More downtime for Ninkovich

By Darrell Laurant  |   Friday, August 03, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

New Orleans Saints
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It's only the first week of practice, and already the New Orleans Saints' defensive line has been cut down at the knees.

First, DT Lance Legree went on injured reserved because of a knee injury. The 6-foot-1, 300-pounder had been acquired from San Francisco as a free agent and was expected to compete for a key backup role.

Then, on Wednesday, DE Rob Ninkovich was carted off the practice field with a painful injury to his left knee. The second-year pro from Purdue -- listed as Charles Grant's No. 1 replacement on the Saints' depth chart -- was first thought to have a torn tendon, but it was later diagnosed as just a sprain. Nevertheless, he'll be out of action for four weeks.

Last season, Ninkovich was developing nicely as a situational player when he tore his ACL and missed all but four games. A 6-2, 252-pounder, he excels in pas rushing and had 16 sacks in two years as a Boilermaker.

As always, of course, one player's loss is another's gain. The Saints already have two of the best DEs in pro football in Grant and Will Smith, and the injuries to Ninkovich and Legree will enable coaches to get a better look at Willie Evans and Josh Cooper.

Cooper started the meaningless season finale against Carolina in 2006, and Evans also got in significant playing time against the Panthers. Both are Mississippi products -- the 6-1, 269-pound Evans from Mississippi State (where he was third all-time with 34½ sacks), the 6-3, 265-pound Cooper from Ole Miss.

Given his history, the Saints will probably be very cautious with Ninkovich when he returns. No timetable has been set for Legree.

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