Alright, it's that time of the week again. . .time to check out who's going to be out of this Monday night's game for both teams involved.
The Saints have the longest injury report of any team the Beloved Purple have faced to this point in the season. Honestly, this thing is massive, and a lot of guys are already listed as "out." The Saints are still a pretty good team, but it's clear that the Vikings won't be seeing a New Orleans team that's at 100%. The Vikings, as we've documented throughout the week, have their own injury problems to worry about.
Let's start with the Saints.
| Player | Position | Injury | Friday Practice | Game Status |
| Marques Colston | WR | Thumb | DNP | Out |
| Sedric Ellis | DT | Knee | DNP | Out |
| Aaron Glenn | CB | Ankle | DNP | Out |
| David Patten | WR | Knee | DNP | Out |
| Jeremy Shockey | TE | Hernia | DNP | Out |
| Chris Reis | S | Hamstring | DNP | Doubtful |
| Mark Campbell | TE | Hamstring | Full | Probable |
| Terrance Copper | WR | Hamstring | Full | Probable |
| Troy Evans | LB | Ankle | Full | Probable |
| Randall Gay | CB | Hamstring | Full | Probable |
| Jonathan Goodwin | WR | Hamstring | Full | Probable |
| Mike Karney | RB | Ankle | Full | Probable |
| Olaniyi Sobomehin | RB | Shoulder | Full | Probable |
| Aaron Stecker | RB | Hamstring | Full | Probable |
This injury report is part of what makes the Saints so frightening. They don't have Colston, they don't have Patten, they don't have Shockey. . .and you can still pretty much pencil Drew Brees in for 300 yards and 2 scores every week at a minimum. When their offense gets completely healthy, they're going to be downright impossible to stop. I'm still not in love with Reggie Bush, by any means, and I think that comparisons between him and Adrian Peterson are pretty much ludicrous, but between Bush and Deuce McAlister, they form a pretty decent duo to complement the New Orleans passing game.
On the defensive side of the ball, the big one is the injury to DT Sedric Ellis, the Saints' first-round selection in the 2008 draft. Ellis has been having a fairly quiet season thus far, notching 9 tackles and a pass defended in four games, but some of that probably has to do with the fact that he held out for a while in a contract dispute. His injury may or may not have something to do with that as well.
Now, then, on to the Vikings and an injury report that just gets uglier with every passing day.
| Player | Position | Injury | Friday Practice | Game Status |
| Madieu Williams |
S | Neck | Hamstring | Out |
| E.J. Henderson |
LB | Foot | DNP | Doubtful |
| Jim Kleinsasser |
TE | Foot | DNP | Questionable |
| Bernard Berrian |
WR | Knee | Limited | Questionable |
| Drew Radovich | T | Shoulder | Limited | Questionable |
| Sidney Rice |
WR | Knee | Limited | Questionable |
| Benny Sapp |
CB | Hamstring | Limited | Questionable |
| Vinny Ciurciu |
LB | Knee | Limited | Probable |
| Ray Edwards |
DE | Shoulder | Limited | Probable |
Well, we're still getting our money's worth from Madieu Williams, who has still played in all of one pre-season game for the Vikings since getting a big money contract in the off-season. I know that neck injuries aren't anything to mess with, but it's still frustrating to see.
But, obviously, the big one here is the injury to E.J. Henderson. The best MLB in the NFC North could reportedly miss as much as a month, according to the Star-Tribune, and if that's the case, this defense is in big trouble. I would anticipate the Vikings playing a lot of nickel defense on Monday night, so Ben Leber and Chad Greenway will see a lot of the action at linebacker, and David Herron, who started in Henderson's spot against Tennessee, will be in the middle when the Vikings line up in their conventional 4-3 look.
Bernard Berrian has also been added to the injury report, which is a bit strange after some of the things he's said over the course of this week. We'll get to that in another post. Sidney Rice has also made the injury report again. Man, I wish that guy could stay healthy.
More later on today, folks. . .the weather outside is amazing here on the Gulf Coast this morning, and yours truly feels compelled to take advantage. We'll be back later on this afternoon or this evening with more. Hopefully we'll see you all then!