Reggie Bush: Miami Dolphins, Darren Sproles: New Orleans
By Brian Miller
It will not be a fair comparison but it will be an inevitable one. Darren Sproles lands with the New Orleans Saints as the replacement for Reggie Bush. Reggie Bush lands in Miami as the replacement for Ricky Williams. Ricky Williams landed in Miami from New Orleans. It has come full circle. The question that will linger for Miami fans is whether or not Reggie was the right choice over say, Darren.
In a poll conducted here on site yesterday, 507 votes were cast. 391 of them were in favor of the Reggie Bush trade. Bush will add excitement to a team that is in desperate need of some. It’s been pointed out in the media that Bush will not be the featured back, that job belongs to rookie Daniel Thomas. Thomas will carry the Ronnie Brown load. 200 plus carries while Bush will add around 15 touches a game. Bush is the scat-back Miami needed. But his real impact on the team could come from somewhere else.
Special teams.
The Miami Dolphins have been one of the worst teams in punt return and kick return success in the NFL over the last decade. At least it seems that way. The last legitimate threat they had to do either was, “cough” “cough”, Ted Ginn and the only team that feared him were the Jets. In reality, Ted Ginn was as unproductive overall as anyone else Miami through back there. So for the Dolphins, Reggie Bush is an upgrade and he could “excite” the crowd every time he touches the ball.
The comparisons between he and Darren Sproles will also come from the ST jobs they do as Sproles will also take that role in New Orleans. Sproles will be that teams scat-back and touch the ball 10 to 15 times as well. But the comparisons and meters of success should end there. In Miami, Reggie Bush will be working on a team who has a new offensive coordinator in Brian Daboll, uncertainty at the QB position, an offensive line that had more holes in it then they could create, and a QB situation that doesn’t appear to be close to resolution.
In New Orleans, Sproles will have Drew Brees and Sean Payton and a team that is one of the top teams in the NFL. Sproles should find better success than Bush in Miami. Still, fans and some media will compare the two side by side and it will be more than likely that Bush gets the raw end of that comparison.
The Dolphins could have gone with either player yesterday. Both are almost identical and in reality, the compare closely in statistics. Bush is two years younger but comes with a higher pedigree of talent, which also translates to higher ceiling of expectations. Something he was unable to meet in New Orleans.
Can he meet those in Miami?