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Rob Ninkovich (1 Viewer)

Chaos Commish

Chaos Commish

Footballguy
Ninkovich was running with the first team defense in NO tonight and he was all over the field.

Stat line 8 solos, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles. He did this on about 2 and a half quarters of action. Obviously, NO's D was on the field for most of the second half. 5 of the solos, a sack and a forced fumble, were in the first half against Dal first team offense and with NO's first team D. One of the solos came on special teams. He was all over the field. He got an usportsmanlike for throwing JJ to the ground, but he also stuffed him for -5 yards before the penalty. Pettiti couldn't handle him but did okay with Will Smith. It was an impressive performance. He was lined up at LDE, and SLB.

Ninkovich became a topic with draftniks and NCAA fans last year when Purdue's excellent DE, Ray Edwards was benched for him. It made a little more sense after watching this game.

 
Chaos Commish said:
Ninkovich was running with the first team defense in NO tonight and he was all over the field. Stat line 8 solos, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles. He did this on about 2 and a half quarters of action. Obviously, NO's D was on the field for most of the second half. 5 of the solos, a sack and a forced fumble, were in the first half against Dal first team offense and with NO's first team D. One of the solos came on special teams. He was all over the field. He got an usportsmanlike for throwing JJ to the ground, but he also stuffed him for -5 yards before the penalty. Pettiti couldn't handle him but did okay with Will Smith. It was an impressive performance. He was lined up at LDE, and SLB. Ninkovich became a topic with draftniks and NCAA fans last year when Purdue's excellent DE, Ray Edwards was benched for him. It made a little more sense after watching this game.
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:goodposting: :goodposting: I just made a quick mention of this in the game thread discussion but CC is dead on here. Those of us getting excited to see what Grant and Smith would do without Darren Howard in rotation may have to temper that a bit. This wasn't one of those "whatever, it's just pre-season" performance -- it looked like the real deal.
 
How's a guy who's sized like a LB going to handle rushing from the strong side as the LDE? That doesn't sound too enticing to me, regardless of what you saw tonight.

 
redman said:
How's a guy who's sized like a LB going to handle rushing from the strong side as the LDE? That doesn't sound too enticing to me, regardless of what you saw tonight.
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Yeah, I don't know. I'm not sending him screaming up my rankings just yet but this really didn't have a blind squirrel look to it to me. He was penetrating through the interior and coming hard from the outside. The entire defensive line looked solid so it may have been an OL issue. I'm wasn't watching closely enough to know how long they played their starters but the game but they started Fabini/Rivera on the right side.
 
Jene Bramel said:
redman said:
How's a guy who's sized like a LB going to handle rushing from the strong side as the LDE? That doesn't sound too enticing to me, regardless of what you saw tonight.
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Yeah, I don't know. I'm not sending him screaming up my rankings just yet but this really didn't have a blind squirrel look to it to me. He was penetrating through the interior and coming hard from the outside. The entire defensive line looked solid so it may have been an OL issue. I'm wasn't watching closely enough to know how long they played their starters but the game but they started Fabini/Rivera on the right side.
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Do you think he might fit into the Ware/Merriman role as the rushing OLB for the Saints? I've always thought they were a 4-3 team, but of course Payton has coached with Parcells who uses that system, so . . .
 
redman said:
Jene Bramel said:
redman said:
How's a guy who's sized like a LB going to handle rushing from the strong side as the LDE? That doesn't sound too enticing to me, regardless of what you saw tonight.
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Yeah, I don't know. I'm not sending him screaming up my rankings just yet but this really didn't have a blind squirrel look to it to me. He was penetrating through the interior and coming hard from the outside. The entire defensive line looked solid so it may have been an OL issue. I'm wasn't watching closely enough to know how long they played their starters but the game but they started Fabini/Rivera on the right side.
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Do you think he might fit into the Ware/Merriman role as the rushing OLB for the Saints? I've always thought they were a 4-3 team, but of course Payton has coached with Parcells who uses that system, so . . .
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That's what it looked like to me at times. He was on the field with Smith and Grant, he played both sides. I'm chuckling right now thinking about and wish I had recorded it. There were rumors before the Howard trade that Payton would play Grant on the inside on passing downs. It may have been happening. I wish I paid closer attention. I did see him playing with his and down and as an LB. The guy really was everywhere and doing it with the first team D. I certainly didn't expect to see this and have no idea what to make of it. Just reporting.
 
mfl.com has him as a DE, which ups his value if he's also getting tackles like a regular OLB does. :thumbup:

 
NOLA

RIGHT DEFENSIVE END: Third-year pro Will Smith is the most promising young talent on the Saints' defense, perhaps the entire roster. The Saints will focus their defense around his combination of power and speed on the right side. Two young players -- this year's fifth-round pick, Rob Ninkovich, and last year's seventh-rounder, Jimmy Verdon -- are battling behind him. So far, Ninkovich seems to have risen on the depth chart, but the preseason performances will be key.

DEPTH CHART

No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Exp.

91 | Will Smith | 6-3 | 282 | 3



93 | Rob Ninkovich | 6-2 | 252 | R

79 | Jimmy Verdon | 6-3 | 280 | 2
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So even though he was running with the first team, he won't see any significant time unless Smith is out, right?

 
Jared Allen?

I'd love to see what this guy could do as an OLB in a 3-4, but we know that a'int happening this year. He'll likely just be brought in as a rush specialist. It'll be interesting from where they bring him though because I could see him lining up at DE, DT or SLB.

 
Something else worth noting in the Saints game last night .... Josh Bullocks did not start at safety. Roman Harper was 1st team SS and Bellamy was starting FS. Bullocks was the nickel back.

To say I was disappointed is an understatement

 
houndirish said:
Something else worth noting in the Saints game last night .... Josh Bullocks did not start at safety. Roman Harper was 1st team SS and Bellamy was starting FS. Bullocks was the nickel back.To say I was disappointed is an understatement
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Yep, I'm still looking for explanations for this today. Omar Stoutmire was playing in a lot of nickel situations, too, so this may just be a "let's throw 'em all in with the first team front seven and see what happens" situation. I'm pretty confused about the Saints right now. Halfway through training camp and every linebacker and safety on the roster has played with the first team at some point. And guys like Jay Foreman, Jay Bellamy, and Omar Stoutmire are bad, bad NFL players. It's a good thing Reggie Bush is around to take some of the heat off down there, but true Saints fans (and Gary Gibbs) have to be sick about what this defense is going to look like.
 
Jene Bramel said:
houndirish said:
Something else worth noting in the Saints game last night .... Josh Bullocks did not start at safety. Roman Harper was 1st team SS and Bellamy was starting FS. Bullocks was the nickel back.To say I was disappointed is an understatement
Click to expand...
Yep, I'm still looking for explanations for this today. Omar Stoutmire was playing in a lot of nickel situations, too, so this may just be a "let's throw 'em all in with the first team front seven and see what happens" situation. I'm pretty confused about the Saints right now. Halfway through training camp and every linebacker and safety on the roster has played with the first team at some point. And guys like Jay Foreman, Jay Bellamy, and Omar Stoutmire are bad, bad NFL players. It's a good thing Reggie Bush is around to take some of the heat off down there, but true Saints fans (and Gary Gibbs) have to be sick about what this defense is going to look like.
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:yes: :X just thinking about it. I thought I wouldn't have to drink as much to enjoy the games this year. Either way, it's fun for me.
 
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Jene Bramel said:
houndirish said:
Something else worth noting in the Saints game last night .... Josh Bullocks did not start at safety. Roman Harper was 1st team SS and Bellamy was starting FS. Bullocks was the nickel back.To say I was disappointed is an understatement
Click to expand...
Yep, I'm still looking for explanations for this today. Omar Stoutmire was playing in a lot of nickel situations, too, so this may just be a "let's throw 'em all in with the first team front seven and see what happens" situation. I'm pretty confused about the Saints right now. Halfway through training camp and every linebacker and safety on the roster has played with the first team at some point. And guys like Jay Foreman, Jay Bellamy, and Omar Stoutmire are bad, bad NFL players. It's a good thing Reggie Bush is around to take some of the heat off down there, but true Saints fans (and Gary Gibbs) have to be sick about what this defense is going to look like.
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Plain & simple, Payton knows he's dealing with a bad defense so he's feeling out what he does have in order to get the best of the bunch on the field. Kind of a throw ##### at the wall approach...
 
I can't find anything about the three DEs on the field together, but this is a good report:

SHREVEPORT -- Saints rookie defensive end Rob Ninkovich learned one of those hard NFL lessons Monday night. Five or six good plays can totally be wiped out by one "boneheaded" mistake.

The fifth-round draft pick out of Purdue had a breakthrough performance in the Saints' 30-7 preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Two sacks, two forced fumbles, a team-high eight tackles.

But when asked for a praising sound bite afterward, all Coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs could remember was the 15-yard penalty Ninkovich drew in the first quarter for slamming tailback Julius Jones to the ground after the whistle had blown.

"He got a personal foul, and they scored a touchdown (two) plays later," Payton said. "So there wasn't too much bright about that. Those are boneheaded mistakes. When you make those mistakes, you lose games."

A frustrated Ninkovich couldn't disagree with his coach's assessment -- especially since he had heard a briefer version of the same speech on the sideline.

"A boneheaded play? Yeah. That's something you learn from experience," said Ninkovich, who had shot into the backfield and stopped Jones for a 3-yard loss before the hard takedown. "You know, I always like to have a complete game, so I was mad at myself. I didn't hear a whistle, and he was fighting, and I'm a football player. So I was just trying to make a tackle. You're always taught to finish the play, finish the play, finish the play. But that's my fault. And I won't do it again."

The 6-foot-2, 260-pound Ninkovich, who entered the game as the second-string right end, did his best to make up for the error.

He sacked Drew Bledsoe for an 8-yard loss in the second quarter, forcing Dallas into its first punt.

He sacked backup Tony Romo in the third quarter and forced a fumble that was recovered by Saints safety Roman Harper. That led to the Saints' only touchdown five plays later.

Ninkovich forced another fumble in the fourth quarter while tackling Tyson Thompson for a 2-yard loss, though Thompson recovered.

"I had a great performance, but . . ." Ninkovich said, letting the sentence dangle.

The Saints' coaches saw Ninkovich as a project when they drafted him to play defensive end, even though most teams pegged him as a rush linebacker in a 3-4 defensive scheme. But Ninkovich has worked his way up the depth chart with a nice offseason, showing an impressive desire and "motor," according to Gibbs.

Primarily a pass rusher in college, Ninkovich has worked on improving his run defense, and he has bulked up 10 pounds from his college weight of 250. He knows he'll have to make his biggest impact on special teams.

"The first game I was just trying to get my feet wet and get a feel for the game. This second game, I felt a lot better just kind of going with the flow of the game," said Ninkovich, who had 16 sacks in two years at Purdue after transferring from Joliet (Ill.) Junior College. "Especially getting into the NFL, you're trying to make an impression on people, trying to get the hang of the defense. So getting out there and making tackles, getting sacks, getting back to what I've done in the past is good. Because then I can just keep building and keep getting more confident."
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I think Charles Grant owners need to be wary here. He recorded 2 sacks in 16 starts a year ago, and this kid looked much more explosive rushing the passer in addition to the 8 solos. Just sayin' there could be some situational subbing.

 
If he gets the tackles on running plays like an OLB along with his share of sacks as a DE, then his value as a DE is going to be huge.

 
Jene Bramel said:
houndirish said:
Something else worth noting in the Saints game last night .... Josh Bullocks did not start at safety. Roman Harper was 1st team SS and Bellamy was starting FS. Bullocks was the nickel back.To say I was disappointed is an understatement
Click to expand...
Yep, I'm still looking for explanations for this today. Omar Stoutmire was playing in a lot of nickel situations, too, so this may just be a "let's throw 'em all in with the first team front seven and see what happens" situation. I'm pretty confused about the Saints right now. Halfway through training camp and every linebacker and safety on the roster has played with the first team at some point. And guys like Jay Foreman, Jay Bellamy, and Omar Stoutmire are bad, bad NFL players. It's a good thing Reggie Bush is around to take some of the heat off down there, but true Saints fans (and Gary Gibbs) have to be sick about what this defense is going to look like.
Click to expand...
Take it for what it is worth but I was told that defense will be about as effective as a monkey (blanking) a football this year. Dallas put a serious hurt on that team last night and just rolled right over anyone playing DL, LB or DB. There are too many low tier prospect types or second tier NFL veterans at critical positions that are being forced into action. As was stated, you cannot hang your hopes on a Jay Bellamy. Ninkovich did look like a player. High motor kid. Harper did start at SS. Team is tinkering with players at all the positions in an effort to find 4 guys that can play together. Be careful if you are counting on Bullocks or Harper this year as starters. All the starting LB looked less than adequate and Fincher was not that impressive on defense. He's got that special teams tackling angle down to a science but he looked very ordinary in the middle. Of course, they are going to have MANY chances to stop ball carriers so someone that ends up playing SS or MLB on that team will have great IDP value.
 
WhoDat said:
Jene Bramel said:
houndirish said:
Something else worth noting in the Saints game last night .... Josh Bullocks did not start at safety. Roman Harper was 1st team SS and Bellamy was starting FS. Bullocks was the nickel back.

To say I was disappointed is an understatement
Click to expand...
Yep, I'm still looking for explanations for this today. Omar Stoutmire was playing in a lot of nickel situations, too, so this may just be a "let's throw 'em all in with the first team front seven and see what happens" situation. I'm pretty confused about the Saints right now. Halfway through training camp and every linebacker and safety on the roster has played with the first team at some point. And guys like Jay Foreman, Jay Bellamy, and Omar Stoutmire are bad, bad NFL players. It's a good thing Reggie Bush is around to take some of the heat off down there, but true Saints fans (and Gary Gibbs) have to be sick about what this defense is going to look like.
Click to expand...
Take it for what it is worth but I was told that defense will be about as effective as a monkey (blanking) a football this year. Dallas put a serious hurt on that team last night and just rolled right over anyone playing DL, LB or DB. There are too many low tier prospect types or second tier NFL veterans at critical positions that are being forced into action. As was stated, you cannot hang your hopes on a Jay Bellamy.

Ninkovich did look like a player. High motor kid. Harper did start at SS. Team is tinkering with players at all the positions in an effort to find 4 guys that can play together. Be careful if you are counting on Bullocks or Harper this year as starters.

All the starting LB looked less than adequate and Fincher was not that impressive on defense. He's got that special teams tackling angle down to a science but he looked very ordinary in the middle. Of course, they are going to have MANY chances to stop ball carriers so someone that ends up playing SS or MLB on that team will have great IDP value.
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FS will prolly out-tackle MLB :lmao: Harper will start at some point this year ... prolly sooner than later.
 
Rozelle said:
FS will prolly out-tackle MLB :lmao: Harper will start at some point this year ... prolly sooner than later.
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Do you think Harper will start at FS or SS? I am hoping SS. Someone commented that Harper was the best run stopping safety on the Saints so I would guess SS.
 
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ATC1 said:
Rozelle said:
eddy13 said:
Does it look like Jay Formean will start in the middle!
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Right now he's definatley their best option, TBO ... I don't know what to think :confused:
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I think they should pay the price for Edwards.
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What for? So they can be respectable at LB this year? I could understand if MLB was the only thing we were missing, but the Saints have too many holes to fill to give up the 2nd round pick SD is asking, likely a high one as well. You don't see New England knocking down their door either & right now he could make a huge difference as an ILB for them. If I were the Saints I would stick to my guns, a 4th...and possibly a KR or nothing at all.
 
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Hoodoo said:
ATC1 said:
Rozelle said:
eddy13 said:
Does it look like Jay Formean will start in the middle!
Click to expand...
Right now he's definatley their best option, TBO ... I don't know what to think :confused:
Click to expand...
I think they should pay the price for Edwards.
Click to expand...
What for? So they can be respectable at LB this year? I could understand if MLB was the only thing we were missing, but the Saints have too many holes to fill to give up the 2nd round pick SD is asking, likely a high one as well. You don't see New England knocking down their door either & right now he could make a huge difference as an ILB for them. If I were the Saints I would stick to my guns, a 4th...and possibly a KR or nothing at all.
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It does not matter at this point because they traded with Dallas, but the Saints have the talent. What they really need is a leader in this group.
 
I just picked Ninkovich up as a FA. When do they play next? I want to see what he does as a follow up performance.

 
bump

How's he look, and what defensive configuration are they running with him? Is he in a 3 pt stance?

 
redman said:
bumpHow's he look, and what defensive configuration are they running with him? Is he in a 3 pt stance?
Click to expand...
:dunno: He had two solos in the first half including a tackle for a loss stuffing Bennett for -3.He returned the opening kickoff of the second half. :excited: He was offsides on another kickoff.He stuffed Quentin Griffin twice in the 4th quarter, once for no gain, and once for -4.
 
Glad I picked him up off waivers 2 weeks ago for my taxi squad on my 16 team dynasty league :banned:

 
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redman said:
pretender said:
Glad I picked him up off waivers 2 weeks ago for my taxi squad on my 16 team dynasty league :banned:
Click to expand...
:goodposting: Ditto for me. Of course I've got 5 DE's and only start 2, so I'm wondering whether I can keep him.
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Same here. My DL are Peppers, J. Henderson, B. Thomas, Mario Williams, and Suggs. Plus, I just traded away Abraham.
 
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nortobc said:
redman said:
pretender said:
Glad I picked him up off waivers 2 weeks ago for my taxi squad on my 16 team dynasty league :banned:
Click to expand...
:goodposting: Ditto for me. Of course I've got 5 DE's and only start 2, so I'm wondering whether I can keep him.
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Same here. My DL are Peppers, J. Henderson, B. Thomas, Mario Williams, and Suggs. Plus, I just traded away Abraham.
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Mine aren't nearly as good: Kearse, Mario Williams, Udeze, Tuck, Ninkovich.I've got a difficult decision because neither Tuck nor Ninkovich are starters, but both (especially Tuck) seem to have promising futures. They're both eligible for the practice squad, but I've already filled 2 of 4 spots there and I have other, similar dilemmas with personnel, especially at LB and WR. To make matters worse, I dumped Derrick Burgess last year because I'd figured he was done when the Eagles gave up on him. :bag:
 
Ok, so bottom line, is this guy worth keeping or not? He's listed as the backup to Smith, who hasn't missed a game in 2 years, so in the abstract he doesn't figure to have a lot of playing time. Has anyone heard anything here that would imply that he'll get a chance to play meaningful time this year?

 
redman said:
Ok, so bottom line, is this guy worth keeping or not? He's listed as the backup to Smith, who hasn't missed a game in 2 years, so in the abstract he doesn't figure to have a lot of playing time. Has anyone heard anything here that would imply that he'll get a chance to play meaningful time this year?
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I wouldn't think he would. Those pre-season efforts were interesting only in that they came against first team OL at times and suggest he has a future. In reality, keeping a second team, situational pass rusher who'll probably struggle in run support isn't a great use of roster space IMO. Depends on how deep your rosters are, but I don't think he's got enough upside to hold in most situations.
 
Jene Bramel said:
redman said:
Ok, so bottom line, is this guy worth keeping or not?
Click to expand...
Depends on how deep your rosters are, but I don't think he's got enough upside to hold in most situations.
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Jene, he's been very very good in run support. He's going to play specials and be a longsnapper. Payton recently stated (presser) something to the affect of, "It's a mistake to stay put with a team like this. Some of the guys that got by on reputation won't be able to do that anymore. Some of them are already gone." That's paraphrased, but it brought me back to his expressed concern for Grant's unimpressive sack total. Nevertheless, "Depends on how deep your rosters are" is the answer. If you need that spot for someone who must produce, then Ninkovich isn't your man. If you have space to stow away a project or three, he's not a bad choice for those spots.
 
Jene Bramel said:
redman said:
Ok, so bottom line, is this guy worth keeping or not? He's listed as the backup to Smith, who hasn't missed a game in 2 years, so in the abstract he doesn't figure to have a lot of playing time. Has anyone heard anything here that would imply that he'll get a chance to play meaningful time this year?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't think he would. Those pre-season efforts were interesting only in that they came against first team OL at times and suggest he has a future. In reality, keeping a second team, situational pass rusher who'll probably struggle in run support isn't a great use of roster space IMO. Depends on how deep your rosters are, but I don't think he's got enough upside to hold in most situations.
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He's on my 12 man DTS. That's deep enough to give him a shot.
 
Chaos Commish said:
Jene Bramel said:
redman said:
Ok, so bottom line, is this guy worth keeping or not?
Click to expand...
Depends on how deep your rosters are, but I don't think he's got enough upside to hold in most situations.
Click to expand...
Jene, he's been very very good in run support. He's going to play specials and be a longsnapper. Payton recently stated (presser) something to the affect of, "It's a mistake to stay put with a team like this. Some of the guys that got by on reputation won't be able to do that anymore. Some of them are already gone." That's paraphrased, but it brought me back to his expressed concern for Grant's unimpressive sack total. Nevertheless, "Depends on how deep your rosters are" is the answer. If you need that spot for someone who must produce, then Ninkovich isn't your man. If you have space to stow away a project or three, he's not a bad choice for those spots.
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Yep, I think he's got a lot more potential than I originally thought. But, pre-season aside, he'll have to show me that, at 251lbs, he can hold up against the run over a full season. I love that quote from Payton. Count me firmly in the camp that Grant's toe injury robbed him of much of his explosiveness last year on a team that faced the fewest pass attempts in the league. Grant has said that he was a out of shape last season as well. Hopefully the new staff and recovery/re-dedication lead to rebound season.
 
FBG Blogger

DE Ninkovich Could Be Out For Season

AP, ESPN.com - [Full Article]

During Monday night's win over the Atlanta Falcons, rookie DE Rob Ninkovich suffered a knee injury. Early prognosis is a strained MCL, and a slightly torn ACL. If this holds true, Ninkovich should hit the IR and have his season ended. "This is the first time I've ever been injured. I knew right away it wasn't good," Ninkovich said. "I'm hopeful to be back but

right now I just have to wait and see."

 
Supposedly he's doing really well, but I can't imagine he's going to get very much playing time. The Saints have another young DE, Josh Cooper, who looked really good last year and started a couple games when Will Smith was out. Competition's going to be pretty fierce for that #3 end spot.

 
*** Friday Update *** TM Miami Dolphins (MIA) The Dolphins were awarded defensive end Rob Ninkovich off waivers from New Orleans on Friday. To make room on their roster for Ninkovich, the Dolphins waived linebacker Kelvin Smith, the first of Miami's three seventh-round draft choices this year.

 
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