Saints' Bush out for final 2 weeks

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- NFL star running back Reggie Bush will miss the final two games of the New Orleans Saints' season.

Bush sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the Saints' loss against Chicago last Thursday. The knee was examined over the weekend and coach Sean Payton said at practice on Wednesday that the team decided to put Bush on injured reserve.

Payton said the Saints, who were eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend, would not have placed Bush on injured reserve if they were still fighting to reach the playoffs. He said Bush's injury does not require surgery, just rest and rehabilitation.

Bush rushed for 404 yards and two touchdowns, caught 52 passes for 440 yards and four touchdowns, and scored three touchdowns on punt runbacks this season.

But the former Heisman Trophy winner, now in his third pro season, will have missed 10 games in the last two years with various knee injuries.

Treated like a savior after the Saints drafted him second overall in 2006, Bush hasn't produced 1,000 yards of offense in a season since amassing 1,307 yards in his rookie year, which was also the last time the Saints made the playoffs.

"Certainly, expectations have probably been higher on him than any guy, maybe in the history of the league coming in," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. "He continues to get better, a little bit better every day, and I think that needs to be his mind-set. Just forget what people think, media or otherwise, and just worry about getting better every day and worry about what you need to do to help this team win."

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