COULD SAINTS NOW DROP DEUCE?

With Judge Robert Paul Magnuson ordering on Friday that Saints running back Deuce McAllister and Saints defensive end Will Smith can’t be suspended on Sunday, the Saints find themselves in a bit of a pinch. And it could result in the release of McAllister. A reader pointed out the other day that the Saints would not be able to dump linebacker Rob Ninkovich, one of the players they signed to replace the duo, because they’d acquired him from the Dolphins’ practice squad. Per league rules, signing a player from another team’s practice squad guarantees the player three weeks on his new team’s active roster. Mort points out that the Saints also have signed linebacker Tearrius George from the Cowboys’ practice squad, giving them two spots at the bottom of the roster that can’t be easily cleared for McAllister and Smith. A Saints official acknowledged to Mortensen on Friday night that the team is in a “tough spot.” Mortensen reports that, to make room for Smith, the team could cut quarterback Joey Harrington, who has had a revolving door thing going on with the franchise for much of the season. In our assessment, the Saints also could release safety Terrence Holt, who was signed contemporaneously with Ninkovich. But with safety Kevin Kaesviharn on injured reserve, the Saints might choose to keep Holt around. Per Mort, the team also is looking at whether to drop Deuce, given that he is now behind Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas on the depth chart. If it would happen, McAllister would still be paid for the current week. But unless someone else picks him up on waivers or promptly offers him a contract, he might choose to drop his attempt to block his suspension, since players are allowed to serve a suspension while unemployed. This approach would then permit McAllister to return to the league as soon as the second week of the 2009 regular season.