PT Where Are You?

Maybe it's because he's on my fantasy team or maybe it's simply because he's my favorite player, but I couldn't help but notice the mysterious lack of production from a particular Saints running back these past three games or so.

I'm talking about Pierre Thomas. And I'm wondering where the hell he's been?

Since the win over Philadelphia on Monday Night Football, Thomas has only rushed 11 times for 40 yards and caught 4 passes for 34 yards. In three games PT has only accounted for a total of 74 offensive yards.

Pardon my brutal honesty here but that's some weak sauce. He's the best all around back on the team. Pierre is just too good to be used in such limited fashion. He's also too deserving. So what gives? I don't see his name on any of the recent injury reports so that can't be hampering him.

Truth be told, I just don't think there's enough room for all four Saints backs. I certainly don't think it's any coincidence that Pierre's touches decreased as Chris Ivory's and Mark Ingram's increased. The simple fact is there are only so many opportunities to go around during the course of a game. It's almost impossible for the Saints to give all four running backs a respectable amount of touches during a single game, especially considering they're a pass-first team to begin with. And with only a limited amount of touches, it's difficult to get into a rhythm during the course of a game.

Having depth at running back is great, especially when injuries start to take their toll. But I'm really starting to wonder if having them all healthy is too much of a good thing and actually harmful to this offense.