Reggie Bush 2.0 – Saints Add by Subtraction

Electrifying speed, excellent hands, the ability to take it to the house every time he touches the ball; these were the expectations that Reggie Bush entered the league with. Entering free agency this year the question on everyone’s mind was what will happen to Reggie Bush? Well there is finally an answer. After five productive yet underwhelming seasons the New Orleans Saints and Reggie Bush have parted ways. Within hours of the announcement that Bush had been traded to the Miami Dolphins for a special team’s contributor and exchanged draft picks, the question then became “what now?” While Reggie may not have lived up to the hype, he was a contributor to the Saints high octane offense, and a weapon at Drew Brees and Sean Payton’s disposal. National media personalities took to the airwaves declaring that while the Saints would certainly save money by releasing Bush they had also lost a homerun threat. As if on cue, within twenty-four hours of the Bush trade being finalized Sean Payton seemed to say “watch this” to the doubters and showed that he had found his new Reggie Bush. His name is Darren Sproles.

Five foot six and one hundred and ninety pounds doesn’t exactly sound like the physical attributes of a big time NFL running back. But contained within that small frame is every bit the explosiveness and playmaking ability that Reggie Bush has, plus something he doesn’t, the ability to make one move and turn up field. Statistically speaking, Sproles is only marginally superior to Bush. In fact, Bush has scored more touchdowns than Sproles. But a brief fact check and review of YouTube video highlights shows some things that the numbers don’t.

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The first thing to know is that San Diego used Darren Sproles primarily as a punt and kick return specialist, with only occasional usage at running back. Reggie Bush has had roughly double the rushing attempts and receptions as Sproles, while Sproles has more kick and punt returns than Bush. With this knowledge in hand it is easy to see that a direct statistical comparison is not a sound method of comparison. This is where video comes in to play. Viewing highlights of Darren Sproles and his plays at running back reveals that besides incredible speed, quick feet and the ability to change direction on a dime, Sproles has a sense of vision and the a ability to make one cut and run to daylight. This skill is something that any Saints fan can tell you is sorely lacking in Reggie Bush’s game. Additionally, Sproles has shown an unbelievable ability to break tackles and run in traffic. On one play against the Broncos, he runs straight into the line and proceeds to bang through defenders and actually drags a linebacker with him to the goal line. These are things that Bush has not been able or willing to do in his career to date. While he has occasionally run through defensive backs, Reggie has rarely made it past the first defender to make contact with him. Knowing this can lead to only one conclusion, Darren Sproles is the upgrade to Reggie Bush.

The Saints will look to use Sproles in the same way as Bush, a change of pace back on draws and delays, screen and swing passes out of the back field and short to medium passes in space against linebackers. It is no stretch of the imagination to say that Sproles, given the same number of touches on offense as Bush will be able to out produce him. Likewise, Sproles can provide a more consistent presence in the return game than Bush did. Finally, Sproles has shown a willingness to be a role player and is content to be one element of a wider range of possible targets on offense. Bush agreed to the trade with Miami with the hope to see more touches per game, something that he always desired in New Orleans despite his reluctance to say so. Sproles has no such aspirations.

A more decisive runner with a willingness to run through tacklers, a more team oriented mentality at a cheaper price? These are all the trademarks of a great deal for New Orleans. No doubt that Reggie Bush will bring some much needed excitement and star appeal to the much maligned Dolphins, much the same way he did those things for a staggered Saints franchise post Katrina. But it is a fairly safe bet that the Saints have indeed found a great replacement and upgrade in Darren Sproles. Bush 2.0, it would appear so.

By Ian Smith
ProFootball-fans.com New Orleans Saints Correspondent
You can follow Ian on twitter @imsmith_cssn