Bush aims for milestone vs. Bolts

ALAMEDA -- Of course the main goal for the Raiders this weekend should be to beat San Diego on Sunday and hold out hope for things to fall in a manner that allows them to get into the playoffs.But how satisfying would it be for all involved to see Michael Bush gain 89 yards on the ground against the Chargers to get to 1,000 yards for the season, the benchmark for any NFL running back, especially since Bush did not become the starter until Week 9?"Oh gosh, for him personally, it's well deserved," said Raiders offensive coordinator Al Saunders. "And he's been a workhorse for this football team since he's been here and this is the first time he's had an extended opportunity to be a starter and I think our offensive line is excited about the possibility of him reaching that (milestone) and we're all excited for him, too, so hopefully that will happen."Bush is a superstitious-type, ever since he broke his leg as a senior in college at Louisville. So don't expect him to weigh in on such things.But his offensive line would love nothing more than to see a 1,000-yard season for him."It would be great," said center Samson Satele. "He's kind of quiet about it, but I know he wants it, and we want it, too, as bad as he does."When we run the ball and run the ball good, we're unstoppable. Once we get that big boy rolling, we're unstoppable."At San Diego on Nov. 10, Bush rumbled for 157 yards on the ground, 242 yards from scrimmage, the most by a Raiders player since Art Powell had 247 all-purpose yards in 1963."They're going to have something different," Satele said of the Chargers. "We ran the ball a lot and got a lot of yards, so they're going to have something different out there. But Bush will make them pay for that."Bush replaced Darren McFadden after he went down with what the Raiders deemed a "mid-foot" sprain of his right foot against Kansas City on Oct. 23."That's why it's so difficult in this league to be the lead back and the lead ballcarrier for game after game after game," Saunders said. "You need to have some people that can go in and spell him. He's been a workhorse, there's no doubt about that. Defensive coaches generally look at what you do well and take away that first."Bush had consecutive 30-carry games against San Diego and Minnesota, but has seen his yards-per-attempt fall accordingly."In this league, each week, you don't get any healthier. You usually either maintain what you are or you're a little sore, a little beat up and he's had a lot of hits. How does that equate to his production? We think he's been very productive. Maybe not number-wise, but certainly in what he's been asked to do. But it takes a toll on you after a while."