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Predicting Reggie Bush's Career
Authored by Dorian Adams - 8th May, 2006 - 9:49 pm
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Reggie Bush is without a doubt one of the most dynamic and versatile backs to have ever entered the NFL in a long time. There’s no question that his career as a collegiate running back was something for the ages. Yet, the question everyone is patiently waiting for is: “How will this former Heisman trophy winner fair in the NFL?” To examine such a question lets take a look at the careers of other multi-purpose backs, backs that Reggie Bush is already being compared to.
Offenses with talented multi-purpose backs have been known to flourish, from the hay days of Marshall Faulk and company, to current day LaDainian Tomlinson and his San Diego Chargers. When you couple an explosive back when running the ball with superb catching abilities you really get something special. Such running backs really allow for the offensive coordinator to open up the playbook fully utilizing these true weapons.
On the ground Reggie Bush has been compared to the likes of Marshal Faulk, Tomlinson, and even Barry Sanders, all of which have put up amazing all-purpose yards with their teams.
When you watch Reggie Bush on film he almost seems like an even more elusive version of Tomlinson, which alone is scary to even fathom. Tomlinson had a huge impact on his team by providing a great dual threat at running back by racking up chunks of yards on the ground as well as being able to catch the ball out of the back field, providing Drew Brees with an easy target against the mismatched linebackers forced to cover Tomlinson.
When you think of what Tomlinson was able to accomplish in San Diego you really have to believe that the sky is the limit for young running back Reggie Bush. Much like Tomlinson, Bush is a very crisp route runner, has excellent hands, and great awareness. Topped off with his 4.3 speed, making him even faster than Tomlinson, Bush will be a nightmare to defend against catching the ball out of the backfield or even in the slot. Plus with the addition of Drew Brees coming over from San Diego you can be almost certain that he will look to capitalize on the catching abilities of Reggie Bush early and often.
With all of that in mind, what could possibly go wrong for Bush?
At his size, 5'10” and 201 pounds, he lacks ideal bulk. When you talk about backs that are somewhat undersized you have to question their physical ability to uphold through the rigors of the NFL without becoming marred with injuries, as well as questioning their overall strength.
Yet, Giants running back, Tiki Barber, who also measures in at 5’10 and only 200 pounds, has gone through nine years in the NFL and has been able to stay incredibly healthy, particularly in terms of an NFL running back, only sitting out two games in the past 8 years. Although people did use to question his ability to not become worn down by seasons end, the last seven weeks of this past season Tiki carried the ball 182 times for a total of 1,005 yards, dispelling those concerns. I also think you would be hard pressed to find someone that would question the strength of Tiki Barber, in terms of his running, although he has been known to be incapable of blocking some of the bigger linebackers in the league, which Bush may run into the same problem. In terms of running Bush is more of a finesse style of runner so he won’t need boat loads of strength to perform to his abilities, but blocking may become a concern. Nonetheless history will show that smaller backs can find success in the NFL.
Really if you look at the whole picture Reggie Bush is in an ideal position to succeed as an individual. With Deuce McAllister still on roster Bush shouldn’t have to worry about situations where they need someone to simply pound the rock, this is where Deuce can come in. As well with a capable back like Deuce, Bush will be able to be eased into the system; he won’t have to carry the ball 20 plus times a game. At the same time he might even be capable of handling such a load, after his rookie season that is, to ask any rookie to carry such a load would be a burden for anyone. People argue that since he didn’t get a lot of carries at USC that he wouldn’t be able to handle a large load in the NFL, yet what people forget to factor in are all of his catches, and his kick returns, on top of just running the ball. So, when you break all of that down Reggie Bush touched the ball and was a lot more involved in that USC offense than some may think. Linked with a QB that has experience working along side a talented multi-purpose back, and an offensive line that has produced a 1,000 yard rusher in past, Bush’s outlook shows nothing but promise. With a golden history of such talented multi-purpose backs, I can certainly see Reggie Bush being capable of earning his way to numerous pro bowls.
