New Orleans Saints' injuries in secondary mounting
 

ST. LOUIS - New Orleans Saints officials provided few details on the extent of cornerback Tracy Porter's left leg injury but based on his body language as he left the locker room Sunday, it appears to be serious.
With the aid of two crutches and a helping hand from assistant trainer Reggie Stone, Porter limped to a waiting cart, which whisked him off to a team bus and eventually the two-hour flight home to New Orleans.
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Porter looked up from under his hooded designed sweatshirt and declined comment.
He left others to speak for him.
"Nothing right now, " Coach Sean Payton said moments after the heavily favored Saints remained unbeaten with a riveting 28-23 victory against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. "Hopefully he'll be fine."
Porter joined the growing list of walking wounded in the Saints' secondary after being accidentally leg-whipped by teammate Usama Young on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. Young spun into Porter while trying to tackle Rams wide receiver Brandon Gibson.
The injury list already includes free safety Darren Sharper (sprained left knee) and cornerback Jabari Greer (groin), who were replaced in the starting lineup Sunday by Young and Randall Gay.
"I couldn't see what happened, " said Young, who ended a Rams scoring threat in the first quarter with an end zone interception. "All I could do was feel it.
"I'm happy that we got a win, but I'm hoping that Tracy isn't hurt too seriously."
Because of the recent spate of injuries, the Saints likely will return to practice Wednesday in preparation for their upcoming road game against Tampa Bay (1-8) on Nov. 22 with three-fourths of their starting secondary on the sideline.
The Saints played the bulk of the second half against the Rams with rookie Malcolm Jenkins and Gay at cornerback and veteran Roman Harper and Young at safety. Cornerback Leigh Torrence entered the game in nickel situations and veteran Pierson Prioleau joined all of them in dime situations.
In fact, they all were on the field for the last-second desperation heave by Rams quarterback Marc Bulger that fell incomplete in the back right corner of the end zone.
Saints defenders outnumbered Rams receivers Danny Amendola and Donnie Avery 5 to 2.
"I was going for an easy (interception), then it became a trash pile and everybody train-wrecked me, " Harper said.
"I went to try and hit one of their receivers, " Young said. "Then I saw the ball hit the ground and I said 'game over.' "
Now players and team officials await Porter's prognosis, which could come as early as Monday at Payton's weekly news conference. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday, according to a league source.
"This is the NFL, " Torrence said. "Everybody on the roster has to be ready to step in when needed."
Said Harper: "When something like this happens, we got to come together as a group."
Injury update: Approximately two hours before kickoff, the NFL Network reported that Sharper would not play because of a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Afterward, Sharper declined to identify the specific injury, saying only he had a "sprained knee."
"It just wasn't right, " said Sharper, who has returned three of his seven interceptions this season for touchdowns. "I might have been OK for a quarter, but I don't think I could have played the whole game."
Did you notice? The Saints failed to score in the first quarter for the second consecutive week. . . . Saints tight end David Thomas tied his career single-game high with five catches for 45 yards. He has 12 receptions, eclipsing his previous single-season best of 11 during his rookie season in 2006 with the New England Patriots.
By the numbers: 97 - Distance covered for a touchdown by Saints kick-returner Courtney Roby to open the second half. It is the first kick return for a touchdown by the Saints since Michael Lewis returned a 96-yarder against the Atlanta Falcons in Game 15 of the 2004 season.
Worth repeating: "Everybody is going to give us their 'A' game. It's lonely at the top, and we've got to keep battling to stay up there." -- Harper on the Saints' retaining their one-game lead on the Minnesota Vikings in the race for home-field advantage in the NFC.

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