Replacing Ricky easy for young McAllister

The Saints traded a star in Williams. His successor leads the NFC in rushing yards.

By DARRELL FRY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 30, 2002

When the subject is brought up -- and with Deuce McAllister, it's constantly brought up -- the Saints running back shrugs his shoulders and forces a light chuckle, as if all the preseason doubt about his abilities never bothered him.

Was he, people wondered in July and August, ready to become a featured back in his second season? What about his reputation for being injury-prone? And could he really make New Orleans forget about Pro Bowl running back Ricky Williams?

Thirteen weeks into the season, we know all of the answers, and there was never cause for worry. McAllister has been everything the Saints promised and so much more, becoming the NFC leader in rushing with 950 yards and a more versatile and durable weapon than Williams was in New Orleans.

So, McAllister wants to know, what took everyone so long?

"I like to compete. It doesn't matter what the job is. I feel confident that I'm going to get the job done," he said. "It doesn't matter. You don't have to believe in me. I believe in myself. I know my ability, so let's go play the game."

McAllister has been doing that and doing it rather well. Perhaps without the flair of Marshall Faulk or the fascination surrounding Williams, McAllister has been a running-receiving nightmare for opposing defenses. He is fifth in the league in rushing and is tied with Kansas City's Priest Holmes with a league-high six 100-yard games. He also has 38 catches for 298 yards.

He has been a load for the Saints because of his unusual blend of size (6 feet 1, 221 pounds) and speed (he's one of the fastest players on the team), which makes him a bruising runner who breaks tackles and muscles his way for extra yardage after hits.

Yet he also has soft hands and the lateral quickness to turn simple screens and dump passes into big plays. He has three receptions of at least 19 yards and seven carries of 20 yards or more, including four of more than 45 yards. It's precisely the type of big-play capability the Saints lacked with Williams, though he had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in New Orleans. "(McAllister) has great breakaway speed," Saints guard Kendyl Jacox said. "He really is deceptive because he is a big back and you don't think he could take something to the house. When you watch him it doesn't look like he's moving that fast. Then, boom, he's gone."

That was never more evident than Week2 against the Packers when McAllister broke free and made several nice moves in a 62-yard run that had both sidelines amazed. He had another big run, a 50-yarder, wiped out by a holding penalty.

"(The 62-yarder) shows you more of what makes Deuce special," offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy said. "The quickness, the speed, the vision, reading his blockers, staying patient, making the right move at the right time. At any moment, he can take it all the way."

The 23-year-old McAllister is performing as the Saints figured he would after plucking him in the first round of last season's draft. Others, though, were skeptical, especially considering McAllister played sparingly last season and was expected this season to replace Williams.

There also were questions about McAllister's durability though he missed just one game in his collegiate career at Mississippi. He missed his first NFL game Sunday with an ankle injury, but only for precautionary reasons. He's expected to be back Sunday night against the Bucs.

"It's quite funny to me, you know, because if you go back and look at it, you got guys that miss one game. You got other guys that don't have that label (of being injury-prone) who missed more games than I did," McAllister said. "You've got to have a knock. You don't have a knock, then something's wrong; nobody's perfect. You've got to have a knock."

Nobody's knocking McAllister these days. The Saints have lost three of the past four and say the key to turning things around starts with McAllister, whose six 100-yard games have helped produce five Saints victories, including the opener against the Bucs when McAllister had 109 yards. "He wants to get it going because when he's rolling, they play well," Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. "It's evident to us that he's an excellent back in this league. We've got to find a way to neutralize him."