Tim Brown: Make Big Gains with Boeing

Winners come back from adversity. Whether its an off game, a poor season, or something more serious, if you can't recover, you won't make it long in pro sports. Or in the business world.

Reggie Bush did not live up to his potential or fans' expectations last season. But, the New Orleans Saints running back says he is healthy and ready to bust loose this season.

He is putting extra time in during the offseason at team facilities, something he didn't do during the run-up to the 2007 season. Let's look at his numbers for last year -- they tell the story.

In 2007, he had 581 rushing yards and 417 receiving yards with very little impact on punt-returns. Compare that to his rookie season in 2006. Bush, who was the second overall draft pick that year, set a rookie record by catching 88 passes. He rushed for 565 yards, had 742 receiving yard and racked up 216 on punt returns.

Part of the problem behind Bush's sophomore slump in 2007 was an injury. He missed the final four games of the year with a knee injury. But the drop-off can't be entirely attributed to that. He had a shot to make a big splash, but didn't pull the trigger. He became the focal point of the offense when running back Deuce McAllister suffered a season-ending knee injury in the third game of the season.

He took on a heavier load as his team's overall performance took a major step backward. They barely resembled the Saints' team that lost to the 2006 NFC champion Chicago Bears in the playoffs.

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