Mel Mitchell Torn ACL out for season

saint5221 · 08-29-2003, 07:09 AM

Well there will be more details soon but preliminary reports say he is done for the year. This is awful not just for Mitchell but for the Saints as well. Our backups at Safety are a problem. Jay I can't tackle anyone Bellamay is terrible and all we have behind him is Steve Gleason ,a special teamer and Hawthorn a newly converted corner, both of whom are injured. We should sign another safety fast. Many in here myself included have been wondering why another saftey was'nt signed already. Victor Green is still avaible I think, I'll check and see who else is out there.

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Saints lose Mitchell in dismal warmup

Safety's injuryovershadows loss to Dolphins

Friday August 29, 2003

By Jeff Duncan
Staff writer

Mercifully, the Saints' forgetful four-game preseason ended in a lifeless 24-10 loss to Miami on Thursday night at the Superdome.

Unfortunately, it lasted three quarters and five minutes too long.

On a night when the Saints might have found a backup running back, they lost a starting safety when Mel Mitchell suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee late in the first quarter.

Mitchell tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee after he was blocked in the back of the leg by backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels on a broken play, a cruel fate for a player on the verge of becoming a full-time starter in his second season.

"It's disappointing, especially on a play that was a botched play," Saints coach Jim Haslett said. "We made a nice play on the reverse, and they messed it up and the quarterback ended up cutting him. It was just one of those things."

Rosenfels was trying to block Mitchell after his reverse handoff to Travis Minor was fumbled in the backfield and recovered by teammate Sam Simmons.

Mitchell grabbed his knee immediately after the play. Several teammates and Haslett showed immediate concern and offered words of encouragement to Mitchell as medical officials treated him on the sideline.

Veteran Jay Bellamy, who started 16 games at free safety last season, will replace Mitchell at strong safety, Haslett said.

"Jay knows the defense better than I do, so we'll be OK," free safety Tebucky Jones said. "The most important thing was to make sure Mel was all right. Now we've jut got to go out and get the job done. Nobody likes preseason because of things like what happened to Mel."

Mitchell's injury leaves Jones and Bellamy as the only healthy safeties on the roster. Veteran reserve Steve Gleason has a minor shoulder injury and did not play against Miami. Michael Hawthorne suffered a sprained left shoulder early in the first quarter and did not return.

[Edited on 8/29/2003 by saint5221]

08-29-2003, 07:09 AM	#1
saint5221 500th Post Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 598	Mel Mitchell Torn ACL out for season Well there will be more details soon but preliminary reports say he is done for the year. This is awful not just for Mitchell but for the Saints as well. Our backups at Safety are a problem. Jay I can't tackle anyone Bellamay is terrible and all we have behind him is Steve Gleason ,a special teamer and Hawthorn a newly converted corner, both of whom are injured. We should sign another safety fast. Many in here myself included have been wondering why another saftey was'nt signed already. Victor Green is still avaible I think, I'll check and see who else is out there. http://www.nola.com/saints/t-p/index...4014243080.xml ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â» More From The Times-Picayune Saints News Saints lose Mitchell in dismal warmup Safety's injuryovershadows loss to Dolphins Friday August 29, 2003 By Jeff Duncan Staff writer Mercifully, the Saints' forgetful four-game preseason ended in a lifeless 24-10 loss to Miami on Thursday night at the Superdome. Unfortunately, it lasted three quarters and five minutes too long. On a night when the Saints might have found a backup running back, they lost a starting safety when Mel Mitchell suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee late in the first quarter. Mitchell tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee after he was blocked in the back of the leg by backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels on a broken play, a cruel fate for a player on the verge of becoming a full-time starter in his second season. "It's disappointing, especially on a play that was a botched play," Saints coach Jim Haslett said. "We made a nice play on the reverse, and they messed it up and the quarterback ended up cutting him. It was just one of those things." Rosenfels was trying to block Mitchell after his reverse handoff to Travis Minor was fumbled in the backfield and recovered by teammate Sam Simmons. Mitchell grabbed his knee immediately after the play. Several teammates and Haslett showed immediate concern and offered words of encouragement to Mitchell as medical officials treated him on the sideline. Veteran Jay Bellamy, who started 16 games at free safety last season, will replace Mitchell at strong safety, Haslett said. "Jay knows the defense better than I do, so we'll be OK," free safety Tebucky Jones said. "The most important thing was to make sure Mel was all right. Now we've jut got to go out and get the job done. Nobody likes preseason because of things like what happened to Mel." Mitchell's injury leaves Jones and Bellamy as the only healthy safeties on the roster. Veteran reserve Steve Gleason has a minor shoulder injury and did not play against Miami. Michael Hawthorne suffered a sprained left shoulder early in the first quarter and did not return. [Edited on 8/29/2003 by saint5221]
saint5221 500th Post Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 598