The Detroit Lions are 1-0 heading into their second preseason game against the Cleveland Browns and after a tough season in 2012 the team is ready to get back to the playoffs and one player that will make a big impact should be Reggie Bush after he was signed from the Dolphins.
The team is set with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson in the passing game and now the team is ready to get back on track after missing the playoffs last season. Stafford went down to 28 scores after throwing 41 in the season before and having Bush in the fold should help. The Lions play the Browns at 7:30 PM on Thursday night for their second game and it is a road matchup for Detroit and the game can be watched on NFL.com.
The Lions made a big splash in free agency after signing Reggie Bush away from the Miami Dolphins and as the team tries to rebound from an awful 2012 campaign, the offense is planning to put the running back in some familiar spots, including at wide receiver, where he lined up often while playing with the New Orleans Saints.
Full Schedule:
2013 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
--2 Thu, Aug 15 @ Cleveland 7:30 PM
--3 Thu, Aug 22 Vs New England 7:30 PM
--4 Thu, Aug 29 @ Buffalo 7:00 PM
According to ESPN.com, Bush has been used in various sets as the Lions have been doing offseason workouts and the running back is glad to hear that his role on the offense will be more like it was when he was with the Saints rather than with the Miami Dolphins. Bush was split out at wide receiver and worked a lot out of the backfield while with New Orleans and once he got to the Dolphins he was used more as an every down back and had his first 1,000 yard rushing season.
The biggest knock on Bush after being drafted number two overall from USC in 2006 draft was that he couldn't be an every down back that runs through the tackles, but he quashed that while with the Dolphins and now he will get the chance to do it all with the Lions. Matthew Stafford will again be the focus of the offense at quarterback and for the first time in years he may have a solid running game to go along with the high powered offense with Calvin Johnson at wide receiver. The Lions haven't had a consistent running game in years and the team has had to deal with injuries to Jahvid Best and others and now Bush could give some stability and explosiveness in the backfield.
Bush left the Dolphins to sign a four-year, $16 million deal with the Lions and the team now wants him to be an all-in-one offensive option in their scheme. Bush said that he joined the Lions to be used in that way specifically, as he said that he could have signed back with Miami or went to Arizona or Seattle, but instead he opted for Detroit, who is trying to rebound after a down 2012 season that same after a playoffs appearance. Bush has been able to produce through his career with 4,162 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns and 372 receptions for 2,730 yards and 15 touchdowns after playing with the Saints and Dolphins.
Having Bush in the backfield will give Stafford and Johnson some more room to work with, as defenses were able to double team Johnson and put pressure on Stafford in the pocket without the running game working right. The team is hoping to improve on defense as well after drafting Ziggy Ansah and head coach Jim Schwartz may be coaching for his job this season. The team ranked second in passing yards per game last season and 23rd in rushing and adding Bush should help even out those numbers and add some consistency to things.