Well, I’m not sure. But Reggie Bush and the New Orleans Saints would like to bring it to you. Bush wants to wear the #5 as a running back in the NFL, and the league, of course, says this is a very bad thing. Why, I’m not sure. Peter King goes over it today in his MMQB, and I agree.

I mean, I don’t think they should be making special rules for Reggie Bush, but… I think it’s kind of a dumb rule to begin with. If the man wants to wear #5, let him wear #5. If an offensive lineman wants to wear #1, well… why the hell not? If he feels that his free-spirited, sensitive, personality is best represented by the number 17, as opposed to the clumsy, stodgy, beefy 70, I think that’s OK. Let’s not pigeonhole anyone.

It’s hard to think of any legitimate reasons that pre-specified numbers make things easier for NFL officials. The one thing I could see is that maybe it helps refs easily spot if someone’s illegally downfield, but… that seems easily solved. Just make offensive linemen wear certain numbers. Like, numbers that end in 0. Numbers within a certain range. Prime numbers. Numbers with Something. Other than that, I don’t know what the big deal is.

I could understand if the NFL had a rule against making guys change numbers every year, as that would be kinda messed-up for fans who buy jerseys. At some point, you know Paris Hilton is going to talk Matt Leinart into wearing #69, because she thinks it’s funny.