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Snagging Bush/Young right move for Saints
Friday, January 13, 2006
John DeShazier
Even before Reggie Bush officially joined the fray Thursday, the Saints were in good position. Now that Bush definitely is in, they might be pretty close to no-lose territory.

Granted, there's no such animal as a "sure" thing when it comes to the NFL draft, or any other draft. Every pick has a warning label attached, and every label had better be thoroughly investigated before a franchise invests its time and money.

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But if there are two superstar-potential prizes in the draft -- Southern California running back Bush and Texas quarterback Vince Young -- all the Saints have to do is stand pat with the No. 2 overall pick, and one of the mega-talents falls into their lap. And, at present, each would be a welcome, needed addition.

Even with Deuce McAllister being the Saints' franchise back, having received the richest contract in team history before last season, he'll enter the 2006 season with a reconstructed ACL.

Usually, it takes a couple of seasons before a player resembles his former self after that repair and rehab. But even if McAllister beats the curve, Bush is versatile enough to be used so many ways -- punt and kick returner, slot receiver, third-down back or, like similarly smallish Warrick Dunn of the Falcons, every-down back -- he'll be worth the pick. Especially since he'd be one of the few Saints who can create magic on his own, a legitimate home run threat on a team full of singles hitters.

Select Young, and the new era at quarterback begins. Maybe he's not as polished as USC quarterback Matt Leinart, who led the Trojans to two national titles and three championship games. But he was polished enough to help Texas deny the Trojans a third straight title and to lead the nation in passing efficiency.

And he's as dynamic a playmaker as there is out of the pocket, which is where a Saints quarterback will spend plenty of time if the team doesn't upgrade the offensive line or the new coaching staff doesn't teach the players it has to block a hell of a lot better.

So, yeah, the Saints figure to get something good at No. 2, even if they choose Leinart instead of Bush or Young.

If, that is, they hold on to the pick.

There's always the possibility that they won't.

Trading down, in an attempt to get away from having to ante up a huge signing bonus or in an effort to acquire more picks and more talent, is a viable option for a team that might not be flush with capital and has more on-field holes (quarterback, unless Aaron Brooks can be resurrected by the new regime, running back if McAllister isn't the same, offensive line, tight end, linebacker and maybe cornerback) than it might care to admit.

The in-house mantra that the Saints weren't a 3-13 team last season, as if the team is a skip and hop from where it wants to be, is a book of fiction that has to be closed if the franchise really plans to address its problems. Otherwise, it could trick itself (again) into believing a paintbrush will do where a sledgehammer is needed.

More picks could be the way to go, especially if the franchise somehow can attend to its other needs through free agency, especially if it transforms those extra picks into starters or significant contributors.

But it wouldn't hurt to stay put, either, considering the pot of gold that it could find by holding steady.

Bush and Young are difference-makers, the likes of which the Saints haven't employed for a while, if ever. They're threats whose presence might guarantee special attention, and if opponents are forced to devise schemes to contain one player, that means there'll be openings for someone else.

It's the kind of threat the Saints need. The kind they'll have simply by doing nothing, holding steady, and picking whichever of the two potential stars falls into their lap.