Bustin' Out

by Tom Nieradka

Editorial. Photos by AP News

Everything has its busts. Movies have the Matrix sequels, TV has every new show that has featured an actor from Seinfeld, and Halloween has candy corn.

Football is no different, and every season more and more players and teams surprise us with their awful and underwhelming play. The thing that constitutes a bust, however, is not simply lackluster play. It would not be fair the say the Rams have been a bust because everyone knew that they (Stephen Jackson aside) were going to be terrible.

However it would be fair to levy that criticism against the following list of deceivers and mystics (not really); those who have driven fans to the brink and make being a fan of the Lions look like a great time (can’t go anywhere but up).

Joey Galloway:

Bill Belichick seems to make his teams out of second round picks and aging vets. He took the testy Randy Moss and revived his career after a dismal year with the Raiders, he saw the talent is Wes Welker as he was rotting on Miami and made him into a top level receiver and returner…..and then there was Joey Galloway.

At 37 Galloway was a much older project than Moss or Welker, however Pats fans continued to believe that Bill could do no wrong. Over a somewhat illustrious career Galloway had racked up six 1000 yard receiving seasons, including three from 2005-2007 with the Bucs. Apparently Belichick can make mistakes however, and through three games this season Galloway seven receptions for 67 yards. He was largely ineffective and couldn’t catch the ball. At least the Pats were able to rectify their error though; he was cut after three weeks.

Matt Cassel:

I feel bad putting Matt Cassel here. He went from one of the most high powered offenses in the NFL to one of the worst, one of the best lines in the NFL to one of the worst, and from Randy Moss and Wes Welker to Dwayne Bowe and Dwayne Bowe.

And though its too late to call him a bust for the long haul, so far the he has to be in that category. KC hired him to open up the offense and to put points on the board, and as of yet he has not been able to do that. KC is averaging just under 16 points per game (among the worst in the league) and only has 1293 passing yards on the year (good for 28^th in the NFL).

And unfortunately for Cassel, his fault or not the blame falls on him. Its tough out there for a young QB with a bad O-Line, and Cassel has actually done well throwing only five interceptions. However he is getting beaten up worse than even Aaron Rogers, getting sacked an astounding 27 times so far. Even so, he is the best that KC can put out there right now, and is most likely their best bet going forwards, so until further notice hopefully he can stay healthy and out of Elvis Dumervil’s way (he has 10 sacks in 7 games and KC faces Denver twice).

Tennessee Titans:

Coming off a 13-3 season and a trip to the playoffs, the Titans are sitting 2-6 and in last place in the AFC South. Their “defense” has allowed a league-worst 29.8 points per game, and their “offense” has managed only 18.5 points per game (good for 23^rd in the NFL).

The hopes were so high for the Titans, but they just don’t seem able to stop anyone. Granted that starting cornerbacks Cortland Finnegan and Nick Harper have been dealing with injuries, the fact remains that they gave up 59 points to the Pats and managed a grand total of 0 points in return. The one bright spot of the otherwise awful offense has been RB Chris Johnson who leads the league with 959 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Kerry Collins has been benched (probably for the best) and Vince “I’m kinda getting old now” Young is back in.

And so far it has been working as the Titans under Young have won two straight against the Jags and the 49ers. Maybe brighter days are coming, but unless the Titans manage a 8-0 run to end the season it will no doubt be regarded as a disappointing year.

Michael Vick:

One of the biggest and most controversial off-season acquisitions was the former jail-bird Michael Vick by the Eagles following his 18 month prison term. He was supposed to revolutionize the Eagles offense brining speed and mobility that McNabb lacked.

However so far he has only succeeded in throwing off McNabb’s rhythm and in sitting on the bench. Thus far he is 2-6 passing for 6 yards, and has rushed for 27 yards on 12 carries. He seems to do more harm than good when he is playing for the Eagles, and the signing makes less and less sense when they already have a proven quarterback who knows the offense and has run it well in the past. Vick was the wildcard to be used in the wildcat, but thus far he is looking more and more like a wild-waste-of-money.

New York Giants:

Coming off a 12-4 season and a playoff trip in 2008 and a Superbowl win in 2007, the Giants were the early favorite to win the tough NFC East. Eli Manning was coming into his prime, the tandem of the bruising Brandon Jacobs and the explosive Ahmad Bradshaw we said the be the best running back combo in the NFL, and their elite pass rush and great secondary made a brick wall for opposing offenses.

Through the first five games all of the predictions were coming true. The Giants were 5-0 and had the number one defense in the NFL, Eli Manning was on fire, and the Giants could run all over opposing defenses at will. And then reality struck. After victories against the woeful Redskins, Bucs, Chiefs, and Raiders, the Giants ran into the Saints. And 60 minutes and 48 points later the Giants began their four game skid to 5-4, losing to the Cardinals, Eagles, and Chargers.

Eli’s foot injury seems to be nagging and he has been ineffective, throwing six picks over the last four games. Brandon Jacobs has yet to hit 100 yards this season and has only two total touchdowns. Bradshaw remains a change of pace back, and has averaged around 3 yards per carry over the skid, with his explosive runs fading into memory. And perhaps worst of all the once great defense has given up 40 points twice in the last four games, and handed rival QB Phillip Rivers one of the easiest two minute drills of his career and a lob to Vincent Jackson to put the Chargers over the Giants 21-20.

It is sad to see how the mighty Giants have fallen to mediocrity, and the biggest bust of the season.