New Orleans Saints Inside Slant
by Sports Xchange
As expected, McAllister, Smith and defensive end Charles Grant, who is already on injured reserve with a torn triceps muscle, were suspended four games each by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.
They will miss the rest of the regular season, which starts with Sunday's crucial game against the Atlanta Falcons in the Superdome. If the Saints (6-6) fall to the Falcons (8-4), they would have virtually no chance of making the playoffs considering the teams that would be ahead of then in the race for two wild-card spots.
The league came down on McAllister, Smith and Grant and three other players after they tested positive for a banned diuretic which can serve as a masking agent for steroids.
The players used an over-the-counter weight-loss product called StarCaps, which rids the body of excess water. The problem was the pills contained the diuretic Bumetanide although the players claimed it wasn't listed as an ingredient on the bottle's label.
Running back Reggie Bush and defensive end Bobby McCray said other teammates are going to have to take up the slack if the Saints are to finish strong in the final four weeks of the season.
"We'll see how we respond this week," said Bush. "Anytime you lose guys like Deuce and Will, you don't gain from it. You definitely lose something and they'll definitely be missed. The other guys have to pick up the slack."
"Will came over to my house last night and we talked about it," McCray said. "It's unfortunate the way it went down, but these guys have never been involved in any incidents like this. As a team, we can't dwell on what happened. We just have to swallow it and get everyone to rally."
Bush and Pierre Thomas, along with the recently-acquired Mike Bell, will get most of the backfield work although McAllister was used sparingly this season.
Jeff Charleston will likely take Smith's spot in the starting lineup opposite McCray, who stepped in as the starting left end when Grant went down.
Quarterback Drew Brees on Wednesday lamented the loss of leaders like McAllister and Smith. Their presence in the locker room, Brees noted, was almost as big as their on-field productivity.
"In my opinion, their locker room presence is just as important," he said. "It's just the type of guys they are on the practice field with their work ethic, leading by example, all of those things. It's tough to lose them in that area."
SERIES HISTORY: 79th regular-season meeting. Falcons lead, 44-34, despite the Saints having won four of the last five and seven of 11 games. The Falcons will be going for a sweep of the season series after claiming a 34-20 victory on Nov. 9 in the Georgia Dome. The Saints, however, have won four straight in the Superdome. The Falcons won the only postseason matchup of the old division rivals in 1991, 27-20.
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