The Saints appear deep at running back for the 2008 season but every one of the backs comes with question marks.  Reggie Bush had his season cut short due to injury last season and he appeared to take a step back from his solid rookie season.  Bush needs to get tougher on inside runs or he will never become a complete back.  He is however a great receiver out of the backfield and he’s solid on sweeps.  Bush played in 12 games (10 starts) for the Saints last season and he carried the ball 157 times for 581 yards (3.7 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 73 passes for 417 yards (5.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs last season.  Look for Bush to have a decent season as long as Deuce McAllister and/or Pierre Thomas give him some help in the inside running game.  Bush has now played in 28 games (18 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 312 times for 1,146 yards (3.7 ypc) with 10 TD runs.  He has also caught 161 passes for 1,159 yards (7.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs in his NFL career.

Deuce McAllister has been the main back for the Saints during his career when he’s healthy which isn’t often.  Last year, McAllister played in 3 games (all starts) for the Saints and he carried the ball 24 times for 92 yards (3.8 ypc).  He also caught 4 passes for 15 yards (3.8 avg).  McAllister is a very important part of the Saints’ offense as they really need him to balance the running game of the Saints.  McAllister has now played in 84 games (70 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 1,322 times for 5,678 yards (4.3 ypc) with 44 TD runs.  He has also caught 216 passes for 1,592 yards (7.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

Undrafted rookie Pierre Thomas was quite a find late in the season for the Saints.  Thomas played in 12 games (1 start) for the Saints last season and he carried the ball 52 times for 252 yards (4.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 17 passes for 151 yards (8.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for Thomas to have a bigger role in the offense to try to keep Bush & McAllister healthy all season long.

Aaron Stecker is a limited player due to his size but he did help out the Saints when they suffered a lot of injuries to backs last year.  Stecker played in 16 games (6 starts) for the Saints last season and he carried the ball 115 times for 448 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 36 passes for 211 yards (5.9 avg) last season.  Don’t look for Stecker to get as much action as he did last season or the Saints will be in big trouble.  Stecker has now played in 114 games (16 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 373 times for 1,468 yards (3.9 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  He has also caught 152 passes for 1,089 yards (7.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

Chris Barclay got his first NFL action last season for the Titans & Saints but he didn’t get to show much.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) last season and he carried the ball 1 time for 3 yards.  He also caught 2 passes for 13 yards (6.5 avg).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B-