Reggie Bush bashers busy once again
They are out in full force this holiday season.
No, not cops at designated checkpoints around town in search of overly-juiced motorists, or TV pitchmen trying to push the perfect kitchen utensil to put under the Christmas tree.
I’m talking about the Bush Bashers, the Bush Whackers, the Reggie Haters, etc., that disgruntled segment of Who Dat society which seems to revel in ripping the 25-year-old New Orleans Saints running back 24/7.
Apparently, it’s open season on Bush after his low-light performance in Sunday’s 30-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, or rather ’tis the season to Dis Reggie.
Bah-Hum-Bush!
I’m surprised the Bush Mob isn’t busy organizing a protest in front of the Superdome for the team’s regular-season finale against Tampa Bay on Jan., 2 or dispatched a lobbyist to Washington, D.C., to carry their message.
There is venom in their veins, to the point where it has become almost personal.
Here is a sampling of a few potshots taken at RB25 that have crossed my path the past few days:
-- Maybe, Reggie can take Santa's place this Christmas & back down everyone’s chimney.
-- Instead of crawfish boils, call them Bush Boils!
-- What goes beep-beep every time it backs up? A Reggie truck!
-- Wrong Way Reggie!
OK enough.
My response to all you mean-spirited Bush Whackers is frickin’ lighten up, will ya please!
Granted, the former 2005 Heisman Trophy winner has not put up productive numbers this season. Nor has he come close to justifying his $8 million base salary, in part, perhaps, because a broken right fibula kept him on the sideline for eight games.
In fact, it doesn’t seem that long ago when hordes of Saints fans clamored for him to get back in the lineup, that a struggling offense missed his presence, if only as a clever decoy.
In five games, Bush, the second overall pick in the 2006 draft, has 62 touches for 320 yards and one touchdown. Here’s the breakdown:
-- 26 rushes for 80 yards, a 3.1-yard average, with a long of 13 yards & no TDs.
-- 25 catches for 133 yards, a 5.3-yard average, with a long of 20 yards & 1 TD.
-- 10 punt returns for 75 yards, a 7.5-yard average, with a long of 43 yards.
-- 1 kick return for 32 yards (against Baltimore).
You can do the math. It adds up to very little bang for the bucks.
I understand the fans’ lingering frustration. I agree from a business standpoint: Reggie Bush has not justified his contract or fulfilled the lofty and unfair expectations that come with being the second overall pick.
But shouldn’t Saints’ management share some of the blame? After all, they backed up the Brinks truck and doled out their millions with owner Tom Benson’s blessing, not just once but twice on a player who is not a featured back nor touches the ball more than 10-12 times a game. And yet, I don’t sense the Bush Bashers have the same disdain for decision makers Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton that they have for Reggie Bush, now nearly five seasons into his NFL career.
Why is that?
Let’s be honest here: Reggie Bush did what anyone in his or her right mind would have done back in 2006 when he signed a six-year, $52 million contract and again in the summer of 2008 when he restructured that original deal.
Under the terms of the new deal, Bush now is scheduled to make a base salary of $11.8 million in 2011 and will count $16 million against the ’11 salary cap, though I don’t believe he will ever see that kind of money with the Black and Gold.
In 2006 and again in ’08, he took the money and ran. Unfortunately, Bush just hasn’t run to everyone’s liking nor shed that annoying habit of running backwards and losing yards.
To all you Bush Bashers, Whackers and Haters who call yourselves Saints fans, if you want to disrespect Reggie Bush, go right ahead. That’s your prerogative.
I say think again. You're out of bounds.
Saints beat writer Brian Allee-Walsh can be reached at [email protected]
Click to read the original Saints article by New Orleans Saints Central
0%
Click to share thisClick to share this