ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Reggie Bush has fumbled three times, two for turnovers, in his nine games as a Detroit Lion.
"It won't happen again," he vowed Wednesday afternoon.
Asked if he was indeed guaranteeing no more fumbles this season, Bush replied, "Yeah."
Bush can't wait for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to make up for his disappointing performance three days ago in a loss at Pittsburgh.
"I'm extremely motivated," Bush said. "I would have played the game yesterday if they let me. Anytime you have a game like I had, the fumble and not playing as well, the game can't come fast enough.
"I'm making sure I'm doing everything this week that I can to put myself and my team in the best possible situation and just to bounce back and be the player I know I can be. It will happen. I've been in this situation before. It will happen."
Bush has not been at his best in each of the Lions' four losses. He rushed for 25 yards on nine carries, with one fumble, at Arizona before leaving with a knee injury. He finished with 13 carries for 44 yards at Green Bay. He had 50 yards on 20 attempts against Cincinnati.
And then there was Sunday's debacle when he went for only 31 yards on 12 carries, including the second-quarter fumble, before spending much of the game on the sideline watching.
"He's definitely a key and we need to get him back on track this week," coach Jim Schwartz said.
Bush, in his eighth season in the NFL and first in Detroit after signing as an unrestricted free agent last March, said he understood why he lost playing time Sunday to reserve running Joique Bell and even rookie Theo Riddick.
"When you turn the ball over, you put your team in bad situations, that's what happens, you might get benched," Bush said. "I've been in this league long enough to know that could happen.
"I'll bounce back this game. Theo and Joique are great players. They played well. … I look forward to bouncing back. These are types of situations great athletes will bounce back."
After the last game, Bush acknowledged that he expects the Buccaneers to try to go after him.
Tampa Bay ranks tied for 17th in forced fumbles with seven in 10 games and tied for 19th in fumble recoveries with four.
Cornerback Darrelle Revis leads the team with two forced fumbles and is tied for the team lead with one fumble recovery.
"I know they're going to be gunning for the ball and they're going to do everything they can to strip the ball away," Bush said. "It's on me to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Asked about the reason for the fumbling problems, Bush said, "Not thinking enough, not protecting the ball, not being aware enough of my surroundings.
"I was actually protecting as I was going down (against Pittsburgh). I just didn't squeeze it tight enough.
"That just comes with me mentally, constantly reminding myself all week throughout practice, just making sure I'm high and tight whether I'm going through the hole or whether it's after practice and I'm doing a couple extra drills. Those are the things that will help me to make sure that doesn't happen again. It won't happen again."
Not only does Bush need to bounce back, so do the Lions, who lost their one-game lead in the NFC North and are now tied for first place with the Chicago Bears.
Bush said he didn't think there was enough sense of urgency in Pittsburgh, at least not for four quarters.
"If we get caught looking ahead, Tampa Bay will beat us," said Bush, who has rushed for 654 yards and two touchdowns and caught 36 passes for 366 yards and two more TDs this season. "We're in no position to overlook anybody right now.
"This last loss was one that stings pretty badly. We know we could have and should have won that game and we let that one slip away. We have to bounce back.
"Our sense of urgency definitely needs to be high. It definitely has to go up. We need to start fast. We need to be the most physical team on the football field.
"We can't just show up in the second quarter, put 27 points on the board (like they did against the Steelers) and expect that to be enough to win us the game. We need to play consistent football throughout the game in all three phases."
The perception is that Bush struggles in poor field conditions after what happened Sunday in Pittsburgh on a wet, muddy field.
Even his coach conceded that Bush is not a "mudder."
Fortunately for the Lions, they play five of their last six games indoors, including four at Ford Field.
A fast track and a motivated Bush – sounds like a combination that will make him very difficult to stop.
EXTRA POINTS
Schwartz's "I'm not scared" comment in reference to his decision to try a fake field goal that failed against Pittsburgh, has been highly scrutinized, including by Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter, now an analyst for ESPN.
"I wish he was scared," Carter said. "Because dumb is not a better option."
--- Safety Glover Quin, who has missed only one game in his first 4 1/2 NFL seasons, sat out Wednesday's practice while wearing a protective boot on his left foot. Quin said he has been wearing the boot for several weeks and expects to play Sunday.
--- Cornerback Bill Bentley practiced for the first time since suffering a knee injury in the Dallas game on October 27.
--- Receiver Nate Burleson worked with the first-team offense, a good sign that he could be back in the lineup this week after missing seven games with a broken left forearm.
--- Tight end Dorin Dickerson returned to practice, a month and a day after he had been released, all part of the ongoing roster juggling. A spot opened up for Dickerson after running back Montell Owens (knee) was placed on season-ending injured reserve.
--- Running back Steven Miller was re-signed to the practice squad, replacing tight end Martell Webb, who was released. Miller was released August 31, re-signed September 1 to the practice squad, released October 17, re-signed October 21, released November 5 and re-signed Wednesday.
