Football
Associated Press 16y

Saints' sack leader Young out after knee surgery; Bush returns to practice

METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints sack leader, defensive
tackle Brian Young, had arthroscopic surgery to address nagging
left knee swelling and will miss Sunday's home game against the St.
Louis Rams.


"We'll see a timeframe on his rehab, but it got to a point
where we felt like this was the best thing to do," head coach Sean
Payton said after practice Thursday. "It will be a week-by-week
thing based on what they're telling me from a medical standpoint.
Hopefully it's sooner than later that we have him back."


The news was better regarding running back Reggie Bush, who
returned to action after not practicing a day earlier because of a
sore left knee.


"He took a limited amount of the [practice snaps] and was
feeling better," Payton said.


Two other starters missed practice altogether: defensive end
Charles Grant (ankle) and linebacker Scott Shanle (hamstring).


Grant, a sixth-year pro who has yet to miss a game, said he was
not sure whether he would be able to play against St. Louis. He
struggled to play more than a few snaps last Sunday against
Jacksonville, while Shanle sat that game out.


Center Jeff Faine, who missed the past two games with a left
pectoral strain, practiced fully and expects to start Sunday.


Young began to have problems with his knee a couple weeks ago.
It was drained the week before the Saints' victory at San
Francisco, in which Young played and had his third sack in as many
games.


It was drained again before last weekend's game, which Young
missed. He was admitted for surgery on Wednesday, Payton said.


"Last week at Friday's practice he was probable and then Friday
night when he got home and Saturday at the hotel" it flared up,
Payton said. "The feeling by not only our doctors, but his doctors
in the second opinion, everyone involved, is 'Let's go ahead and
get this done now and get him back healthy so we don't keep putting
a Band-Aid on it.' "


Payton called the procedure a "cleanup."


"We'll have him back, the question is how quickly," the coach
said. "He's done pretty well when he's rehabbed to get back."

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