Saints Plan To Get McAllister More Involved (1 Viewer)

[packersfan]

Payton did admit he’s ready to keep adding to McAllister’s workload as the weeks go by.

“That’s the plan,” he said. “How much each week will depend on the game, but the plan is to get he and (cornerback) Mike (McKenzie) more involved. A lot of it will be dependent upon the game plan and who we’re playing.”

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[sdsjr3]

'bout time. I still think Deuce has some decent value in deeper leagues just because if he stays healthy, and gets some carries the talent is still there to be useful for fantasy purposes.

 

[valhallan]

Should have thought about that when they gave up the game on 3rd and 1 late in the 4th quarter

 

[SeniorVBDStudent]

Looks like Lucky Pierre is on my roster death watch...a solid showing by Deuce and Thomas is history.

 

[Chaka]

Looks like Lucky Pierre is on my roster death watch...a solid showing by Deuce and Thomas is history.

I doubt that.

 

[saintfool]

Interesting take on the Deuce situation, from the Times-Pic beat writer, in their "mailbag"...

Q: What is really wrong with Deuce, is he hurt or did he tick off Coach Payton? We need him back now! Carl, North Palm Beach, Fla.

A: I wrote about this situation in Tuesday's Times-Picayune, but I neglected an important aspect of the situation. I'll get to it here. Basically, I think the Saints are thinking long-term with McAllister. It's something that's going to require remarkable patience from everyone along the way: McAllister, Payton, the fans, etc. McAllister didn't just have reconstructive surgery on his left knee, he went ahead and had microfracture surgery on his right knee to correct some issues with it. That's two knee surgeries at the same time. Two massive rehabs at the same time. As far as I know, it's an unprecedented situation. The other backs that returned from double knee surgeries - Terry Allen, Frank Gore, etc. - did so from injuries to separate knees over a multi-year span. This is different and I think the Saints are being smart to bring Deuce along slowly. That said, I'm not sure what that 11-carry workload against Miami in the preseason was all about. It looked like a tryout to me, indicating the Saints were thinking about cutting McAllister at the time. Why else would you run a veteran back coming off double knee surgery 11 times in the final preseason game and then not play him at all the following week in the regular season? I have no inside information on this but there have been reports that the Saints were thinking about cutting McAllister before the season. If so, then it's safe to say Payton didn't have his game plan built around his skills. Why would you game-plan for a guy you're thinking about cutting? Now, it seems they are stuck with McAllister and I really think they don't know what to do with him. It hasn't helped that the running game has gotten off to such a slow start. Now fans are clamoring for McAllister and Payton has to re-assess the situation. I don't think Payton has anything against McAllister. How could you? McAllister is one of the most respected and likeable players in franchise history. But Payton had to game plan for this season with what he could count on and that was Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. That said, Payton clearly is infatuated with the skills of Bush. Never underestimate the fact that Payton drafted Bush and inherited McAllister. Coaches love to play with "their guys."

 

[packersfan]

Good post SaintFool. That matches up with the info from Pro Football Weekly last week that McAllister could be several weeks away from making any kind of an impact. I do think the lack of success the Saints had against the Redskins running the ball may have changed things around but all of the info I've seen so far strongly indicates Bush and Thomas are the guys in the backfield for the time being. I think Deuce might need Thomas to fail miserably (and some would argue his inability to convert on the third-and-short last week was an example of that) in order for Deuce's role to grow.

That's just my take and it could be completely wrong.

That said, I do think Thomas owners (and I am one) need to keep a very close eye on this. Thomas hasn't really proven anything yet so his margin for error may not be that great. If he struggles again this week against the Broncos, perhaps we see more of Deuce. I was thinking of starting him as my flex RB again this week given what a great matchup it is but I'm a little reluctant right now.

 

[valhallan]

Thanks for posting that. I think Duncan is on the money. But if they wanted to give Deuce more time, why is he on the active roster? Put him on PUP at least and bring in someone else to fill the role until he's ready.

 

[packersfan]

Thanks for posting that. I think Duncan is on the money. But if they wanted to give Deuce more time, why is he on the active roster? Put him on PUP at least and bring in someone else to fill the role until he's ready.

Perhaps Stecker's injury led to a change in plans. No idea, just tossing that out as a possibility.

 

[saintfool]

Thanks for posting that. I think Duncan is on the money. But if they wanted to give Deuce more time, why is he on the active roster? Put him on PUP at least and bring in someone else to fill the role until he's ready.

Perhaps Stecker's injury led to a change in plans. No idea, just tossing that out as a possibility.

i do think your point about stecker is spot on. i am a believer in deuce though. i truly believe that if he couldn't deliver on the field then he would walk away and/or the saints wouldn't have kept him. i think he is closer to being ready than many outside observers think. even if he gets some time on the field i think it will be a slow increase in touches so that he can be ready for the playoffs. we need his kind of running for the playoffs.

 

[packersfan]

Looks like Payton isn't blaming Thomas for the failed third-and-one play late in the game against the Redskins.

On the Saints' failed third-down run, Payton blamed the offensive line for failing to pick up Redskins safety Chris Horton, who hit Thomas in the backfield and helped bring him down for no gain. The coach also said his line needed to work on being mean and more physical when called upon to drive back the defensive line on running plays.

"When you're rushing the ball well, generally you're getting off on the line of scrimmage and you're playing with an attitude," Payton said. "We got beat there a number of times ... and really made it difficult for the backs to have any kind of consistency, so we have to get that corrected."

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[HoTnickZ]

I have Pierre and am not remotely concerned about Deuce this season because of the following reasons:

1) I don't think he will be effective this year, he might get a shot in the upcoming weeks but I don't believe he will be effective to last beyond that.

2) The Saints are a better team running Bush less, and running Thomas more (he's a flat out playmaker). Whether they realize this or not is another story.

3) Chance of Deuce remaining healthy or carrying a substantial load after said surgeries is remote.

My main concern is #2 to be honest. Last game they kept running Reggie for 2 yards a carry, while they would be much more dangerous with the threat of Thomas on the ground and Reggie receiving IMO.

 

[packersfan]

I'm not giving away the projections but FBG doesn't view Deuce as a factor this week. Both Dodds and Bloom have Thomas ranked as a solid RB3 option this week.

 

[packersfan]

Latest comment today from Sean Payton about Deuce (and Mike McKenzie). It's anybody's guess at this point if this is the week Payton thinks Deuce is ready for a larger role.

For what it's worth, FBG still likes Thomas as a solid RB3 against the Broncos.

"Right now, it's just a matter of how much they play and their roles," Payton said about McAllister and McKenzie. "But for two weeks now, they've been listed as full, and they are full. It's just a matter of when we feel like they're ready to go and play ahead of the guys in front of them."

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[Bri]

1 is more than nothing