Reggie Bush says, "Thanks, Houston!"

Just imagine the situation at this point in the season if Saints fourth string receiver and part time kick returner Reggie Bush had been drafted by the Houston Texans. Given Bush's underwhelming performance to this point, the weekly talk of the national sports world would be about the latest Heisman NFL bust. On the Texans, Bush would be the number one halfback on a cellar-dwelling Texans team. His 2.6 yards per carry and his tendency to hesitate in the hole or run backwards would elicit boos and catcalls from the Houston fans.. that is if his diminutive size and much heavier workload had not yielded a worse injury than the ankle sprain from which he currently suffers.


Quit dancing and get up the field, already!

Bush owes the Texans a debt of gratitude for allowing him to fall to the Saints where he fits in nicely as a decoy or safety valve receiver for one of the most efficient offenses on one of the most surprising teams in the NFL. The Saints are currently 7th in the league in total offense. They rank in the top ten in yards per game, 3rd down conversion percentage, and passing yards. They have also allowed the league's fewest sacks.

Those last two facts are particularly telling. The Saints are ranked third in total passing yards... only five teams have attempted more passes... but have allowed only eight sacks all season. That is a spectacular achievement.. especially for a team which began the season with an entirely new offensive line, quarterback, and a seventh round draft choice starting at wideout. Provided we expect his arm to remain attatched to his shoulder, is it too early to consider Drew Brees for MVP? For more on this topic, please see the following piece of inspired football analysis.


There he is. The world's greatest one-armed quarterback.

More Stuff:

• In 2000, the Saints finished the first half of the season at 6-2. At that point, the team was already beginning to feel the bite of the injury bug but remained competitive nonetheless. First year coach Jim Haslett adressed this with the media saying the only player his team couldn't afford to lose was quarterback Jeff Blake. Blake promptly went down with a broken foot the next week. The Saints made the playoffs anyway and scored their first and only playoff victory with newcomer and soon-to-be literacy advocate Aaron Brooks at the helm... proving mostly that Jim Haslett was wrong about everything. Can't imagine Jamie Martin taking over for Brees with similar results. Let's hope we don't have to worry about it.



• Are you starting to wish the Saints hadn't traded Michael Bennett so hastily? With Bush ineffective, and Deuce McAllister obviously playing hurt the Saints have no running game to speak of... and yes they will need one.



Hey, remember me? Didn't think so


• Rookie of the Year of the Week: Seventh round draft choice, Zach Strief shut out the Bucs' all everything pass rusher, Simeon Rice yesterday. Strief and Marques Colston officially make this the greatest seventh round in history. BTW, TD tally: Colston 7 Stallworth 2



The Saints' seventh round monsters are seen here in action.


• Jerk Alert: Everyone's favorite Saint Michael Lewis has made a successful comeback from knee surgery.. which is something at age 35. Lewis has already made a difference on kick returns and always looks like he's a step away from breaking one. Unfortunately due to an accident of nature which is no fault of Lewis's, the football is in fact slightly larger than he is. This means that he is prone to dropping every third punt or so. It's just something we've come to live with. Yesterday, Lewis did in fact drop a punt. Jerky coach Sean Payton responded by loudly accosting Lewis on the sideline and then benching him in favor of the largely ineffective Bush for the remainder of the game. Remember, according to the jerk coach theory of football, this episode likely bodes well for the Saints.

Pittsburgh, despite their poor record, will likely pose a stiff challenge for the Saints. It remains to be seen whether this team can consistently run and stop the run against an opponent who does both of those things well. This will become more and more important in the second half of the season.

Note: Game photos stolen as always from NOLA.com