I have Bush on my dynasty team and I am kinda in limbo about what I should do with him....
I saw this rant in a raiders forum: (Opinions?) SHould I cut him??
"I am very familiar with the Michael Bush situation, I happen to have an upper hand in this specific topic. I have known Tom Rathman for about 10 years now & he is currently Oakland's Runningbacks Coach. It was in fact not at all Coach Kiffin's decision to not play BUSH. The coaching staff absolutley loves Michael Bush. Lamont Jordan or Rhodes would have been cut & the fear (of Al Davis) was that either one of them would land in KC or Den. at that time. It was a rediculous fear that angered not only Michael Bush but several members of the coaching staff. He was 100% and had physical contact in practices & he was extremely discouraged when Davis refused to give him game time. Davis' paranoia once again got the best of him & stunted the growth & possibly the morale of a very promising athlete. This decision by Davis was overwhelmingly disagreed with because he didn't want Jordan or Rhodes to go and tell oursecrets to divisional opponents. WHAT BIG SECRETS???? That there offense is incapable of scoring? Or that they have a young QB???? What is so secret that they can't let an underachieving RB go to Den.??? Meanwhile, Kiffin, Knapp, & Rathman were all disappointed by this because their plan was to get Bush in game experience at the same time they brought in Russell to start. Kiffin even went as far as telling Michael Bush, while breaking the horrible news to him, "to just keep your head up & go prepare to be my starting tailback next year." This is exactly what Michael Bush has done. Bush also is a beast at pass protection which will go along way in Knapp's offense & clearly gives him an even a larger edge over Fargas. Everyone on the offensive side of things is thrilled with Bush & can not wait to see him play with Fargas in this offense. So, come draft day the Raiders will NOT be taking your beloved McFadden...and please allow me to caveat this with adding, if they do, it will be only one man's decision & no one else's. April will be a great time for Mr. Davis to stop this cycle of cutting off his nose despite his face. Oakland is in extraordinary shape when it comes to RB's. At some point Mr. Davis is going to have to lend a little bit of credibility & trust to those coaches with their feet on the ground and their finger on the players pulse."
Depends a LOT on whether or not the Raiders take McFadden in the draft. If they pass you'd figure Bush will get his shot at some point this season, and I think he'll show at that point he was a steal in the 4th Round. However, if they take the Razorback that's pretty much the kiss of death for Bush's fantasy relevance, as Bush would likely find himself behind Fargas in the short term and McFadden in the long term.
I think the Raiders should pass on Darren, but it's Al Davis, so who the h**l knows what he'll do?
Regardless, don't cut Bush. You just don't cut loose young, talented backs. Stash him on your bench and wait.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." -- Voltaire
If it is true the raiders staff feel secure in Bush's abilities to be a part of the committee. I see him doing a Brandon Jacabs/Bradshaw slit or a Jones/Barber split. I just think if Davis has any since what so ever the 40 million or so would be better spent on a DT, DE. Burgess is constantly hurt and he is their only pressure player on the line.
Perhaps this explains why Davis paid Javon Walker so much money. Maybe he thinks Walker will give him Denver's secrets to not being completely terrible all the time.
Kudos to Leber for the amazing sig and to Metroid for the userbar and making them both fit 2008 and 2009 Defunct Dynasty League Champion
steelerfan513 wrote:Perhaps this explains why Davis paid Javon Walker so much money. Maybe he thinks Walker will give him Denver's secrets to not being completely terrible all the time.
Ahh the deep dark secrets of the NFL...like play well and don't suck.
[quote="A Fleshner Fantasy"][quote="steelerfan513"]Perhaps this explains why Davis paid Javon Walker so much money. Maybe he thinks Walker will give him Denver's secrets to not being completely terrible all the time.[/quote]
Ahh the deep dark secrets of the NFL...like play well and don't suck.[/quote]
HAHAH.....that was funny!!
But seriously I kinda think they will not draft McFadden. If they don't I think Bush could have relevance. Based on his ability in College he should get goalline and recieve some major carriers. Fargas only signed a 3 yr deal which was mostly incentive laiden. I think he could be #2 if he gets beat in camp. Bush is already big and has the benefit of the offseason program to build a even better body! I am I just blowing smoke b/c I own him or is this a possible senerio.
Michael Bush's value hinges on whether not Oakland drafts McFadden. With McFadden all Oakland RBs are worthless. With no McFadden, I think Fargas starts the year in as a quasi-featured RB role, while Bush still sees the field in certain situations. As the season wears on you have two options: 1) Fargas gets injured and Bush becomes the starter, 2) RBBC develops with Fargas as the lead and Bush as the backup.
I like Bush's value in either case, because Fargas hasn't really proven to me that he is for real, despite what he did last year. Guy takes way too many hard hits and has had virtually no longevity in his career. Last year he was able to play through bruised ribs, but he still had his season ended by a knee injury (MCL I think). Guy posted a 1,000 yard season, but he couldn't even finish out 10 games as the starter, let alone a full slate of 16. And I don't care how talented you are, if you're not on the field on a regular basis, someone else will be. NFL GMs are thinking the same thing as me, because the guy was an UFA this offseason yet Oakland was still able to sign him to average backup money. Three years is a backup length contract. $3 million per year is backup pay. They got a bargain if this guy plays out, but really they shouldn't and don't expect that out of Fargas.
And regarding the big question, I'm thinking that there is about a 20% chance that Oakland drafts McFadden. Oakland has been picking up FAs like no other this offseason and they are truly in win-now mode. At #4, you are limited to about 5 positions in this year's draft: DE, DT, LT, RB, QB. And ultimately, if you want the biggest immediate impact on a win-now team you draft an elite defensive prospect who can step in on day 1. The 20% chance that Oakland goes with McFadden at #4, is mainly if Oakland feels there are no elite DE/DT prospects on the board at that point and McFadden is their last best option. They probably take the LT too if he is available there. I see McFadden as a last resort option for the Raider's.
Verdict: Bush is a buy low right now in almost all leagues. After the draft, his owners will get to thinking about why they picked up this guy in the first place and you won't get him cheap. He is still a gamble for sure, but I think he is a winning gamble due to Fargas's inability to stay on the field.
I agree with the rest. Bush is a special talent, and that post from the angry Raiders fan certainly doesn't diminish his value at this point, if anything, it should make you feel good that he's on your roster. Wait until after the draft. If they draft McFadden, then you probably have to consider dumping him. If they don't he will get his chance on the field this year.
As far as whether or not they will draft McFadden, who knows? I don't think that would be the best move for their team considering the depth they have at RB, but Al Davis loves speed and flash, and McFadden has that in spades. Then again, so does Vernon Gholston, and they need to find a way to generate some pass rush and solidify the front four. I think that there are at least five players not named McFadden that are both worthy of being taken that early and are in positions of need for Oakland - Dorsey, Ellis, Gholston, and both Longs. If they make their board with positional need in mind, the logical choice would be to take the highest rated of those five guys that are available with their fourth overall pick, which means that if they're smart, they won't end up with McFadden. But that's a big if when you're talking Raiders.
I have always been one for taking BPA if you're an NFL GM, but in order to do that, you really have to do a lot of work shoring up your major need areas through free agency and player development so that you don't have huge glaring needs staring you in the face on draft day. I guess they have tried in free agency, as evidenced by the oodles of cash given to rather pedestrian players, but there's no way they have done a good job developing their young talent since they installed those revolving doors on the offices of all the coaches.
McFadden pays visit to Raiders Oakland, with the fourth pick in the draft, could select the talented Arkansas running back STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS Article Launched: 04/08/2008 03:25:31 AM PDT
Many so-called draft experts project Arkansas running back Darren McFadden to go to the Raiders with the fourth pick in the NFL draft later this month. His face-to-face visit with Oakland coaches and front-office people Monday only fuel such speculation.
It's important to note that McFadden won't be the last player to meet with the Raiders between now and April 26, the day the two-day, seven-round draft begins.
Coach Lane Kiffin downplayed the prospect of the Raiders taking McFadden, given the presence of running backs Justin Fargas, LaMont Jordan, Dominic Rhodes and Michael Bush on the roster.
"Running back is really not a need for us," Kiffin said at the NFL owners' meeting a week ago.
Then again, McFadden, 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, isn't your run-of-the-mill player.
He was not made available to Bay Area media at the conclusion of his visit with the Raiders. He entered the draft after a junior season in which he rushed for 1,830 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2007. ...
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by ssarmstro » Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:51 am 
