Reggie Bush Is Almost Faster Than Usain Bolt

Last Monday night, ESPN introduced a thing called optical-tracking technology, brought in to show how fast different players like Reggie Bush and Adrian Peterson really are.

The Saints young star was kind enough to break two punt returns for touchdowns, each showing that explosiveness most in the Louisiana area have been waiting for. With the new technology, we got to watch Bush reach a top speed of 22 miles per hour. How fast is that if you compared him to other quick-footed humans? The LA Times broke it down.

If you don't think 22 mph sounds that fast, consider this: Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt averaged 23.07 mph over 100 meters when he took the gold medal with his blistering 9.69-second performance in the Olympics. That's according to EliteFeet.com, which also translated the times of star runners Maurice Greene (21.0 mph in the indoor 60 meters), Michael Johnson (20.71 in the 400) and Florence Griffith Joyner (21.32 in the 100), among others.

Yes, those speeds are averages over the distance, as opposed to Bush's top speed at a given point. But those runners also weren't carrying a football and saddled with a helmet and pads.

Okay, he may not be quicker than the fastest of the fast, but the man can motor and, thanks to producer Jay Rothman and the Monday Night Football group, we got to see it.

This isn't the last of the comparable speed systems that will be implemented in 2008. Rothman said ESPN is going to track some of the stronger passers in the league and translate their speed to a major league pitcher.

The Broncos' Jay Cutler is up against the Patriots next week and according to a good source, Cutler, he really can bring the heat.