By Ryan Karr
The Dartmouth Staff
Did you know that Reggie Bush is second in the NFL in total commercial endorsements, behind the great Peyton Manning?
Bush has signed contracts with Pepsi, General Motors, Adidas, Subway and Hooters for upwards of $5 million. But is he worth the hype and the Hooters girls (and his current girlfriend Kim Kardashian)?
Without a doubt, he was a college football superstar, winning two championships with the University of Southern California and the Heisman Trophy. While in the professional ranks, however, people are starting to wonder whether or not he is "the real deal" (a local Hooters waitress back home raised this point while waiting on me and my family this past interim).
It makes me sick to think this, but Reggie Bush was a college student just like me during my freshman year. While I was laboring away at the library and through cold winters, Reggie Bush was dating model Eva Torres of the WWE and was destined to make millions barring terrible injury. Now I'm here writing about him. I digress.
Let's take a look at the stat sheet. He burst onto the scene in 2006 with 141 total yards in his first game, and he became an ever more integral part to the over-achieving Saints that year. He finished the year with 1,307 total yards and six rushing touchdowns to complement two receiving touchdowns.
In 2007, Bush took a step backwards. He finished the year with just 998 total yards in twelve games, six total touchdowns, and a whopping seven fumbles (three were lost). The next season in 2008 started promisingly for Bush, as he opened the year with a 163-total-yard performance against Tampa Bay. But his production has been down ever since, averaging just 83 total yards a game since the opener.
What is going on here? Why does Reggie Bush demand so much attention and respect when he hasn't actually produced at the level most anticipated?
I have one answer for you: he's developing into a more dangerous all-around threat. Bush spent most of his time at USC as the primary back, running first and receiving second. In his first two seasons in the NFL, he ran first and caught second, evidenced by his 161 combined receptions in Bush's 2006 and 2007 campaigns compared to 312 rushes, roughly a one-to-two ratio. Bush's ratio of receiving touchdowns to rushing touchdowns in his first two seasons is similar, catching four and running in 10.
So far in 2008, Bush has scored three receiving touchdowns compared to two rushing touchdowns, showing much more balance offensively. Even more alarming to competing NFL squads is that Bush already has three punt-return touchdowns in just 10 attempts, compared to 2006 when he had but one touchdown in 28 attempts (and no touchdowns in 2007).
To summarize, Bush already has eight touchdowns this season in just six games, one away from his 2006 total of nine and far surpassing last year's total of six. And he's scoring in a greater variety of ways, which means he's finally showing the versatility and game-changing qualities he was expected to bring to the NFL.
Oh and by the way, Bush's eight touchdowns make him the league leader in touchdowns scored so far in 2008, and he accumulated them in by far the most diversified manner (rushing, receiving, and punt returns). Not bad for a so-called "college superstar" who many were writing off after his down season last year.
Now Reggie Bush is injured, and his health the rest of the season is in question. Before Sunday, the Saints announced that Bush would be "100%" for the game against Carolina, but after leaving the game early, it is unclear whether Bush aggravated a previous ailment or tweaked something new.
If Bush misses time, don't expect the Saints to pull out of their mediocre season any time soon. Brees is having a great season, but taking Bush out of the lineup means one less major option in the offense. I do believe that he is a valuable asset to the Saints, and without him they are in trouble. With him, the New Orleans offense can beat you in a variety of ways " through the air, up the middle and with special teams " with Bush leading the way on all fronts.
I'm not saying Reggie Bush is worth all the hype, endorsements and Kim Kardashian, but he's worth something to his team and the city of New Orleans, and he's diversifying his skill set. He can beat you in so many different ways now. I have to give him credit for that.
