Eagles A Good Fit For Reggie Bush?

Posted: May 11th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Tags: | 37 Comments »

A few people have asked about whether Saints RB/RS/athlete Reggie Bush could be a player the Eagles will be interested in.  He’s still under contract in New Orleans, but is due a salary of $11.8M this year.  The Saints aren’t likely to honor that figure so chances are Reggie will be cut when the offseason gets underway.

Reggie clearly has the skill set to play in the Eagles offense.  He is a very good receiver and is a dynamic weapon when he’s got the ball out in space.  He is a great punt returner.  You don’t get Reggie to feed him the ball on I-formation running plays.  This guy is a weapon and must be used accordingly.  Andy Reid doesn’t know a lot about the running game, but he does know how to use offensive weapons.

I’d love for the Eagles to make a play for Bush.  He’s the kind of guy that can thrive despite getting limited touches.  Bush would be an interesting fit.  He would be the primary PR.  He would be the backup RB.  He would be the #4 WR a lot of the time.  You could use him on end arounds, WR screens, deep balls, as well as standard RB runs and pass routes.

Value is the big issue with Bush and the Eagles.  We’d see him as a luxury.  We’ve already got Shady, DJax, Maclin, and the rest of the gang.  I think a team that is starved for offense could see Bush as a really important target.  Young, ascending teams like the Rams, Bucs, and Lions might think of Reggie as a guy who could put them over the top.  I’d have to think the Dolphins would love to have him.  Bush would instantly be their best offensive playmaker.  Those types of teams might offer Reggie more money and more touches.  He’d have to fight for touches here.

The Eagles are going to have a lot of money to spend in free agency.  There would be some wisdom to going after a guy like Bush.  He would free up DeSean from returning punts, but you would still have a dynamic guy back there.  Bush would be a matchup nightmare for defenses.  Andy could slide him from RB to the slot to out wide.  And Reggie might want to play for a creative offensive coach.  Sean Payton did a great job with him.  There are no guarantees that some of the other teams will use him the way he wants.  I think Reggie would like Andy’s offense.  We also know that NFL players love Mike Vick.  Reggie might think it would be awesome to play with him.

We know the Eagles go into free agency looking for bargains or special players.  They don’t go after players that are just “solid”.  Bush is a special player.  I don’t think this is a likely move, but it would be interesting.

* * * * *

I did a post-draft podcast with the guys from EaglesFanCast.  Here is a link to the page where you can download/listen to it.  Show lasts about an hour.  I apologize if my voice is too sexy.  I have no control over that.


37 Comments on “Eagles A Good Fit For Reggie Bush?”

  1. 1 SKOHR said at 12:23 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    Tommy, these are the kind of articles that make me really enjoy this site. When there is something interesting going on in the NFL world, be it potential (or actual) personnel moves, new rules, or league news you always seem to have the best first take on how it effects the Eagles. Almost every time, I agree with your take too.

    Bush would be A LOT of fun to have on the Eagles but what would he cost? While Dion Lewis doesn’t have the upside or wow factor that Bush does, I think he can play a very similar role to how the Eagles would use Bush. The real factor here is what does Bush cost? $5M? $8M? $10M? Then what do the Eagles think he is worth as somewhat of an auxiliary weapon? Remember how little some of our biggest weapons made last season? I doubt they would be too excited if the Eagles brought in a guy like Bush who would take away some of their touches, ultimately do less work, and probably earn more money then they do.

    That said, I wouldn’t complain at all if they did bring him in.

  2. 2 Thunderlips said at 12:50 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    Not sure if Bush is a viable option. Especially once you consider we’re going to get Hasselbeck, Namdi, Haynesworth, Babin, and resign Mikell.

  3. 3 sexierthanthou said at 12:55 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    that’s the problem you see tommy. all the players who interest the eagles, regardless of position, in free agency, are also, of course, of high interest for several, if not a lot, other teams. so unless you have a little bird in andy reid’s office, it’s mere speculation at this time. i’m not saying it’s not pleasant, i’m just incredibly frustrated.

    and in spite of having ‘a lot of money to spend in fa’, would they spring for nnamdi, babin, haynesworth, bush, or even plaxico ? considering the age of some of these players ? and the possible locker-room and on-field disruption they might cause ? there’s a delicate poise, balance, to achieve there. i trust the front office to manage it.

    you know me, i know less than nothing. i don’t know. i’m desperate for immediate improvement in a lot of areas, for a reasonable amount of money, without any diva attitude or troubles with the law.

    is that too much to ask ? yeah, probably.

    grrrrrrr.

  4. 4 Norman said at 1:11 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    Reggie Bush would mean we’d see more of Kim Kardashian, right?

    … right?

  5. 5 Netherman said at 1:49 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    Slight twist…would you rather have Bush or djax? I think bush is more versatile and scares me less on injury front. Then take a flyer on plax, and I think we are more dangerous offensively especially in red zone and bush + plax may ultimately be cheaper.

  6. 6 Netherman said at 1:53 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    You could even use djax as trade bait for another position if need.

  7. 7 Philanova said at 2:09 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    @Netherman

    So you’re saying that you’d take Bush’s injury history (Partially torn PCL in 2007, torn meniscus in 2008, calf and hamstring injuries in 2009, and a broken bone in his right leg in 2010) over Jackson (one concussion, albeit a severe one)?

    Don’t get me wrong, I would absolutely love to have Reggie Bush on the Eagles, but if it’s an either/or proposition with injury history being a key factor, I’d take Desean over Reggie.

  8. 8 Netherman said at 2:56 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    I know that sounds crazy but yes…you see the precautions for concussions ramping up (rightly so). People are going to take shots on him, and with his size I dont think he will hold up. It is not the number but the type of injury I care about.

  9. 9 Dan in Philly said at 2:57 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    Reggie Bush as an Eagle? Reggie and Shady lining up in the same backfield? Reggie, Shady, DJax and Maclin on the field together? Andy would probably die of sheer analysis paralysis.

    This is the kind of idea which, if it ever happened, would send Eagles fans into a kind of an epileptic fit of excitement. The funny thing is I could actually see Reggie being very intrigued by the idea. I get the feeling that Vick is a guy very well thought of by other players in the league, and the idea of putting together a super-offense with him at the helm might really appeal to a guy like Bush

  10. 10 Tommy Lawlor said at 3:07 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    @ Thunderlips…

    Nice try, but Q is gone. The rest of the list is 100% guaranteed (+ or – 99%).

  11. 11 Tommy Lawlor said at 3:10 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    @ sexierthanthou…

    The Eagles aren’t going to go nuts with bringing in high priced veterans. That isn’t their way of doing business.

    They will add a CB. I think DE is very possible. Not sure about DT, but if they do go after Haynesworth he’s likely to get a short, safe deal. No team will pay him $100M after the last 2 years in WAS.

    The Eagles will make at least one impact move in the offseason, possibly 2 or 3.

  12. 12 Tommy Lawlor said at 3:13 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    RE: Bush vs DJax?

    I’m going with DeSean. He is a WR and PR. Reggie isn’t a real RB. He’s a unique weapon that has to be used a certain way. DeSean is a weapon, but he can be used as a standard WR. You can plug him into any scheme and he’ll produce. Reggie has to be manipulate to impact games.

    I would take Kim Kardashian over both of them. I get the feeling she is really smartz and I love a good conversation.

  13. 13 Thunderlips said at 3:25 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    I really don’t think the Eagles have a shot at Bush. If money is his primary desire, some other team will out-spend the Eagles. If he’s interested in a high-powered creative offense with a Mastermind calling the plays, why not just re-work his deal with NO?

    The only shot the Eagles have is if Bush wants a big-time/creative offense and feels disrespected by the Saints. Even then, we would be competing with several other teams.

  14. 14 Netherman said at 3:39 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    I agree in a vacuum both healthy djax > bush but what if it is djax @ 11 mill vs bush @ 7 or 8? I am not sure those are realistic numbers but got to believe djax is looking for top wr money.

    Interesting that you feel bush has to be used certain way…seems like a guy you could come up with lots of creative uses for. Yes they would be less conventional but is that bad?

    Not being contrarian. I honestly never gave him much thought and my first reaction was no way we sink that much $ in off skill guys but djax is not a lock to stay.

  15. 15 Netherman said at 3:57 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    All that said there is no scenario in which I think getting bush is even remotely likely.

  16. 16 Tommy Lawlor said at 4:03 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    @ Netherman…

    Bush isn’t a standard RB. You can’t just hand him the ball on a between-the-tackles run and expect him to do much. He needs toss plays and outside runs. You have to throw him screens and swing passes. He’s a chess piece that needs to be moved around to create mismatches.

    DeSean can run every passing route there is. He’s not a guy you want going over the middle 20 plays a game, but he catches his share of inside passes and is dangerous when the ball is in his hands.

    Coaches have to view Reggie as a weapon first, RB second. DeSean can be viewed as a WR or weapon. That’s all up to the coach.

    Here’s the thing…Bush wants every play to be a big play. That mentality is fine at WR, but not at RB. Bill Parcells will lecture young runners over and over, “Trust the play. Run to the correct hole.” RBs who freelance create big plays and big problems. That’s why I say he can’t be viewed as a standard RB.

    RE: Reggie leaving the Saints?

    He’s leaving (most likely) because he’s going to get cut due to salary. Most guys won’t re-sign with teams who do that out of some simplistic sense of rejection, despite the fact that often that is the best fit for them. Reggie is perfect for the Saints. He really should stay.

    I don’t anticipate a huge bidding war for him, but I can see a few teams making a strong push for his services. Reggie is the kind of wildcard that can help put a team over the top (in terms of becoming a winner or making the playoffs…I don’t necessarily see him as the guy who makes someone a Super Bowl team).

  17. 17 Tommy Lawlor said at 4:06 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    This is probably much ado about nothing, but it beats the topic I had prepared originally…

    Who would you rather be in a hot tub with?

    A – Jamaal Jackson
    B – Max Jean-Gilles
    C – Nick Cole

  18. 18 Noah said at 4:14 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    ^Is Herremans and option? I mean, I have a feeling he might get a little frisky under the bubbles. He is THE Herr-Dawg.

  19. 19 Tommy Lawlor said at 4:27 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    @ Noah…

    Choose A, B, or C. Don’t cheat or I’ll put you in the hot tub with all 3.

  20. 20 Netherman said at 4:41 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    Off topic…do you have concerns about lack of established field general on defense with juan new to calling plays? I know unlikely we go after major lb upgrade but what about a high football iq vet?

  21. 21 Tommy Lawlor said at 4:43 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    @ Netherman…

    That’s actually a good topic for a post or column.

  22. 22 Norman said at 5:29 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    Field General:

    Strikes me as Chaney or Stew, whoever gets MLB in training camp. Doesn’t make much of a difference, Castillo is fiery enough.

    Bush:

    He is a weapon, and I’d love to see what Reid can do with him. But we have A LOT of weapons as it is. I’d rather have a defense, tyvm.

    Hot Tub:

    Between those three? MJG would have the largest breast size, I guess… I think I would go JamJax though, simply because him and I could wax poetic about the awesome mid 2000’s.

  23. 23 Thunderlips said at 6:09 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    Norman,

    Strange to think that JamJax is likely to be the only hold-over from the ’04 Superbowl Run (not that he contributed). Gotta give it up to Reid et. al. for rebuilding on the fly.

  24. 24 Norman said at 7:23 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    Absolutely.

    I don’t think there’s been a point where I didn’t think that we were poised for a serious run (and then make a pretty good shot at it).

    I may think poorly of Reid for being a poor game-manager, but as a personel guy- man he’s gotta be on the same level of Parcells.

    Frightening to consider that Reid is probably in his twilight.

  25. 25 Cliff said at 8:47 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    I know it’s the off-season, and it’s duller than usual, but the Bush vs. DeSean debate is ridiculous.

    I actually like the Vick angle on this. Bush likely grew up idolizing what he saw from Vick. We need to get the two together somehow between now and the start of free agency to plant the seed.

  26. 26 McG said at 10:33 PM on May 11th, 2011:

    Ok so I know it’s WAAAY to early to speculate on this, but I just can’t help myself… If Andy decides to step back from HC and take on more of a GM role the logical choice (and they may already be moving in this direction) is Juan Castillo. Castillo is going to have expert knowledge on both sides of the ball, and is one of the most highly respected coaches by the players… just sayin’

    Hot Tub… I’m gonna go with Jam Jax just cuz the other two aren’t likely to even be in midnight green in a few months.

    Reggie Bush… Saint Happenin… but… if it does, I think he would be a very dangerous man in our scheme.

  27. 27 Netherman said at 12:04 AM on May 12th, 2011:

    Because now I am curious, why is a Bush vs. DeSean debate ridiculous. OK, I am going to say it…I think Jackson is overrated (as is Bush). He had us all naming our future children after him when he single-handedly won that game against the Giants with an amazing once in a lifetime performance.

    However, let’s try to be objective. He is not in the top tier of WR with Johnson & Johnson or Fitz. He can technically run every route, but he is not outjumping people, and he disappears in the red zone (within red zone all last year 6 touches, 15 yds, 1 TD). He is not great when the catch is contested. His most valuable asset is completely neutralized on a wretched field like Chicago or in really bad weather. He will never be a great downfield blocker with his size. He sometimes makes bone head mistakes (can anyone ever forget the Cowboy non-touchdown). When we are down by 9+ points (when you most need an explosive guy like that) in the last three years he has had 0 TD’s which tells me he can either be limited through scheme or cannot get separation fast enough when people blitz the crap out of us. I hate going by the stats but the eyeball test tells me he tends to disappear for stretches too. He is a fantastic complementary & big play guy who can open up the field, and if we had a better compliment to him with a physical receiver (like had we stayed put and taken Nicks instead of JMac), I would like him more. He is never going to be a true “#1” WR even though he is expecting to get paid like one. Take him off a team with playmakers like Vick, Maclin, and McCoy and maybe, he is not all that different than someone like Bush…a guy with limitations who can light up the highlight reel if the coach knows how to “put him in a position to make plays”.

    Ridiculous though? Really?

  28. 28 ATG said at 12:05 AM on May 12th, 2011:

    I’ll take Nick Cole in the hot tub. He is probably the widest of the three which means that Kim Kardashian will have to slide over closer to me. She is still in this conversation, right?

  29. 29 Besnoah said at 12:21 AM on May 12th, 2011:

    One of the other issues with Bush, aside from fragility, an inability to take what the defense gives him, is fumbling.

    Here’s the average touches per fumble (rush, receptions and returns) for all active running backs in the top 50 fumblers:

    Tomlinson- 122.7
    Thomas Jones- 105.4
    Fred Taylor- 104.6
    Portis- 95.3
    Gore- 63.1
    Kevin Faulk- 62.0
    Chester Taylor- 67.3
    Peterson- 63.5
    Steven Jackson- 105.2
    Bush- 47.9

    In short, I think I’d pass considering the price.

    As to the Desean-Bush comparison, Bush has 36 plays of 20+ yards, in his career (10 of 40+). Desean had 25 plays of 20+ yards last year (9 of 40+, again, last year [73 and 27 on his career] ). Additionally, Desean’s played 2 fewer years than Bush. Desean is way better than Bush.

  30. 30 Tommy Lawlor said at 12:42 AM on May 12th, 2011:

    @ ATG…

    Clever. You do have to live with the knowledge that you invited Nick Cole into a hot tub with you.

    @ Besnoah…

    Hadn’t thought about the fumbles angle. Good point.

  31. 31 sexierthanthou said at 6:33 AM on May 12th, 2011:

    can’t you throw asante in the hot tub ? i *do* love a good conversation as well.

    wax poetic indeed…

    if you are adamant about these three, i’ll pick jamaal. the other two have the charisma of an oyster.

  32. 32 Rob C said at 9:28 AM on May 12th, 2011:

    No offense to you dude, but that is a terrible idea. Yes, Bush would make the offense difficult to stop, but not impossible. Zone blitz and that sh&t is neutralized. That’s why the Saints didn’t do anything last year. Their offensive talent is just as good, if not better.

    You touched on the value prop, which is the key to a guy like Bush (and hopefully, not DJAX). You have to pay him tons so he has a chance at hitting the occasional homerun. He’s not durable enough to be a feature weapon. We have bigger needs, like a true dominant passrusher, cover linebackers, and a good corner. We can’t assume the rookies are going to come in right away and make an impact, especially with an unproven D coordinator and an offense that doesn’t have a 10+ catch/game #1 receiver, a right line, and our highly-paid fullback to take the pressure off Vick.

  33. 33 Shedd said at 10:31 AM on May 12th, 2011:

    The Saints do not want to lose Bush, at least it doesn’t seem they do. Ingram doesn’t replace any of Bush’s skills, so drafting him says more about Pierre Thomas than Bush I believe. It is rumored that Bush wants to stay in New Orleans and is willing to rework his contract to make that happen. I would love to see him in an Eagles uniform, but I don’t think it is a foregone conclusion that Bush will be on the market.

  34. 34 Tommy Lawlor said at 10:54 AM on May 12th, 2011:

    @ Rob C…

    We all know the Eagles have needs. They will address RCB. They could very likely go for a DE.

    The Bush discussion is just an interesting idea. He isn’t a need. No one thinks he is. The point is whether the Eagles might like him. And that is possible.

    As Shedd and others have pointed out, he might just stay with the Saints. I think that would be the smartest move Bush could make.

  35. 35 Adam S. said at 1:42 PM on May 12th, 2011:

    First off gentlemen Kim is outta the Bush equation quite awhile ago, she is with the mongloid(Kris Humphris) who plays for the NJ Nets now. So in regards to your hot tub question and peoples inevitable manipulation of it, still a load big fat men and no load of big fat booty. Me, I’ll take JamJax any day……He looks like he might be able to break the tension with some humor because after all I did just request some one-on-one time with him in the hot tub.

    Okay now that the uber-important stuff is out of the way. I’m with most people here in that I wouldn’t be upset if Bush were signed but only if it came at a reasonable pricetage, which I don’t see happening. I would however be upset if his signing came at the expense of two things:1) not signing Nnamdi or Joseph (unless DRC comes over in the Kolb trade scenario) or 2) his salary upsets DJax or any of the other current building blocks looking for extensions. This locker room seems like it gets along very well at the moment and I don’t want anything to disrupt that. There are enough dynamic personalities in there that any bickering could blow up quickly, especially if it’s amongst players on the same side of the ball.

  36. 36 D3Keith said at 6:14 PM on May 13th, 2011:

    Tremendous work in the comments, fellas. I have nothing to add.

    Tommy, nice job moving your traveling bunch of groupies from site to site without any loss in quality of conversation.

  37. 37 SB50 said at 2:06 PM on May 19th, 2011:

    yeah i don’t see that happening. we already have a lot of players to get the ball to. bush would get limited touches which i don’t think he doesn’t want and the fact that he would be bringing his drama queen girlfriend kim kardashian which is not want Andy wants whatsoever. and another thing is that we just drafted dion lewis the little rb from pitt who is going to be in on those screens and dump off passes but don’t get me wrong i would like to see reggie as an eagle but i wouldn’t but i’m on the top of the eagles must need free agents