ATLANTA — The last New Orleans Saints player to arrive at the podium for interviews was Reggie Bush, the Heisman Trophy winner in 2005 and an electric third-down back when he’s on top of his game.
On Sunday afternoon, he was just that.
Bush had six receptions for 46 yards and two touchdowns, and he had a 23-yard punt return that was converted into another score, as the unbeaten Saints slipped past the Atlanta Falcons 26-23 in the Georgia Dome. Bush also had six carries for 33 yards, including a 19-yard bolt through the teeth of the Falcons defense.
The Saints and Indianapolis Colts are both sporting 13-0 records, and Bush, the second player chosen in the 2006 NFL Draft, was sporting a big smile when it was over.
“I think Coach (Sean) Payton likes to put our backs in space,” Bush said. “Obviously, on a screen, that gives me the opportunity. I think it’s something Sean wants to do.”
The aforementioned screen came with a convoy of blockers after the Saints’ Drew Brees caught the Falcons out of position on a blitz. Bush scored from 21 yards out and the Saints had a 23-9 lead early in the third quarter.
Blowout city, however, gave way to a survival act as the Saints used Garrett Hartley’s 38-yard field goal for the winning points with 4:42 left. The Saints used more than eight minutes on the clock on that drive.
“I don’t think we think we’re anywhere close to invincible,” Bush said. “It’s tough to get wins in this league. You saw another character win this week.”
Bush revealed his Heisman vote before arriving in the interview area, going with three running backs — winner Mark Ingram of Alabama first, Clemson’s C.J. Spiller second and Stanford’s Toby Gerhart, the closest runner-up in Heisman history, rounding out his ballot.
“That was big, having him back today,” Brees said. “We brought him back slowly last week (in a 33-30 overtime victory over Washington), but today he came up big. I feel like our staple of backs, each of them, has filled a role with our offense. We’re just trying to put them in a position to succeed.”
The Saints’ 13-0 start is testament to that.
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