It would have been easy for the New Orleans Saints Reggie Bush to have given in and make excuse after excuse for coming up short most of the 2007 season.

But he didn’t.

On Sunday, he answered all of his critics, coming up with one the biggest plays in the game and recording one of his best days as a professional.

Bush finished the game with eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown and ran the ball 14 times for 51 yards.

More importantly, that one score was the game-winner, a 42-yard swing pass from Drew Brees that electrified the crowd when he juked Tampa Bay’s Jermaine Phillips to get into the end zone.

“He was dynamic today,” New Orleans head coach Sean Payton said. “He changed the game around on a number of occasions. He was outstanding. He was explosive.

“He seemed faster than everybody else on the field, at least he did to me.”

Bush was criticized for much of the 2007 season for not following up an impressive rookie campaign in 2006 with better results.

The 2008 season opener, however, could just be a sign of things to come for the third-year pro.

“My focus is different,” Bush said. “I’m focused on doing the little things different this year.”

And that includes answering when a player tries to talk trash.

Two plays prior to the touchdown scamper, Phillips tackled Bush after a 5-yard gain. But before both players went back to the huddle, the Tampa safety had some words for Bush.

Bush’s answer came on third-and-5.

“That’s part of the game, guys talking trash,” Bush said. “It just happened to be the play before he was talking trash to me and the next play he was on my highlight tape.”

It’s a play that might be talked about months down the line as a season changer, even if it did happen in the first game.

The win puts New Orleans at 1-0 in the NFC South, at least a game ahead of Tampa Bay.

If Bush doesn’t get into the end zone, who knows if the Saints pick up the win and start the season 1-0.

But for Bush, it means much, much more. A year ago in the Dome, he was part of a play that all but lost the game against the Buccaneers. Bush fumbled the exchange on a reverse, Tampa recovered and the Bucs went on to win the game.

“Last year, the last time we played Tampa Bay, they beat us in the last second,” Bush said. “It really stuck with me for awhile.”

Now Bush has a better memory to supplant the bad one.

“I tried to make a play,” Bush said. “It was a huge play for us. It won the game for us. Obviously, it feels great.”