The Irony of Bucky Brooks Ranking NFL Draft Prospects

[Tommy]

There isn't anything ironic about this at all. As was already stated, his success in the NFL is not related to his ability to evaluate prospects. It would be ironic if he was making fun of another player that was drafted in the 2nd round for being a bust, since he himself was a 2nd round bust.

[whatdrought]

I think a lot of times guys can have really good head knowledge of the game but not much physiological skill or understanding of the game. This seems like a regular occurrence. I remember when I was younger I read Tony Dungy's book and found it strange that he never amounted to much as a player but did become a good talent evaluator/coach. I think that's just the way of the world. I know that while I grew up knowing a lot about football, when I actually played organized football it took quite a bit of adjustment to  actually understand the game on that level. 

 

As for Brooks- I don't think I ever realized he played for the Bills... interesting. Also, I think his analysis is pretty good usually, but I cannot stand that guys voice. He always seems to need to clear his throat. 

 

[BillsVet]

Mike Mayock was a NFL bust. I’ll take his word on the draft before I would say, Marshall Faulk’s. 

 

And there are plenty of Draftniks who know their stuff and didn’t play. Joel Buchsbaum comes to mind. 

[NoSaint]

1 hour ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

I know the word and I find nothing ironic about him in the role of a draft analyst.  This does not compute. 

 

Its like raaaaain on your wedding day, man.

[26CornerBlitz]

2 minutes ago, NoSaint said:

 

Its like raaaaain on your wedding day, man.

 

That sounds more like a foreshadowing. 

[BuffaloRush]

5 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

Mike Mayock was a NFL bust. I’ll take his word on the draft before I would say, Marshall Faulk’s. 

 

And there are plenty of Draftniks who know their stuff and didn’t play. Joel Buchsbaum comes to mind. 

 

Explain how Mayock was a bust again.  From my research he was a 10th round pick and played in the CFL.  Doesn’t really sound high a level draft pick 

[hemma]

I listen more closely when a former OL guy evaluates either a DL or a fellow OL.

Same thing for a LB/RB/WR/CB/QB, etc  They played or competed directly against that POS, then try to listen more closely

 

Most of these evaluators watch a fair amount of film and I think it is more substantive when they hone in on the good and bad for a position they actually played or a position they directly played against.

 

Example would be any guy that played OL, then watched film of Aaron Donald.  First words after watching were probably along the lines of, "!@#$ me to tears."

 

Doesn't mean their other opinions are worthless.  Just less valuable via actual, accrued pain.

[Thurman#1]

1 hour ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

WRONG you at sir.  Bucky was drafted as a WR in the second round.  He played 3 games for the Bills before missing the season with an injury.   He was cut in training camp as a WR and was not picked up the rest of the 1995 season.

 

He did try to stage a comeback as a DB but it was largely unsuccessful.  He was no George Wilson

 

Interesting view point.  I don’t thibk Bucky views it like that 

 

 

Interesting. I hadn't remembered that he started as a receiver. 

 

But you're not a draft bust when the reason you have problems is a completely unpredictable health problem, in this case an eye condition. Your scouts didn't make a mistake. You're just unlucky, the player and the team both.

 

[Jay_Fixit]

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Global Warming.

[ajmac]

Is everyone replying here gone off the rails? The OP just pointed out that HE thought is was ironic that a player who was not very successful himself as a player was now evaluating that very same thing in other players. Not saying I agee, but I can also certainly understand his logic.

 

what is with all the criticisms? 

Anyway, I see the OP's point and agree to some extent that I can see the irony, but at the same time, I can see the opposite side that due to his deep level of experience in the game he can evaluate talent with a much deeper understanding of what does and doesn't work.

[pimp on da' net]

5 hours ago, BuffaloRush said:

I have to admit, I am a fan of NFL.com's Bucky Brooks as an analyst.  I think he provides very good insight and is well-spoken and articulate.  Earlier today he was a guest on the John Murphy Show (he said the Bills should be conservative in the draft with first round picks and think they have a mid-range QB in mind) and he was evaluating which players would be successful in the NFL draft and which ones (namely Baker Mayfield) may not. 

 

As I said above, I think Bucky is knowledgeable and good at his job but doesn't anyone see the irony here?  Many of the longtime Bills fans know that Bucky was probably one of John Butler's biggest draft busts.  He was taken in the mid-to-high second round drafting as a potential replacement for the great Andre Reed.   He hardly got on the field and when he did it appeared that Bucky was simply not a good NFL player.  He only played 3 games his rookie year before getting injured, but didn't catch a pass.  He was fully recovered by the start of the 1995 season but was beaten out by mid round draft picks like Justin Armour and Russell Copeland and aging veterans Billy Brooks, Steve Tasker.  Eventually he tried his luck at CB and bounced around from team-to-team to no avail.  

 

Again, I'm not saying that you have to be a success NFL draft pick to evaluate talent, I'm just saying it's ironic that the guy who is predicting the draft value and success of college players, was himself, extremely unsuccessful as a high draft pick.  

 

Its like the old adage; " those who can't do , become teachers or coaches".

[BuffaloRush]

4 hours ago, ajmac said:

Is everyone replying here gone off the rails? The OP just pointed out that HE thought is was ironic that a player who was not very successful himself as a player was now evaluating that very same thing in other players. Not saying I agee, but I can also certainly understand his logic.

 

what is with all the criticisms? 

Anyway, I see the OP's point and agree to some extent that I can see the irony, but at the same time, I can see the opposite side that due to his deep level of experience in the game he can evaluate talent with a much deeper understanding of what does and doesn't work.

 

Exactly - people are assuming I’m saying Bucky is unqualified which never was the case.  Like I said - it’s just a little odd that the guy talking about draft pick busts was semi-high profile draft bust himself

4 hours ago, pimp on da' net said:

Its like the old adage; " those who can't do , become teachers or coaches".

 

Yep - you see this quite a bit with NFL coaches

5 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

Interesting. I hadn't remembered that he started as a receiver. 

 

But you're not a draft bust when the reason you have problems is a completely unpredictable health problem, in this case an eye condition. Your scouts didn't make a mistake. You're just unlucky, the player and the team both.

 

 

It definitely did seem that injuries were a factor.  Then again he did make a full recovery in camp and still didn’t sign on with any teams as WR.  So I don’t think injuries were the only factor 

[dave mcbride]

11 hours ago, BuffaloRush said:

I have to admit, I am a fan of NFL.com's Bucky Brooks as an analyst.  I think he provides very good insight and is well-spoken and articulate.  Earlier today he was a guest on the John Murphy Show (he said the Bills should be conservative in the draft with first round picks and think they have a mid-range QB in mind) and he was evaluating which players would be successful in the NFL draft and which ones (namely Baker Mayfield) may not. 

 

As I said above, I think Bucky is knowledgeable and good at his job but doesn't anyone see the irony here?  Many of the longtime Bills fans know that Bucky was probably one of John Butler's biggest draft busts.  He was taken in the mid-to-high second round drafting as a potential replacement for the great Andre Reed.   He hardly got on the field and when he did it appeared that Bucky was simply not a good NFL player.  He only played 3 games his rookie year before getting injured, but didn't catch a pass.  He was fully recovered by the start of the 1995 season but was beaten out by mid round draft picks like Justin Armour and Russell Copeland and aging veterans Billy Brooks, Steve Tasker.  Eventually he tried his luck at CB and bounced around from team-to-team to no avail.  

 

Again, I'm not saying that you have to be a success NFL draft pick to evaluate talent, I'm just saying it's ironic that the guy who is predicting the draft value and success of college players, was himself, extremely unsuccessful as a high draft pick.  

 

Brooks was lights-out good as a receiver in his first training camp. Kelly went on and on at the time about how much better the offense was going to be because of his talent. He was no bust at all; he just happened to have a really bad acl tear at a point in time when the surgery wasn't as good as it is now. He never got his blazing speed back, and I remember it well. Players who suffer bad injuries aren't busts; they're just examples of bad luck.

Edited February 15, 2018 by dave mcbride

[Thurman#1]

1 hour ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

It definitely did seem that injuries were a factor.  Then again he did make a full recovery in camp and still didn’t sign on with any teams as WR.  So I don’t think injuries were the only factor 

 

Again, he wasn't a bust. The eye thing does seem to have been behind his switch in position.

 

It was an eye problem. And while he could see, it wasn't clear that he could pick up a ball the same way as he had before. 

Edited February 15, 2018 by Thurman#1

[thebandit27]

Bucky was a scout for the Seahawks and Panthers prior to becoming a media analyst.

 

It's no more ironic than Sean Payton--a QB that only played NFL snaps as a "scab" during the strike--becoming a Super Bowl-winning HC IMO.

[Kirby Jackson]

9 hours ago, BillsVet said:

Mike Mayock was a NFL bust. I’ll take his word on the draft before I would say, Marshall Faulk’s. 

 

And there are plenty of Draftniks who know their stuff and didn’t play. Joel Buchsbaum comes to mind. 

I think that you hit the nail on the head. I’ll tell you what else is ironic, Bill Belichick as the greatest coach ever. 

[BuffaloRush]

1 hour ago, dave mcbride said:

Brooks was lights-out good as a receiver in his first training camp. Kelly went on and on at the time about how much better the offense was going to be because of his talent. He was no bust at all; he just happened to have a really bad acl tear at a point in time when the surgery wasn't as good as it is now. He never got his blazing speed back, and I remember it well. Players who suffer bad injuries aren't busts; they're just examples of bad luck.

 

He never recovered?  In this article from 1995 John Butler said that he DID make a full recovery and that he was cut because of “tough completion.”  Which by the way was Damon Thomas and Justin Armour.  Yes the injury could have been a huge factor in his lack of success but I think it’s fair to say he’s in bust territory.  

 

http://buffalonews.com/1995/08/23/the-buck-stops-here-as-bills-release-brooks/

[BillsVet]

10 hours ago, BuffaloRush said:

Explain how Mayock was a bust again.  From my research he was a 10th round pick and played in the CFL.  Doesn’t really sound high a level draft pick 

 

I'll grant that Mayock wasn't as high a pick as Brooks and the latter not having a great career was worse than the former. At the same time, what difference does it make if you're comparing their careers? Neither lasted very long, but both are in the NFL Draft Analyst business and doing well by all accounts.

 

There are others like Daniel Jeremiah who are pretty adept in the NFL Draft community who never even played a NFL down. Their pro career doesn't portend what their draft analysis ability will be.

 

[DrDawkinstein]

If it's ironic for Bucky to be giving his opinions, then what do you call all of us "never-was" schlubs giving our opinions on a message board?

[Maybe Someday]

2 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

Brooks was lights-out good as a receiver in his first training camp. Kelly went on and on at the time about how much better the offense was going to be because of his talent. He was no bust at all; he just happened to have a really bad acl tear at a point in time when the surgery wasn't as good as it is now. He never got his blazing speed back, and I remember it well. Players who suffer bad injuries aren't busts; they're just examples of bad luck.

 

Completely agree.  A torn ACL was basically a career ender back in those days.  The Bills probably knew immediately that his career was over but had to give him a chance to come back.  The fact that he was able to carve out any kind of NFL career after the injury was kind of impressive.  I would not label Bucky a bust at all.   

 

46 minutes ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

He never recovered?  In this article from 1995 John Butler said that he DID make a full recovery and that he was cut because of “tough completion.”  Which by the way was Damon Thomas and Justin Armour.  Yes the injury could have been a huge factor in his lack of success but I think it’s fair to say he’s in bust territory.  

 

http://buffalonews.com/1995/08/23/the-buck-stops-here-as-bills-release-brooks/

 

After suffering an ACL tear in 1994, he would not have been 100% healthy in 1995.  There's just no way.  Even if the knee was structurally sound, most players with that injury at that time never made a full recovery, they lost some of their speed and quickness.  The medical procedure just wasn't good enough at that time.  Even nowadays, if a player tears his ACL in week 3, there is no guarantee that he'll be ready for training camp the following year.  Sure you have some athletic freaks like AP but many players take around 18 months to truly be fully healed and able to do what they could do prior to the injury.  Possibly Butler was putting a spin on the situation to avoid injury settlements, etc?  He wouldn't be the 1st GM to not be completely honest about a player's injury status. 

 

If it were someone like Mike Williams or Aaron Maybin or John McCargo trying to rank players for the draft, that would be ironic.  I'd put Bucky in the category of a guy who's career was derailed by injury not as a bust.  IMO, there's a big difference.