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'Dynamic' Bush Has Last Word To Lift Saints

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By TAMMY NUNEZ

Tribune correspondent

Published: September 8, 2008

NEW ORLEANS - The play seemed impossible to make - even for the impossibly talented Reggie Bush. As New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees lofted a screen pass over the heads of defenders, nothing about it said winning touchdown.

"I didn't think I was going to be able to get to it," Bush said of the pass. "He threw it out in front of me and I had to strain a little bit just to get to the pass. ... But I made the catch, made the play and the rest is history."

That's the short version.

Just because Bush wrestled the ball in with his fingertips didn't mean sure score.

The Bucs were in position to defend and could have ended the play for a short gain. But Bush left the first would-be tackler, reserve linebacker Matt McCoy, on the ground once he hit stride. One-on-one near the sideline with safety Jermaine Phillips, Bush juked out and cut in to blow past Phillips.
Cornerback Phillip Buchanon tried to knock Bush out of bounds but he dove for the pylon to complete the 42-yard, go-ahead score that provided the Saints with a 24-20 victory.

"I thought he was dynamic today," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "He changed the game around in a few situations. He was outstanding. He had a good offseason. I was happy for him. He's explosive; he is faster than anyone else on the field - at least to me."

Bush seemed to have two speeds Sunday. He had what looked like a light jog up to the line of scrimmage - none of those plays paid big dividends for the Saints - but then came the thrilling outside shake-and-sprint runs.

Unfortunately for the Bucs, the touchdown reception had some fuel.

"It just happened to be the play before that Jermaine Phillips was talking trash and the next play he was on one of my highlight reels," Bush said.

In his first two NFL seasons, the former first-round pick was held in check by the Bucs defense.

In two previous seasons, the Bucs defense held Bush in check as a running back. In two games in 2006, Bush rushed a combined 20 times for 18 yards and caught 15 passes for 85 yards. In two games in 2007, he rushed a combined 23 times for 91 yards and caught nine passes for 56 yards.

His only previous touchdown against the Bucs was a winning, 65-yard punt return in a 24-21 Saints victory in 2006.

Sunday, that changed.

Popping to the outside helped Bush, a third-year pro, gain 51 rushing yards and 112 receiving yards.

"Certainly, Reggie out in space is a big weapon, so we'll continue to try to utilize that," Brees said.

Tampa Bay cornerback Ronde Barber knew the Bucs were in a little bit of trouble when he saw Bush darting to the right flat against man coverage.

"We were kind of out of position," Barber said. "We had our opportunities. We're a good team with good players, but it's a game of making plays and today they had more than we did."

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