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Detroit Lions veteran Nate Burleson says watching Reggie Bush this summer is like watching a Madden video game.

(AP Photo)

A man's reputation often precedes him.

But when it comes to Detroit Lions offseason running back acquisition Reggie Bush, don't let preconceived notions limit your perception of what he can bring to Scott Linehan's offense.

He's not defined by what you read on TMZ. He's not defined by the running back position. And according to veteran wide receiver Nate Burleson, he's practically super-human.

"There's times when you look at him, and you think you're watching a live version of a Madden video game because he's just so smooth," Burleson said yesterday on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "You know there's a little bit a part of every player, and I don't care if guys will admit it or not, when you play with a guy like Reggie, when you play with a guy like Calvin (Johnson), you might be actually on the field, in the play, but you're going to stop and be a fan, just for a little bit.

"He's everything we expected him to be, and more."

Nate Burleson says Reggie Bush is so good, sometimes you just have to stop and watch.

But in the NFL - as Lions fans are well aware - there are no style points awarded. We can talk till we're Honolulu blue in the face about Bush's circle button abilities; that's not what wins games.

What wins games often comes down to a straight up tactical advantage. And that's what Burleson argues is the biggest advantage Bush will provide Detroit's offense versus the opposition.

"I knew he was a good running back," Burleson said. "I knew that he could catch the ball out of the backfield. But when he motions and gets into the slot or goes outside and runs a route, he didn't look like a running back running a route, he looked like a receiver running a route. That's a really big difference. And for people who know football, they know exactly what I'm talking about.

"There's times when a running back motions out and you say, 'I hope a linebacker goes up against him or maybe a slow-footed safety, and we'll have the advantage then.' But if a DB is out there, if they're in their nickel or dime package, then maybe we'll look somewhere else. With Reggie in the slot, I don't care who you put out there. You can put your No. 1 corner, you could put your nickel guy, you could put your safety. Put your linebacker. Whoever you put out there, we're still going to have the advantage. Because he's not a running back now lined up at a receiver position, he's a running back turning into a receiver."

Burleson knows how impactful a home-run threat at running back can be. He saw in the way defenses adjusted to Jahvid Best in 2010 (Best's first and only full season in the NFL). Best had 555 yards rushing that season in addition to 487 yards receiving. According to Burleson, having a dual-threat like Best in the backfield made defenses far less likely to double, triple or shade guys to different sides of the field.

Defenses have not felt threatened by Detroit's backfield since Best was healthy. But this year, Burleson says, that threat - in fact an even bigger threat - returns to the Lions backfield.

"Reggie Bush being on our team (maybe makes us) a little bit bettter than Jahvid was because of the experience," he said. "Time will tell. What I can tell you now is he's as fast as he's ever been.

"There's all these things that you hear about him. And then people build up these misconceptions so you don't know what to expect. In the locker room, he was just an everyday dude. Just chillin', cracking jokes in the locker room, being the teammate that everybody wants him to be."

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