Biggest Bust: NFL

[Big Sexy]

This is the start of a short series of threads where the biggest busts in the 4 major sports are discussed. With all of the baseball threads in here I decided to start off with the NFL. Here are some candidates:

Ryan Leaf- This is my pick for the biggest bust. He was the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft and some thought he would have the better career between him and Peyton Manning. Leaf lasted only 4 years in the NFL and one of those years was spent on injured reserve. He had a career passer rating of 50.0, threw for only 14 tds and had 36 interceptions in 21 career starts, and only completed 48.4% of his passes for his career. Not only was he shit on the field, he was also a dick off of it.

Heath Shuler- He was the third overall pick to the Redskins in 1994 and was looked at as their quarterback of the future. He held out of training camp his rookie season before finally agreeing to a 7 year contract. Too bad he only lasted 5 years total in the NFL with only 3 of those years being in Washington. The Redskins 7th round pick in that same 1994 draft, Gus Frerotte, ended up being the much better qb and after 3 abysmal seasons in Washington Shuler was traded to the Saints where he finished his shit career. His career numbers are a 54.3 passer rating, 15 tds to 33 ints, and a completion percentage of 49.2.

Tony Mandarich- Touted as the best offensive line prospect ever, Mandarich was selected by the packers second overall in the 1989 draft ahead of Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, and Deion Sanders. So the three picks after him were two current hall of famers and one future hall of famer. Mandarich held out until the week before the regular season his rookie year and didn't become a starter until his third year. After that season he was cut by the Packers. Three years later he made a brief comeback for the Colts starting 32 games in three years and actually played decent but his career fell WAY short of the expectations that were set for him.

Other candidates include- Andre Ware, Akili Smith, Charles Rogers, Jamarcus Russell, Todd Marinovich etc.

 

[Theo Mays]

I agree completely with Leaf as the biggest bust. Many thought he would be just as good, if not better than Peyton Manning. Mandarich is another solid selection. JaMarcus Russell is a guy in recent memory that completely flopped. I'll throw another name into the mix:

RB Lawrence Phillips (Round 1 Pick 6 St. Louis Rams 96 draft)
-The guy was just a thug. He lasted two seasons with the Rams and he accumulated about 1200 yards in those two years. Joe Theisman (not the best choice) claimed that everyone believe Phillips was the best player in the draft. The guy was always in trouble and he was cut due to refusing to show up to a team meeting over a disagreement with Dick Vermeil. Oh and the Rams traded Jerome Bettis, because they felt Phillips was going to be a star.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Another huge bust yet to be mentioned is Joey Harrington, Harrington was the 3rd overall pick in 2002. Since then he has done nothing, I know he played for the Lions but from being picked 3rd overall to a back up on another team in 6 years to out of the league qualifies as a huge bust to me. These are his stats from the time he was in the league, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HarrJo00.htm

 

[Big Sexy]

Another huge bust yet to be mentioned is Joey Harrington, Harrington was the 3rd overall pick in 2002. Since then he has done nothing, I know he played for the Lions but from being picked 3rd overall to a back up on another team in 6 years to out of the league qualifies as a huge bust to me. These are his stats from the time he was in the league, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HarrJo00.htm

Harrington was a bust no doubt but when talking about the biggest busts of all time he isn't near the level of complete shit as a lot of these other guys. Joey had a couple decent seasons, including one where he threw for over 3,000 yards with 19 tds and only 12 ints and overall he can still be a solid backup on some NFL teams. Definitely a bust considering how high he was drafted but I don't consider him in the conversation for biggest bust of all time.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Harrington was a bust no doubt but when talking about the biggest busts of all time he isn't near the level of complete shit as a lot of these other guys. Joey had a couple decent seasons, including one where he threw for over 3,000 yards with 19 tds and only 12 ints and overall he can still be a solid backup on some NFL teams. Definitely a bust considering how high he was drafted but I don't consider him in the conversation for biggest bust of all time.

Of course, just giving credit where credit is due. I would say he could be put in the conversation though since he was looked at to be the guy to bring the Lions back into relevancy. Your from Detriot so I'll take it you know more about how people around there felt about him, but from my position it seemed as he was the savior of the franchise and then fell from gace very very quickly, throw in the fact they took Stafford number 1 overall a few short years later and Joey looks even worse. If Stafford has the career many are saying he is capable of harrington will be looked back upon as an even bigger bust because Stafford did what he couldn't.

 

[Big Sexy]

Of course, just giving credit where credit is due. I would say he could be put in the conversation though since he was looked at to be the guy to bring the Lions back into relevancy. Your from Detriot so I'll take it you know more about how people around there felt about him, but from my position it seemed as he was the savior of the franchise and then fell from gace very very quickly, throw in the fact they took Stafford number 1 overall a few short years later and Joey looks even worse. If Stafford has the career many are saying he is capable of harrington will be looked back upon as an even bigger bust because Stafford did what he couldn't.

The Lions have had about 1,000 potential saviors over the years so although people thought Harrington might be the guy to finally turn it around, nobody was shocked when he failed. Stafford was taken 7 years after Harrington and the team is completely different now so other then the fact that they were both high pick, first round quarterbacks there isn't too much comparison there. Harrington has at least proven that he is a capable NFL player. If he were taken in the 2nd or 3rd round then instead of being seen as a bust he'd be seen as having a decent career. I can think of plenty of other quarterbacks that have been bigger busts then Harrington.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Anyone who doesn't think it's JaMarcus Russell is WRONG.

Sorry.

He was taken #1 overall. The #1 pick is supposed to be the without a doubt can't miss player. At worst, you should still be a solid, dependable player. JaMarcus was anything but solid or dependable.

He made $40 million in three years. He owns a 7-18 career record, and was benched for BRUCE GRADKOWSKI. He has a 52.1% completion percentage, and an 18:23 TD to INT ratio. He also ate himself into weighing nearly 300 lbs, and there were rumors that he hit that mark.

Players in the first round taken ahead of him:

Calvin Johnson
Joe Thomas
LaRon Landry
Adrian Peterson
Patrick Willis
Darrelle Revis
Jon Beason
Brandon Meriweather

...All of these guys are either Pro Bowlers, or at the top of their position. There are many more, but these are the most notable.

At least Ryan Leaf went #2. JaMarcus was #1, and held out for a huge contract, which he got.

He's already been released, and I don't think he'll get a second chance from another team because he doesn't care.

 

[Big Sexy]

Anyone who doesn't think it's JaMarcus Russell is WRONG.

Not at all. You know as well as I do that there isn't much of a difference between the one and two picks especially considering the year Leaf was drafted the top pick was a quarterback as well. You also have to take into consideration the fact that coming into the NFL Leaf was seen as a can't miss prospect. There were a lot of people who had questions about Russell. The only reason he was even the number one pick was because a. it was a weak qb class and b. Al Davis had the number one pick. The Raiders are known for taking workout warriors well before they should be selected.

Russell's stats over his 25 career starts are 18 tds to 23 picks, a 52.1 completion % and a 65.2 qb rating

Leaf's stats over his 21 career starts were just 14 tds to 36 picks, a 48.4 completion %, and an even 50 qb rating.

The overall number one pick argument is a very weak one. There are plenty of years where the team at number one takes a qb based out of need even when the quarterback class is weak and the player doesn't really deserve to be the number pick. That's what happened the year Russell was drafted. Another example of that was the previous year when Alex Smith was taken number one. Ryan Leaf was actually seen as a top guy, Russell was just their based on priority and Al Davis's stupidity.

 

[LamaNamaneumi]

Russell has to be the biggest bust by far.

Someone not yet mentioned is Brian "The Boz" Bosworth. The Seahawks picked Bosworth in the 1987 supplemental draft and became the highest payed rookie in NFL history. 11 million over 10 years. He sued the NFL so he could wear his college number but lost. In 1989 he retired due to a shoulder injury.

I remember when I was a kid everyone was all about this guy and I just could not see why. He even had his own deodorant if I remember correctly.

 

[People's Champ]

A case could be made for either Russell or Leaf. I pick Russell as the biggest bust. You could throw out stats but they are pretty much the same. The INTs are higher for Leaf, however I would argue that Russell's accuracy was so far off not even defenders had an opportunity to pick that ball off. He has great arm strength but terrible accuracy. And I mean terrible. And he had a terrible work ethic. Every year he seemed to get bigger and bigger. And he had a bad attitude when it came to his performance. Nothing seemed to bother that kid. And I suspect it had to do with the nearly 40 mill he took from the Raiders. He gets my vote.

I agree with Big Sexy on one thing and that's the whole 1vs 2 arguement. That's not valid, especially when it comes to the Raiders. They don't always pick the best guy, but rather the fastest or strongest guy Al Davis likes. No thought that Russell was that special, had to have guy in the draft. So yes that hurts the arguement against me. But the fact that he was taken 1 overall means he is a bust. I'm just not going to argue that his being taken 1st over Leaf being taken 2nd means he's a bigger bust.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Not at all. You know as well as I do that there isn't much of a difference between the one and two picks especially considering the year Leaf was drafted the top pick was a quarterback as well. You also have to take into consideration the fact that coming into the NFL Leaf was seen as a can't miss prospect. There were a lot of people who had questions about Russell. The only reason he was even the number one pick was because a. it was a weak qb class and b. Al Davis had the number one pick. The Raiders are known for taking workout warriors well before they should be selected.

Russell's stats over his 25 career starts are 18 tds to 23 picks, a 52.1 completion % and a 65.2 qb rating

Leaf's stats over his 21 career starts were just 14 tds to 36 picks, a 48.4 completion %, and an even 50 qb rating.

The overall number one pick argument is a very weak one. There are plenty of years where the team at number one takes a qb based out of need even when the quarterback class is weak and the player doesn't really deserve to be the number pick. That's what happened the year Russell was drafted. Another example of that was the previous year when Alex Smith was taken number one. Ryan Leaf was actually seen as a top guy, Russell was just their based on priority and Al Davis's stupidity.

The way I look at it is that Peyton Manning was always going to be #1 that year. He was that damn good, and he was hyped as the second coming. He has obviously lived up to those expectations, and the Colts were sold on him when he said to them, "If you don't pick me, I'm going to spend the next 10 years kicking your ass." I don't think there was any real doubt as to who was going #1 that year.

I see JaMarcus as the bigger bust for a number of reasons.

1.) JaMarcus gave up and gained a lot of weight. I think the factors concerning Ryan Leaf were a lot more internal. He was a headcase, and he wasn't mentally prepared to step in and take over as a quarterback. I also think he was looked at as more of a project, and not someone like Manning who could step in right away. Leaf wound up falling victim to being thrown into the fire too early and not being mentally prepared for it. He also suffered from injuries. In fact, I think Leaf's failure is why most rookie QBs do not start right out of the gate. JaMarcus had more controllable factors. He let himself go, ballooning to 300 lbs and not caring about his conditioning. In the end, it's hard to motivate a guy who just got paid. He was in it for the paycheck from the very beginning.

2.) The other players selected in the first round, like Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, and Joe Thomas would have been much better fits for the Raiders and were truly the best available at the time. Fact of the matter is that the opportunity cost in selecting JaMarcus Russell is what set the team back once again. The #1 pick argument absolutely comes into play when so many other guys taken after him have been absolute slam dunks.

It's why teams should draft based on talent, and not need. Did Chester Taylor coming off of a very impressive season stop the Vikings from taking Adrian Peterson? Sometimes, you just have to go for the best player available. Joe Thomas would have been a great piece to rebuild the offensive line. If the Raiders really needed a QB, they always could have traded for one or signed a veteran and drafted someone like Kevin Kolb.

 

[Big Sexy]

The way I look at it is that Peyton Manning was always going to be #1 that year. He was that damn good, and he was hyped as the second coming. He has obviously lived up to those expectations, and the Colts were sold on him when he said to them, "If you don't pick me, I'm going to spend the next 10 years kicking your ass." I don't think there was any real doubt as to who was going #1 that year.

Once the Colts were locked into that number one spot, yes Manning was going number one. However, there were a few teams that said they would have taken Leaf at one if they had the pick as some thought he was the better quarterback.

1.) JaMarcus gave up and gained a lot of weight. I think the factors concerning Ryan Leaf were a lot more internal. He was a headcase, and he wasn't mentally prepared to step in and take over as a quarterback. I also think he was looked at as more of a project, and not someone like Manning who could step in right away. Leaf wound up falling victim to being thrown into the fire too early and not being mentally prepared for it. He also suffered from injuries. In fact, I think Leaf's failure is why most rookie QBs do not start right out of the gate. JaMarcus had more controllable factors. He let himself go, ballooning to 300 lbs and not caring about his conditioning. In the end, it's hard to motivate a guy who just got paid. He was in it for the paycheck from the very beginning.

You act like Ryan Leaf was a consummate professional. Leaf didn't give a fuck either. While Russell let himself go physically, Leaf was suspended by the team multiple times for behavior problems. The guy was a complete dick. Neither qb was a great team guy and neither tried too hard to improve. At least Russell came to mini camp this offseason in the best shape of his pro football career. Showing some sort of drive albeit too little too late.

2.) The other players selected in the first round, like Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, and Joe Thomas would have been much better fits for the Raiders and were truly the best available at the time. Fact of the matter is that the opportunity cost in selecting JaMarcus Russell is what set the team back once again. The #1 pick argument absolutely comes into play when so many other guys taken after him have been absolute slam dunks.

There were tons of great players selected after Leaf as well that would have been great for a Chargers team that needed basically every position at that point. Guys like Charles Woodson, Randy Moss, Fred Taylor, Takeo Spikes, Greg Ellis, Tra Thomas, and Alan Faneca were all first round picks taken after Leaf.

It's why teams should draft based on talent, and not need. Did Chester Taylor coming off of a very impressive season stop the Vikings from taking Adrian Peterson? Sometimes, you just have to go for the best player available. Joe Thomas would have been a great piece to rebuild the offensive line. If the Raiders really needed a QB, they always could have traded for one or signed a veteran and drafted someone like Kevin Kolb.

I agree completely with all of that, but that just proves more that Al Davis is an idiot at this point in his career rather then Russell is a bigger bust then Leaf. Don't get me wrong if Russell never plays another down in the NFL I'd probably put him number two behind Leaf as the biggest bust of all time but I still believe Leaf was the overall bigger bust.

 

[Stormtrooper]

I'm gonna throw another name into the list, but first some backstory to make this even worse.

The 2002 Jets were a shocking division winner, after starting the year 1-5. Because of the loss of Laveranues Coles, they had 2 picks in the 1st round (13th and 22nd) of the 2003 draft. If they used those 2 picks, they could have potentially been a Super Bowl threat in 2003. Instead, they traded these 2 picks to Chicago to move up to #4 overall, and get a big-time player. This was done before the draft, and everyone was ecstatic, because they know who the Jets were going to pick.

The Jets made the pick that a lot of people expected, picking consensus can't-miss DT DeWayne Robertson from Kentucky, whom everyone was saying was "The Next Warren Sapp." The majority of fans and even draft people loved DeWayne, and unfortunately, for Jets fan, Jets fans quickly turned on him.

DeWayne was never anywhere close to Sapp (his high in tackles was 39 in 2004, and he never was any sort of impact player that was expected of him). He was finally dumped on the Denver Broncos before the 2008 season for a conditional late round pick. Only 1 year after signing a 5-year extension with the Broncos, he was cut, and has been out of football since.

Pro Bowl the Jets could have had that year by making the trade:
OT Jordan Gross (8th Overall)
DT Kevin Williams (9th Overall)
DE/LB Terrell Suggs (10th Overall)

Pro Bowlers they could have had WITHOUT making the trade
FS Troy Polamalu (16th Overall)
TE Dallas Clark (24th Overall)
CB Nnamdi Asomugha (31st Overall)


The Jets rolled the dice on getting a Warren Sapp-like guy (Ironically, the Jets passed on Sapp when he was drafted, much to the fans chagrin). By him being a huge bust, the Jets were unable to make that leap from mediocre/solid division winner to Super Bowl contender, and it took 7 years (and 2 coaching changes) for the Jets to get back.

 

[Ty Burna]

To me it's Leaf, Russell was a middle round pick waiting to happen, only his workout numbers and his performance in the Sugar Bowl against a woefully slow Notre Dame team that couldn't keep up with LSU propped him up to top pick status. Leaf was touted as a can't miss prospect and one of the future great quarterbacks of the league. And failed miserably. No one at the time predicted Leaf to fail as bad as he did, and I can tell you a good amount of people thought the Raiders were idiots for taking Russell.

As far as my team goes, I got a handful of picks that make me shake my head. Number one on my list however is Troy Williamson. The Vikings fell for that old Raiders' way of thinking that speed is everything. Williamson had outstanding speed, but he had hands made of butter and couldn't catch anything thrown right to him. He was the 7th overall pick in his class, right before the likes of Antrel Rolle, Demarcus Ware, and Shawn Merriman. Later in the draft the Vikings selected Erasmus James with the 17th pick, and he failed miserably. Who came shortly after James? None other than the Packer's current QB Aaron Rodgers. So really that 2005 draft was horrendous for the Vikings. They've rectified it with solid drafts as of late, I'm not quite sold on this year's draft, but we'll see what happens with it.

 

[BooCocky]

Personally I think the biggest bust ever is Jeff George. That man had all the tools to be a very successful quarterback. He just couldn't put it all together. He was a dick and didn't take advantage of any of his opportunities.

Jamarcus Russell sucks but his career isn't over so I won't call him a bust. He was in the black hole of death in Oakland where everyone goes and sucks. Al Davis is horrible. His coaching staff sucks and he lives off of his success in the 70's or some shit. Russell didn't do anything to improve himself but the hell of Oakland didn't help him either.

 

[Big Sexy]

A couple more names that need to be considered are Steve Emtman and Ki-Jana Carter.

Emtman was a DT out of Washington and he was the number 1 overall pick in the 1992 draft. He had a 6 year career, started only 19 games and his career numbers weren't very good. For his career he only had 121 tackles and 8 sacks. A lot of his troubles were because of injuries but he is without a doubt a bust. Actually the Colts had the one and two picks in the 1992 draft and they probably fucked up as much as humanly possible. Emtman was an injury prone bust and with the second pick they took linebacker Quentin Coryatt who never became anything more then a good special teams contributor.

Ki-Jana Carter was the first pick in the 1995 draft out of Penn State and agin injuries were a factor but Carter never got on track. Total for his career he had only 1,144 yards rushing and 20 tds.