blacksaint

Posted by Mike Triplett, Times-Picayune
September 20, 2007

Tailback Deuce McAllister sat out Wednesday's practice to rest his sore right knee and injured left eye.

He said he'll be fine for Monday night's game against Tennessee, but Coach Sean Payton decided to give him a day off as the Saints had an extra day of practice this week.

McAllister injured his eye Sunday against Tampa Bay. First, he bruised the bone around the eye when his helmet came loose and slid down during a play. Later, he also got poked in the eye.

McAllister had a CT scan and an MRI performed on the eye this week to make sure the damage wasn't too serious. He found out that there was an old fracture in the orbital bone that he didn't even know about. But there was no new damage.

He said he will probably wear a visor for a few games until the eye is completely back to normal, an idea he said he "ain't crazy about."

As for the knee, McAllister said he's just feeling typical soreness and it's not a concern.

Like everyone else on the Saints' offense, McAllister has been off to a slow start this year, with just 20 carries for 87 yards and no touchdowns. His 4.2 yards per carry is a solid number, but he did lose a critical fumble early in the Saints' loss at Tampa Bay. And the Saints haven't been able to run the ball much in the second half of their games because they've been trailing by so much.

"I know my value to this team," McAllister said when asked if he wishes he were being used more. "We just have to go out and execute better, myself included. Because I feel like if I do one or two things better early in that game, then it doesn't get away from us the way that it did. So I have to be assertive and make myself a valuable commodity so we don't fall behind in those games."

Also missing practice Wednesday were safety Jay Bellamy (ankle), defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy (toe) and offensive lineman Jonathan Goodwin (back). The Saints don't need to give a specific status report on their injuries until later in the week.

McAllister rests, says he'll be ready - New Orleans Saints Beat - Times-Picayune NFL - NOLA.com

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