As the Saints prepare for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, WWL-TV Sports Director Jim Henderson weighs in on the status of both teams’ injured players, and what impact the Reggie Bush-Mario Williams talk will have on the game.

Saints-Texans injuries

Defensive tackle Brian Young definitely won’t play, but the Saints certainly welcome back defensive end Charles Grant and linebacker Scott Shanle. Grant hadn’t missed a game prior to last week – his presence was sorely missed.

WWL-TV

Jim Henderson, WWL-TV Sports Director.

The team would like to have cornerback Usama Young back on the field in dime packages, but it looks like he’ll probably be rested another week. Offensive lineman Jammal Brown was still limping around camp as of Wednesday. Zach Strief will fill in if Brown doesn’t start. Strief, who’s done pretty well in spots, would be matched up against the Texans’ Mario Williams.

Like the St. Louis Rams, the Texans are getting offensive weapons back at the right time. On paper, the Texans are a better team than the Rams, but they haven’t suffered the same number of injuries on their offensive line. The Houston papers have said the Texans’ offensive has been inconsistent due to injury. You could have said the same things about the Rams before they played the Saints.

The late bye week should ultimately be a benefit to the Texans, as they return quarterback Matt Schaub, running back Ahman Green and wide receiver Andre Johnson to the field.

Can’t compare Reggie Bush and Mario Williams just yet

It’s far too difficult to make any reasonable judgments between these two based on one game. This is something that can’t be measured just on a statistical level. Overall impact on the teams they’ve played for, as well as the successes of both teams, will play a factor, too.

Since they play Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts twice a year, the Texans were in the process of rebuilding defensively and that’s why they went with a pass rusher in Mario Williams. Reggie brings much-needed star quality to the Saints franchise as well as offensive versatility. He’s helped from a marketing standpoint, garnering national recognition and helping to increase ticket sales.

The only fair way to evaluate and compare both players would be to wait at least a few seasons, maybe even longer.

Crosshairs on Jason David

I can’t believe he doesn’t think he was a target against the Rams. You only need to look at the game tape to see how often Marc Bulger tossed the ball to receivers David was supposed to be covering. Rams wideout Drew Bennett admitted in a national interview that the Rams’ offense was looking in David’s direction.

David came from a zone defense with Colts and now operates in man-to-man coverage, so he’s used to having the play in front of him – reading the quarterback’s eyes. On several big plays, David simply got caught peeking into the backfield. When the Jaguars scored their first touchdown on an 80-yard bomb to Reggie Williams, David was squatting 30 yards downfield, allowing the receiver to blow right by him.

It’ll be interesting to see if Jason David starts this week or, if he does start, how much playing time he gets during the game. You can’t keep him there if he continues to give up big plays.