INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Forget the hype or even the jinx. Reggie Bush intends to change the image of

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Forget the hype or even the jinx. Reggie Bush intends to change the image of Heisman winners when he enters the NFL next fall.
Bush arrived Thursday at the annual scouting combine as the favorite to be the top pick in April's draft thanks to an uncanny combination of blazing speed, deft moves and his ability to turn nothing plays into touchdowns.
They are traits Bush believes will help him transform his college success into NFL stardom, a transition recent Heisman winners have struggled with.
"Hopefully, you'll see the same things you've seen from me in my college career," he said. "I look forward to it."
The NFL has been inundated with recent Heisman busts. Since Barry Sanders won the award in 1988, names like Jason White, Danny Wuerffel, Gino Torretta and Andre Ware have become the rule. Players like Carson Palmer and Eddie George have been the exceptions.
Bush believes there is a logical explanation for the failures and insists he can change the perception.
"It's harder for a quarterback to go in and be successful as opposed to a running back," he said. "You can't go in and expect to have success right away. I know there are going to be mistakes, but hopefully not too many."
Scouts have found little to criticize in the shifty 20-year-old running back who thrived in the spotlight at Southern California.
Late last season, the chase for the No. 1 pick was dubbed the "Reggie Bush sweepstakes." Even Houston, which holds the No. 1 pick and was being pressed by fans to take hometown quarterback Vince Young, appears to have bought into the Bush hype.
Two weeks ago, the Texans exercised an option to keep quarterback David Carr in Houston for two more seasons. If somehow he does slip, other teams are ready to take him.
"If Reggie is there at No. 12, we'll turn that card in," Cleveland Browns general manager Phil Savage said amid laughter. "I think if a team utilizes him in the right way, I think he can still be a Heisman winner at the pro level even if he only carries it 10 or 15 times a game.
Who wouldn't take a chance on a player some consider the most exciting runner to enter the NFL since Sanders?
Yet Bush would rather avoid the hysteria. He insists he still has much to prove -- that he can excel in the NFL, that he can bulk up his slight frame, that he can be an every down back and that he can pass block. Bush measured in at slightly less than 6-feet and 201 pounds Thursday.
He also wants to ease any angst among scouts about his personality.
If Thursday's 20-minute interview session was any indication, Bush appears ready to take care of that issue, too.
He demonstrated a rare combination of confidence, modesty, self-deprecation and even a penchant for the business side of football. When he stepped to the podium, Bush tried to put on an NFL combine hat that didn't fit. When a reporter asked if his head was getting too big, Bush replied with a simple "nope" and a broad smile.
And when he was asked about doing photo shoots, like his Heisman-winning backfield mate, Matt Leinart, Bush said he'd worry about endorsements later. For now, he wants to focus on playing football.
"I don't like to compare myself with guys in the NFL who have already done so much," he said. "That's what I'm trying to do, get there."
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