Big Easy's sainted savior

METAIRIE, La. – Just shy of midnight last Friday, the crackle of optimism kept flowing from New Orleans sports talk radio. Two weeks removed from what one caller termed an act of "divine intervention," Reggie Bush's arrival continued to tingle the spine of a community numb with burden.

Down one of New Orleans' arteries, a handful of newly minted "Bush" jerseys dotted pedestrians rounding the corner near Mother's Restaurant. Near Tchoupitoulas and Canal, a beat-up red Dodge pickup truck had a Saints mini-flag over the passenger window and "No. 5" written in soap on the tailgate. And on WWL 870, callers rarely let consecutive breaths cross their lips without steering a discussion toward the new star running back – whose minicamp debut was only a few hours away.

"I'm excited," said caller Brent, who gave the exclamation point of "Go Saints!" before hanging up.

A few months ago, disgusted fans were shouting a similar suggestion: Go Saints … to San Antonio or Los Angeles or straight to hell, depending on the level of frustration. At the time, the fury was unrelenting as owner Tom Benson flirted with abandoning a Hurricane-flattened New Orleans. But like the flood waters, the rage receded. Left behind were the scars of mistrust and apathy. The damaged relations seemingly needed a miracle – divine intervention, if you will.

It's foolish to suggest Bush is the answer to those prayers. Driving through some of the languishing rebuilding efforts quickly dispels that notion. But he's clearly been a flicker of light, drawing positive attention back to a city that has dropped from national consciousness – despite being mired in an ongoing struggle since Hurricane Katrina.

It's a community strain that even surprised some of the Saints' rookies, who were unaware of the level of disfigurement that remains.

"I never knew it was this bad because they don't talk about Hurricane Katrina and the whole relief program as much as they were," rookie safety Roman Harper said. "I thought everything was a little bit more cleaned up. But really, it's a slow process."

Coping with a shock that clearly hasn't dissipated, New Orleans has focused on rebuilding. On local television, public service announcements consistently plead for more donations. On radio, commercials emphasize the saving of the city's lost history. And in bars and barber shops, wary faces brood over the coming hurricane season and whether the floodgates will betray New Orleans again.

But those same realities seem to pause whenever Bush's name surfaces.

In any other city and with any other franchise, the post-draft buzz would merely be one last adrenaline shot before a league-wide slumber in June and July. But for New Orleans and the Saints, it feels like the sleep – and what can only be characterized as a nightmarish 2005 – has finally ended. And if anyone had dismissed it, they needed only to show up for Saturday's kickoff of minicamp, when a smattering of fans poked their heads between shrubberies or peered under fences just to catch a glimpse of Bush.

"It is a little weird," said Bush, when asked if he could grasp being a beacon of reclamation for both a city and an NFL team. "But it's something that I look forward to doing. I'm looking forward to helping turn this city around and bringing something exciting back to the city. Obviously, I'm aware of all the devastation that took place here in the last year or so."

Bush became acquainted with the damage firsthand, when he toured the Lower Ninth Ward with a limousine driver whose family lived in the area. The Lower Ninth was one of the hardest-hit areas in New Orleans and is facing years of cleanup and renovation.

"Complete destruction," Bush said. "It looked like a war zone. I saw trucks flipped over, houses on top of other houses. All kinds of chaos. I can just envision what happened and what they were going through. For me, it was good to see that. Good to know what ultimately this team is playing for.

"It's pretty devastating. It gave me a sense of what I was playing for. Not just a football team, but a city is looking for us to bring some happiness back."

Bush might have the most complex kind of pressure that any NFL draft pick has faced in recent history. On one hand, he arrives with the cache and playing expectations that accompany a Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall draft pick. On the other, he brings an influx of sponsorship wealth, publicity and influence along with him. And perhaps most importantly, he packs an abundance of the currency New Orleans needs desperately – hope, both on the field and off.

Already, Bush has committed to several community service projects, including putting down AstroTurf to save one of the city's oldest football fields and donating money to Holy Rosary Academy, a school for children with learning disabilities that was in danger of closing in the coming days. And once the season starts, it's expected that Bush will stand in the national spotlight and bring new exposure to the city and its efforts at revival.

He's already attracting attention back to the Saints – a team that has rarely seen national media outlets on the doorstep in May minicamps yet had four of them visiting Saturday. And new head coach Sean Payton had his brain picked in earnest when it came to Bush. Would he get touches as a return man? Where would he factor into the passing game? How would Bush and Deuce McAllister co-exist? All the while, a smattering of fans tried to steal glimpses of Bush and the other rookies any way they could by climbing or crawling along the fences.

"In Dallas and New York, we had people looking under the fence," Payton said. "That might be unique here. … [Reggie] is a sharp guy. He's been in this fishbowl throughout his college career. He's played in national championship games in front of close to 100,000 people. I think the transition for him will be just fine.

"What's unique here is the chance he has, and we have – the pressure maybe all of us have – to help in this area more than just football-wise. I feel that some, too."

Of course, it wasn't the only thing Payton felt this past weekend. Like anyone else, he's driven through New Orleans. He's listened to the people. He's seen them shuffling around the practice field and stealing glances. He feels the swelling attention and optimism. And as he said Saturday, "That can be a good thing."

Or as fans might say … divine.