There’s been so much talk about quarterbacks in Miami this offseason that we haven’t paid much attention to the team’s running backs.
One of those backs is coming off the best season of his career. Reggie Bush ran for a career-high 1,086 yards and did a lot to reverse the conclusion that he wasn’t capable of being a featured back in the NFL. Bush was durable (he played 15 games for just the second time in his career) and effective (averaging five yards per carry) in the role for Miami last year. He’s got his heart set on doing an even better job next season.
“I want the rushing title,” said Bush, via Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “This offseason I’ve been working towards that goal. Just being effective like I was this past season. Every time I rush the ball I want four yards. I’m keeping my focus simple and small, but at same time helping my team progress.”
Bush had the least carries and highest yards per carry of any of the top 15 rushers in the league last season, a formula that could bode well for his dream if he was able to be as effective with a higher workload. The problem is that the Dolphins are talking about moving in a different direction.
They’ve got Daniel Thomas, Steve Slaton and rookie Lamar Miller on the roster right now to use as alternative ball carriers in the running game and that means Bush won’t be the kind of workhorse Maurice Jones-Drew was on his way to the rushing title last year. The Dolphins have also talked about making more use of Bush as a receiver, something that would likely impact the number of carries he gets over the course of the year.
That might make Bush less likely to win the rushing title, but it could also make him a more productive part of the offense in his second year with Miami.
