NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
There is much talk about what players have been a bust in the NFL. And one name that keeps coming up is Reggie Bush. Looking over his career at a glance, that can be understood. However, for those who watched the games, we have a different take on his career.
No, he was not the same explosive back he was while crushing the competition at USC. Drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2006, Bush was selected to change the franchise and maybe even the RB position. In his 3rd season, he did help lead the Saints to a Super Bowl title, but after that, his career went on a sort of detour to greatness.
What stands out with Reggie Bush will always be the what-if. Bush played in the NFL for 11 seasons, but he never reached his full potential due to injuries and some coaches’ decisions. However, that’s not to say that he didn’t flash the skills that made him the No. 2 selection in the draft.
In his rookie season, Bush, paired with Sean Payton, Drew Brees, and a high-octane offense, ran for 565 yards on 155 attempts. Not great numbers for a top pick, but his contributions went deeper than that. Bush was more than just a between-the-tackles runner. Payton used him in other areas. Bush caught 88 passes for 742 tards while also returning punts. And did I forget to mention that he achieved that in 16 games and with only 8 starts?
While in New Orleans, Bush was never viewed as the lead runner. With Brees as his QB, Bush didn’t need to be the runner he was in college; he just needed to contribute, and that’s what he did. The issue was his staying on the field.
During his time with the Saints, Reggie Bush started 41 of the 60 games he played in. He would go on to rush for 2090 yards on 524 attempts with 17 Rushing TDs. In that same time, he caught 294 passes for 2142 yards and 12 receiving TDs.
In 2011, Bush moved on to the Miami Dolphins, where his career took a turn for the better. There, he was used as a featured back and in his first season, he rushed the ball for a career high 216 times for 1086 yards, which would mark his first 1000-yard season as a pro. In his second season with the Dolphins, Bush bested his career mark in attempts with 227 carries for 986 yards. In his two seasons with the Dolphins, Bush also caught 78 passes for 588 yards.
Following his two productive years in Miami, Bush would join the Detroit Lions in 2013. In his first season, he picked up where he left off with the Dolphins as he carried the ball 223 times for 1006 yards and caught 54 passes for 506 yards. Bush was making a name for himself and shedding that dreaded bust talk that was accompanying his name. In his second season with the Lions, he took a step back in the stats with only 76 carries, but injuries started to show their ugly head once again.
After the Lions, Bush was never the same. He would go on to join the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills and finish out his career in 2016. No, Reggie Bush was not the second coming of Barry Sanders, but he was a versatile back that keep his head down and did what was best for the team. Nowadays, you can look at Christian McCaffrey or even Jahmyr Gibbs and see their explosiveness due to them being in the right system. For me, I believe that’s what hurt Bush besides the injuries. If he were in the right system to showcase his skills on a full-time basis, there is no telling what he could have been.
But to say that Reggie Bush was a bust, that has to be a hard no. He didn’t set the league on fire the way many predicted he woould ot hoped he would, but he was the back that changed the way many scouts and GMs look at backs now. Bush was fast, played smart, and was elusive. He ran, caught the ball, returned punts, and did that with everyone questioning his ability every season.
When it’s all said and done, and you begin to go down the list of good running backs who played in the NFL, and the name Reggie Bush pops up, don’t focus on the No. 2 pick and those USC days. While he’s not the Derrick Henry consistent 1000-yard back, in his 11 seasons (mostly injured), Bush managed to account for 9088 scrimmage yards in 93 starts in 134 games, and that’s not even counting his contribution on Special Teams.
