Source: Knee surgery for Saints RB Ingram
NEW ORLEANS — A person with knowledge of the surgery said New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his knee.
The surgery was performed Thursday, the person said on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced it.
The prognosis is for Ingram to return well before training camps open at the end of July.
Ingram, the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama, was slowed by a turf toe injury in his rookie NFL season. He had left knee surgery while in college.
Ingram gained 474 yards on 122 carries and scored five touchdowns rushing for the Saints last season.
Seau
WOMAN FOUND SEAU WITH NO SIGN OF LIFE: In San Diego, A 911 call from the home of Junior Seau records the voice of a woman who is horrified to find her boyfriend and former star NFL linebacker in a spare bedroom with a gunshot wound to the chest.
The woman identifies herself as Megan in the recording released Friday by Oceanside police. She says she was returning to the home from a one-hour visit to the gym.
The woman is breathing heavily as emergency workers guide her through life-saving measures that failed. She says Seau appeared unconscious.
The woman’s last name is unintelligible on the recording. Lt. Leonard Mata, a spokesman for Oceanside police, said police aren’t releasing the woman’s name.
Seau played for his hometown Chargers for 13 seasons and was also a star at Southern California. There’s been no medical evidence that brain injuries from football may have played a role in his death.
San Diego Chargers chaplain Shawn Mitchell said Friday he didn’t know where the brain will be sent.
“The Seau family really has, almost like Junior, a philanthropic approach, where they always desire to help others,” Mitchell said in a phone interview. “The purpose is not initially to discover anything about their son and what led to these tragic circumstances, but rather the betterment of other people and athletes down the road through anything that can be learned through the study.”
Colts
LUCK BEGINS WORKING OUT WITH NEW TEAMMATES: In Indianapolis, all Andrew Luck wanted to do was stay composed on the field.
He could have fooled anyone.
While Luck acknowledged that he was still trying to get acclimated to a new playbook, a new locker room and new teammates, those who watched closely on Friday said the new Indianapolis Colts quarterback looked a whole lot like the one they remembered at Stanford.
“He’s the same Andrew, as brilliant as ever,” said tight end Coby Fleener, Indy’s second-round pick and one of Luck’s college teammates. “He went out and was calling plays that were probably 30 words long off the top of his head. He’s amazing.”
Luck wore a red No. 12 jersey, just like he did in college, and of course it helped to have some familiar faces on the practice field — notably Fleener and another ex-Stanford teammate, receiver Griff Whalen
But the No. 1 overall pick in last week’s NFL draft acknowledged Friday’s debut did not feel the same.
He was anxious and nervous. Television and still cameras were scattered around the back side of the team complex, and some of the team’s front-office personnel even came outside to catch their first real glimpse of the new franchise quarterback.
Most was impressed with what they saw in the first workout of this weekend’s rookie mini-camp.
“He’s unflappable, mature beyond his years,” new coach Chuck Pagano said. “You listen to some of those play calls and you know why he’s an architectural engineer. He’s going to have a great career in that in about 15 years.”
First, he’ll get a crash course in NFL play-calling, which will be a challenge for someone widely regarded as the most polished college quarterback since Peyton Manning.
Pagano said he’s hoping the 38 new players learn some simple things this weekend: What it takes to be a professional, where to line up, play calls and the tempo of practice.
“I like being thrown into the fire a little bit,” Luck said when asked about the immersion into the playbook. “It’s like Coach Clyde (Christensen) says, throw some mud at the wall and see what sticks. But I think no matter what, you’re going to struggle out there at first.”
Bills
CB FLORENCE RELEASED: In Buffalo, N.Y., the Buffalo Bills released veteran cornerback Drayton Florence, who became the odd-man out in what’s become a crowded defensive backfield.
Florence is a nine-year NFL player, who spent the past three seasons in Buffalo where he started 45 of 46 games. He had two years left on his contact, and was scheduled to make a base salary of $4 million this season.
His release on Friday comes a week after the Bills opened the NFL draft by selecting South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore with the 10th pick. Gilmore is expected to step in and immediately compete for a starting job.
Florence took the news in stride in a message posted on his Twitter account. Florence wrote “Business is business,” and thanked his fans for their support.
Redskins
TWO DRAFT PICKS SIGN: In Ashburn, Va., the Washington Redskins have signed seventh-round draft picks cornerback Richard Crawford and safety Jordan Bernstine.
The team also waived college free agent running back Michael Shaw.
Crawford, selected 213th overall, played at SMU for two seasons after transferring from Saddleback (Calif.) Junior College. He started in 26 of 27 games at SMU, with 106 tackles (73 solo), six interceptions, 21 passes defensed and two forced fumbles.
Bernstine, chosen four spots after Crawford, played at Iowa, where he appeared in 44 games with 11 starts. He finished his career with 108 tackles (60 solo), one sack, one interception, three passes defensed, one forced and recovered fumble.
Shaw played at Michigan.