Reggie Bush's legal issues have him heading for a courtroom. According to a report in Tuesday's Los Angeles Times, would-be sports marketing agent Lloyd Lake filed a civil suit against Bush in San Diego County Superior Court. Lake is seeking to recoup $291,000 in cash and gifts he claims the Saints' star and his family accepted from him while Bush played at USC. The Times also reported that Lake has agreed to meet with NCAA investigators on Friday as part of an ongoing probe.

Sure, Reggie Bush felt a bit of sympathy for his former high school quarterback after Alex Smith's pitiful performance for the 49ers. Bush felt a whole lot more pride in his New Orleans Saints who are right back on track after their awful start. Drew Brees passed for 336 yards and hit Marques Colston with three of his four touchdown throws in the Saints' 31-10 win over the 49ers on Sunday. New Orleans won its third straight, and San Francisco lost its fifth in a row. While Smith's struggles with a still-hurting right shoulder were the most obvious flaws in the 49ers' effort, few teams could have stayed with the Saints (3-4). The 2006 NFC finalists have rebounded from their 0-4 start to move within one game of the NFC South lead.

Forget Reggie Bush's blazing speed and flashy moves. His underrated power and grit turned a day of frustration into one of celebration for the New Orleans Saints. His feet churning and body squirming as three Atlanta tacklers met him on the 2-yard line, Bush spun free and dived across the goal line on a crucial third-and-goal screen pass. His touchdown lifted New Orleans to a 22-16 victory over the Falcons on Sunday. Bush finished with only 54 yards rushing and 19 yards receiving on a difficult day during which New Orleans' offense often sputtered. He also had several good gains called back for holding penalties.

Barring a setback on Friday, 11th-year veteran Olindo Mare will handle the placement chores for the New Orleans on Sunday at Seattle, and the struggling Saints will not sign another kicker to even temporarily replace him. With Mare battling a groin injury, and having converted only three of seven attempts so far in 2007, the Saints auditioned seven free agent kickers this week, including veterans Mike Vanderjagt, Martin Gramatica and Billy Cundiff. But the Saints held off on signing another kicker because they wanted to see how Mare performed on Thursday at practice. And, apparently, Mare kicked well enough to satisfy the coaching staff that he can handle most reasonable field goal tries. Sources said that, had the Saints opted to sign another kicker, it probably would have been Gramatica, who was recently released by Dallas from its injured reserve list.

Steve Smith fought for yards through two tacklers to turn a short catch into a crucial first down, and John Kasay made a 52-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Carolina Panthers to a 16-13 victory over the winless New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Panthers players mobbed Kasay at midfield, along the edge of the Saints' fleur-de-lis emblem that is quickly turning from a symbol of civic pride to one of futility. The Saints (0-4) were supposed to be a Super Bowl contender, but now their chances of even competing for a playoff spot are extremely slim. Only the 1992 San Diego Chargers have fought back from an 0-4 start to do that since the NFL went to a 12-team playoff system in 1990.

In the fourth game of his second season, Saints tailback Reggie Bush finally gets the professional opportunity for which he has hoped: He'll be the featured running back in an NFL offense. Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, Bush is likely to get the bulk of the carries. Saints Coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that the Heisman Trophy winner from Southern California will be the primary ball carrier while veteran Aaron Stecker and undrafted rookie Pierre Thomas assume secondary roles. "I think Reggie will get more carries," Payton said. "I think Stecker will be involved and Pierre Thomas will be involved, but you'll see Reggie get more handoffs (and be part of the offense) more than he's been as a ball carrier. We'll still have to monitor how many runs, but you'll see him more from the running back position."