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McAllister A Key To Saints' Season

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By IRA KAUFMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 7, 2008

NEW ORLEANS - The man with the biggest impact on the New Orleans defense doesn't play defense.

Shifty and powerful RB Deuce McAllister, whose torn ACL in Week 3 last season doomed the Saints to a 7-9 finish, is the kind of workhorse who can keep a shaky defense off the field.

Despite an offseason overhaul, New Orleans still has major questions on defense heading into today's season opener against the Bucs.

LB Jonathan Vilma, rookie DT Sedrick Ellis and free agent DE Bobby McCray are nice additions, but this defense still looks awfully vulnerable, especially a secondary that shouldn't even be mentioned in the same paragraph as Tampa Bay's stacked defensive backfield.

Opposing QBs posted a ridiculous 96.9 passer rating vs. New Orleans in 2007, when the Saints allowed less than 16 points only three times.

The Bucs yielded 14 points or less eight times in 16 games.

Coach Sean Payton says McAllister's surgically repaired left knee held up well through training camp and the preseason, when he averaged only 2.6 yards on his 21 carries.

The leading rusher in franchise history has hurt Tampa Bay, registering four 100-yard games against the Bucs.

"That was the biggest downfall for the Saints last year, losing Deuce early in the season," said Bucs C Jeff Faine, signed from New Orleans as a free agent. "We didn't have that power running game without him. Reggie Bush is a special player, but you can't replace Deuce between the tackles."

With McAllister running inside effectively, the Saints led the NFL in total offense in 2006, advancing to the NFC title game when McAllister burned Jeff Garcia's Eagles for 143 yards on the ground in a tense divisional playoff matchup at the Superdome.

He's listed as questionable for today, although he did practice during the week as the Saints relocated to Indianapolis to escape Hurricane Gustav.

If McAllister's knee problems linger, that "questionable" status should extend to an entire organization on the rebound.

"I see Deuce's mobility coming back," said Payton, one of the league's most creative play callers. "When you lose a player of that magnitude, you're going to have a drop-off."

It's the threat of McAllister's inside burst that makes Bush so dangerous as a slot receiver, opening up passing lanes downfield for lanky WR Marques Colston.

As good as he is, Drew Brees doesn't want to average 41 pass attempts per game again this fall. It's difficult to keep the clock and the chains moving without a balanced attack, so McAllister looms large for New Orleans in 2008.

He's eager to play big, starting today.

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