Reggie Bush was limited in practice for the third straight day Friday, and he is probable for Sunday’s game against Atlanta, according to the Falcons’ official website. He is nursing a knee injury. Bush should be a decent flex option, as the Falcons are ranked 23rd against the run and 29th against the pass.
Running back Reggie Bush and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis are not traveling with the Saints for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.
A team spokesman said Saturday that both players had been downgraded on the official injury report from questionable to out with knee injuries. Both players are expected to be back at practice next week.
Bush missed practice this week with swelling in his left knee, the same knee on which he had surgery last December to repair cartilage. Bush is coming off one of his best games of the season in St. Louis last Sunday, when he gained 98 yards and scored two touchdowns on six rushes and a pair of receptions.
Bush has 484 yards and six touchdowns in combined rushing and receiving this season. Head coach Sean Payton said earlier in the week that he was hopeful Bush could play against the Buccaneers, but that he was wary of pushing him and causing a setback.
Ellis sprained his right knee in Miami in Week 7 and returned to practice this week on a limited basis. A first-round draft choice in 2008, he is one of New Orleans’ primary run-stuffers.
Reggie Bush has missed two practices this week as the Saints try to rest their running back’s left knee. It’s the same knee Bush had surgery on last December to repair cartilage.
Bush is coming off one of his best games of the season in St. Louis last Sunday, when he gained 98 yards and scored two touchdowns on six rushes and a pair of receptions.
Saints coach Sean Payton says Bush has had some swelling in the knee and is getting some rest. Payton would not say what Bush’s chance of playing are this Sunday in Tampa Bay.
Payton says he hopes Bush can practice Friday, but that the team will be cautious about doing anything that could set him back.
Bush was not available for comment.
Reggie Bush enjoyed running a simulation of Miami’s wildcat offense in practice this week—and said he even broke out a few long runs with it.
But don’t expect the New Orleans Saints to change what’s led to their 5-0 start this season.
That’s because head coach Sean Payton is unlikely to limit prolific quarterback Drew Brees’ involvement in his offense.
Even Bush, one of the Saints’ most explosive and versatile running backs, saw no reason to do so, despite the fun he had with the formation. Bush received extensive work on the scout team as the Saints prepare to play Sunday against the Dolphins, the team that runs the wildcat more consistently and effectively than any other.
“I think our offense is OK,” Bush said, grinning at his understatement regarding an offense that led the NFL last season and ranks No. 1 so far this year. “I don’t think we need to try to fix anything.”
In the wildcat formation, a running back takes a direct shotgun snap and has the option of running, handing off or even throwing, although passes are not as common. Payton spoke at length about the formation this week, discussing how it effectively helps the offense gain a blocker because there is no traditional quarterback on the field.
Bush said he rarely worked on the scout team in 2008 but was eager to take the extra work in practice this week.
“We wanted to give our defense the best look, if not try to make it harder so that they’re prepared for what they’re going to see,” Bush said. “The Dolphins run the wildcat very well.”
Knowing they would have to play Miami this season, and suspecting that more teams might give the formation a try, the Saints have been practicing defending against the wildcat since offseason workouts started last spring, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said after Thursday’s practice.
“We’re trying not to get caught off guard, so every single week, every single practice schedule since I’ve been here, we’ve had a version of the wildcat,” Williams said. “Are we good enough? We’ll see.”
Bush said he didn’t see his success running out of the formation as a reason for the Saints to be alarmed at how they might do against Ronnie Brown —or former Saint Ricky Williams, who often takes the handoff from Brown.
“You want to break (big runs) now as opposed to during the game so they can see what we need to clean up,” Bush said.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that Reggie Bush is not all that worried about his knee:
Saints RB Reggie Bush said he isn’t worried about the durability of his left knee because he believes he has learned to properly maintain the strength and health. “Maybe you don’t stay on top of it throughout the year because it feels good. Or maybe you overcompensate and get damage in other areas,” Bush said. “The body is a funny thing. You really have to take care of injuries, even though it may feel like a minor thing.” Bush said no athlete wants to be labeled as “injury prone,” but he said injuries are part of the sport.
NFL.com says that it looks like Reggie Bush could miss the final preseason game vs the Fins:
Running back Reggie Bush could miss his third straight preseason game on Thursday night when the Saints host Miami. Bush, who hasn’t played since straining his right calf during joint practices with the Houston Texans during training camp, has only three carries for 5 yards during the entire preseason – all in the exhibition opener Aug. 14. Bush said Tuesday that he has felt healthy enough to play throughout camp, but did not feel the need to risk injury in exhibition games.
According to coach Sean Payton, could the Saints could employ a three-RB set at times in the 2009 season?
In the wake of Mike Bell’s breakout performance against the Houston Texans, the Saints now have a good problem on their hands. They have not one, not two, but three running backs capable of carrying the load on any given Sunday. Bell’s 10-carry, 100-yard performance Saturday was that good. In just one half, the former Texans and Broncos castoff didn’t just cement the No. 3 job heading into the regular season. He lowered his shoulder and plowed his way into the backfield picture with Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. “I think so,” Saints Coach Sean Payton said Wednesday when asked if the club might employ a three-back rotation this season.
Reggie Bush left practice early on Wednesday due to his knee:
Saints RB Reggie Bush left the field about an hour into practice Wednesday due to lingering issues with his surgically repaired knee.
Bush was reportedly seen limping with an ice bag wrapped around the knee, but the Saints have said they are not concerned about his situation. The fourth-year veteran underwent microfracture surgery on the knee in the offseason.
WDSU.com reported that Bush underwent an MRI on Monday, but Bush said the results were clean.
Reggie Bush missed his first practice of training camp, but Saints coach Sean Payton says the star running back is fine.
Payton said the Saints planned all along to give Bush intermittent rests during two-a-day practices as a precaution. The Saturday evening practice Bush missed was the fourth practice held in the two days since Saints training camp opened Friday morning.
Bush had surgery in December to repair cartilage in his left knee. He said on Friday that he still wasn’t quite 100 percent, but he did not appear limited in the Saints’ first three practices, during which he worked as both a running back and punt returner. Payton says Bush has not had any swelling in the knee.
Who Dat Dish had a great column on the Reggie Bush-Pierre Thomas combo and if it can reach new levels in the 2009 season:
Last season the duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart carried the the Panthers to a 12-4 season, a playoff appearance, and their best year since 1996.
The potent combination totaled 2,351 yards on the ground and 28 touchdowns, tops in the NFL in 2008, and a headache for Saints fans everywhere.
In comparison Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas combined for 1,029 yards on the ground and 11 touchdowns, a far cry from some of the leagues marquee runningbacks.
A two back system is becoming more and more and prominent in today’s NFL. Several teams have employed the “runningback by committee” approach with success, the Chargers with L.T. and Sproles, the Giants with Jacobs and Bradshaw, and the Cowboys with Barber and Jones, just to name a few.
Much of the Saints downfall last season came on the failure of its running game. They struggled in short yard situations as well as goal line stands, costing them several close contests.
Bush failed to find his rhythm for the second straight season, not eclipsing the 600 yard mark. He flashed a glimpse of the phenomenal player he could be, but lacked the consistency needed to run between the tackles successfully in the NFL.
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