Admittedly, Reggie Bush felt some relief after finishing Thursday night's game free of injury.
"Finally," the 30-year-old running back told reporters on Tuesday.
Bush has dealt with a nagging calf strain since the first quarter of the San Francisco 49ers Week 1 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The injury limited Bush to just four carries and one reception through the first six weeks of the season.
"It's been frustrating, obviously," Bush said. "Not being out there on the football field and dealing with the calf muscle. Just working through constant rehab and wanting to be out there – it's been definitely tough. I was just excited to be out there and be healthy."
Against the Seattle Seahawks, Bush ran the ball four times for 21 yards and caught three passes for 13 yards. The most important development of the game, however, was how his calf responded to the workload.
Bush had previously attempted a return to game action, but he aggravated the injury in New York and was forced to sit out the following week versus the Baltimore Ravens.
"When you feel good in the practice environment, you're not being tackled, you're not being hit and you can go at your own speed," Bush said. "But once you get out on the football field on Sundays, it's another level. It's a different feel."
Bush was encouraged by his performance overall, but he recognized a play in the first series of the game that he should've made. On 3rd-and-7 in San Francisco territory, Bush dropped a pass from Colin Kaepernick that likely would've resulted in a first down. Instead, the 49ers punted.
"We just didn't connect. I could have caught that one-handed if I had to," Bush said. "That was definitely a play I wish I could have had back."
Much of the heat for San Francisco's 2-5 start to the 2015 season has fallen onto Kaepernick's shoulders, but Bush maintained that the team must play better as a whole.
"He's one of the hardest workers I've been around," Bush said. "He's constantly on the field talking to guys and just trying to get better on the field.
"Obviously we're all struggling. Nobody is playing well on offense. So we can all be better. One thing we've done a really good job at is our practice habits and our study habits, but we're just not translating that to Sundays. So we have to do a better job at that."
