Reggie Bush: I'll be ready to play Sunday

Dave Birkett | USA TODAY Sports

LANDOVER, Md. -- Reggie Bush begged and pleaded and did all he could to get on the field Sunday, but in the end, Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz decided his running back just wasn't healthy enough to play.

Bush was inactive for the 27-20 victory over the Washington Redskins a week after spraining his left knee in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Bush vowed to play next week against the Chicago Bears.

"I could have played," Bush said. "I just don't know if I could have (taken) a hit today on it. I practiced Friday, did a workout Saturday, ran. Everything was normal. I just wasn't sure if I could take a hit yet. So that was the risk that we were dealing with. But this week I'll be fine."

Schwartz informed Bush of his decision a couple hours before Sunday's game, and Bush did not go through his usual pregame workout.

In his absence, Joique Bell carried 20 times for 63 yards, caught four passes for 69 yards and the Lions' offense looked nothing like it the mess it was in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals when Bush was on the sideline.

"We have to do what's right," Schwartz said. "Every player's competitive and every player wants to go out there and play. But the injury that he was dealing with was a little different than maybe if he was a quarterback or an offensive lineman or something like that. He can't control what's going on when you're a running back. You can't control where they're going to tackle you and things like that.

"He worked his butt off to get ready to play. I mean, he was in the training room 24 hours a day, he was sleeping with an apparatus on to try to get ready to play. But I just made the decision that in this case we needed to have healthy guys in there and he understood completely."

Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press, a Gannett property.

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