Reggie Bush is Taking a Bye on Workouts

By: Nancy Gay | SFGate.com

Indianapolis -- He was poked, prodded, weighed, measured and subjected to a battery of physicals and tests, just like the 330 or so other NFL prospects who have descended upon this city. But USC running back Reggie Bush will not run a 40-yard dash at the 2006 NFL scouting combine or perform any of the other workouts during the week-long scouting session at the RCA Dome.

So what? He's the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, a game-changing running back many have compared with Marshall Faulk and, in many eyes, the likely top pick in April's NFL Draft.

The Houston Texans, with the No. 1 overall selection, probably aren't going to change their opinion of Reggie Bush if he doesn't perform the shuttle run here between now and Tuesday, when the annual NFL auditions conclude.

"Obviously for me, I'm still on West Coast time," Reggie Bush, 20, joked Thursday following the first day of scrutiny from NFL doctors, scouts, coaches and general managers. "So maybe I have a little jet lag, or just up to this point, for me, I haven't really worked on my 40 time."

NFL scouts will have to wait until April 2, when Reggie Bush plans to hold a private workout at USC, to see him put through his physical paces.

Reggie Bush's reluctance to work out in Indianapolis puts him in rarefied company. Quarterback Matt Leinart, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner who voted for his teammate to receive the '05 award, also will not work out for teams in Indy.

Neither will Texas quarterback Vince Young, who also went through Thursday's battery of physical and psychological exams -- hey, just wait until those Wunderlic scores leak out -- and will participate in the requisite team interviews to follow in the coming days.

Leinart will join Reggie Bush at the April 2 pro day at USC, and Young is expected to announce the date of his pro day this week, presumably to be held in Austin , Texas .

Until then, Reggie Bush -- whose numbers Thursday from the scale and tape measure session list him as 5-foot-11 3/4 and 201 pounds -- will focus on putting a few pounds on his compact frame. And getting his head straight for what's to come.

For all of Reggie Bush's superlatives -- his speed, vision, strength and maturity -- the Heisman Trophy makes him a crap shoot as a No. 1, if you look at the fate of recent winners.

The NFL landscape is littered with the remains of former red-hot Heisman winners who flamed out as soon as they signed a pro contract: quarterbacks such as Gino Torretta, Danny Wuerffel, Eric Crouch, Jason White and Andre Ware, and running backs such as Rashaan Salaam.

Since 1988, when Barry Sanders set the gold standard for Heisman performance in the pros, these guys are the most glaring busts.

Reggie Bush, however, believes a Heisman-toting running back stands a better chance at NFL success than a highly touted quarterback because his job relies more on instinct and doesn't carry the burden of shouldering an entire offense.

He watched the tribulations of his former Helix High ( San Diego County ) teammate, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, and concluded that it's tougher for passers to assimilate right away.

"It's harder for a quarterback to go in and be successful as opposed to a running back," Reggie Bush said. "You can't go in and expect to have success right away. I know there are going to be mistakes, but hopefully not too many."

Ask Reggie Bush's USC teammates why he's special and they'll talk about his character as well as his talent.

"He's just a freak athlete. I mean, the things that he can do, no other running back can. He can just stop and go," said former Trojans right tackle Winston Justice, another combine invitee. "And also, he's a good guy off the field, too. He's just an all-around great guy."

More than anything, Reggie Bush wants to prove to the NFL that he can endure the pounding required of an every-down back. Reggie Bush's often phenomenal individual performances in 2005 set him far apart from any other collegiate running back. He did, after all, embarrass Fresno State by collecting 513 all-purpose yards.

And UCLA was similarly am-Reggie Bushed when he torched the Bruins for 250 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns in their rivalry game.

The NFL can expect the same effort from him, Reggie Bush told a huge mob of reporters and television cameras during his 20-minute interview session.

"Hopefully the same things that you (saw) from me all through my college career: great plays, hopefully winning championships, winning games," he said with a huge smile. "I look forward to doing it all."

E-mail Nancy Gay at ngay@sfchronicle.com.

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