blacksaint

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

JACKSON, Miss. -- He couldn't avoid the hit and even now, a little more than six months later, Reggie Bush can't dodge the graphic reminder of the human train wreck in which the Saints' star tailback was an unwitting participant.

Whether it's walking through an airport, sitting in the dining hall here at Millsaps College or even lounging in his dorm room, there it is.

Plastered across the cover of the current edition of Sports Illustrated, above a headline that screams "BIG HITS," is Bush being laid out by Philadelphia cornerback Sheldon Brown in the first quarter of a divisional-round playoff game in January. In what the former Heisman Trophy winner has acknowledged was the most bone-rattling collision of his career at any level, Bush is shown with both his feet off the ground, nearly parallel to the Louisiana Superdome turf and rendered limp, compliments of Brown's right shoulder.

Mere mention of the picture elicits a cringe from Bush, then a smile.

He is quick to remind us that, after having all the air expelled from his lungs, he returned to the game and took his normal snaps in the time-sharing arrangement with fellow tailback Deuce McAllister, helping the Saints dispatch the Eagles with 95 all-purpose yards and a 4-yard touchdown run. He might have been de-cleated, Bush noted, but he wasn't defeated.

"Great hit, but, hey, I'm a man, and you've got to get up from that stuff," he said after a Friday training camp practice. "I'm a lot tougher man than people think."

Bush, 6 feet and 205 pounds, is perhaps even tougher than a year ago, thanks to an intense offseason training regimen that included a course in something called free flow do. With his veneer well enough armored, he figures to take on a little bit more punishment his second time around the league.

And with the Saints viewed as a potential powerhouse and the feel-good, post-Katrina resurrection of 2006 a Cinderella tale that's over, Bush also knows New Orleans isn't apt to receive the same warm and fuzzy welcome in opposition stadiums. Nor is he. Bush seems girded for a little good-natured hatin'.

"I want us to be so good," Bush said, "that when we're on the road, the fans [from the other team] come and stand outside our hotel, surround the place, you know, and chant [stuff] at us. I want people to think, 'Oh crap, here come the Saints.' And then, after that, I want the defense from the other team to be thinking, 'Oh crap, here comes Reggie.'"

Bush might get his wish.

Early in his second training camp, coach Sean Payton already is taking steps to remind his team that it shouldn't view last season's turnaround, when the Saints fell one win shy of their first Super Bowl, as anything more than a solid foundation for sustaining success. New Orleans appears deep and talented and, assuming quarterback Drew Brees remains healthy, capable of contending for a title.

As for Bush, Act II could be better than a debut season in which he rang up 1,523 all-purpose yards, established a rookie record for receptions by a running back [88] and created some of the season's most electrifying individual moments.

Payton has said the Saints must be more aware of the need to call more inside running plays for Bush and more outside runs for McAllister to keep defenses off guard. With the Saints' playbook tweaked in the offseason, such an occasional role reversal will be part of New Orleans' offense in '07. As will an initiative to get Bush, who had 155 rushes for 565 yards and six rushing TDs in 2006, more carries.

"Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that, first and foremost, Reggie is a running back," Payton said. "There are a lot of ways for us to get him the football. But the simplest way is still for us to just hand it to him."

New Orleans did a marvelous job in '06 of mixing and matching its tailback tandem, and the performances of McAllister -- one of the game's best but underappreciated backs -- and Bush helped New Orleans to the No. 1 statistical ranking on offense. Although McAllister had 89 more rushes than Bush during the season, from scrimmage he actually had just 31 more touches, fewer than two per game. Throw in punt returns, and Bush had 271 touches, three fewer than McAllister.

Said Brees, the team's most irreplaceable component: "I thought [the offense] did a really good job accentuating the strengths of both guys. The distribution was good. But I also think we just scratched the surface."

Bush wants the ball more, especially between the tackles. Viewed as a quarterhorse, he would prefer to be a workhorse. If he ran the ball 20-25 times per game, Bush said with no hint of braggadocio, he "would score two or three touchdowns every time out there." However, he knows that with running mate McAllister around, that isn't feasible. And probably isn't prudent, either.

Still, in speaking of how his debut season taught him that the best runners in the NFL tend to be the most patient runners -- guys who allow the play to develop instead of trying to force the action -- Bush referenced the second quarter in the Saints' Christmas Eve win over the Giants.

Trailing 7-6 with 10:30 remaining in the first half, and starting from their own 11-yard line after Bush returned a Jeff Feagles punt for no yards, the Saints went 89 yards in 18 plays. Bush carried on nine of those plays, gaining 69 yards. He didn't catch a pass in the series, but had runs of 17, 7, 7, 2, 10, 5, 10, 1 and 10 yards. The plays went to every possible hole on the field, up the middle, off-tackle, around the end.

"On that series," guard Jamar Nesbit said, "he showed he was an NFL runner."

Reminded that it was a pass play that earned him the dubious spot on the Sports Illustrated cover, a flare pass designed to get him matched up on a linebacker, Bush laughed.

"Oh yeah, I know," he said. "And I still want to catch the ball, too, because that's part of what makes me who I am. But give me the ball inside or outside, it doesn't matter, and people will see what I'm really made of."

saint4life
(504)

saintsrule

Nothing against Deuce, but I hope Reggie gets to be the main RB, soon.

Calli

i agree .....

JOESAM2002

If you look at it,I like having both of the on the field at the same time. Why settle for one when you can have both. Gives the defense more to wory about. I NEVER want to see just one.

blacksaint

I would like to see Reggie get a few more between the tackle carries, but Deuce is still the main man.

SaintFanInATLHELL

I agree. The more you give the defense to worry about, the more off balance they will be.

SFIAH

WillMacKenzie

I like Deuce, cause he'll smack you in the mouth. No single man, or one arm tackles for that guy. Go to youtube and look up that run last year against the Bucs, it was hilarious to watch the linebackers and rhonde barber get tossed aside with deuce's stiff arm

D24pick

LMFAO^^^

SO TRUE

But Deuce needs to remain the main guy, no siingle small RB carries the load for his team. Not saying Reggie cant but he needs to run inside better. The only RB in the NFL who can do it, is Westbrook, and he stays injured, which isnt good.

I dont see why the next season will be all about Reggie, when ppl are forgetting that Deuce is coming off of an injury when before he was a super beast. This season he will be healthy hopefully smaller and will tear it up even more on the field

DeadmaN

but at this point we have not really seen what Reggie can do since he didn't get that many touches up the gut last season.

on the other hand there is no denying that duce is one strong back

I think they are both incredible backs and agree with papz
keep them both on the field when possible

simply because I see it this way
When you have 2 deep threats with the WR’s we have
plus we have solid players at the TE position and then out of the back field comes a RB with Bush’s speed and agility that can run and catch
then you have Duce and we all know that if you were a defensive coach you have to commit 2 guys to him just because we all know one just isn’t enough to bring him down

in my personal opinion defensive units are going to have there hands very full this season
?

mikesaintfan

along with bush getting more inside, duece will get more outside rushes this year(and crush a few CB's too)