After the 2010 season ended, former Saints running back Reggie Bush decided that it was time for a change. And for good reason. Though he’s never said this publicly (as far as we know), just look at the box score from the playoff loss in Seattle.
With Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory injured, Bush didn’t bump up to the No. 1 tailback role against the Seahawks. Instead, Julius Jones had 21 touches on offense; Bush had 10.
So Reggie decided to go to a different team, primarily because he wanted a different role. He found it in Miami, and he tells Jorge Sedano of 790 The Ticket that only the Dolphins offered him the opportunity to be an every-down back.
“This was the one,” Bush said. “This was the only one. I’d love to say, ‘I had this option, I could have went to the 49ers, I could have went here, there.’ I would love to sit here and say that I had all these options, but this was really the only option that was out there because pretty much all the other teams had their running back, their guy.”
Bush says that the Saints wanted to keep him, but the Saints also wanted to continue to use a revolving-door approach. (This year, it’s Thomas, Mark Ingram, and Darren Sproles -- with Ivory ready to step in for anyone who is injured.)
And so as Bush closes in on the first 1,000-yard rushing performance of his career, it looks like he’ll continue to be the guy in Miami. At least until the new coach (whoever he may be) decides to use a two- or three-headed approach at the position.