It’s crazy how perfectly songs intertwine with specific situations in life.
Some tracks come on and take you to a completely different time and place. The most legendary album for me is the Wu-Tang Clan’s Forever because that cd came out right as my brother got his driver’’s license. We must have played that album 10,000 times driving all over the place in his crappy 1984 Ford Escort.
Unfortunately for some teams in the NFL and the NBA, some of the biggest decisions the franchises have made over the past 10 seasons can’t be described any better than Jay-Z did with his 1996 classic Regrets from his debut album Reasonable Doubt.
So many teams can relate to the lyrics.
You don’t think the Atlanta Hawks don’t constantly mumble the lines “Beads of sweat second thoughts on my mind. How can I ease the stress and learn to live with these regrets” for selecting Marvin Williams instead of Chris Paul back in 2005?
Don’t even act like there aren’t at least 14 teams kicking themselves and singing “Time waits for no man, can’t turn back the hands once it’s too late, gotta learn to live with regrets” after passing on safety Troy Polamalu in the 2003 NFL Draft.
Sure he’s been banged up this year, but his knee injury also solidifies my point. Without Polamalu patrolling the secondary, the Steelers have fallen apart, losing to Kansas City, Oakland and Cleveland as the defending Super Bowl champions.
Troy Polamalu has almost half of the NFL living with regrets for passing on him during the 2003 NFL draft.
With the forth pick, the Jets took Dwyane Robertson, who isn’t even in the league now instead of Polamalu, ouch.
As huge as those two blunders are, they don’t measure up with some of the inexplicable picks teams have made this decade.
With the NFL, players are constantly scrutinized because of lavish rookie contracts and huge expectations to immediately change their teams’ fortunes. And if they don’t, there’s a large talent pool ready to step in and produce.
In the NBA, the amount of pressure placed on prospects to flourish is incredible. Since there are only two rounds in the NBA Draft, every team HAS to get their pick right. One stumble can set a franchise back for years.
Between the two leagues, there have been numerous players that have disappointed, but here’s a look at the 10 picks franchises regret.
10. David Terrell- Selected 8th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 was the year of the wide receiver in the NFL draft, unfortunately for Chicago, they missed big time with their pick. Terrell lasted just 54 career games and never scored more than four touchdowns in a season or surpassed 700 yards in a year. Nine years later, the Bears are still searching for that impact receiver to make their offense effective.
Other wide receivers taken in the 2001 NFL Draft- Koren Robinson, Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Chad Ochocinco, Chris Chambers, Steve Smith and T.J. Houshmandzadeh
9. Peter Warrick- Selected by the Cincinnati Bengals 4th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft
It’s difficult to blame the Bengals here because Warrick was so dominant while he played for Florida State. But once he entered the NFL, he constantly disappointed. His career year was 2003 when he had 79 catches for 819 yards and seven touchdowns, but two years later, he was out of the NFL.
Other wide receivers taken in the 2000 NFL Draft- Plaxico Burress, Laveranues Coles and Dante Hall
8. Nikoloz Tskitishvili- Selected by the Denver Nuggets 5th overall in the 2002 NBA Draft
During the height of the European craze in the NBA, Denver reached way too early for a shaky prospect who turned out to be a complete bust in the NBA. Tskitishvili has embarrassing career averages of 2.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He is the worst player from the most horrible NBA draft class of the decade.
Other small forwards taken in the 2002 NBA Draft- Caron Butler, Tayshaun Prince, John Salmons, Matt Barnes and Rasual Butler
7. Mike Williams- Selected by the Detroit Lions 10th overall in the 2005 NFL Draft
Selecting a wide receiver in first round for the third time in four years, the Detroit Lions struck out horribly. Williams dominated while playing at USC, his skill didn’t translate into the NFL. Lasting just four years on three different teams, Williams destroyed any hope Lions fans had left.
Other wide receivers taken in the 2005 NFL Draft- Mark Clayton, Roddy White, Roscoe Parrish and Vincent Jackson
6. Adam Jones- Selected by the Tennessee Titans 6th overall in the 2005 NFL Draft
An electrifying defensive back and kick returner, Jones made more noise for all of his legal troubles away from the field. After being run out of Tennessee, the Cowboys rolled the dice on the troubled, yet talented, player with little results. Jones is still playing, but is now in the Canadian football league.
Other cornerbacks taken in the 2005 NFL Draft- Fabian Washington, Marlin Jackson, Corey Webster, Ellis Hobbs and Domonique Foxworth
5. Joey Harrington- Selected by the Detroit Lions 3rd overall in the 2002 NFL Draft
Not a lot of talented quarterbacks in the 2002 NFL draft but unfortunately for the Lions, they needed a signal caller and went with Harrington. Six sub-par years in the league were enough for Harrington as he never posted a quarterback rating over 78 and had only one season where he threw more touchdown passes than interceptions.
Other quarterbacks taken in the 2002 NFL Draft- David Garrard
4. David Carr- Selected by the Houston Texans 1st overall in the 2002 NFL Draft
Joining the expansion Texans, Carr didn’t stand a chance behind a suspect offensive line. During his rookie season, Carr was sacked an NFL record 76 times. After five long years in Houston, Carr bounced around the league as a backup and is now with the New York Giants.
Other first round selections in 2002 NFL Draft- Dwight Freeney, Jeremy Shockey, Albert Haynesworth and Ed Reed
3. Kwame Brown- Selected by the Washington Wizards 1st overall in the 2001 NBA Draft
The textbook example of Michael Jordan’s failure as a general manager with the Washington Wizards, Brown is a talented player but seems to lack any motivation. Brown has played nine disappointing years with the Wizards, Lakers, Grizzlies and Pistons, averaging over 10 points once and never grabbed seven rebounds per game during his career.
Other power forwards taken in the 2001 NBA Draft- Pau Gasol and Zach Randolph
2. Charles Rogers- Selected by the Detroit Lions 2nd overall in the 2003 NFL Draft
With comparisons to Randy Moss, Rogers was the player expected to turnaround Detroit’s epic struggles. Instead, Rogers broke his collar bone each of his first two seasons then was suspended for substance abuse violations and was out of the league after playing in just 15 games. He is now battling numerous legal issues and is still seeking a professional career in Canada.
Other wide receivers taken in the 2003 NFL Draft- Andre Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Nate Burleson and David Tyree
1. Darko Milicic- Selected by the Detroit Pistons 2nd overall in the 2003 NBA Draft
Being selected prior to Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade put enough pressure on him, but Milicic just isn’t an NBA player. Starting just 98 career games, Milicic has career-high averages of eight points and 6.1 rebounds and after seven horrible years, is now considering a professional playing career in Europe.
Other power forwards taken in the 2003 NBA Draft- Chris Bosh and David West
With Milicic suiting up for the New York Knicks, there’s only one thing I can say:
You used to hold me, told me that I was the best
Anything in this world I want I could posess
All that made me want is all that I could get
In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets
Maybe it’s time I get a new NBA team. Nah.
On the, rise to the top, many drop, don’t forget
In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets
