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The New Orleans Saints' already hobbled cornerback position took another hit Tuesday as the team practiced against the New England Patriots.


Injured defensive back Jabari Greer (33) yells to wide receiver Derek Moye (84) during practice between the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots on the practice fields of Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts on Tuesday, August 7, 2012.
With starting cornerbacks Jabari Greer (sports hernia) and Patrick Robinson (shoulder) serving as spectators, No. 3 cornerback Johnny Patrick left the practice field with what was believed to be some type of back injury.

The injuries at the top of the team's depth chart leave the Saints' defensive coaching staff - at least in the short term -- in an unenviable situation heading into Thursday's preseason game against the high-octane Patriots.

It remains unclear exactly how much time Patrick will miss. Interim Saints coach Joe Vitt would only say after Tuesday's workout that the team has suffered some "nicks and bruises."

Meanwhile, Greer is expected to miss three more weeks and Robinson is showing signs of returning, as he dressed in shells and participated in individual drills Tuesday.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said he has growing concern about the cornerback situation.

"We are kind of getting dinged up there right now. I went through that last year unfortunately, losing a lot of corners," Spagnuolo said referring to a rash of injuries that hampered his secondary in St. Louis. "So I don't want to go through that again. But I'd rather have it happen now and get the guys to bounce back and have them ready for the regular season."

Without their top three cornerbacks, the Saints lined up rookie Corey White and free agent signee Marquise Johnson with the first unit. Another free agent signee, Elbert Mack, served as the nickel back.

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saintsfan1976

Trade Ivory

TheOak

Trade Shanley and Hartley

CharityMike

Trade Shanle, Hartley and Ivory

Cruize

Not good. But, nothing YET that will take anyone beyond preseason. Let the younger guys get some work.

TheOak

Trade the frikken Strength and Conditioning coachs!!!!!!!

This year all the Cb's are down
One year all the RB's were down <--- This one boggles my mind as much as we spread the ball around... In contrast to MJD,Rice, Jackson who get beat up for 16 games running the ball and STAY Healthy!

CharityMike

If I could, you would get like 5 likes!! I have been saying this for awile now. What is it going to take for them to realize this has been a trend the last couple of years?

st thomas

i was concerned about patrick robinson already this year about staying healthy. this is a concern and we may need some reinforcement.

darstep

Its football, and every team rolls the injury dice every week.
There's no way to control how someone else will fall on your ankle.
When teams/players attempt to maximize strength, speed, agility and flexibility
they have to walk a fine line and the problem is, not one size fits all.
Either in training or during the mix, somebody's going to tear something
or rip something, or get something torn or ripped. Injuries are a part of this
game and the Saints have to figure out how to successfully cover for our fallen.

TheOak

We get the "plague" more than others. Regular season is one thing.... injuries before the first preseason game... That's just poor conditioning. We also seem to have the majority of our problems before week 1...

There is not enough focus on connective tissue strength.

I played the game, have lived with a torn hamstring most of my life because of it.. I know the risks involved..