saintz08

New Orleans

The Saints have been downplaying the neck injury suffered by DE Darren Howard in the preseason, but the way we hear it, there was real concern that Howard could be in trouble before the problem started to show signs of healing late last week. Howard underwent an MRI on his neck and was diagnosed with a bulging disc, but head coach Jim Haslett said that the injury wasn’t all that serious. We’re told, however, that the Saints were privately worried that Howard wouldn’t have much of a chance to rehab the injury without missing extended time. Considering that Howard basically head-butts an opponent on every snap, there also is a possibility of the disc flaring up again during the season.