metcalf.

This is not a prediction.

This is one that gets my goat a little....perhaps because of homerism, but I like to think because of blatant absolutism:

2. Cedric Benson, Chicago Bears: Can he do anything more to taint his brief career with the Bears? It was bad enough that he'd been a fragile, inconsistent runner with a knack for vanishing in the biggest of moments over the past three seasons. But when you add his recent off-the-field trouble to the equation -- he's currently fighting misdemeanor charges of drunken boating and resisting arrest in Texas on May 3 -- it's apparent that this fellow doesn't have a clue.

Ok. Benson HAS been a huge problem for the Bears, and despite being a Bears fan, I don't particularly like him as a player, but because of an incident wherein most eyewitnesses say a sober Benson did nothing but cooperate with police only to have them manhandle and pepper spray him, he "doesn't have a clue"? I'm not saying Chadiha should assume Benson is innocent, but in a case where he's more likely to be innocent than guilty, perhaps we should lay off the "clueless" labels.

And here's his analysis of the situation:

The good news is he's dropped about eight to 10 pounds in a year that is critical to any future he might have with the Bears. The bad news is the weight loss really won't make a difference. The Bears already spent a second-round pick in this year's draft on another running back (Matt Forte) and that's ample evidence of the doubts they now have in a man who was supposed to be their workhorse.

Wow. Thorough.

"The good news: although your wife has been complaining that you spend too much time at your job, you've been making an effort to get home by five thirty every evening.

The bad news: Your effort to change doesn't matter. In four months she's going to fuck your adopted brother Charlie."

At least his prediction that "The Matt Forte era begins this fall" is actually a prediction.

Here's a good one:

3. Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs: There are no questions about Johnson's ability; he's made the Pro Bowl in two of his three seasons as a full-time starter. However, there are plenty of reasons to wonder about the supporting cast that will surround him as he returns from a season-ending foot injury sustained midway through the 2007 campaign.

Brodie Croyle remains an unproven quarterback. There are currently no reliable receivers outside of wideout Dwayne Bowe and Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez.

Ok. I question how successful Johnson will be this year...but the last sentence of this excerpt is pretty silly. All he's got is Bowe and Gonzalez? You mean a perennial Pro-Bowl TE and a first round draft pick who had an awesome 2007? A TE and WR most teams would love to have? That's it?

4. Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals: He tried shedding weight last season. He tried changing his running style to become more elusive. He also discovered he'd made the dumbest decision in a career that had been pretty impressive until Johnson started eating like he was a contestant on "The Biggest Loser."

No problems here per se. He's right--Johnson should have stayed big. But this is a lame attempt to inject pop culture into an article. What's wrong with just giving in-depth analysis? Oh that's right--this article contains almost no analysis

Blah blah blah Thomas Jones will rush for the exact same amount of yards as last year but it "won't be as ugly", blah blah blah. Ugh. That's enough for now.....Like I said--not the world's most obnoxious article, but plenty blah. And this is the front page feature on espn's NFL page? Wonderful