Here's the Vince v. Reggie part of it:
Vince vs. Reggie Part XII / Lance Zierlein
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, I'll admit that if you listen to my sports talk show this subject has been covered a zillion times in almost every way, shape and form possible but I want to give the most logical debates as well as pros/cons for the Vince Young vs. Reggie Bush debate that is raging here in Houston. Let me start by saying that I honestly believe both guys have all-world potential and phenomenal game-breaking ability but I also feel like both have a serious underlying concerns that could potentially cause them to fall short of the lofty expectations heaped on each of them. Until they are a couple of years into the league, it is unlikely that we'll have any inkling about the answer to thse questions. So I would like to present you with the most compelling arguments for and against both of them as well as the argument to trade the first pick of the draft.
Vince Young - 6'5 / 235
The Texans should draft Vince Young because... they are sorely lacking as a team in terms of leadership on the field and not only does VY give you off the chart leadership and competitiveness, he also happens to be a freakish athlete that could do what Michael Vick hasn't done and that is change the way a majority of the NFL teams view the quarterback position. His ability to scramble and make plays with his legs is what will keep defensive coordinators awake at night. They have to try and gameplan for it because he is able to devestate defenses who can't contain him when he runs. And even if Vince isn't running, he has very good pocket poise and the ability to escape when teams blitz. The blitz is such a big part of defensive strategy now that having a versatile quarterback will allow for fewer sacks and better down and distance situations than the Texans have had under David Carr. And what will VY do for the running game? Well what has Vick helped do for Atlanta? Warrick Dunn has turned into a beast and that is because defensive ends fear Vick and have to stay at home for fear of the bootleg and that opens up the backside running lanes for Dunn. The same thing will happen for Domanick Davis or any other Texans running back. VY also made huge strides in improving his accuracy and decision making this year and he is extremely coachable with a well-documented work ethic to get better. In other words, he won't go home to watch film, he'll actually stay up at the facility and watch with his coaches (paging Mr. Carr... please report to the courtesy booth). Young should continue to improve as a passer and if that is the case, then why wouldn't you take a guy who has single-handedly helped change an entire football program from a team that had the talent to win the big games but not the heart - to a team that wins the national championship in USC's backyard as well as a big road win in Ohio State's backyard. I don't care one single bit about his throwing motion. If he were 6'2" that would be one thing, but he's 6'6". So he drops down... big deal! As long as he is accurate and has a quick release that is all that matters. The marketing and excitement that Young would create around the Texans would help to spark a second honeymoon which the Texans severely need since they are more than one player away. This decision is easy.
The Texans should NOT draft Vince Young because... there are too many risks involved with drafting a quarterback who is unconventional and who hasn't taken enough snaps in a more conventional offense. What do I mean by unconventional? First of all, Vince has to run to be an effective quarterback. Let's face it. Beating Big XII defenses with your arm is much, much easier than beating an NFL defense with your arm. Michael Vick has proven that if you don't have the ability to make a team respect your ability to throw the ball that you'll end up having limited success. While everyone is on Vick's jock, let's consider for a moment that his team didn't make the playoffs this year despite having a great rushing attack, a tremendous pass rushing unit and one of the weaker schedules in the NFL. Why not? Well, for one teams have learned to gameplan differently against Vick. With VY, it will be the same thing. Sure, he can have some success as long as he can run effectively but just how much? Enough to satisfy Houston Texans fans who have already decided that he is the most spectacular player to come out in the draft in year's? And leadership is great but all the leadership in the world can't help you make correct reads against confusing NFL defenses and multiple blitz packages. Vick is even quicker and more elusive than VY and Vick is one of the most sacked QBs in the league over the last two years. Vince has clearly had much more success under Greg Davis' zone read offense than under center and I just don't see an NFL off. coordinator using that offense as his primary offense. And what happens if VY gets banged up over his first four years while running as much as he needs to in order to be effective? Then you are left with a QB who doesn't want to run as much and who may not have the QB skills necessary to beat teams with his passing. Stick with Carr and let him develop under Gary Kubiak and take the guy who averaged 31 yards per touchdown last year, Reggie Bush. This decision is easy.
Reggie Bush - 6'0 / 200
The Texans should draft Reggie Bush because... he is the perfect fit for Gary Kubiak's offense and he provides a much needed "homerun hitter" to the offense. The argument that everyone is just wrapped up in the "ESPN hype based on the Fresno State and UCLA games" is just silly. Sure, nobody around the NFL considered Bush a potential first pick of the draft until those games. Reggie Bush played 5 teams this year who were rated in the top 50 in college football (Fresno 34th, Oregon 48th, Texas 6th, Cal 47th and Arkansas 36th) and he averaged 217 total yards (rush and receiving... not return yards) with a total of 7 TDs in those games. People love to point out how he only got 82 against Texas but they never mention that he averaged 6.3 yards per carry against a defense that allowed 3.6 yards per carry during the regular season. Plus, it wasn't Bush's fault that he wasn't on the field on the big 4th down play - that was Pete Carroll's mistake. Bush is the perfect fit for the zone blocking scheme that Kubiak will use because he has the type of elite level quickness to turn the corner on the front end of the play and the unmatched burst to turn the cutback runs on the backside into long touchdowns if he makes even one man miss. "Well what have Domanick Davis and he's pretty good himself". Davis is a slightly above average back who is really nothing more than a souped-up Nick Goings (Carolina's 3rd string RB). He is a nice grinder who runs hard and is a versatile threat out of the backfield but he doesn't have the speed to break big runs with any consistency and he is showing that he has a hard time staying healthy. But Lendale White is just as good, Lance. Uh, no. Lendale had 3 fewer carries than Bush this year but ended up with 438 yards less rushing. Bush cannot be covered by most LBs in one on one situations and that will completely change the way that defenses approach the Texans. With Jerome Mathis and Reggie Bush on the field at the same time, Andre Johnson will see his double teams magically disappear so Bush will not only have an impact on big plays in the running game but also on big plays in the passing game just by being on the field. And to everyone who doesn't believe that Bush would return any punts, did you happen to notice who was returning punts for Carolina this weekend? That's right, their MVP Steve Smith. Defenses don't fear the Texans at all, but they will fear them every single play that Reggie Bush is on the field. This decision is easy.
The Texans should NOT draft Reggie Bush because... he isn't even a full-time NFL running back. Let's be honest, here. I understand the arguments that there are plenty of "smaller" backs who have been successful in the NFL and I also understand the rationale for wanting to add a "gamebreaker" into a lineup that has been sorely missing a big-time threat but you don't draft a player with the first overall pick of the draft who is a jack-of-all-trades, master of punt returns. In fact, I would argue that if Adrian Peterson were in this draft that he would be the RB challenging Bush to be the first RB selected because he has size and he can carry a heavy workload if you need him to. Can Bush. Bush is a dynamic football player but his quicks will be somewhat negated on the next level where holes close faster and defenses are much faster than in college. If the Texans believe that Bush is an every down back then why didn't his own coach who has seen him for three straight years. When USC needed just over a yard on fourth down, why didn't they have Bush in the game? Is it because Carroll felt like Bush couldn't get the tough yards? Name one big-time RB in the NFL that comes out short yardage situations. There are only two that I can think of and that would be Warrick Dunn and Tiki Barber and as good as they are, they weren't "first pick of the draft" material. Bush's game does resemble Tiki's and Brian Westbrook's somewhat with Westbrook even being an accomplished punt returner at one point of his career. The Texans want the next Gayle Sayers but they may get the next Brian Westbrook. Gary Kubiak has been in an offensive system that has proven that it can crank out solid running backs pretty much in any given season. Reuben Droughns, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Tatum Bell, Clinton Portis and Terrell Davis. Everyone is a good runner in that system and none of them were a first round pick. So why couldn't Kubiak do the same thing in Houston and make a change at the QB position instead? Bush might be a nice NFL player but he's not unique enough to be the first pick of the draft and Vince Young is. This decision is easy.
The Texans should NOT draft Vince Young or Reggie Bush and should trade the pick because... their needs are much greater than a single player and they happen to have in their possession the most coveted #1 draft position in many, many years. What does that mean? Easy. They should trade the pick back to someone who is dying to come up and get either Young, Bush or Leinart and pick up what should be another team's first this year, a first next year and probably a 2nd rounder this year or a current player that is already on the other team's roster. The Texans have holes in the offensive line, at QB at TE and at the #2 WR on offense. You think that Vince Young, who will have to sit out at least one year to learn to read NFL defenses, will solve all those problems? And Bush? They have Domanick Davis but do they have a good RT or TE or WR? No. And defense has their fair share of problems as well with poor linebacking play, no legitimate CB opposite Dunta Robinson, no pass-rushing DEs to fit into the 4-3 and below average safety play. This one pick could become a minimum of three players to plug into your starting lineup within this year or next. How about this scenario. Trade back with the pick and get what we discussed and your first round pick then becomes DE Mario Williams (he's a bigger version of Jevon Kearse) or A.J. Hawk (the safest pick in this draft and likely multi-year Pro Bowler). In this scenario, you have two seconds this year plus two thirds this year and an additional first next year to add to your own draft picks. With those picks, you have enough leverage to move up into the late first round with one of your second round picks and your 4th this year (or maybe even a 3rd next year) and grab TE Leonard Pope (Georgia) or Marcedes Lewis (UCLA). So basically you could leverage your first pick into a starting TE and starting DE and a first round pick next year and that could turn out to be Brady Quinn, Adrian Peterson or Dwayne Jarrett next year. That doesn't sound like a better idea than drafting a QB who will sit at least one year and might not be able to read NFL defenses or a smallish RB who hasn't proven he's tough enough between the tackles to win over his own collegiate head coach who has had two stints in the NFL as a head coach? This decision is easy.
One request, though. In your next issue, could you give us an in depth analysis of what our defensive situation is, both pros and cons? Because we don't read much of that stuff around here these days. 
