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Darren Sproles didn’t have a bad year in 2012, he just didn’t have a Sproles year.

But Monday night was the quintessential Sproles game, complete with the kind of all-purpose mayhem infliction that Sproles has visited on opponents for years. In New Orleans’ 38-17 victory over Miami in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, he had seven receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown, four carries for 28 yards and a touchdown, three punt returns for 44 yards and two kickoff returns for 36 yards.

With those 222 yards, and his production from the previous three games this season, he showed again that last year was the outlier, the abnormality, the which-one-of-these-does-not-belong-here season.

“Last year I kind of missed a little training camp, and that threw off my timing a little bit,” Sproles said. “But this year, I got through the whole training camp, so that kept me up to speed.

“(But) my main focus is to win. As long as we’re winning, that’s all I care about.”

He should be pretty happy these days, because the Saints (4-0) are one of five remaining undefeated NFL teams. New Orleans next will play Chicago (3-1) on Sunday, on the road at Soldier Field.

And the Saints again will be counting on Sproles to do those things that he does to loosen a defense, exploit it or wreck the plans of a coverage unit.

“You just have to know when they’re playing you man-to-man, and when they’re trying to bracket you,” Sproles said matter-of-factly.

Read more: John DeShazier: Darren Sproles inflicting all-purpose mayhem on opponents

homerj07

A Sproles Year. I love it.

Rugby Saint II

You go Mighty Mouse!