The Saints are red hot and again the number one team in the NFL, and of course NFC, in most polls after an enormous come from behind win over the Miami Dolphins.
Unfortunately the Saints did not emerge healthy from the Dolphins game losing full back Heath Evans for the season with an ACL tear and losing DT Sedrick Ellis for a few weeks with an MCL sprain.
New Orleans will host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football which marks their first divisional game of the season.
Plenty of news here to follow so let’s get to the links.

We start with the Times [...]

Saints starting defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis has a sprained right knee (MCL sprain), an injury similar to what running back Pierre Thomas suffered in the pre-season and what running back Mike Bell suffered in a week 2 win against Philadelphia.
Both players were out four weeks.
Ellis went down in the second half of the Saints recent come from behind win over the Miami Dolphis when his knee was rolled up on by an opposing player.
The MCL ligament is the inner ligament that connects the thigh bone to the shin bone and a sprain as they call it really means the ligament has [...]

Full back Heath Evans left Sunday’s game against the Dolphins late in the fourth quarter with a knee injury.
The extent of his injury was not known until today, Evans tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will undergoes season ending surgery today.
Evans loss comes as a big blow to the Saints as he paved the way for the Saints third ranked running game, which to this point has averaged nearly 160 yards a game.
He is also responsible for three touchdowns this season, one on the ground and two in the air.
New Orleans has signed veteran full back Kyle Eckel [...]

A stroke of bad luck seems to have come down on the Saints as both full back Heath Evans and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis left Sundays game against the Dolphins with right knee injuries.
Ellis had totaled three tackles in the game before his knee was rolled up on by a Dolphins player in the second quarter, immediately Ellis hit the turf and had to be helped off the field.
He did not return to the game nor was he visible on the sideline after being carted off the field for further evaluation.
Later in the game fullback Heath Evans was scampering towards a first down [...]

Finally New Orleans faced a little adversity this season by having to do something they have yet to do, play from behind.
The unbeaten Saints fell behind early in the first quarter for the first time this season and seemed totally outmatched by the Dolphins defense as they sank into a huge 24-3 hole.
The Dolphins came off their bye week prepared to take the Saints down and through the first half they genuinely outplayed the Saints.
Pressure killed New Orleans chances during the first two quarters as Miami lit up the Saints offensive line allowing three sacks on Brees in the first half [...]

New Orleans is gearing up for it’s first road game in three weeks when they head south to take on the Miami Dolphins and the Wildcat offense.
The Saints are coming off a dominating win over the New York Giants which has catapulted them to the number one spot in virtually all NFL power rankings.
What a difference a year can make, let’s get to the links.

Since The Times Picayune has so many Saints articles, being the local newspaper and all, I am going to start linking to their Saints homepage instead of all the articles individually. Follow this link to view [...]

Second year pro Remi Ayodele has been given the starting nod over veteran tackle Kendrick Clancy — indicative of his performance so far this season.
Ayodele has been the starter for the Saints since then starting nose tackle Kendrick Clancy went down with a right knee injury week 1 against Detroit.
Clancy was reported to be close to one hundred percent and the general consensus was he would resume the starting duties last week against the Giants, however Clancy was de-activated in favor Ayodele which was a very telling sign.
Ayodele responded with the best game of his career posting a season high six [...]

Starting strong side linebacker Scott Fujita has all but been ruled out for Sundays match up against the Miami Dolphins.
Fujita injured his calf mid-way through the first quarter of the Saints 48-27 rout of the New York Giants last Sunday.
Troy Evans, the top backup at strong side, replaced Fujita for the entirety of the game and played fairly well, posting four tackles including one for a loss.
However Fujita has not been totally ruled out for Sunday’s game even though he has not practiced at all this week.
Head coach Sean Payton is taking a wait and see approach to Fujita’s recovery [...]

Call it whatever you want, the Saints just put away the Giants easily. The Giants were considered the best team in football to date and a win of this caliber should propel the Saints into the number one spot.
Who’s the best team in football now? The answer is the 5-0 Saints until further notice NFL analysts.
Again the Saints got it done on both sides of the football and displayed a well rounded attack that keep the Giants on it’s heels all afternoon.
New Orleans mounted an extraordinary offensive effort by racking up 493 total yards on the leagues “best defense”.
Drew Brees [...]

With a looming match-up against the New York Giants the Saints need every possible body healthy and playable.
The early bye week couldn’t have come at a better time, although some argue a bye later in the season is more beneficial especially for a playoff bound team.
An extra week off has allowed more than a few players to get back on the healing track.
Rod Harper, the former Arkansas Twister wide receiver, is the only exception as he was placed on injured reserve early this week after battling a stress fracture in his foot.
That move was essentially done so the team could make room for [...]