Jets coach Rex Ryan says his defense needs to get physical with Dolphins running back Reggie Bush on Sunday, and Ryan is taking a cue from Bart Scott in describing how to do it.
Ryan praised Bush when talking to reporters this week, but in praising Bush he also made clear that he thinks the Jets must bring Bush down, and they must bring him down hard.
“Reggie Bush is, everybody knows, he’s a special player,” Ryan said. “He’s got great speed, that’s the first thing that jumps out at you. He’s shifty. He runs with a little more power than people give him credit for. . . . Obviously we have to do a great job of getting a lot of guys to him and then get him on the ground. Put some hot sauce on him, if you will.”
Ryan was referencing comments from his linebacker, Bart Scott, who said in 2006 that he was going to put some hot sauce on Bush. At that time, Scott played for the Ravens, Ryan was Baltimore’s defensive coordinator, and Bush was a rookie for the Saints. When the Saints and Ravens met that season, Scott said Bush took a cheap shot at him and that he went after Bush’s ankle in retaliation.
“The media darling, aka the golden boy of the NFL, tried to take a cheap shot at me, so I told him I was going to put some extra on it,” Scott said of Bush at the time. “He can do all those shakes he wants, but I wasn’t going anywhere. I put a little hot sauce on that ankle.”
Six years later, Bush is second in the league with 241 rushing yards, and he’s preparing to meet Scott and Ryan again. Bush hasn’t been an easy player for defenses to put hot sauce on recently.