As the football season inches closer, it’s time to lace up the cleats for another exciting season. After thinking about which shoes would fit me as I fly down the sidelines(In my dreams of course), I chose to go with Reggie Bush’s new RB619 TUNIT cleat from Adidas. Reggie Bush and Adidas teamed up well in 2006 and the 2007 edition is surely going to be a hit.

The first thing that jumps out at me from the shoe is, of course, the gold etched around. Adidas and Bush could have really overdosed on the color, but the subtle look fits nice. The colors of the shoe are also based around the color scheme of the New Orleans Saints logo. The trim towards the front of the shoe also has a touch of gold that continues underneath the shoe.

While using the gold and black colors, Adidas formed a sharp and edgy look to represent Reggie’s performance. The Adidas trefoil has its usual tilt, but it doesn’t focus solely on the logo like other shoes. Aside from the laces, Adidas has given Reggie a Velcro strap to tighten up any loose ends. The end of the strap is finished with Reggie’s signature to add a nice touch.

I must say that I have been a big fan of Nike cleats my entire life. I never liked what Adidas put out there as far as athletic cleats went. But now with the RB619 TUNIT unveiling, my opinion has changed. The usage of gold on shoes is very touchy, but I felt Adidas used the right amount when designing the 619. An A+ design for an A+ athlete. The RB619 TUNIT can be purchased at shopadidas.com if you’re planning any trips to the endzone this fall.

Both the Saints and Eagles have taken unlikely routes to the NFC Divisional Playoffs. We all know about New Orleans’ revival, which has been such a great story. Following a 3-13 season in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Saints won the NFC South with a 10-6 record, securing a first round bye in the process. Then there’s the Eagles, winners of six straight, including last week’s win over the Giants. These teams have already met once, with New Orleans winning 27-24 at the Superdome. Can they win the rematch? Find out at 8:00 PM EST on FOX.

Everyone points to Sean Payton as the reason for New Orleans’ resurgence. Frankly, any coach would have been an upgrade over Jim Hasslet. When you disregard the Saints 3-13 last year under difficult circumstances, you realize this team was a constant underachiever. It took stability at the quarterback position for this team to start winning. They’ve gotten that with Drew Brees. He threw for over 4400 yards and 26 touchdowns while serving as a huge leader in the huddle and in the clubhouse. That’s quite an upgrade over Aaron Brooks, who had a rough tenure in New Orleans.

We don’t know if Joe Horn will be in the lineup for the Saints but even if he’s out, Brees will have weapons. Rookies Marques Colston (70 catches, 1038 yds, 10 TDs) and Reggie Bush (88 catches, 742 yards, 2 TDs) have been huge for Brees and the Saints. There’s also Devery Henderson and Terrance Copper to watch out for. Expect lots of packages with Bush all over the field, which should open up room for Deuce McCallister, who ran for 65 yards last meeting. It’d be great to see Joe Horn in the lineup. He’s been with New Orleans through their many struggles and was a very important ambassador for the city during last year’s Hurricane Katrina struggles. Having him run out of the tunnel at the Superdome would be fitting for such an important player in the franchise. He also caught two touchdowns earlier in the year against Philadelphia so his presence would be real important on the field. Read the rest of this entry »

Saints head coach Sean Payton won the Coach of the Year honors today, and it got me to thinking about what really makes you the coach of the year. Was Payton really the best coach? Or was the 3-13 to 10-6 revival a result of good players? Is it coach of the year honors, or organization of the year honors?

I’m not saying Payton didn’t deserve the honor, if I had a vote it certainly would have gone to him. What that entire team has done is incredible, but is it because of Payton? I would argue it is Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Deuce McCallister, and Marques Colston who earned Payton that award. If you don’t have the players you can’t do anything. But when you get players like the Saints did, it should almost be required to make the playoffs.

I have the same argument with Eric Mangini, who finished a distant second with 3 votes, a mere 41 behind Payton. Were the Jets even that bad this year? They have a solid defense, and while there were some doubts about Chad Pennington coming through rehab, once we knew he was healthy, we knew he was a good quarterback. The same goes for Marty Schottenheimer in San Diego. It really isn’t that hard to call the number 21 all day long. That defense is good enough where they can rotate their front 7 all day and notice nearly no drop off.

Maybe Jeff Fisher, who only earned one vote should have been considered a little bit more for the award. That Titans team wasn’t supposed to do anything, but he coached a rookie quarterback to some success, and turned that defense into a bunch of play makers who won games for them.

I’m just starting to think that maybe the award is inherently flawed. How can you judge one coaches performance against the other? You have to take into account talent, as well as expectations and injuries. It takes the analogy of comparing apples to oranges to an extreme degree. I’m glad that Payton won the award and has been recognized for all that he and the Saints have done this year, but I guess it is just impossible to satisfy every expectation.

The annual April NFL Draft allows the best teams in the NFL to find players to fill certain holes in their lineups as well as it allows for the worst NFL teams to find the top college prospects to build their franchises around. Normally these rookies struggle through their first few years, while every now and then there are a few guys who seamlessly adjust to the speed of the NFL and make an impact right away. With the suprisingly high number of these impact guys in the 2006 NFL draft, we could look back on this draft in ten years and call it one of the best drafts in recent history.

It’s not expected for the teams who pick in the top five picks in the draft to make the playoffs the following year. The Saints, Titans, and Jets all defied this logic this year by having outstanding years supported by their top drafted rookies. Reggie Bush, who was skipped over by the Houston Texans, has immediately impacted the dynamic Saints offense this year, catching 86 passes out of the backfield as well as finding his rushing groove over the past five or six games. Last week versus the Giants, Bush and teammate Deuce McAllister rushed for over 100 yards each in a methodical beating of the Giants. After a nomadic 3-13 season last year in which the Saints quite literally had no place to call home and were looking for a franchise savior, Bush has arrived and the Saints are now 10-5 and champions of the NFC South.

A rough 0-5 start to the Tennessee Titans season had Titans fans scratching their heads as to why the team got rid of former hero Steve McNair. Enter Vince Young. After a rough start to his NFL career, Young has single handedly rallied the troops in the Music City. Though they were eliminated from the playoffs in Week 16 because of a win by the New York Jets, the Titans still stand at 8-7 and have shocked the entire NFL with their “never give up” style of play. During this improbably 8-2 run, the Titans have beaten teams such as the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars. There is no doubt that, despite missing the playoffs, the simple turnaround of this team will probably be enough to bring Vince Young some Offensive Rookie of the Year hardware.

With a new head coach and a finally healthy Chad Pennington, Jets supporters weren’t exactly sure what to expect from the 2006 season. With two first round picks, the Jets opted to draft offensive line help, with center Nick Mangold and offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Ferguson has done exactly what the Jets needed him to do in his first season, and that is to protect the blind side of fragile Chad Pennington. Season ending injuries to Pennington over the past few seasons have resulted from faulty line play and thus derailed the Jets over the past few years. This year has been a different story, as Ferguson, the fourth overall selection out of Virginia, has done a fantastic job protecting his quarterback and is one of the main reasons why the Jets are staring at a 9-6 record and a possible return to the playoffs.

As week 15 approaches, the AFC playoff picture becomes more and more defined with San Diego, Baltimore, and Indianapolis being the elite teams. The same can?t be said for the NFC?s playoff picture, which looks more like 4^th grade finger paint than an actual conference ready to make a run at a Super Bowl ring. Let?s take a look at the four division leaders who are perennial representatives for the NFC on February 4^th in Miami.

The Chicago Bears are the frontrunners out of the NFC, already capturing home field advantage throughout the playoffs and posting a gaudy 12-2 record. The Bears have prided themselves on their ability to play smash mouth defense while managing to score just enough to win. But as we have learned this year, Rex Grossman has been less than spectacular, posting a QB rating of 1.3 just three weeks ago against Minnesota, and throwing 17 interceptions over the year. And while he?s turned it around the past two weeks, throwing 2 touchdowns in each of his last two games, it?s been the Bears defense that has looked exposed as of late. Last week against Tampa Bay, the Bears surrendered a three touchdown lead to the 3-11 Bucs, and won only because of a Robbie Gould field goal in overtime. Keep in mind this wasn?t a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning comeback, rather it was led by the great Tim Rattay, Tampa backup and former flunk of the San Francisco 49ers.

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If I told you three months ago that the New Orleans Saints would be 6-2 and first in the NFC South, you would probably think Reggie Bush had a lot to do with it. But the fact is that Reggie Bush’s rookie season has been a major disappointment. Sure, the Saints are winning. I’m aware of this. But that has a hell of a lot more to do with Drew Brees, Sean Payton, a rejuvenated Deuce McCallister, and the only rookie sensation Marques Colston.

I’ve watched Bush for the last five or six years and I know the effect he has on a game. The guy has the ability to change a game on any play, that’s pretty obvious. But in the NFL, reputations don’t mean crap. In the NFL, you make your reputation on what you do in the NFL and not what happens before that. Before Bush even took a carry in high school or college, his opponents were beat. It was a Michael Jordan like mystique that surrounded Bush and the entire USC team. Sure, Bush was dominant on the field. But the simple threat of him getting the ball had his opponents defeated long before Bush even had to make a cut or stiff arm. You simply don’t beat a team like that in the NFL. Bush may have been one of the most dominant players in the history of college football but this year, he’s just another rookie. He’s not Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Reggie Bush. He’s just Reggie Bush, running back. New Orleans Saints.

I’m not saying Bush has done nothing. The guy has made over 40 catches and return a punt for a touchdown earlier in the year. But his catch average is only 6.8 yards and his yards per carry is an awful 2.8, which ranks as the worst in the NFL for qualified running backs. He was held to -5 rushing yards in yesterday’s win over Tampa; I had to do a double take when I saw that stat. Read the rest of this entry »