The 6-3 Saints hope to have their fifth-year running back, Reggie Bush, back this Sunday for their game against the Seahawks after he broke his fibula in a Week 2 win over the 49ers.
According to an ESPN source, Bush has been targeting the Seahawks game for quite some time. He recently became active in practices this week in hopes to reach the field on Sunday.
"I felt pretty good today practicing out there," Bush said, via the New Orleans-Times Picayune. "I think it was a little stiff at first, but once I got running around it felt pretty good. I'm just taking it day by day at this point and looking to obviously get back out there this weekend. But obviously the final decision will come toward the end of the week, and we'll see what happens. I feel like this is a good weekend to get out there."
While Bush said he felt fine during practice, the running back was limited during drills.
"This is a different injury for me. I've never had an injury like this before, so ultimately it's not just my decision. It's a team of us. It's me, it's the coaches, it's the trainers and the doctors. … If it were up to me, I would have been playing (earlier). Even with the broken leg,” he said after being asked why he wasn't certain about his return for Sunday.
Last week the Saints had a bye which allowed Bush to rest and focus on making his leg even stronger. Bush has explained that he has been feeling no pain while running, planting or cutting.
If Bush made it back on the field for Sunday's game, he would return just in time to face former USC coach Pete Carroll. But Bush explains that there is no rush to get back out on the field if his leg is not ready.
"Not at all. There's no extra incentive," Bush said of the upcoming matchup against Carroll. "We do talk. I still have the utmost respect for him and highest regards for him. I love him to death. But there's no extra incentive to get back out there this week just because we're playing against him."
In the first two games that Bush was a part of, he caught nine passes for 63 yards and a touchdown and ran the ball seven times for a total of 18 yards.
The Saints haven't been doing as well without him as a threat in the backfield. They have gone 4-3 without Bush as opposed to the 2-0 start they had with Bush on the starting roster.
