FanHouse MikeKarney

The Rams recently inked a very solid fullback, in Mike Karney, but he's not the news in fantasy football. He shouldn't ever be owned in fantasy leagues, unless there are some who use fullbacks (I've never heard of any, though I'd prefer that to having a kicker). Karney is a quality football player, but that is a completely separate arena than being a fantasy football player.

What does happen with the move of Karney, though, is a ripple affect. Think about how much more effective Thomas Jones was this past season, after the Jets revamped their offensive line and acquired a solid blocking fullback.

Assuming the Rams don't screw up the second-overall draft pick, this has really been a great offseason. It started with hiring an up-and-coming coach in this league, Steve Spagnuolo. They've added depth to the secondary, shored up the middle of the offensive line, and now have signed a great fullback.

Mike Karney, who had previously spent his entire five-year career with the New Orleans Saints, will now be helping clear holes for Steven Jackson.

Lots of people have been pretty hard on Reggie Bush lately for a string of mistakes and ineffectiveness that culminated with last week's botched pitch that cost the Saints a win. Bush probably didn't do a very good job of quelling that fire by disappearing from the public eye, until he explained himself thusly:

"It's been tough for me, because nobody in this world has higher expectations than I do for myself. The fact that I have not been as successful as I would have liked to have been early on in my career has been a little tough to deal with," Bush said.

"So I've really just been trying to stay focused and stay positive, learn from my mistakes, learn from the things that are going to help me later on down the line and just try not to repeat those mistakes. And really, just try to be a leader for the team and help my team win games."

If this isn't just lip service then awesome. But Bush's comments didn't keep his teammates from issuing some strong, not-so-thinly-veiled criticisms that should dispel any sugar-coating that things are on the up and up in the Saints locker room.

"I hugged him and started crying," Karney said, taking a deep breath. "It's tough to see a great guy, first and foremost, a great player, have to suffer another season-ending injury ... He's the best I've been around. It's sad. It's hard to take ... I play the game for guys like him."

Mike Karney has taken years of abuse on behalf of Deuce McAllister, and the fact that he's this shaken up about the news of McAllister's torn ACL speaks a lot about the man he blocked for. Deuce is everything you could ask for in a player -- team-first, approachable, a genuinely good guy, an active member of the community -- and his injury, more than the Saints' abysmal start, has me sad. Deuce is my favorite Saint. Unfortunately, after his second ACL tear in three years, it looks as if he'll become my favorite ex-Saint.

There had been rumors about Deuce's demise since the team drafted Reggie Bush -- talks that intensified when they drafted Antonio Pittman in April. With two reconstructed knees, and looking completely ineffective in the three games he did play this season, it's dubious to believe that Deuce could once again be a feature back, especially since this latest setback will push his recovery into next year's training camp. He's said he wants to be a career Saint, but if the team chooses to release him at 28, and he feels he can still play, it's hard not to picture him signing somewhere else. And rightfully so.

Then again, McAllister is still young enough, and his contract for next year, $3.6 million, is palatable. He's also the type of guy who can overcome this on will and determination alone -- see the run against the Eagles last year in which Deuce met first contact at the 10 and carried all 11 Eagles into the end zone.

The one thing that's for sure is that losing McAllister this year is a major blow to the Saints, both on the field and in the locker room. If this was McAllister's last year as a Saint, it'd be a very sad development. Deuce, more than anyone, is the type of player who deserves to end his career in New Orleans hoisting the Lombardi, on his terms. I'm holding out hope that's still possible.

FanHouse is posting the top five current athletes for America's top 25 cities with the following criteria: 1) Who would a New Orleans fan say is his/her favorite athlete? 2) Would the player's name (or face) be familiar to locals who don't follow sports?

Find your city's top five: ATL | BOS | CHA | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DC | DEN | DET | HOU | IND | LA | MIA | MIL | MIN | NO | NY | SF | PHI | PHO | PIT | SD | SEA | STL

Two years ago, this list would've been impossible. With all due respect to the NOOCH, New Orleans is and always will belong to the Saints, despite the bad times. So though Saints fans have always been fiercely loyal, we'd be making a list including Aaron Brooks and John Carney. Not very sexy.

But after the hurricane, New Orleans athletes have knocked down the barrier between them and fans, forging more personal connections with the locals. The Hornets are still ... well, let's just say "blah," but the Saints are the apple of the city's eye, and finally earn it. A few months ago, LSU could have placed JaMarcus Russell or LaRon Landry, but both have started their NFL careers in other cities. As such, this list reflects the black-and-gold love buzzing around the city this year.

5. Marques Colston: At this time last year, the few who expected Colston to make the Saints final roster were wondering whether that'd be as a receiver or tight end. After an incredible rookie year (with a snub for Rookie of the Year, if you ask me) and on the brink of his first season as The Man, the city is expecting big things from Hofstra's finest.

4. Chris Paul: There hasn't been a lot of excitement from the Hornets lately (though nothing says "thrills" like the term "New Orleans/Oklahoma City"), but Paul, the 2006 Rookie of the Year, is dy-no-mite. His rookie year also garnered him the prestigious (read: worthless) ESPY for Best Breakthrough Athlete. In his second season, Paul upped his scoring and assist averages while cutting down on turnovers. If the Hornets ever decide they wanna sniff .500 again, they've got a great player to build around.
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