Reggie Bush in New Orleans: Hero or Bust?

On Sunday, while I was enjoying the wonderful Saints victory over the Falcons, the FOX team cut in and gave us a Reggie Bush update. He'd made an awesome play, just like I knew he would do a bunch this season playing with Matthew Stafford. But instead of just showing us the play, the announcer had to say: "Remember back when the Saints made Reggie Bush the second overall draft pick in 2006? Well, it didn't work out very well for him there, but..."


Didn't work out very well for him?!


I mean, I'm not an expert or anything, but I am a Saints fan. I feel like that gives me the authority to say it definitely worked out well for Reggie Bush and the Saints. In five seasons he gained over 4,000 yards from scrimmage. He totaled nearly 5,000 yards when you add in his punt returns. Oh, and guess what else... We won a Super Bowl. Did he win a Super Bowl in Miami? No. Will he win one in Detroit? Probably not.

Sean Payton, Drew Brees, and the Saints got everything they could out of (a sometimes-injured) Bush in that offense. His presence on the field opened things up for other players was one of the main reasons the team achieved success with him there. In the end, Darren Sproles became a cheaper player and a slightly better fit. But most Saints fans that I know have no regrets at all about Bush's time in New Orleans.

Sometimes the sports media should stick to what it does best: reporting 10-year old NCAA violations that absolutely no one really cares about.