Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday will be the biggest sporting event in New Orleans history, but for one player, it will also define his career path, and possibly his legacy in the city.
The Saints have a decision to make at some point this offseason. Do they pay Reggie Bush, their number two overall pick in 2006 a whopping $8m salary next season, do they ask him to rework his contract, or do they cash in and trade him to a willing suitor in his former college coach, Pete Carroll? The good news for the Saints is that the decision rests more in what Bush does on Sunday than on his previous body of work.
Make no mistake about it, if Reggie Bush contributes in a meaningful way this Sunday, he will be back in the bayou next year. The Saints are a franchise rooted very much at the centre of their community, and it is difficult to see them parting ways with Bush if he is seen as a hero by the fans. If the Saints win, the party will last a long time, but when it is over, those tough business decisions may seem a little easier with the uncapped year ahead and fans idolising a player who helped bring the biggest prize of all to New Orleans.
Of course, in such a situation, the Saints would inevitably attempt to restructure the rookie contract Bush signed, but the big problem may be that Bush would hold all of the leverage, and by playing chicken with the team, he would win that battle.
If, on the other hand, Bush is anonymous in a Saints loss, or even has a bad game and the team wins, the boot is well and truly on the other foot. Is he a bust? Not quite. he's unconventional for his position and draft slot, but he has contributed in his own fashion over the last few years. There's no doubt that he shows flashes of brilliance and changes games occasionally with a burst of speed, but until the divisional playoffs, Bush had shown little sign of being able to run between the tackles or carry much of a load from the backfield.
The truth is he just doesn't fit the mould, and rather like Josh Cribbs, that makes his contribution very difficult to evaluate. Fans may love Cribbs as a return man, but he wants to be paid as a wide receiver. Similarly, Bush is great catching swing passes and screens out of the backfield, or running back punts, but he was drafted as a running back second overall. You don't pay that type of player $8m unless he is guaranteed to contribute in more conventional terms over the course of your season. The harsh reality of business in the NFL is that you can get paid better as an average player who contributes no big plays but plays a traditional role in an offence, than a dynamic player who's value varies from team to team.
The general consensus is that at some point Carroll will look to upgrade the running back position in Seattle, and that New Orleans may be his first port of call if he believes he can swing a trade for the guy he coached at USC. If not Carroll though, who will take Bush? There will be suitors, but how many of them will pay him the $8m? That is why Sunday matters so much. It will either strengthen or weaken the market that he will use as leverage this season. Play well, and Bush can stay in New Orleans and bask in the adulation for a few more years on money that the fans will be happy to see him take. Play badly and he could be looking at a trade to whoever is desperate enough to risk big money on a player who has shown he can't carry the load. Those teams don't tend to be among the perennial contenders...
Reggie Bush enters the biggest game of his career on Sunday - in every sense.
Tuesday 2 February 2010
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