Sean Payton addressed the media about the massive salary Reggie Bush is due to make next season, and his comments made it even more promising that Bush will return in a Saints jersey in 2011. Bush has already acknowledged that his contract is unrealistic publicly and he has stated his desire to re-work his deal to come back and play for the Saints. Sean Payton echoed that sentiment today, saying “He’s a guy that we feel will be a part of our team.”
2010 was a down year for Bush in every sense. While it’s undeniable that his mere presence on the field gives the Saints an edge from a scheme and game planning perspective, his performances have been anything but steady since he came to the Saints as the 2nd pick overall with massive expectations.
Bush’s 150 yards rushing and 208 yards receiving in 2010 were both career lows. While he was injured and missed half the season with a broken leg, the impact he had on games when he was healthy were negligent. Bush found the end zone just once last year, compared to 9 times in 2006, 6 times in 2007, 9 times in 2008 and 8 times in 2009. Bush’s 4.2 yard per carry average was a slight improvement over his 4.0 career average, but the sample size was so small it’s difficult to say if he really made any strides. In fact, most would argue that he’s made a significant regression in his game. Bush has also fumbled 19 times in 5 seasons, and 60 total games. That means he’s fumbling once every 3 games, which is too much and something he’ll have to continue to work on.
I feel like at this point in his career, I want him to remain a Saint, but I have no dillusions about what he is. He’s more of a decoy than anything else, and he’s a role player. He’ll never be a 300 carry a season type back. In fact, he’ll never be a full time starting running back at all. He’s a hybrid type of player that causes mismatches and can help open things up for the offense. Nothing more, nothing less. There’s still a lot of value in having a player like that, especially if he can be had at an agreeable price. If he’s willing to restructure, I see no reason why the Saints shouldn’t keep him around. Bush’s performances are unfairly weighted, I think, based on expectations. Those expectations have been created due to his overwhelming success in college, his high contract, and his high profile exposure. If we can get past what we wish he could be, and accept what he is, I think Reggie Bush can bring a lot of satisfaction to Saints fans in what he offers. Like I said, there’s a lot of value in what he can do – he’s just not the next Barry Sanders.
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