Why people be hatin' on Reno?

dis12 · July 31, 2006, 08:34:37 AM

you knew I had to post this....

QuoteFans might not love Mahe, but coaches do
By LES BOWEN
BETHLEHEM - Reno Mahe took a pitch, motored for good yardage, was hit, but then bounced away from the tackle for a few extra yards.

As usual, Mahe is getting more reps than he figured to when Eagles training camp started. Yesterday, both Bruce Perry (back spasms) and Ryan Moats (knee) sat out. But Mahe was there, hard at work, as he always is.

This is Mahe's fourth Eagles training camp. As usual, he hustles through every drill, as a running back, as a returner and in other special-teams roles. The team lists him at 5-10, 212, which is total fiction, both numbers.

Often in sports, fans celebrate such players, undersized overachievers who scrap to keep spots as deep reserves. Not Mahe. One of the most-asked questions of reporters covering the Eagles has to be, "Is this the year Reno Mahe finally gets cut?"

Maybe he's a sore point for some fans because they keep hoping Andy Reid will turn into somebody else and draft the big, warhorse back they've always wanted, instead of feeding them all these little pass-catching backs, of whom Mahe annually is the smallest and least naturally talented. Maybe it's the BYU connection, a presumption of favoritism. Maybe it's that he seems so small and ordinary, they're jealous: "I played football in high school. If this guy's an NFL player, so am I."

Whatever the problem is, Harbaugh thinks it's silly.

"Anybody that really knows anything about football likes Reno Mahe as a football player," Harbaugh said yesterday. "Whatever you ask him to do, he does it well. He's not flashy, but he led the league in punt returns last year [with a 12.8-yard average, on just 21 returns]. He covered kicks, was in every special-teams phase, and always did his job very well. That's all hidden stuff... When they put him in on offense, does he ever miss an assignment? Does he ever miss a block? He makes people miss. He gains yards. He does what you ask him to do."

Or, as Reid put it yesterday: "He's a good football player - not the biggest, not the fastest, not the strongest - just a good football player."

Of course, Mahe, whose career total of 178 yards on 48 carries figures out to 4.1 yards per carry, would never claim that. There might not be a more humble pro athlete in Philadelphia. This is a guy who started hosting at Chickie's and Pete's because he wanted to stay busy a few winters ago when his wife, Sunny, and their two daughters were away. His TV doesn't have cable; he'd rather work puzzles and have time with the kids.

"This is my fourth camp - same situation, I guess. You just have to do what you can," Mahe, 26, said yesterday. "It ain't just fans [who wonder why he's on the team]. Not to call you [media] guys out, I get counted out every year. That's just the reality of the game."

Mahe has noticed the phenomenon, but he has no ready answer to the question of "Why people be hatin' on Reno?"

"I don't know why people don't like me. If I did, I'd try to change it," he said. "I'm sorry, I guess... I'm just trying to keep a job and provide a good living for my family."

Eagles offensive tackle Jon Runyan said football has become so specialized, guys like Mahe who can do a lot of things are important. But Runyan also said he knows why fans aren't appreciative.

"It's because he's average," Runyan said. "Jack of all trades, master of none. But you know, when he's in there, he's going to give you everything he has. You know what you're going to get out of him. He's not going to go in there dropping balls, fumbling balls, that kind of thing. You know what he has, and he's going to give it to you."

Zanshin · July 31, 2006, 08:37:10 AM

If he actually, you know, made a play once in awhile...fans would get off his ass.

ice grillin you · July 31, 2006, 08:42:21 AM

i cant believe hes 26...because hes been an issue with fans for what seems like forever...it feels like hes 30

Diomedes · July 31, 2006, 08:49:00 AM

When Reno finally gets cut from the Eagles, his NFL career is over. That's why I hate on him. Plus, he's Mormon. Those fools bring humanity down.

Susquehanna Birder · July 31, 2006, 09:51:51 AM

No more than other people who follow religious dogma...but that's another topic.

I'm not really sure of the source of the Reno hate, either. Maybe it's those years of being spoiled by Brian Mitchell, knowing there was a legitimate home-run hitter on returns. But I also remember some of the ugly returners this team has had (including the cardiac kid himself, Rossum), and I guess I'm not too upset with "safe" for most kick returns.

Zanshin · July 31, 2006, 10:04:16 AM

You know, it's not that I hate the guy. He's not going to hurt the team, but he's not going to help the team...and that's just not good enough.

rjs246 · July 31, 2006, 10:06:30 AM

I hate the guy. He stabbed my dog. icehole.

T_Section224 · July 31, 2006, 10:08:05 AM

an article about an average player that over and over points out how average he is. i feel very average about him.

Diomedes · July 31, 2006, 10:08:11 AM

This is the NFL we're talking about, not the Independent Women's Football League. Not helping the team is hurting the team.

Beermonkey · July 31, 2006, 10:46:30 AM

Quote from: Zanshin on July 31, 2006, 10:04:16 AM
You know, it's not that I hate the guy. He's not going to hurt the team, but he's not going to help the team...and that's just not good enough.

How many 4th or 5th RB's are going to really "help" the team? Don't get me wrong, Mahe doesn't excite me, but he is what he is, a utility player that will fill in adequately until the players in front of him get back.

MadMarchHare · July 31, 2006, 10:50:57 AM

Reno or Buck isn't going to make the cut. That'll be tough on Reid.

General_Failure · July 31, 2006, 10:51:03 AM

Adequately?

Beermonkey · July 31, 2006, 10:57:36 AM

Quote from: General_Failure on July 31, 2006, 10:51:03 AM
Adequately?

You apparently don't appreciate his waterbug-like moves.

Diomedes · July 31, 2006, 11:00:01 AM

Waterbug!!

dis12 · July 31, 2006, 11:14:18 AM

Quote from: Beermonkey on July 31, 2006, 10:46:30 AM
Quote from: Zanshin on July 31, 2006, 10:04:16 AM
You know, it's not that I hate the guy. He's not going to hurt the team, but he's not going to help the team...and that's just not good enough.
How many 4th or 5th RB's are going to really "help" the team? Don't get me wrong, Mahe doesn't excite me, but he is what he is, a utility player that will fill in adequately until the players in front of him get back.

if you can have 1 guy that can play: 4th RB, punt returner, kickoff ST...that can leave room for possibly 1-2 extra roster players.
oh almost forgot, maitre-D at Chickie n Petes too.

until he makes mistakes, he does work hard for his roster spot.