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Roman Harper torn ACL


Randall
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METAIRIE — The New Orleans Saints lost starting strong safety Roman Harper for the season Monday when an MRI revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported on its Web site.

 

Harper, a rookie second-round draft pick from Alabama, suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter of the team’s 24-21 victory against Tampa Bay on Sunday in the Superdome.

 

He earned a starting position during training camp and started each of the Saints’ first five games. Harper was tied for fifth on the team with 26 tackles, including seven against the Buccaneers, and had one sack.

 

Harper will likely be replaced in the lineup by 11-year veteran Omar Stoutmire, who has started 51 games with the New York Giants, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins.

 

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis and coach Sean Payton did not immediately respond to e-mails sent to them Monday evening by The Advocate to confirm the injury.

 

The news about Harper came just hours after coach Sean Payton reviewed his team’s 4-1 start. He said at his weekly news conference he was pleased his team was able to win despite several blemishes in the performance.

 

“I think after watching the film, the encouraging thing about a win like that is that it wasn’t perfect,” Payton said. “There were a lot of things that we can correct. I thought the effort was there. I was pleased that we were able to get the win and obviously it was a big win, a division game and at home.”

 

The Saints had to come from behind twice, after falling behind 7-0 on the Bucs’ first possession, then after squandering a 17-7 lead to trail 21-17 in the fourth quarter.

 

“I think when you win games, you begin to gain more and more confidence,” Payton said. “I think that our players feel like we’re not out of a game. It’s an attitude. It’s the players’ understanding of what you have to do to change momentum.”

 

The Saints changed the momentum in the first quarter when running back Deuce McAllister got rolling with a 57-yard run on his way to a 123-yard rushing game. That set up a John Carney field goal.

 

“Deuce did a great job making some runs,” Payton said. “We came off the ball. I thought that was critical in this game. I knew coming here he was a Pro Bowl running back and he’s a guy that’s respected throughout the league.

 

“I’ve been real pleased with everything I’ve seen. His work ethic, he’s got his weight right where it needs to be. He’s got strength. He’s playing with intensity. He’s practicing well. He played outstanding yesterday. He played fantastic.”

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