The Saints have been without fullback Mike Karney for the past two games, but it appears he will try to at least practice this week. He’s been out with a torn medial collateral knee ligament, but said today that he will try and test the knee tomorrow when the team gets back on the practice field after the Monday night win. Look for Karney to be eased back into the lineup, and likely to still sit this week.
The Saints report that CB Mike McKenzie will have surgery to repair his broken right kneecap and be placed on injured reserve. The Saints have also claimed former Washington Redskins CB Leigh Torrence who was cut last week after the Redskins signed former Oakland CB DeAngelo Hall.
McKenzie has been the starting left cornerback for the Saints since being acquired from the Green Bay Packers in 2004. A 10-year veteran, he has played in 63 games for New Orleans, intercepted 12 passes, made 226 tackles, and forced a fumble. McKenzie will undergo the surgery to repair his kneecap this week. After playing seven games in the 2008 season, McKenzie has 25 tackles, 3 pass defenses, and one interception.
Torrence is in his third year as a pro, having played in 35 regular season games with one start, making 43 tackles on defense and 29 tackles on special teams. So far in the 2008 season, Torrence has played in all nine games, recording 9 tackles as a reserve back and 11 on special teams. Torrence was originally from Stanford University where he was a former sprinter. He went undrafted but was originally signed in 2005 by the Atlanta Falcons and joined Washington in 2006.
Fullback Mike Karney will also be out two to four weeks with a strained medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
This was not a good game for Saints fans as New Orleans still was able to get yards but not scores. Drew Brees had his worst game of the season by the numbers as he completed only about half his passes, throwing for 231 yards, one interception, and no touchdowns.
The Panthers gave a strong defensive effort that included a sack and two turnovers but caused probably more damage to the team‘s morale. The earlier losses for New Orleans were by a combined 10 points. For the first time this season, New Orleans was blown out.
The game did not look in the first half like it would be the pounding it was. Carolina got the ball first. Starting from their 28 yard line, the Panthers moved down the field but were forced to kick a 39-yard field goal when T Kendrick Clancy sacked QB Jake Delhomme on third down.
Carolina’s defense helped both by limiting the amount of time New Orleans was on the field and by creating a turnover when RB Jonathan Stewart ran 18 yards into the end zone. Carolina also hit a 48 yard field goal with 3 and a half minutes left in the half.
