posted April 29, 2006 - print me!
neworleansprofootball.com

Q: Can you talk about the selection of Reggie Bush?

A: "We are excited about our draft pick. This time of year everyone talks about 'We got our guy' and 'We got the highest rated guy on our board' and you guys do a good job of working through that and trying to evaluate the selection and in this case we got our guy and we got the highest rated guy on the board. The scenario came up and every one of us goes through all of these different scenarios and this scenario that developed probably was one that we covered but not as much as some of the others. We are extremely excited, he brings a ton of versatility to our offense, he is a great person and someone with a lot of character, all of those things we are looking for and we continue to bring up as we acquire new players for this team. We will continue to do that and we will continue to evaluate the players that we bring in but he is someone that I know gives us a lot of flexibility. There will be a lot of personnel groupings for us, there will be the ability for us to put him and Deuce (McAllister) in the same backfield. I know there will be a lot of questions in regards to two backs and these are good problems to have and we are looking forward to it."

Q: As an offensive coach are you surprised to have a guy like Reggie fall into your lap the way he did?

A: "Everyone at the top of this draft felt like they were going to have a chance at a fantastic football player and a guy who had a great career. This just happened to slip in a different direction and Mario to his credit was selected by Houston and our good fortune was to have the opportunity to select Reggie Bush. I know as an organization, ownership, everyone involved in the personnel and coaching staff, these are exciting times not only for this group we talked about but also for this city and for you guys and everyone in this region. Here is another player that brings some excitement, he has a good smile on his face, he is someone that we feel strongly about not only on the field but off the field and that is important."

Q: After speaking to Reggie how excited was he to be member of the Saints and do you foresee any problems signing him?

A: "He is extremely excited. He understands the importance of getting a jump on all the formations, personnel groupings, the change in terminology and he is no different than anyone this time of year at the top of the draft. I think he is excited. I think certainly that the tough thing for a player with as high of a profile as Reggie is the months leading up to it and then all of a sudden the day comes and the selection comes and so there are a lot of emotions there and I think often times that is difficult for a player. He is excited and we had a good visit on the phone. He has worked hard to get to this day and he deserves certainly."

Q: Was there ever a scenario, after Houston announced they were taking Mario Williams, which you thought about taking anyone else?

A: "No, I think honestly the scenario was only if someone is interested in trading our phone lines were open and it would have to be substantial and otherwise we were extremely excited about it. I think every team that selects today kind of takes that approach before they pick. They are ready to make a decision and they have a player in mind and if someone comes up with something unique they are all ears but in this case there was a lot of excitement in there."

Q: If it had played out with the Texans taking Reggie Bush, would you have taken Mario Williams?

A: "I think the worst thing for me to do is tell you right now who we would have taken if it had been another player and not Reggie Bush who fell to us. I would rather not get into that because now we are just getting into how this thing would have played out. Congratulations certainly to Mario, congratulations to Reggie Bush and these guy all have been through, the front end of this draft these first five, six or seven players are exciting players so there are going to be a lot of organizations, along with ourselves, that are excited about their selections and we are at the top of that list."

Q: Have you now stopped talking to other teams about trading Reggie Bush?

A: "Were excited about drafting Reggie Bush and he is going to be in a Saints uniform."

Q: Can you tell us how many teams called to possibly trade the pick?

A: "When it was all said and done the heavy interest was what was reported, the Jets because of where they were picking and what they had to offer and at the end I think things worked out and in our case we are thrilled to death."

Q: So you were never close to trading it?

A: "No, I don't think so."

Q: How did you sleep last night after hearing Reggie would be available?

A: "It is an exciting day for me as a head coach because this is the first draft for me as a head coach. So last night was going to be difficult anyway. It was more this morning just kind of tossing and turning and knowing we have a lot of work ahead of us. Some of the things we want to do offensively will be real and specifically tailored to our talent, Deuce McAllister, Reggie Bush, our receivers, our quarterback. These are all good problems to have and we're excited about it I know as a staff and as an organization."

Q: Have you talked to Deuce?

A: "Not yet, no. We'll be in touch with our players. We've had a great offseason to date. Our offseason program and the players have been working hard and lifting weights and running. It's been outstanding and these are investments that we feel that we have to make to win football games in the fall. We're taking these steps like we talked about all along and we'll continue today to improve our team and get the right people in here to represent our city, this ownership and this team well. That's really what we've been looking for."

Q: Have you coached a player like Reggie Bush before?

A: "When I was in college, I had a chance to coach Marshall Faulk. I was his coach one season and I was the quarterbacks coach at San Diego State and he presented mismatch problems. They give you a threat out of the backfield as a receiver. That's obviously advantageous. In New York, we had Tiki Barber the year we went to the Super Bowl in 2000. Ron Dayne was a rookie. You got to continually mix up your run pass ratio for the personnel groupings and this formula is no different than the formula USC just finished with Reggie and Lendale White, so these are problems that we'll solve as a coaching staff and like I said at the onset. These are good problems to have."

Q: Can you break him down from a coach's perspective?

A: "He can run. He's fast. He can threaten the edges. We watched the tapes. It's that ability to see visually is a great trait in a running back. He's durable. He's a guy that is a fantastic threat out of the backfield. He's got very good hands. He's smart and he's tough and those are good things to have."

Q: When did it become a possibility that you were going to take Reggie Bush?

A: "We entertained all of the ideas. Last night somewhere at Emeril's, we found out Mario Williams had signed with Houston, so somewhere between the minestrone soup and the redfish. That was just me the coach. There's a lot of other people involved in this decision."

Q: Did you have any pre-draft contract talks with Reggie?

A: "No, we didn't get into any of that and we got plenty of time. Our people on our staff and Reggie's people will handle that and he'll be ready to go."

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