Bush Might Not Play on 06

[blgstocks]

Will Reggie run a reverse?
By Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports
July 21, 2006

Jason Cole
Yahoo! Sports

Video Reggie Bush highlight reel

No. 2 overall pick and Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush not only appears headed for a holdout with the New Orleans Saints, a league source said Bush is toying with the idea of sitting out the entire season and going back in the draft in 2007 if he doesn't get his price.

"No player has ever had the kind of leverage that Reggie Bush has right now," the source said. "The Saints made it clear what they were willing to do before and now we'll see if they're going to get there."

It seems unlikely the Saints will do that in time for Bush to report to training camp with the team on Thursday in Jackson, Miss. Two sources said that talks between the Saints and agent Joel Segal have been nearly non-existent


On Wednesday, Mike Ornstein, who is Bush's marketing agent, told the Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Miss., that he didn't think Bush would be signed in time for camp. Ornstein is not allowed to negotiate contracts, but he is acutely aware of all of Bush's business matters.

One of the sources took that a step further, saying Segal was considering not having Bush sign at all. Segal declined to comment when contacted Friday and messages left with multiple members of the New Orleans organization weren't returned.

While it appears unlikely on face value that Bush would sit out, he appears well-positioned to do so if he really wants.

Bush supposedly has more than $5 million in the bank from multiple endorsement deals Ornstein has negotiated since Bush left the University of Southern California. That money is guaranteed regardless of whether Bush plays this season.

Next, Bush could probably sit out 2006 and still be a high pick next year.

Furthermore, Bush probably has the public sentiment running in his favor. Even though holdout players are generally unpopular, Bush has caused tremendous excitement in New Orleans.

In May, shortly after Bush was drafted, the Saints had already set a franchise record for season-ticket sales, having topped 55,000 at that time. That's extraordinary, especially considering the condition of the hurricane-ravaged city.

Moreover, team owner Tom Benson is immensely unpopular in New Orleans. Ranging from his hard-line negotiations with the city and state to constant threats that he will move the team, Benson is often treated with open scorn by Saints fans.

Bush has also worked hard to endear himself to fans in the city after it came out that he didn't want to play in New Orleans. Bush has made multiple donations to hurricane relief.

 

[blgstocks]

Can Bush and his agent be anymore money hungry? Aren't these guys still under investigation for taking money in college? I don't know if this is the best attitude to start your NFL career with, the "I am worth more than anyone is willing to pay" approach could definitely backfire on Reggie.
The investigations on his time at USC made me think less of Bush, and now this makes me think even less. I could be the only one though.

 

[THE KOD]

No your not alone and it just points out the continued cavalier attitudes of our hightly touted athletes.

Bush's whole reason for not going to Texas was they were not going to be able to sign his outrageous demands.

Now in New Orleans he is saying that the team promised him #1 money instead of #2. It really sounds like a ego thing to me.

Bush is just a little ate up with the money grubbing. Although with his light weight maybe he thinks he wont last long in the NFL and needs that signing money cash.

I doubt he will not sign with NO though. Its just pathetic the NO fans have to sit through it wondering.

 

[Destructor D]

How do you say Primadonna? My prediction is Bush is just an okay running back. I know, he looked so good in college, but you can't be a running back in the NFL with his attitude and be worth a damn.

 

[AR182]

imo bush is going to be a great back in the nfl...but i think his agent is doing him a dis-service by not getting him signed in time for training camp.

 

[Destructor D]

AR182,

Greatly respect your opinion and you are probably right... however, I don't think Bush has the body to take a pounding in the NFL.

 

[AR182]

dd,

you may be right but the samething was said about terry metcalf & marshall faulk when they came out of college.and they turned out to be very good backs.

don't get me wrong i don't think he's the type of back who can carry the ball 25x a game, but if used correctly i think he can be a very effective offensive weapon. and the new head coach of n.o.(forgot his name) is an offensive coach.

only time will tell..but i think holding out will hinder him adjust to the nfl.

love discussing football.

 

[blgstocks]

I think it is fair to compare to Ricky Williams, at least for the hype he had in college transitioning to NFL. Funny he is going to same team. Anyways, Williams was the last player i could remember to get as much glory as Bush during college, and Williams had a better, more tested body for the NFL than Bush does. Look what a terrible attitude and all the potential in the world gets you when your playing PROFESSIONAL ball. It makes you a living joke. Don't know if Bush will spiral into drugs or not, but he does have an attitude problem, i think he is cockier than anybody else in the league right now.
I really hope he signs though for 2 reasons
the first is, like AR i think Bush is a great back and amazing to watch do his thing
2nd is, when he trys to do these flashy moves or trys to run it up the middle, the speed that blew everyone away in college will be just fast enough for a Lewis or Kearse to knock the smug smile off of reggies face for the rest of the season

 

[Pujo21]

One thing is for sure, Reggie Bush is not bigger than THE NFL. He just officially set himself up to be The Ten Pin.

He is allowed to ask for money. Is there anyone here or in The Saint Organization that didn't expect this ? ?

Somebody will give him some decent money, maybe.... Trade Winds ?? Or do The Saints tell him do what ya gotta do ??

I get the feeling that if he sits out, he will be screwing himself bigtime. Once a year goes by without him, by then, there will be others on the ladder. What is this guy thinking ??

There is a stink coming off this guy.

 

[vinnie]

Another money grubby greedy ASSHOLE. Didn't be put a big add in the paper about being happy to be in New Orleans :shrug:

 

[THE KOD]

Apparently at issue is whether the Saints will offer Bush, who many rated as the top player in the draft, a better deal than what Houston gave Mario Williams when the Texans surprisingly chose the former North Carolina State defensive end first overall.

Williams has reportedly agreed to a six-year deal worth $54 million, with $26.5 million in guaranteed pay.
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[THE KOD]

George, who played in the Super Bowl with the Tennessee Titans, appeared in 142 of a possible 144 games during his nine-year NFL career, the only two misses coming as a Dallas Cowboy in his final season in 2004. Only 11 running backs in NFL history carried the ball more than he did.

Reggie Bush didn't miss a game as the featured running back at USC. But the biggest question I have about him as he moves to the New Orleans Saints is how he will withstand the new world of punishment in the NFL. It's not that big a doubt that I would have taken, say, Mario Williams ahead of him in the draft.

Reggie Bush and George were listed participants in an "NFL 101/201" seminar put on by the L.A. Sports and Entertainment Commission last week, but Reggie Bush would have been well served to seek some advice from George.

George still winces at the memory of taking his initial NFL hit 10 years later. It was George's first year in the NFL and the Titans franchise's last year in Houston as the Oilers. That meant they trained in the Texas heat, down in San Antonio. It was the first time the team practiced while wearing full pads.

Al Smith and Blaine Bishop blasted through the A gap (the space between the center and the guard, for those who couldn't make it to the NFL 101/201 session) untouched.

"It was a hit like no other," George said. "At that level, they're taught to run through you, not just to you.

"I was playing against some All-Pro type of guys and it let me know that I had to bring some weight behind my hips, to go all out every single play. You can't relax at that level. I learned real early: Get my shoulders down and run aggressively."

George wasn't deterred. He had the ball 22 times a game in his career and was among the top six in the league in rushing attempts seven times. His busiest season was his fifth, in 2000, when he had 403 rushes and set career highs with 1,509 yards and 14 touchdowns rushing. He also had 50 receptions for 453 yards and two touchdowns.

"Hit after hit, it really takes its toll," George said. "That's where you really have to take care of your body. That's why it's so key, the recovery time period, that you don't go out after a 200-yard game and have a night on the town because guess what: Next week there's another game and you have to line up and do it all over again. You've got to recover and take advantage of those opportunities.

"Those tolls, season after season, will add up. A great running back is determined not by the first two or three years that he's fresh, but the five years, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, the consistency of dishing out the punishment and receiving that punishment. So it behooves a young guy to take care of his body so he can have that longevity."

As his body wore down, George noticed the difference during the week more than on Sundays. But in the NFL, practice and preparation dictate everything.

"What happened is, the recovery time, instead of being fresh by Wednesday's practice, I don't feel quite as good until Thursday or Friday," George said. "That's what I noticed as I got a little older. Wednesday's practice, in my younger years, I was going full-speed ahead and running like I was fresh."

George is 6 feet 3, 240 pounds. Reggie Bush is 6 feet and played last season at 200 pounds. George thinks that Reggie Bush is stronger than his size indicates, and that he's capable of getting 30 touches a game on rushes, receptions and kick returns.

"He'll be effective that way and still control the game in that regard, because he is a game-breaker," George said. "That's how you use a game-breaker, with speed, and not try to line him up in the I [formation] and try to prove a point. You have to use him and utilize his skills in a multifaceted area and get matchups."

Reggie Bush touched the ball a season-high 30 times against Oregon last year, and was so sore in the days afterward that the USC coaches held him out of practice. I'd keep him at 20 to 25 touches a game. That seemed to work pretty well for George.

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[DeadPrez]

Bush signs 6 year deal with the Saints

financial terms haven't been released yet

I guess reggie realized that he wasn't bigger than the game

looking forward to hearing what he signed for and looking forward to seeing what his impact on the NFL will be