Saints’ O-line gets thinner

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, August 10, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

New Orleans Saints
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The New Orleans Saints are letting their guard(s) down. Or maybe it's the other way around.

Tuesday, Chad Setterston was carted off the field after injuring his left knee in a goal-line drill that saw Reggie Bush score a touchdown. Backup guard Setterston now joins starters Montrae Holland (knee) and Jermane Mayberry (ankle) on the sidelines.

"You get into the preseason," Payton fretted, "and you worry about having to play some guys more than you want them to play because of the depth."

Or lack of it. One of those guys Payton will have to play a lot Saturday in the Saints' preseason opener against Tennessee is rookie Jahri Evans, a fourth-round draft pick. Evans dominated his college competition last season, registering an impressive 109 knockdown blocks, but it was Division II competition he was dominating. Evans played at Bloomsburg (PA) State.

Similarly, free agent backup Pascal Matla can say he played on the offensive line for a national champion. The thing is, it was the national champion of The Netherlands, a club team called the Zoetermeer Black Angels. After that, Matla spent three years playing center for Eastern Illinois.

The only other viable guard at this point is fifth-year man Darnell Alford out of Boston College.

When healthy, Mayberry and Holland give the Saints one of the better guard duos in the NFC. Mayberry was an All-Pro with the Philadelphia Eagles before coming to New Orleans in 2005 as a free agent, and Holland (one of the strongest Saints with a 500-pound bench press) was steady as a starter last season.

Instead, Payton may have to preside over a changing of the guards this weekend, giving Evans and Matla, in particular, a baptism by fire. This, in turn, could restrict the running room available for Bush and Deuce McAllister as well as leaving QB Drew Brees, coming of a shoulder injury, more vulnerable.

New Orleans also has injury problems on the defensive line and at linebacker (notably Tommy Polley).

"We'll be looking at free agents," Payton said. "We'll be looking at guys on other teams."

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