It’s unbelievable when you think about what the New Orleans Saints have accomplished and the role that Reggie Bush has played in the team’s success.
The Saints are 5-1, leading the NFC South by a game over the hated Atlanta Falcons and one-and-a-half games over the chic preseason Super Bowl favorite Carolina Panthers.
This is the same Saints team referred to for years as the ‘Aints.’ The team that only has one playoff victory in its history.
But this year, they look real good.
Things started to change when the Houston Texans graciously placed Bush in the Saints lap on draft day by selecting Mario Williams instead of the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.
So far this year, Bush has had a great impact on and off the field.
We have heard of his numerous donations to local schools and charities and even his donation to Tad Gormley Stadium. City Park officials named the field Reggie Bush Field.
On the field? We definitely know about his game-saving touchdown with less than five minutes remaining in the Tampa Bay game. Bush’s 65-yard punt return gave the Saints a 24-21 lead that they held on to for the win.
His receiving skills? Remarkable. Going into Week 8, Bush is leading all NFL running backs, rookies or otherwise, in receptions with 38. He is making teams respect the passing games, thus preventing blitzes and allowing quarterback Drew Brees to stay upright for most of the year.
He will be a great player, likely a Hall of Famer. His returning and receiving skills are among the best in the league, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a running back who does both things better. But what about those running skills? He is, after all, a running back …
Bush has carried the ball 65 times for 196 yards. That averages out to around 3.0 yards a carry. Three yards? That’s it? This is the same player who averaged more than 10 yards a touch at the University of South California.
At USC, Bush depended on his speed to let him turn the corner for the score. There was no one he faced that could match him for speed, and even in the NFL, there are very few.
But in college, Bush faced 19- and 20-year old linebackers who may have NFL talent, but probably won’t play a game after their senior years. Now, Bush is facing the best of the best. But he’s still relying on his speed and not his smarts.
Linebackers in the NFL are smarter, quicker and faster than what Bush is used to. Bush is still trying to dance his way around defenders instead of hitting his holes and using his speed north and south instead of east and west.
He’s on pace for 100-plus receptions. He’s bound to break another return or two.
But until Reggie learns how to run the ball in the NFL, then and only then will he be the feared player the Texans gift-wrapped to the Saints back in April.
