Bush wants greater success

• By LES EAST
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Apr 14, 2008 - UPDATED: 6:57 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

METAIRIE — New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush recently joked that his friend and neighbor, Hornets point guard Chris Paul, “is putting a lot of pressure on me” with his MVP-caliber season.

“Now I’ve got to come and have an equal or better year,” Bush said. “I’ve got to get the crowd chanting MVP.”

It’s hard to fathom the statistics that would be required for Bush to have the NFL equivalent of Paul’s record-breaking season, but it’s clear that the Saints’ multi-purpose back, who will enter his third season in the fall just as Paul did at the start of this season, is looking for a breakout season.

After being the second player selected in the 2006 season, he had a modest rookie season and the only major difference in his sophomore season was that he missed the last four games because of a knee injury.

The only other noteworthy item was that Bush endured his first losing season on any level as New Orleans went 7-9 a year after going 10-6 and winning the NFC South and playing in the NFC Championship Game.

“Last season I was injured more than I had ever been injured in my whole career,” Bush said during a recent break from the team’s offseason workout program. “It was hard to stay on top of staying explosive and strong in the weight room when you’re constantly rehabbing every week.

“It was a little different year. Hopefully I can stay healthy throughout the year, throughout the season and still keep myself in shape physically and up to par.”

Bush became the Saints’ leading rusher a year ago, not because of his development, but because Deuce McAllister suffered a season-ending knee injury in the third game of the season.

Bush gained 581 yards on 157 carries (a 3.7 average) and scored four touchdowns. That meant he had two more carries and 16 more yards, though two fewer touchdowns, than he had as a rookie. His pass receptions dropped from 88 to 73 and his receiving yards from 742 to 417. He has caught two touchdown passes each season.

“I missed the last four games, and that really hurt me,” Bush said. “I never had to miss any games before. I had a lot of time to think and just go through how I wanted to go about this year and getting to the elite level of athletes.”

Bush, who made only a cameo appearance at the Saints’ offseason program last year, said he plans on participating most of the time.

“These last two years I definitely learned a lot,” Bush said. “I feel like I’m maturing. That’s what it’s all about — maturing and learning and going through life’s experiences and football.

“It’s the right thing to do, to be here and working out with my teammates. I’m going to be here as much as possible, as much as I can. I won’t make every workout, but I’ll definitely be here for a majority of the workouts.”