Initially, it looked like Saints running back Reggie Bush would try to play Sunday night against the Steelers, but now conflicting reports have begun to surface. While New Orleans head coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that Bush was "day-to-day," it seems as though a "league source" is saying that he will sit his sixth consecutive game after suffering a leg fracture in Week 2.
Typically "league source" is an anonymous euphemism for "someone inside the Saints organization," so you know Payton and company have to be irked if there's an information leak somewhere in their house. Or - conspiracy theory alert! - the Saints are "leaking" erroneous information on purpose to obscure the Pittsburgh's preparation for their forthcoming Halloween tilt in the Big Easy.
I suppose that all things being equal, you'd rather your opponent have to plan for Bush than not. But it doesn't really matter either way. This probably wouldn't be as much of a story as it is if Bush wasn't such a household name. It's strange that more people don't see him for the bust of an NFL running back that he truly is. (Looking back, it's funny to think that the Texans selecting Mario Williams ahead of Bush was actually considered a gaffe.)
For his career, Bush is averaging a pedestrian 4.0 ypc. He's also missed 16 regular season games in about four and a half seasons, so he's been a very brittle back, as well. Sure, every once in a while, he'll give you a highlight like this, and I suppose you have to account for him moving the chains through the air on third downs...but the point remains: this is a player who gets way more attention than he should.
So unless you are a) Reggie Bush or b) a desperate fantasy owner whose injury-riddled roster has been decimated to the point where Bush is actually an option, you probably shouldn't really care about this story. Go read about Aaron Smith and Ziggy Hood instead.
With Pierre Thomas also nursing an injury, look for the youngster Chris Ivory to handle the load for the Saints. And by "the load," I mean, like - I dunno - 12 carries. The Saints are one of the worst rushing teams in the league (92.6 ypg, 3.9 ypc), and the Steelers are the best at stopping it (63.7 ypg, 2.8 ypc). Payton's gameplan has probably always been to have Drew Brees chuck it 50+ times. Bush injury saga aside, it never mattered who lined up at tailback for the Saints in the first place.