The Saints have placed 34-year old starting free safety Darren Sharper on the reserve/PUP list meaning that he will miss at least the Saints first six games due to a knee injury.  Sharper played in 14 games (all starts) for the Saints last season and he had 71 tackles, 1/2 a sack, 15 passes defensed and 9 interceptions (376 return yards, 41.8 avg) with 3 of them that he returned for TDs.  The Saints will promote Malcolm Jenkins to replace Sharper while he is out of action.  Jenkins played in 14 games (6 starts) as a rookie for the Saints last season and he had 55 tackles, 4 passes defensed, 1 interception and he forced 2 fumbles. 

The Saints have put 23-year old RB P.J. Hill on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a leg injury.  Hill played in both pre-season games for the Saints and he carried the ball 15 times for 62 yards (4.1 ypc).  He also caught 4 passes for 23 yards (5.8 avg) for the Saints during the pre-season.  Hill was playing good enough to be considered for the opening roster for the Saints if he didn’t get hurt.  At worst, he would have been stuck on the practice squad.

The Saints have lost 25-year old RB Lynell Hamilton for the season as he tore his ACL in today’s practice.  Hamilton played in 9 games (1 start) for the Saints last season and he carried the ball 35 times for 125 yards (3.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 5 passes for 48 yards (9.6 avg) last year.  Hamilton was the Saints’ #3 RB coming into this season so he will be missed.  P.J. Hill and undrafted rookie Chris Ivory out of Tiffin will battle for Hamilton’s spot on the depth chart.  The Saints had better pray that Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush stay healthy the whole 2010 season.

The Saints have signed their all-time leading rusher, 31-year old RB Deuce McAllister to a contract through the end of the playoffs.  With Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell a little dinged up I really like this signing.  McAllister palyed in 13 games for the Saints last season and he carried the ball 107 times for 418 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs and he also caught 18 passes for 128 yards (7.1 avg) with a TD grab.  McAllister has now played in 97 games in his career with the Saints and he has carried the ball 1,429 times for 6,096 yards (4.3 ypc) with 49 TD runs (most in team history).  He has also caught 234 passes for 1,720 yards (7.4 avg) with 5 TD grabs for the Saints.  McAllister should be well rested if the Saints need him.  The Saints signed McAllister to replace DT Rodney Leisle who has been placed on Injured Reserve with a knee injury.

UPDATE:  Deuce McAllister has decided to retire after serving as a undressed team captain in last week’s game.  He will be replaced on the roster by DT Marlon Favorite.

The Saints have lost starting left defensive end Charles Grant for the season due to a case of torn triceps.  Grant played in all 16 games for the Saints this season and he made 44 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, forced 1 fumble and he defensed 2 passes.  Grant will be replaced in the starting line-up by 28-year old Bobby McCray.  McCray has played in all 16 games for the Saints this season and he has 12 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and 1 pass defensed.  This is a huge loss for the Saints and they need McCray to step up the rest of the way.

The Saints have placed 24-year old OLB JoLonn Dunber on the Injured Reserve List with a hamstring injury ending his season.  Dunbar played in 9 games for the Saints this year and he finished up with 20 tackles.  He has now played in 24 games in two years with the Saints and he has made 40 tackles and he has defensed 2 passes.  The Saints will miss Dunbar especially on special teams. 

The Saints have lost 27-year old back up CB Leigh Torrence for the season due to a separated shoulder.  He played in 5 games for the Saints this year and he made 10 tackles and 1/2 a sack.  This further depletes the depth of the secondary of the Saints.

The Saints will be without RB/PR Reggie Bush tomorrow against the Buccaneers.  The Saints won’t miss Bush too much as Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell will carry the load in the running game.  Devery Henderson, Darren Sharper or Pierre Thomas will return punts tomorrow.  The reason I don’t think the Saints will miss Bush too much is because he’s a overrated player.  He has carried the ball 55 times for 277 yards (5.0 ypc) with 5 TD runs and he has caught 29 passes for 207 yards (7.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Bush has been better this season offensively than he has been in some time but he’s still not someone the Saints can rely on.  Bush will be easy to replace on punt returns as he has returned 21 punts for only a paltry 80 yards (3.8 avg).

The Saints will be without starting CB Tracy Porter for the next 4-8 weeks with a sprained MCL.  This will hurt the Saints’ D big time as Porter has been a playmaker this season.  He has played in 9 games for the Saints this season and he has 43 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 8 passes defensed and he has three interceptions (one of which he returned for a TD).  Rookie CB Malcolm Jenkins will replace Porter in the starting lineup.  Jenkins has played in 7 games for the Saints this season and he has 10 tackles and two forced fumbles.  Teams will be attacking Jenkins early and often in games so the Saints need him to step up.

The Saints will be without DT Sedrick Ellis for the next 4-6 weeks due to a knee sprain.  Ellis has played in 6 games for the Saints this season and he has 15 tackles, 1 sack and 2 passes defensed.  Undersized Anthony Hargrove (272 pounds) is 35 pounds lighter than Ellis but he’s the likely replacement.  That could hurt the run defense for the Saints.  Hargrove has played in all 7 games for the Saints this season and he has 21 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and he has 3 sacks.  If the Saints can’t deal with Hargrove’s lack of size then they could turn to Remi Ayodele (318 pounds) or Kendrick Clancy (305 pounds).  Ayodele has played in 6 games for the Saints this season and he has 9 tackles and 1 sack.  Clancy has played in 2 games for the Saints this season and he has 2 tackles.  The Saints will likely miss Ellis especially against the run.