|
Saints Sunday Notebook
by Doug Miller, NewOrleansSaints.com
Sunday, August 16, 2009 - 12:55 PM
New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton announced that the club has placed veteran linebacker Mark Simoneau on injured reserve Sunday, officially ending his 2009 season. The team also announced that signing of tight end Garrett Hartley/Martrez Milner.aspx">Martrez Milner.
Simoneau, 32, tore his triceps during last week's Black-and-Gold scrimmage and had surgery last week to repair the injury. Simoneau’s streak of unfortunate luck now rests on two, as he also missed the entire 2008 season following back surgery.
Milner, 25, began his career with the Atlanta Falcons as a fourth-round draft pick in 2007. A 6-foot-4, 260-pounder has played sparingly in the past two seasons and has also spent time with the New York Giants and New York Jets since then but hasn't played in a game. Depth is a concern at the tight end position, admitted Payton, in light of a season ending knee injury to veteran Dan Campbell and the ankle injury that fellow veteran Darnell Dinkins suffered on Friday night in the team’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Sean Payton said the Saints' evaluation of veteran linebackers Derrick Brooks and Derek Smith, among others is "ongoing." Payton, when pressed by local reporters, didn’t elaborate on any sort of timelines for the team to make an immediate move.
In another roster move, the Saints converted undrafted rookie Jermey Parnell from defensive end to tight end. The 6-6, 278-pounder played one year of football at Mississippi as a senior. They felt his size and athleticism might translate better on the offensive side of the ball. Payton did state after practice that the conversion is not an easy one to make for any player, regardless of experience.
|