Unfortunately for Reggie, things haven't quite panned out for him, or any of the "star players" in that unforgettable 2006 National Championship game. Teammate Matt Leinart has been a bust so far in the league, and Vince Young has gone from struggling rookie to Alex Smith status, to suicidal and depressed backup quarterback.

While Bush was a great weapon for the New Orleans Saints and helped them win a Super Bowl, he hasn't quite been the star that everyone predicted.

The Saints surprised a lot of people in April's draft when they selected Heisman Trophy-winning running back Mark Ingram out of Alabama. What did this mean for the organization? Bush immediately knew what it meant, as he posted "it's been fun New Orleans" on his Twitter account, shortly after the team selected Ingram.

Although he later retracted his statements, Bush knew that it was likely that he was on the way out if he didn't take a significant pay cut. He decided not to take the cut, and he was sent to Miami. The Dolphins' dual threat tandem of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams were free agents, and not expected to return. Brown has already signed with the Eagles, and it doesn't appear that Williams will be coming back either.

Now Bush has moved on and put his focus on Miami. Normally you would fear that a high-profile athlete like this would get into some trouble at some point in this hot spot, but Bush was an even bigger star at USC, so this is nothing new to him.

Another thing that won't be new to him, is being a backup and situational back in the NFL. Even with Brown and Williams out, the Dolphins are likely to start another running back this season, a rookie from Kansas State named Daniel Thomas.

Thomas is a 6' 1" 238 pound stud that was taken in the second round (30th overall) by the Dolphins. Miami traded up to get him, and they were ecstatic to land him. They are relying on him to be the feature back, and the future of this offense.

The only real weapon they have on offense is Brandon Marshall, so Bush might find some work in a Wildcat formation or possibly in the same role he played in New Orleans. The fact is though, Thomas is going to get the majority of the workload, and Reggie may be fine with it at first, but it is going to eat away at him inside.

The expectations for his career have already gone way down, but Reggie still thinks he should be a starting tailback in the NFL. With the Dolphins not likely to have the same success that the Saints had, Bush could become frustrated, and eventually work his way out of Miami.

I'm not saying his career is over yet, but it seems as though he is on that path right now.

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It used to be you just needed a monster in the backfield that could roll over people like Jerome Bettis and Mike Alstott. More and more today, teams are utilizing guys like Reggie Bush, Jahvid Best and Darren Sproles as pass catchers in the open field. There are still big bruisers like Adrian Peterson, Steven Jackson and Brandon Jacobs, but the game has changed.

There are some guys that are viewed as elite running backs in this league, and I'm still not sure why. I know there will be a lot of people ready to defend their guys here, but I just want to know what they do that is so much better than anyone else. I'm not saying any of these players are terrible, just over-hyped in my opinion.

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With so many rule changes giving offensive players even more of an advantage, the game has become even more difficult for players in the secondary. The list of "shutdown corners" in the NFL has shrunk more and more every single year.

Looking at the long list of available free agents on the defensive side of the ball, I wanted to focus on the guys that have arguably the toughest job in the game: stopping elite passing offenses.

Just missing the top 10 list were Roman Harper and Quintin Mikell.

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When LeBron made "the decision" he faced many uncertainties if he stayed with Cleveland. The team hadn't won a championship, and he was not feeling confident they could win with the team they had assembled.

LeBron felt that if he wanted to win multiple championships in the future he would not be able to do it with the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Peyton Manning being 35 years old next season, how does he feel about this Colts team?

First, we must look at the situation at hand. The Colts just lost a home wild-card playoff game on the final play of the game—a Nick Folk 32-yard field goal. The team battled injuries like no other all season. They had 10 defensive backs alone that were on injured reserve.

The multiple concussions of Austin Collie, and season-ending injuries to Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez, Blair White and Donald Brown also hurt the offense. Not having Joseph Addai and Gary Bracket for multiple games was also a handicap.

Looking at the free agents on this team going into next season, there will be questions. If Bill Polian does in fact make Peyton the highest paid player in the game (which he has said repeatedly that he will), then it could be tough to sign all of the other key free agents.

Guys like Joseph Addai, Melvin Bullit, Adam Vinateri and Charlie Johnson could be harder to sign. Don't look for the Colts to go after Namdi Asomuguah.

This team has already forgotten about Bob Sanders, but both Reggie Wayne and Robert Mathis want new deals this offseason as well. They both still have a year remaining on their deals, but the Colts can not afford to have either of them sit out or be disgruntled.

With all of these personnel decisions to be made, Peyton needs to look at the situation and decide what is best. I don't think anyone expects him to leave, but if he did go somewhere else, can you imagine the uproar this would cause? The city would be crushed, and the fairweather Colts fans would almost certainly cut ties with the team.

Even if he did decide to leave, where would he consider going? The money will be high wherever he goes, but we all know he wants to win. So what teams will have a better chance than the Colts at winning a Super Bowl for the next handful of years?

Don't look for a team from the AFC South. You probably won't find him in the AFC West (sorry Chiefs) either. The Ravens and Steelers won't have room for him in the AFC North come playoff time, and I doubt we see him in the same division as Tom Brady.

Sure Rex would shove Sanchez to the bench in order to get Peyton, but he won't make New York the Manning capital of the world. The Dolphins and Bills are also out of the question.

So really no chance of an AFC team landing him, what about the NFC? He obviously stands a better chance to get to the big game in the NFC, where he won't have to travel to New England, Pittsburgh or Baltimore for a playoff game.

He would poke his own eyes out with a fork before he went to the NFC West. The Redskins are looking hard for a QB, but I don't think Peyton would be interested. All of the other NFC East teams are probably out of the question.

The NFC North is interesting. Cutler is in Chicago, but I'm sure the fans there would be more than willing to sit him down for Manning. Nobody wants to go to the Lions....ever. The Packers have their guy, so don't ask. The Vikings are desperate for a QB, and they could have a new dome coming their way. Manning and Peterson in the backfield...that would be scary.

The NFC South is also interesting because of one team—the Bucs. The Saints and Falcons are set with Brees and Ryan, and the Panthers are the worst team in the league. That would be like LeBron leaving the Cavs and taking his talents to the Bobcats.

So, with the Bucs, you have one of the youngest teams in the league with some proven talent. A good defense with some weapons on offense too. The only problem is the competition. The Bucs won 10 games this year, yet still missed the playoffs because the Saints and Falcons were in. Doesn't look like he is heading to Florida.

So that really leaves the Vikings as the only legitimate option out there for Peyton. If the defense could return to last year's defense, I am sure it would be something to consider, especially with Peterson and the receivers on offense, but ultimately he will stay in Indianapolis of course.

Which would be the bigger story, LeBron leaving the Cavs, or Peyton leaving the Colts? I think Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon would probably end up killing each other after a month-long debate on "PTI" with that one.

The fact is, we all know Peyton will stay, and much like Reggie Miller, will spend his entire career here in the great state of Indiana. There are so many reasons why he won't leave, such as the system that he is in, the offense, the coaching staff, the players, the stadium and just for the simple fact that he will not want to pack his things and move somewhere else.

Could you also imagine the hatred he would receive from Colts fans? The burning of jerseys and mobs in Cleveland should be a sign that people won't be able to "just move on" from it.

It would be an interesting situation and of equal proportion to "The Decision" by LeBron, but the fact is that Polian is about to make Peyton a Colt for life, and fans should be getting over this playoff loss very quickly.

We need to be thankful and appreciative of what we have here. Just look at Curtis Painter on the sidelines, and count your blessings.

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While the Vikings have been a disappointment this season, all of the blame can't be put on Brett.

The defense is not the top-notch defense that was crushing people last season. The defense didn't lose anything on defense, they just haven't been producing this year. The head coach was canned a couple of weeks ago, and Favre has been battling injuries all year.

I don't want to make this all about Brett, though.

Looking at what Moss has done this season, it would be shocking to see any team trying to sign him next year.

There really isn't any potential left in him.

Maybe you could use him as a decoy, but even if he has a shot to make a diving catch, a spectacular grab, or even a key block, he is likely going to disappoint you.

The most recent example of this came last week in the Titans loss to the Houston Texans. The game was overshadowed by the Andre Johnson/Cortland Finnegan incident, but what everyone should be talking about was the effort—or lack there of—that Moss gave towards the end of the game.

Rusty Smith is not Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Phillip Rivers, I know.

Still, when a ball is thrown your way in the end zone in the final minutes of a game where you are being shut out, the least you can do is look at the ball and extend your arms.

Randy watched Rusty throw his way, and before the ball was above his head, just stopped running and looked straight ahead with his arms at his side. If he would have caught it, it would have been a great catch, but he could have at least gotten his hands on the ball.

The point is, any other receiver in the league would have tried to come down with that ball, yes, even Terrell Owens.

Looking at the statistics for Randy this season, you have to wonder if he has anything left.

Playing the role of a decoy can only last for so long, before defenses stop worrying about him. Until he proves he can hurt them, he isn't going to help your offense at all.

If he can't put up good numbers with Tom Brady and Brett Favre, what makes anyone think he is going to try for someone like Josh Freeman or Matt Cassell?

In the four games he played with New England this year, he caught nine passes for 139 yards and three touchdowns.

After being traded to the Vikings, Moss was able to catch 13 balls for 174 yards and two touchdowns from Favre in four games.

Since being picked up by the Titans, he has been virtually invisible, catching just four passes for 39 yards and no touchdowns in three games so far.

Looking at the teams around the league, if you added Moss to the roster, I don't know of any team where he would be the clear number one receiver. The only ones that are debatable, would be the Rams and Raiders. Even then they both have had breakout candidates this year.

The Bills have Steve Johnson, the Bears have Devin Hester, and the 49ers have Michael Crabtree. The Jaguars could also be in the debate, but both Sims-Walker and Mike Thomas have been decent this year.

Looking at next season, I don't see Randy Moss as a number one receiver for any team in the NFL.

When you get to that point in your career, and you haven't been producing, or even trying for that matter, then it's time to hang up the cleats.

Yes, Randy has made a lot of money in his career and if the opportunity is out there to make even more, of course he is going to stick around. It will be interesting to see if anyone makes him an offer.

The only team I could see bringing him back might be the Patriots.

I think Randy knew after he went to Minnesota, how great he had it in New England with Brady and Bellicheck. I don't think he would want to play anywhere else. If it can't work out with that organization and those players and coaches, you have to wonder if it is possible anywhere else.

If there is anything fans hate to see, it's the guy they watched growing up as a superstar, not be able to perform at a later age.

Being born in 1985 and growing up as a kid in the 90's, I lived for the epic match ups between the Pacers, Bulls, and Knicks.

Guys like Reggie Miller, Michael Jordan, and Patrick Ewing were the reason I became a fan.

Toward the end of their careers, it was really sad to see how far they had fallen.

Not so much Reggie, but watching Ewing with the Magic, and Jordan with the Wizards, it was sort of depressing in a sense.

It's easy to see the same thing in the NFL if you look at Moss.

Though people may compare it to the situation that Jerry Rice was in towards the end of his career, it couldn't be further from the truth.

Rice played hard every single game and gave it everything he had.

He didn't care what team he was playing for, what the score was, who the quarterback was, or what the team's record was. He was going to give maximum effort every time the ball was snapped.

If he can come back next season, he will have to be more productive than he has been this year.

If it gets any worse, we may see the end of him before the regular season is over with.

If he isn't going to be able to perform better than he has this year, then there is no reason for him to come back, just to pick up a paycheck. Better for him to leave at the end of the season, than to come back next year and be non-existant.

This could also work out well in the future, in the way that it could prevent the Hall-of-Fame induction in Canton from being so Favre-heavy.

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There were some good units that did not end up making the list, including the Broncos with Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. Also not making the list were the the Ravens and Steelers, which says alot for the talent around Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu.

The Cardinals, Raiders, Chargers, and Titans were also not in my top five.

In my personal opinion, these teams have some good players at variable positions, but the units as a whole do not compare to these five units:

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So here we are, a few weeks away from the regular season, and we really don't have a very good idea of who is going to be real contenders, and who is going to have a treacherous season ahead of them.

Of course there will be those that will laugh at my predictions and tell me why I am wrong, but hey, I didn't expect to write this article and have everyone agree with me.

All I ask is that you give me some good reasons why which team will win their division.

Let the debating begin!

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Those of you that live for fantasy football, just hit the "back" button on your web browser now.

For the rest of you out there, maybe you can relate to this. A few years ago, there was nothing out there better than the fantasy football draft for which you and your buddies were getting together.

From NFL draft kits to fantasy cheat sheets, guys and girls around the globe gear up for this event every year, and sadly, it has become even more popular than the NFL itself in certain parts of the world.

The fact is, I played fantasy football for roughly three years and really did enjoy it. The obvious reality that nobody wants to face is: there are more negatives than positives as far as this game goes.

Sure, it's fun to get together and have a draft party with your buddies and joke around and see who can come up with the most talented roster, and see who can get "the steal" of the draft. It's fun to play general manager and consider trades and look at who to pick up from the waivers.

Beyond that, there is really nothing else.

Even if you do have a good team, chances are the guy that doesn't have a chance toward the end of the season will end up just giving up, and some won't even bother managing their teams when the playoffs draw near.

Add to that with the possibility of injuries that can occur at any point during the season, and you've got a mess on your hands. The fun can easily be sucked out of the game that quickly.

The days of waking up on Sunday and going to get a nice brunch before the games begin at 1 p.m. are gone. Now it's all about staying up late Saturday night, trying to get the perfect lineup for the day. You don't know if someone is going to play or not, and maybe they will start but you don't know how much they will actually play.

Asking the "experts" out there if you should make this trade, or who should you start at this position? Who really cares?

Nobody cares about anyone else's team or league, and it irritates the hell out of me every time I turn on SportsCenter only to see them waste 10 minutes on some fantasy football garbage.

I want to know what the keys are to the actual football game that is going to be played. I want to see the stars shine and watch the big plays. I want to watch the game and be in the game, not checking the bottom line for all of my players' stats and the players that I am going against this week.

All of the "fun" of the NFL is being sucked out of the real games because of this childish fantasy.

People seem to want to talk more about their fantasy league rather than the National Football League, and that bothers me.

It's about time we start watching the games just to watch the games. The fantasy football junk as well as the over/under bets that are going on are killing the integrity of the game.

I would much rather watch a game by myself and enjoy it, than be with a bunch of guys that are worried about their second running back getting 17 more yards, regardless of the score or outcome of the game.

It's time to set down the laptops, and keep the money in your pockets people. Watch the game, because in the end, that is the only thing that is real.

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There have been several generations of athletes, and with those athletes are the fans that followed them throughout their careers. The fans remember everything about them, and the experiences they had with them.

What about the youthful generation of today? What about those of us born in the mid-to-late '80s that missed so much? All we have are the highlights and stories of others from those historic eras.

As a fan today, I feel grateful that I can watch Peyton Manning and Tom Brady duel it out right before my eyes and feel the anticipation that leads up to the game.

I appreciate the fact that I can watch LeBron James and Kobe Bryant go head-to-head as they play out their sure-fire Hall of Fame careers.

While I know I am fortunate to watch these Hall of Famers play during their careers, I can't help but think about all I have missed. I may have been alive during some of these historic events, but not old enough to remember any of them.

Whether it is baseball, football, hockey, or basketball, there are so many moments that I was not able to experience first hand.

The 1980 Miracle on Ice is one of the greatest moments in all of sports. I was still five years away from being born when it took place.

In 1969, Joe Namath guaranteed a Super Bowl victory when his Jets were 18-point underdogs. They went on to win the game. That was 16 years before my birth.

Ali vs Frazier, 1971. All I can do is listen to the stories and read about it in books.

Wayne Gretzky became the NHL's all-time leading scorer as I turned four years old.

In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points in a game. My only memory of that event is the hand-written "100" sign he is holding up in that famous picture.

In 1983, I missed Jimmy V and N.C. State pull off one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history.

Jack Nicklaus wins his last Masters Title in 1986. I have the videos on the Internet to watch that event.

All I know about John Wooden is he was the greatest coach in men's college basketball. I know that because I read about him in a book and on the Internet.

In 1979, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird squared off in the college basketball championship—one of the greatest rivalries in basketball history, just another moment that I wasn't alive for.

Pete Rose was banned from baseball in 1989, three years before I became a Cincinnati Reds fan.

Not only are these some of the moments that I wasn't around for, but also some of the greatest athletes in history were before my time.

In baseball, I never got to watch any of these famous players live; Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Yogi Berra, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Cy Young.

I don't think we appreciate our past enough in sports today. We are all caught up on today's players and want to talk about how much better they are than players of the past.

As a huge basketball fan, it is sad to realize that I never got to see any of these players during their prime; Bob Cousy, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Willis Reed, "Pistol" Pete Marovich, Kareem, Bird, Magic, Dr. J, Moses Malone.

I can find endless amounts of game footage and pictures with stories, but nothing will ever compare to the thrill that the older generations got to experience.

In football, some of the players from the past are still considered some of the best to ever play the game. I also missed out on these players during their football careers; Joe Namath, Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, Terry Bradshaw, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, OJ Simpson, Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown.

To those of us born in the late '80s, we look back on these players and respect them, but we don't know what it was like to watch them on a weekly basis. The story lines that build up before each game, and what the players were like in person.

The generations before us know so much more about these players than we ever will, and lucky for us, they are kind enough to share stories about them with us.

There seems to be somewhat of an urban legend feel with some of these athletes, because all we hear are stories. We don't get to interview them, or hang out with them before or after games.

Some stories about Babe Ruth are so astonishing, but we don't know if they are real or made up.

What I am getting at is that we should remember those players from the past and appreciate them, but we must also cherish the time we have with today's athletes, because they will just be memories to our children some day.

We will have the privilege of telling our children and grandchildren about the Kobe Bryant's of the world. We will tell them stories about the great Peyton Manning and Randy Moss.

Someday when these players are all gone, and replaced with the next generation of athletes, we will just have our memories to serve us during our storytelling.

We can have all the film and interviews in the world, but nothing will ever be like the real encounters that we are having today.

My generation will never really get to know any of the past players mentioned in this article. We won't ever be able to feel the emotion that was felt during those days. That is something we will never be able to share with the older generations.

What we have today is the opportunity to watch and be grateful of what is in front of our eyes. We need to be thankful for what we do have, but also continue to respect those ghosts of the game that came before us.

It is scary to think that in 10 years, teenagers won't know who Michael Jordan was. They will know his name, and see his highlights, but they will never feel what we felt when he hit that shot over Craig Ehlo.

In 15 or 20 years, kids will be asking what Tiger Woods was like as a player in his prime.

It sounds crazy right now, but these players of today will soon be just a memory; a memory that we will be lucky to share with the next generation.

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