PRESS CONFERENCE SAINTS - RB REGGIE BUSH - Ingles

Super Bowl XLIV – Monday, February 1, 2010

QUOTES FROM NEW ORLEANS SAINTS PRESS CONFERENCE

RB REGGIE BUSH

(on the biggest game he has played in up until this game) “I think all the games this season were pretty big, but I would have to say the last game is the biggest I have played in. The game was so up and down. It was a rollercoaster game. Playing against Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson and that defense made it pretty big. It was a tough game for us. I think everyone who watched that game saw a hard-fought game for 60 minutes.”

(on the changes to the schedule today and arriving at the Super Bowl) “The rain put a damper on some of our plans. It rains a lot in New Orleans, too, so it is something that we are used to. I don’t think the weather is going to be too big of a deal for us. But getting here today has been a lot of fun. It is nice to get this thing on the road. We got situated in our hotel rooms so that was nice.”

(on if DE Dwight Freeney did not play this week and the impact it would have) “We have heard stories about him playing and not playing. We are just going to prepare as if he is going to play. We don’t know for sure, but it is the Super Bowl and it is all on the line. You never know what goes on in a guy’s head. You never know what they are going to do. We are going to prepare as if he is playing. He is one of their best players on defense. It starts with him and (Robert) Mathis up front on their defense. We will prepare as if both of those guys are playing, and if we get to the game and they don’t, then so be it.”

(on the how the community of New Orleans has shown appreciation for making it to the Super Bowl) “Since I have gotten to New Orleans their support level has been through the roof. They love the Saints. They are behind us. It is almost a live-and-die situation with the Saints. That is special to me. Growing up in southern California, I always heard how big football is in Texas and Florida and I never got to experience that. But coming to New Orleans is my first time experiencing something like that. It is very much appreciated. Everything we do is for the city of New Orleans.”

(on the Super Bowl coming back to New Orleans in a couple of years) “We would love nothing more than to bring a Super Bowl trophy to New Orleans. As far as the Super Bowl coming to New Orleans in 2012, it will be huge. It will be great for the city. They have been through so much down there and every time we have events like that there it just helps that city become even stronger. It is a continuing effort, not just by us, but by everyone. The people are trying to rebuild New Orleans and it is going to take a while.”

(on being a different running back now than he was a rookie) “I definitely am. I looked at the film the first time we played the Colts, and it was hard for me to watch. I just saw things I should have done better. I should have made that cut or that cut. It was just hard for me to watch. This is a learning process. This is a faster level of play. The guys are faster, smarter and stronger. I just have to continue to learn. I feel that I have learned so much already the past few years. I have dealt with injuries the last couple of years, so I have learned to deal with that. It is just a learning process. I am excited about where we are as a team and where I am at personally. I feel like we will only get better from here.”

(on the coin flip in overtime of the Conference Championship game) “That might have been the slowest coin toss I have ever seen. It took forever for that coin to come down and hit the ground. I was just praying that we won the toss. You had to be prepared for whatever the outcome may be and prepare accordingly. You didn’t know what was going to happen that game, so you didn’t want to look ahead. Winning the coin toss was a huge sigh of relief. The rules are what they are and you have to play by them.”

(on what he expects to hear from Sean Payton every day this week) “During the week he is a normal guy, but on game day he is a different person. It is almost like he is bi-polar. He is absolutely intense on game days. You don’t want to approach him because you don’t know if he is going to snap on you. That is just him.”

(on what Sean Payton has brought to his game) “He just gives me the ability to have mismatches. He creates problems for defenses every week. You cannot ask for more than that. He reminds me a lot of the offense we ran at USC. It was a wide-open offense that created a lot of mismatches, not just with me, but with Marques Colston and Devery Henderson. He gives those guys a chance to be successful on every play. Since the day he got here, you have seen an explosive offense. It is all a testament to Sean Payton.”

(on first-time organizations in the Super Bowl and their results) “It is what it is. This is a tough team we are playing against. Everyone knows what we are up against. Peyton Manning is a great quarterback. Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney and Mathis are talented players. They have so many players on their team that are talented. You can never overlook one guy. As much as everyone is talking about Peyton Manning, there are 52 other guys on that team that can beat you. Peyton is the leader of that team, but he is not their only player. We are just going to do the best we can. We are going to go in with the mentality that we can win. That is the approach we have to take. I know this is the Super Bowl and it is exciting to be here, but we still have a game to play.”

(on playing in big games in college) “I think experience in general helps you. I think coming from a program that I felt prepared me for the NFL definitely helps. These are the types of games you live for. They are the types of games you love to play in. The more experience you have the better.”

(on being drafted by the Saints and did he have any trepidation that he couldn’t win) “When I was first drafted by the Saints, I am not going to lie, I was pretty scared. I was nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. It was a year after Hurricane Katrina, and they didn’t even know if they were going to have a home field to play on. I didn’t know what to expect. Drew Brees called me the night I was drafted and told me he was excited to play with me. He told me how he got to play with LaDainian Tomlinson and he was looking forward to playing with me. That changed my entire view on what I was going into. It also eased my mind. I had a chance to watch Drew play when he was with the Chargers, so for a guy like Drew to call me says a lot about him. It eased my emotions about what I was getting into. Having the chance to come right in and be a difference maker for the organization is a blessing. For us to be able to change the face of this organization from Day One is a testament to the hard work we have put in, the character of the guys on this team and the coaches. You have seen that from Day One. From the first time Sean Payton, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and Marques Colston stepped on the field, you saw a difference. We have been trying to bring that every day since then.”

(on if the doubters disappeared after the win over New England) “I don’t know. I feel like we have not been picked to win a game all year. I feel like we have faced the criticism head on this year. I think the critics just push you to play harder. I think when we signed Mike McKenzie and he came in and helped us beat the Patriots the way we did, it spoke loudly to a lot of people across the league. It was a chance for us to show we were a legit team. I think people were straddling the fence on if we were a solid team or not because of the teams we had beaten. To beat Tom Brady, who is one of the best quarterbacks to play the game, in the fashion that we did, spoke loudly to a lot of people across the league.”

(on being able to contribute by running the ball, catching the ball and returning the ball) “I love doing them all. I like getting the ball in my hands. Why stop at just being a running back? You should try to be the best at all three of them. It gives me a chance to be more versatile. It creates mismatches for defenses. It continues to create nightmares for defensive coordinators.”