Interview with Reggie Bush (Saints RB)

The Saints' game with the Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field isn't the Super Bowl, but it's the next thing to it. It's the NFC Championship Game and the national media crowded into the Saints headquarters on Wednesday to interview the players and coach Sean Payton.

The betting line has dropped from 3 to 2 1/2 in favor of the Bears and the weather forecast calling for  a temperature in the 20s with snowy rain. It was 31 on Thursday morning and several Chicagoans were surfing in Lake Michigan. It is unknown if the CPD gave them saliva tests.

The local media has dispatched reporters to the Windy City to report on happenings in Chicago.

Saints Reggie Bush, Drew Brees, Deuce McAllister and Scott Fujita answered questions from the media. Following are their questions and answers to set the tone for Sunday's game:

Q: How does it feel to be a Saint this season? And helping the team get to the NFC Championship Game?

Bush: I mean obviously it's been a special season. I couldn't ask for a better situation coming here to New Orleans. And right away, coming here from USC to another program, another organization and just to continue to win. And then, to do it in this city after all the people here have experienced and gone through and having to endure has been very special, so you know we're excited about this season and just about everything that we've been able to do for these people cause this whole season has been dedicated to them.

Q: It's going to be a cold weather game and people say that if anyone is going to have a problem on this team it might be you playing gin southern California and playing down here. What's your response?

Bush: I wouldn't worry about that. You know, I'm just going to play football. You know, cold weather is not going to bother me. It's still a football field. It's still 100 yards. It's still a football. It’s not going to change.

Q: Have you played in cold weather?

Bush: Yes, I've played in cold weather before.

Q: Reggie, you've been playing for championships all your life. Does it ever get routine?

Bush: Never. It never gets routine. It's always special. It's even more special this year, my first year in the NFL. So every year, it's my main goal. I only set one goal every year. I'm not big on setting personal goals. I only set one goal and that's win the championship.

Q: Do you think that playing the big games in college helps you with a big atmosphere like this?

Bush: I think it does. It helps me from being familiar with the hype and everything that's going to play into this game to make it a change game. Just being familiar with that and coming from college. It really does help.

Q: The success of the team this year has been such a rallying point for the city of New Orleans, It’s lifted the people's spirits at a time when it really needed that. To what extent has that become a rallying point for this team" A motivating factor for this team?

Bush: From the preseason, from game one and from the first time onto the field as a team, it has been a rallying point for us. We’ve always talked about just doing this for the city of New Orleans and playing for them and fighting for them, and winning for them. So, this whole season, like I said, has been dedicated to them.

Q: Do you guys ever talk about the effect you have on the city?

Bush: It's kind of a known thing. It's just kind of one of those things that it's not talked about too much. Maybe a little bit between the guys in the locker room and staff like that, but not too much. But it's just one of those things that are just known. You know how much it lifts their spirits when we win.

Q: Could you talk about your relationship with Deuce and how he's helped you learn the ropes and why it's worked out so well?

Bush: Deuce, just the way he has played the game, has been a big help. Just seeing him and how he plays the game and how he carries himself. Deuce has been a great role model for me. I couldn't ask for a better person to help teach me and to help guide me in my first year as a rookie in the NFL.

Q: Does the dynamic with him remind you at all how it was with LenDale White at USC?

Bush: Yeah, it does obviously in the way that Deuce is more of a big bruiser type back and I'm looked at more as the scat back with some power. But it is very similar.

Q: Reggie, when you heard that you were going to wind up here, when that gradually started to happen; did you start to think of Deuce McAllister and think of other things?

Bush" Well, I don't know. There was a lot of uncertainty when I was first drafted about coming here. I didn't know even if we were going to be playing in New Orleans. I didn't know if we were going to have a stadium or if it was going to be another season where we would have every other game was going to be in a different stadium. So there was a lot of uncertainty for me coming here, and obviously it has been a blessing from the start. From when I came here and the way the team embraced me and Deuce and the guys. It obviously could have gone the other way with Deuce. He could have been threatened by it, but Deuce has been a huge help and has been nothing but a role model for me.

Q: Coach Payton talked about trying to keep this week as normal as possible. Do you have to try and convince yourself that this is just another game so that you guys don't get too hyped?

Bush: It's not about convincing ourselves, We've in big games this year and I think it's just more about not playing into the hype and not allowing the hype to affect our emotions, just taking it as another game. Everybody is a pro here. We've all been in big games, and we're going to let the hype of this game affect us.

Q: Look at the Bears' defense. Who among the players do you have to account for?

Bush: Obviously the Bears’ defense in general is a great defense. They've been playing great football all year. They're almost like an offense because they score points. They put points on the board and they get turnovers for their offense which allows the offense to score touchdowns, so really you've got to be fundamentally sound. Obviously, they have players like Brian Urlacher and Briggs and their defense end, Alex Brown, and those guys. Just in general you've really account for the whole defense. You've got to be fundamentally sound when you play against these guys because they are very disciplined they do a great job at creating turnovers.

Didja Know?

Seven for Tigers will be vying for spin the Super Bowl when the NFC and AFC Championship Games are held in Indianapolis and Chicago on Sunday.

Devery Henderson is the lone LSU representative in the Saints-Bears game while six former Tigers are in the Patriots-Colts game.

New England's roster features the most former Tigers with four and another, Randall Gay, is on injured reserve.Kevin Faulk is going his fourth Super Bowl appearance as he continues to be a key component for the Patriots' offense and special teams.

Last week at San Diego, Faulk's two-point conversion tied the game at 21=21 before the Patriots kicked the game-winning field goal.

For the year, Faulk rushed for 123 yards and one touchdown and he caught 43 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned 17 kickoffs for 364 yards and had 31 punt returns for 330 yards.

Patriots defensive nend has recorded 33 tackles and ranks second on the team with 7.5 sacks while linebacker and special teams standout Eric Alexander has 14 tackles this season for the Patriots.

 Running back Joseph Addai and former All-America Anthony McFarland are with the Colts. The rookie Addai had 1,081 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. He opened the playoffs against the Chiefs going for 122 yards and a score.

Henderson caught a career-best 32 passes for 745 yards and five touchdowns for the Saints in the regular season, and against the Eagles, caught a 35-yard pass to set up a field goal.