The New Orleans Saints have placed 26-year old RB Pierre Thomas on the Injured Reserve List due to a left ankle injury.  Thomas played in 6 games for the Saints this year and he carried the ball 83 times for 269 yards (3.2 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 29 passes for 201 yards (6.9 avg) and he returned 7 kickoffs for 154 yards (22.0 avg) this year.  The Saints are going to miss Pierre Thomas as the Saints already placed rookie RB Chris Ivory on I.R. earlier this week.

The New Orleans Saints have placed 22-year old rookie RB Chris Ivory on I.R., ending his season due to a left foot injury.  Ivory played in 12 games for the Saints and he carried the ball 137 times for 716 yards (5.2 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 1 pass for 17 yards this year.  The undrafted rookie out of Tiffin University in Ohio was the Saints’ leading rusher this year and he is going to be missed.  The Saints hope that Pierre Thomas & Reggie Bush will step up for the playoffs as this is a huge blow to the running game as Ivory was outstanding for them this year.

The Saints have placed kickoff returned Courtney Roby on the Injured Reserve List due to a concussion which will cause him to miss the rest of the year.  Roby played in 13 games for the Saints this season and he returned 33 kickoffs for 785 yards (23.8 avg) and he had 10 tackles.  The Saints will replace Roby on kickoff returns with RB Pierre Thomas.  Thomas has returned 7 kickoffs for 154 yards (22.0 avg) so far this year.  He has now returned 75 kickoffs for 1,831 yards (24.4 avg) so far in his NFL career.  Thomas is sure handed but he’s not as explosive as Roby is on returns.

The Saints have placed 31-year old RB Ladell Betts on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a neck injury.  Betts played in 8 games for the Saints this year and he carried the ball 45 times for 150 yards (3.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 23 passes for 141 yards (6.1 avg) this year.  With Pierre Thomas almost ready to return and rookie RB Chris Ivory stepping up, the Saints won’t miss Betts too much.

The Saints have placed 24-year old linebacker Stanley Arnoux and 38-year old long snapper Jason Kyle on I.R. ending their seasons.  Arnoux has a Achillies injury while Kyle has a shoulder problem.  Arnoux played in 9 games for the Saints this season and he had 5 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.  Kyle played in 9 games for the Saints this season and in 25 games in his first two years with the Saints.  The special teams will be hurt by these two injuries.

22-year old rookie RB Chris Ivory separated his left shoulder last weekend against the Panthers and he’s likely going to be out for a while.  Ivory has played in 7 games for the Saints so far this year and he has carried the ball 78 times for 382 yards (4.9 ypc) and he has also caught 1 pass for 17 yards.  Julius Jones & Ladell Betts are going to have to step up and give the Saints a running game while Ivory, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush are out of action.

The Saints have placed 28-year old cornerback Randall Gay on the Injured Reserve List with recurring concussion symptoms.  Gay played in 4 games for the Saints this year and he had 5 tackles.  Gay has played in 39 games in his three years with the Saints and he has 94 tackles, 20 passes defensed, 2 sacks and 1 interception.  The Saints are playing pretty good pass defense but Gay’s injury hurts the depth of the secondary going forward.

The Saints have lost starting cornerback Tracy Porter for the next 3-4 weeks due to a partially torn ACL.  Porter has played in 4 games for the Saints so far this year and he has 17 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 1 INT.  Randall Gay will likely move into the starting lineup while rookie first round pick Patrick Robinson will likely serve as the nickel back while Porter is out of action.  Gay has played in 3 games this year for the Saints and he has 5 tackles.  Robinson has played in 3 games for the Saints also this year and he has 7 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Porter’s injury could really hurt the Saints moving forward.

27-year old safety Chris Reis needs shoulder surgery that will cause him to miss the remainder of the 2010 season.  Reis played in 2 games for the Saints this year and he had 4 tackles.  He has now played in 46 games in his four years with the Saints and he has 48 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception.  This injury will hurt the Saints depth in the secondary but they will miss Reis most on special teams where he is outstanding on coverage.

The Saints have lost running back/punt returner Reggie Bush for at least the next six weeks after he fractured his fibula last night against the Niners.  Bush has played in 2 games for the Saints this year and he has carried the ball 7 times for 18 yards (2.6 ypc).  Bush also has caught 9 passes for 63 yards (7.0 avg) with a TD grab and he has also returned 6 punts for 50 yards (8.3 avg) this year.  This will hurt the Saints big time as Bush fills a lot of roles on this team and he’s a guy Brees looks for when the pocket starts to break down.