Great News Raiders, Jets Fans: McFadden, Gholston Have Bust Written All Over Them

It's finally here, people: the NFL season is upon us. In the seven months since the Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, front-office types have wheeled and dealed, players have trained, and coaches have game-planned, all for this moment.

Today everybody's upbeat -- ecstatic, even -- especially the fans, many of whom use football as an escape from real-world drudgeries that can sometimes make the offseason seem unbearably long. And by "everybody", I mean "everybody but Greg Cosell." Cosell is the guy behind the guy behind the guy at NFL Films, and he's basically Ron Jaworski's off-camera alter ego.

His most recent column is about as uplifting as a funeral procession, but without all the ceremony. The title pretty much sets the tone, and if you're a Raiders or Jets fans, it just gets more depressing/infuriating from there: "McFadden, Gholston have look of NFL busts."

Now this could very well be the case, but jeebus, man, we haven't even seen either of them play a snap in a regular-season game. It's one thing to call out Alex Smith and Matt Leinart for their shortcomings -- there's plenty of film of those two in various states of underachievement -- but Darren McFadden and Vernon Gholston? Okay, let's hear it.

...In Arkansas' version of the spread offense, with the wide splits by the offensive linemen and the defense stretched horizontally, McFadden at times was able to explode through gaping holes and simply outrun his pursuers.

But that's all the tape showed.

He lacked lateral agility, that innate ability to change direction and create space, while at the same time avoiding contact. He did not exhibit great balance or body control. He was not a natural runner with instincts and vision, which really concerns me as he transitions to the power-based and zone-based running games that define the NFL. ... I was surprised at how easily he went down. It was as if McFadden collapsed upon contact.

Let me just say that I think Cosell's doing the Lord's work, he just has impeccably awful timing; nothing like ruining a Week 1 buzz by panning two rookies who haven't played an NFL down. That said, these were some of the same concerns raised by NFL Network's Mike Mayock prior the draft so it's not the first time we're hearing them.

Cosell adds that Gholston's off-field measurables didn't matchup with the under-performing college player he saw on tape. Apparently, that's a bad sign. To be fair, there were similar knocks about Mario Williams, who got off to a glacial start in Houston only to go bonkers in his second season, when he registered 14 sacks.

The point, I guess, is this: the film doesn't lie. But there's also room for young players who have previously gotten by on sheer athleticism to improve after getting coached up. It's usually a slow process -- or slower than fans would like, anyway -- but it happens. In the case of McFadden and Gholston, Cosell isn't so sure. We'll find out shortly.