The three high profile rookies that have gathered so much attention are already helping their teams cash in. USC's Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, along with our own Vince Young, have created a huge buzz for their new teams. AAS's Suzanne Haliburton writes:
Since then, Eddie White, Reebok's vice president for team properties, said the company has taken an additional 7,000 orders for Young's jersey. That makes Young's the most popular rookie jersey since Reebok started keeping track of sales numbers five years ago.
"Definitely, Vince and Reggie are the two most popular rookies to have come out the last five years," White said. "They were in front of the country with the Rose Bowl, and the country noticed."
Leinart's jersey was a distant third, with 7,500 in sales. Still, that's about 3,000 more than last year's top choice, quarterback Alex Smith, who was selected by San Francisco.
Bush's jersey sales have lagged mostly because he literally has no number. The Saints have petitioned the NFL to lift the rule stating that running backs must wear numbers from 20 to 49 so that they may be easily identified by game officials. Bush has sported No. 5 since high school.
Not everyone, though, is as taken with Reggie and Matt as the Highfalutin `Pologist is.
Matt's new employers, the Arizona Cardinals, told their new star to quit dating a high profile skank. Apologies about from you know who, but he's pretty much on his own at this point. It's horrible publicity for Leinart and Arizona; saying it's all arranged is beyond delusional. It's high comedy. Good for something after all!
Meanwhile, Pro Football Talk, widely respected and cited everywhere, opines that Reggie Bush is a selfish asshole. Their words, not mine. Scroll down the page for the full story.
Anyway, this reminds me: time to go buy my Vince Young jersey. Go Titans!
--PB--