Every team has had them. The Niners had Montana. The Dolphins had Marino. Even the Lions, who never won a Super Bowl, had Sanders. Effective and impact all-stars that stayed with their teams in good times, and in bad. Money wasn’t the first thing on their mind; it was the thought of commitment and teamwork and that family feeling that every athlete has with their teams.
During these past few months, the National Football League (NFL) has had one of the most transacted off-seasons in recent football history. Widespread names such as Reggie Bush, Jake Long, and Ed Reed all left their respective teams despite each having tremendous past seasons in order to attain larger contracts with different teams and to have a better shot at the Super Bowl. My question is: what are they thinking?
The players that have pretty much “jumped ship,” have not only hurt themselves, but also their teams. We all saw what happened with the Los Angeles Lakers when the acquired Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. Absolutely nothing. Actually, it was worse than nothing. They got worse.
The reason why all-star teams don’t succeed is because each great player has a role and distinct quality that they bring in for their team. When you get a bunch of quality players on the same roster, it has the potential to be dynamic. But it also puts the team chemistry in jeopardy. Some teams just don’t need what some all-stars have to offer, or they just might already have it.
Each having the spotlight in Phoenix and Orlando, Nash and Dwight weren’t used to distributing them ball. Meanwhile in L.A, neither was Kobe. With so much talent on one team the Lakers just couldn’t operate as a whole and instead of thriving with the talented roster, they buckled. I don’t know exactly what the newcomers’ motivations were, but to me, it was because they wanted to be a part of an all-star team in Los Angeles and were tired of their original teams. This is what has started to happen in the NFL.
Take the situation with Reggie Bush. An agile and effective rusher, Bush has been accustomed to a rush heavy Dolphins’ offense for the last year. Ryan Tannehill (not the best quarterback) and the rest of their shaky offense valued Bush this last season, and what they had seemed to be building into something that could have been even better this year.
Meanwhile in Detroit, the Lions rarely ran the ball and had their big armed gun slinger Matthew Stafford throw the ball for an average of 45 times per game. They barely established a running game and had an offensive line that clearly could not push for the rush.
To me, the Lions were the last team that needed a player like Bush, because they simply do not utilize the run even when they need to. But for some reason, Lions manager Martin Meyhew felt it necessary to blow $16 million on the ex-Dolphin.
Now I can’t say that Bush won’t be a great rusher while in Michigan. Maybe he’ll repeat what Barry Sanders did. But was it completely impossible/insane to stay for one more year in Miami? He was there for one season! Besides, isn’t it a hassle to join and team, learn the playbook, and then pick up all your stuff and leave?
The reason why players like Bush are leaving their struggling teams is because they’re struggling. They have no motivation to stick it out, and no inspiration to try and help their team out of the trenches. Before Joe Montana got to San Francisco, the Niners, for lack of a better word, sucked. Not even making the playoffs in 1979 or 1980 when Montana was already on the team, the Niners didn’t seem to be making a lot of headway. But unlike Bush, Montana stuck with the red and gold and brought back a Super Bowl in 1981 as the Most Valuable Player, going on to win even more and to become a first ballot hall of famer.
No team starts out absolutely amazing. Every club is going to have a weak link, and it’s up to the team to either pick up the slack or to help the rest of the team get even better. No franchise has ever won it all based on one player’s performance throughout the season and as long as there are “team sports,” no team ever will.
What Bush should have done is stayed in Miami. He should have tried to capitalize on the Dolphins’ young offense and he should have tried making matters easier on first year head coach Joe Philbin. Now the team has to find a replacement running back in a draft year that has very little variety already.
Montana’s persistence is what all players should strive to repeat. You don’t have to arrive at the best team in the league to do well. You have to help your team reach it’s full potential, you can’t just quit if you’re losing. I think that Vince Lombardi, one of the most successful coaches in history, said it best: “Winners never quit and quitters never win.”
