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Saints-Final Look
08/25/08 - 08:34 PM
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METAIRIE, La. (AP) - The New Orleans Saints released five
players on Monday, the day before league rules required training
camp rosters to be trimmed from 80 players to 75.
The remaining players fighting for the final spots on the
Saints’ 53-man regular season roster will get their final chance to
play in the preseason on Thursday night, when the Saints host
Miami. They’ll have to share snaps with a few regulars, head coach
Sean Payton said.
Payton said he intends to play tight end Jeremy Shockey, running
back Deuce McAllister, safety Josh Bullocks and cornerback Mike
McKenzie in the preseason finale against the Dolphins because those
regulars missed games earlier in the preseason, or in Shockey’s
case, have yet to play at all.
“Those guys will be guys that we want to see X number of snaps
from just because they haven’t had as many (plays) as some of the
other players have had,” Payton said.
The five players waived were: wide receiver Todd Blythe, safety
Curome Cox, fullback Kevin Dudley, center Rob Hunt and punter
Waylon Prather. None of those players were on the active roster
last season or drafted last spring.
Final cuts likely will come on Friday, when Payton said he
expects to trim 22 players off the roster, though some could be
re-signed to the eight-man practice squad if they clear waivers.
Last season, Payton sat out most starters in the final preseason
game. He said he expects to do the same against Miami.
He said Brees probably will not play. Reggie Bush was limited in
practice because of a right leg bruise lingering from Saturday
night’s 13-0 exhibition victory at Cincinnati. But Payton declined
to discuss specific injuries or who he definitely intends to hold
out of the preseason finale.
League rules do not require Payton to say anything publicly
about injuries until the Wednesday before the Sept. 7 regular
season opener at home against Tampa Bay.
Last week, Payton said Shockey was going to play in Cincinnati,
but then, shortly before kickoff, notified the four-time Pro Bowl
tight end that he would be held out of the game.
Payton said he did not mean to mislead Shockey, but wanted to
see him practice during the full week leading up to the game as if
he expected to play.
Shockey said he understood.
“It was a little frustrating because I thought I had a pretty
good week of practice and I prepared like I was going to play the
game,” Shockey said. “But coach Payton’s job is to make sure
every player is 100 percent. That was his decision and I respect
it. It’s something as a player you want to play, but I think he’s
looking at the best interest of the player.”
McAllister, coming off his second knee reconstruction in three
seasons, sat out the preseason opener and then saw limited action
in the past two exhibition contests. He has looked solid, gaining
positive yards on most plays, but hasn’t had any big gains.
McKenzie, who had reconstructive knee surgery late last year,
missed the first two preseason games but started Saturday night in
Cincinnati and nearly had an interception.
Bullocks, a three-year starter, has been slowed by right knee
soreness stemming from arthroscopic surgery in the offseason.
Meanwhile, Payton hopes to see more from kicker Taylor Mehlhaff,
a sixth-round draft choice competing with nine-year veteran Martin
Gramatica for a roster spot.
Mehlhaff has a strong left leg, with the proven ability to knock
kickoffs through the end zone for touchbacks, but hasn’t always
done so in preseason games, leaving some shorter than coaches would
like.
“He needs to be a little bit more consistent on the kickoffs,”
Payton said. “It’s been boom or bust.”

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