NEW ORLEANS (AP) -Reggie Bush is ready, or so he says.
Ready to return to New Orleans’ backfield after sitting out the Saints’ last three preseason games. Ready to test his durability after surgery last December to repair cartilage in his left knee. Ready to hit the designated hole, even if only for modest gains, instead of bouncing outside to the land of lost yardage. Ready to be more than the on-again, off-again sensation he’s been since the Saints drafted him second overall in 2006.
“I hear what people are saying and I understand where it comes from,” Bush said. “I’m not completely blind to the fact that I haven’t made some of the best decisions running the ball.
“I think my worst enemy, my kryptonite, is my ability, because I have so much ability and I have to harness that. There’s a time and a place to use that and there’s also a time and a place for just getting those 3 or 4 yards for us and just giving us second-and-5, you know, giving our offense a chance and not necessarily looking for the home run every time.”
nee during the past two seasons, Bush is well aware he is developing a reputation for being a little too brittle. At 6-foot, 203 pounds, he’s not all that big for an NFL running back. While his breakaway speed is unquestioned, he doesn’t have the tree-trunk thighs more common among ball carriers known for powering through tacklers for extra yards.
“I feel like this year’s going to be a test for me to see where I’m at health-wise. I think I’ll be fine,” Bush said.
“Obviously, nobody wants to be labeled as injury prone,” Bush said. “I think it’s kind of unfair. … I don’t think it’s about size or weight. It’s part of this game. Adrian Peterson missed his whole last year (of college football) because of his shoulder injury … and now he looks like a complete horse. I’d never been injured until I got to the NFL.”
Bush could not have arrived in New Orleans with more hype or higher expectations. At Southern California, he became part of a college football program boasting a legacy of great running backs and lived up to it with the nation watching. His acceleration and sudden changes of direction left defenders grasping at air during his long touchdowns as runner, receiver and punt returner. He won the 2005 Heisman Trophy, drew comparisons to Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers, and had a slew of national endorsements before playing a down in the NFL.
w Orleans’ most popular sports figure, said he couldn’t relate to Bush’s fame.
“Being a Heisman Trophy-winning player at USC kind of puts you in a whole other category as it relates to that L.A. scene,” Brees said.
In the spring of 2006, with New Orleans still reeling from Hurricane Katrina and thirsting for good news, it seemed as though Bush was directed to the Big Easy by divine providence. He was the popular choice to be drafted first overall, but Houston used that pick on defensive end Mario Williams. Bush had been served to salivating Saints fans on a platter. Even officials at the Archdiocese of New Orleans found it fitting, noting that there had once been a St. Reginald of Orleans in France centuries ago.
Bush played in all 16 games as a rookie, teamed in the backfield with Deuce McAllister, and helped lead the Saints to the playoffs with 1,307 total yards and eight touchdowns on plays from scrimmage. He also ran a game-winning punt return 65 yards.
Saints coach Sean Payton points to those totals when people question whether Bush has been a bust.
“I thought Reggie had a breakout season in 2006 when we won a bunch of games and went to the NFC championship,” Payton said. “He was important to us as a receiver, returner and a runner. The key is how he fits with us. He’s a big part of what we do on this offense and he’s a big reason for some of the success we’ve had.”
to approach a 1,000-yard season as a rusher or be chosen for a Pro Bowl, though it appeared he was on his way to an impressive 2008 before his midseason knee injury. He returned three punts for touchdowns, had three touchdowns receiving, including a 42-yarder, and scored two TDs rushing in his first six games. He partially tore his left meniscus in the first half of the seventh game, sat out for a month, then appeared in only three more games before his season-ending surgery.
Now 24, Bush’s story could be only beginning, both on and off the field. Still lingering in the background is an investigation into whether he improperly accepted cash and other benefits while playing at USC. If wrongdoing is proved, it could stain his legacy at USC and even erase Trojans’ national championships, though it wouldn’t affect his pro career. Bush has been steadfast that he will be vindicated in time.
On the field, Bush said he expects to improve at everything from pass protection and short-yardage runs to the punt returns at which he already thrives.
“It’s a learning process for me, too,” Bush said. “I never claimed to know everything and I never claimed to invent football. So, I’m trying.”
played since.
Bush was slowed by a strained right calf, which he said wasn’t serious. Payton said resting Bush was precautionary, stressing that his priority was ensuring Bush was at his best when the regular season begins Sunday at home against the Detroit Lions.
Bush recognizes that perceptions of him have changed, that more people have come to respect Houston’s decision to draft Williams over him, and that he may not be a darling of fantasy football drafts as he once was.
“That’s fine, because fantasy football isn’t paying my bills. I’m more worried about what the guys upstairs are thinking,” Bush said, referring to second-floor offices of Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis at Saints headquarters.
Certainly, opposing coaches haven’t stopped fretting over him.
“From a coach getting ready to play him, he’s a dynamic player, a player you need to know where he is on the field at all times,” said new Lions coach Jim Schwartz, who had impressive credentials as a defensive coordinator before taking over in Detroit. “He can score anytime he touches the ball. I can’t speak for his ability to hold up over the course of a season. All I need to worry about is one game, and that game gives you enough nightmares when there’s a player like Reggie Bush.”
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