http://www.realfootball365.com/nfl/a...ood210307.html
"It would be hard to find a team with a better top to bottom draft last year than the Buffalo Bills."
All props to Marv and OBD. The one beef I have with this article is the biggest bust comment at the end, but at least they had the so far there to cover their collective buts. Still, wouldn't McCargo be the name that belongs in that spot?
I'm not sure that any of the Bills picks last season has proven to be a "bust" just yet. Three of the four draft picks who did not contribute significantly (McCargo, Youboty and Butler) suffered setbacks that were really not of their own making, two of them resulting from injuries and the other from the death of his mother.Originally Posted by bwbrenton
Considering that McCargo was beginning to come on and had nearly equal numbers to those logged by Ngata (and better than those of Bunkley) at the time of his injury and that his season was prematurely cut short by an injury, I'm not sure that it is entirely fair to label him as a "bust". I would give McCargo an 'incomplete" for the season much in the same way that I would give Butler, who was also hampered by a slow-healing shoulder surgery in the off-season, an "incomplete" as well. Of course, both of these players must now bounce back from their injuries and begin to make contributions to the team to avoid meriting the "bust" label, but I think it would be premature to apply it after only one season.
As for Youboty, it would similarly be unfair to characterize such a young man who not only lost his mother, but was suddenly thrust into the role of being the head of his family, arranging funerals for her on two continents, and assuming the role of caretaker for his younger brother and sister as being a "bust" because he was unable to make much of a contribution to the team at the same time. However, like McCargo and Butler, Youboty, having lost that time and having failed to earn significant playing time after returning from Africa, now has a lot to prove if he, too, is to avoid being tagged with the "bust" label. And, perhaps, he, more than McCargo and Butler, is under more pressure to perform well this season because he is being expected to replace the departed Nate Clements as the Bills starting CB, a position where a young player's mistakes are magnified because they are a lot easier for fans to see.
I agree with the basic premise of the article that the Bills had an excellent draft last year, but I don't think it was necessary or, given the circumstances involved, warranted for the author to label any of the players who did not contribute significantly last year as a "bust" just yet. There have been some fine players over the years who, for various reasons (often as a result of injuries, but not always), did not contribute much to their teams their first and sometimes even second season(s) in the league who went on to have superb Pro Bowl laden and even HOF careers. I'm not saying that that will necessarily be the case with McCargo, Youboty and/or Butler, but I am saying that it is still far too early to say that it won't be, either.
Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. And, thus it was that they surrendered their freedom; not with a bang, but without even a whimper.
Its interesting though... we have 3 guys who really will be rookies this season with the privelege of having been in the locker room for a whole year. That could be a huge shot in the arm to a team that has a lot of people questioning where they will get the replacements for their huge losses from. If any of the guys this year can come in and earn time right away, we could truly be looking at a major run in '08, with a respectable playoff year this year. Good thing this is a deep draft, and good thing we did so well last year.
I give props to our coaches for the way they have prepared these rookies . They may not have dominated, but at least they weren't lost . I'm looking forward to another great draft by Modrak and Marv.
Yeah, but the writer qualified it as "BIGGEST BUST (so far)".
So at least he recognized that he can't write off Youboty just yet.
And like LifetimeBillsFan pointed out, the setback wasn't Youboty's fault.
Thanks for the info.
I know that if I had to bury my mother as a 22 year old, I'd probably miss a hell of a lot more time than Youboty did at camp. I think it's remarkable he only missed a few weeks.
I certainly don't doubt the kid just because he fell behind in training camp due to such rough circumstances.
Personally, I think Youboty is going to be a fine cornerback. Like a lot of Bills fans, I've thought so since we drafted him.
It's nearly impossible to consider a player to be a bust after one season, particularly when the player had an outside issue or injury which affected his progress.
Should have known, way back in 1960 when we drafted Richie Lucas Number 1, that this would be a long, hard ride. But who could have known it would be THIS bad?
Especially since he has a first round grade.
That is why it takes a few years to truly grade a draft. The Bills had received very low grades right after the draft. The only players that did not respond had extenuating circumstances around them so McCargo, Youboty and Butler all should graded as incomplete. It is very encouraging that the players that did not have an injury or death of a mother played really well. The other three we will be better able to tell after this year where they stand.
Obviously, he's the only one that never really got playing time. It's not his fault though, he'll step it up this season.BIGGEST BUST (so far): Ashton Youboty.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
