Wednesday, May 22 Can Deuce McAllister replace Ricky Williams at running back? McAllister may not be able to handle the 25-carry load that Ricky Williams, but he should be able to break longer runs. McAllister is explosive. Saints management looked at him as another Fred Taylor. There is a good and bad with that. The good is that a Taylor-type back can be one of the best in the game, able to get 150 yards on any given Sunday. The bad is the question of durability. McAllister, like Taylor, has a history of missing time because of injuries. Whether they were right or wrong, the Saints believed that they couldn't live just on inside running, Williams' specialty. There is no question that McAllister has a 1,200-yard season in his body. With the speed at the receiving position and Aaron Brooks' throwing ability, McAllister might be able to do that this season.

Coming off a 10-6 season in 2000, New Orleans was riding momentum heading into the 2001 season. After all, it made the playoffs after finishing 1999 with a 3-13 record and reached the playoff's second round by defeating defending Super Bowl champ St. Louis in the wild-card game. Now they had rising star Aaron Brooks to man the passing attack, Ricky Williams to carry the ground game and a defense to dominate. The Saints jumped to a 4-2 start and appeared to show 2000 was no fluke when they handed the Rams their first loss by returning from an 18-point deficit to win on a last-second field goal.

However, erratic play on offense and defense slammed the breaks on the rest of the season. In the following week's nationally televised home loss vs. the Jets, offensive lineman Kyle Turley's childish antics reflected the season's breakdown when he was ejected for ripping the helmet off of Jets defensive back Damien Robinson and then hurling it in the air.

Unfortunately, the penalized Saints were poised to tie the game on the Jets' 6-yard line with a minute remaining in the game and eventually lost. New Orleans won just three games the rest of the way and finished 7-9. Team morale remained low when receiver Albert Connell was suspended in December and later released after being arrested on charges -- which were later dropped -- of allegedly stealing $4,363 from teammate Deuce McAllister.

Since then, the general manager (Randy Mueller) was fired, the franchise running back (Ricky Williams) was traded and 2000 Pro Bowl defensive linemen Joe Johnson, La'Roi Glover and offensive lineman William Roaf have departed. Head coach Jim Haslett, who has one year left on his contract, will have to regroup a team that was blown out by an average of 27 points in the last four games. Haslett may get support from management as new general manager Mickey Loomis is looking to sign him to a long-term contract.

Incorporating many of the offseason changes, the Saints' offense will likely spread the field by going to a three-receiver formation with Horn, newly-signed Jerome Pathon and No. 1 pick Donte Stallworth. This will place the ball more often in the hands of their most explosive playmaker, Brooks. Stretching defenses will help McAllister, last year's No. 1 pick, be more effective in the backfield with his speed and all-around skills. He will even be asked to line up as a receiver at times.

	SAINTS AT A GLANCE
	Deuce McAllister rushed      for 91 yards last season.
	2001 record: 7-9 Team rank: Defense (16th); Offense (11th) Saints team news

NFC South foes Atlanta, Carolina and Tampa Bay are expected to attack with power-running offenses, so the Saints are bulking up their defensive line. They let go 285-pound Glover in favor of signing 350-pound free agent Grady Jackson to man the middle with 340-pound run-stuffer Norman Hand, who has lost 20 pounds in offseason workouts. The linebacking corps remains largely unproven. Outside linebacker Keith Mitchell, who made the 2000 Pro Bowl, will be released after June 1, so second-year player Sedrick Hodge will replace him at the strong side. Wily vet Darrin Smith will be the weakside linebacker while Charlie Clemons will man the middle in his second year of starting with free agent addition Bryan Cox backing him up.

New defensive coordinator Rick Venturi wants to play more man-to-man coverage to reduce the many big plays given up by the Saints' zone schemes last season. They gave up the NFL's third-most passing plays of 40-plus yards and the second-most passing plays of 20-plus yards. New addition Dale Carter upgrades the cornerback spot while safety Sammy Knight was the Saints' best defensive player last season. Venturi hopes to prevent the Saints from falling behind early as their opponents led in 10 of their games at halftime.