Texans Poised To Select Reggie Bush

By JOHN ALTAVILLA, Courant Staff Writer

One of the debates about the 2006 NFL draft was quelled Friday when the Houston Texans, holding the first pick for the first time since their 2002 expansion season, re-signed the player they took with that pick, quarterback David Carr.

Signing Carr ends speculation that the Texans would trade him, and then draft USC quarterback Matt Leinart or Texas quarterback Vince Young instead of USC halfback Reggie Bush, the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner.

Reggie Bush and Leinart will be among the All-Americans honored tonight when the Walter Camp Football Foundation holds its 39th awards dinner at the Yale Commons.

It has long been assumed that Reggie Bush will be the top pick after a spectacular junior season. He gained 1,740 yards rushing and 478 yards receiving and scored 19 touchdowns, including an 84-yard punt return. The Houston Chronicle reported in January that Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll gave Reggie Bush his blessing to forgo his senior season only after being assured by Texans owner Bob McNair that Reggie Bush would be the top pick.

Hugh Green, the 1980 Walter Camp college player of the year from Pittsburgh and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, said he wouldn't want to be going to the Texans, who were 2-14 last season.

"If I was coming out of the draft at this time, I would do almost like Eli Manning did [in 2004 by telling the Chargers he didn't want to play for them]," Green said. "That's the option players of this quality have now. We didn't have those options. Do not go to a team that is not ready to commit. If they were ready to commit [to being successful], they would have already [proved it]."

NFL player agent Joe Linta said the Texans would benefit more if they traded the first pick.

"Think about it hypothetically," Linta said. "They are so bad at this point. Are they going to be willing to pay $24 million to a running back when they can just trade down and accumulate more picks?

"If you trade the No.1 and move down to 5, 6, 7 or 8, you are going to get that pick plus more, likely a second- and third-rounder. We're talking three of the top 75 picks, and you should be able to get three starters with those."

By trading Manning to New York , the Chargers ended up with quarterback Philip Rivers, kicker Nate Kaeding and NFL defensive rookie of the year linebacker Shawne Merriman.

"I don't know if they'd do it, but I would," Linta said. "I wouldn't want $24 million locked up in one guy who is a knee injury away. They aren't going to take a quarterback, so their choice is Reggie Bush or a trade. And if they do decide to trade, there will be many teams who covet that pick."

Texans first-year coach Gary Kubiak, the former offensive coordinator of the Broncos, doesn't appear interested in trading the pick.

Starting running back Domanick Davis gained 975 yards behind a porous line but scored only two touchdowns and ended the season on injured reserve with a knee injury.

Former NFL coach Dan Reeves, hired as an adviser to McNair late last season, strongly endorsed Carr to the owner and Kubiak, who played quarterback for Reeves with the Broncos in the 1980s.

Kubiak said Reggie Bush and receiver Andre Johnson, the Texans' first pick in 2003, can breathe life into the franchise.

Notre Dame junior center John Sullivan, Camp's 2005 Connecticut player of the year who played in four CIAC championship games at Greenwich High, knows what Leinart and Reggie Bush can do.

Both were instrumental in handing the Irish a 34-31 loss in South Bend , Ind. , in October. Reggie Bush rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Leinart scored the winning touchdown from the 1 with 3 seconds to play.

"I wasn't looking at them very much [during the loss]," Sullivan said. "I was pretty much staring at the ground. It was a tough game for us."

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