Reggie Bush On Facing Defending Champs In Ravens: 'We Want What They Got'
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
DETROIT (CBS DETROIT) - In his eighth year in the NFL, Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush still gets excited about Monday Night Football. Even in the midst of the country's most popular sport, this game is a special kind of stage.
"Everybody's watching," Bush said Wednesday to Stoney and Bill of 97.1 The Ticket. "It's a national game. Monday night has turned into this spectacular event. I guess it's big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games, and Monday night is always a big-time game, no matter what the record is or who's playing. It's always one of those games where there's usually big plays made. It's just a great game. It's fun."
When the Lions take on the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens next week, it will be the first Monday Night Football game at Ford Field since a rowdy crowd helped force the Chicago Bears into nine false starts on Oct. 10, 2011.
Not only is the stage a big one, but the stakes are high for the Lions, who can clinch the division by winning out. The Ravens, also at 7-6 on the year, also need a win.
"Right now, the position we're in, even with everything that's happened, we still control the division, and now every game has turned into a playoff game," Bush said. "For me, the last two years I didn't have this chance to play for and control the division and be able to clinch first place, and if my memory serves me correct, neither did the Lions last year either. Even when they made the playoffs, they were only a wild card.
"We have to be able to understand the unique position that we're in right now," Bush added. "We're playing against the defending Super Bowl champions. We want what they got. They need a win. We need a win. This is what football's about. There's no other motivation that should be needed for this game."
Another performance from the Ford Field crowd, though, could be a big boost.
"We need the fans," Bush said. "So much of what we do, especially playing at home, is credited to the fans and what they bring to this game. We need them to be as loud as possible and crazy as possible. It's going to be fun. There's nothing else that needs to be said about this game. It's going to be playoff atmosphere. Both teams need a win. We have a chance to go out and do something special. It's all right there in front of us."
