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NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted tonight that he's been told that the Saints have placed DBs Roman Harper and Patrick Robinson, as well as LB Victor Butler on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>The <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Saints&src=hash">#Saints</a> have placed LB Victor Butler, S Roman Harper, and CB Patrick Robinson on PUP list, I'm told.</p>— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/statuses/359814905358069762">July 23, 2013</a></blockquote>
Larry Holder of the nola.com worked off this tweet and provided a bit more specific injury information in his piece:
Butler sustained a torn ACL during the last week of organized team activities in mid-June and had surgery the following week to repair the tear. So Butler still remains in danger of missing the whole season, but landing on injured reserve with a designation for a return could still be a remote possibility.
Harper practiced sporadically during the on-field offseason workouts as he's nursing an unspecified injury. Robinson sustained a knee injury during minicamp in early June.
Holder also kicked in with some PUP list factoids:
A player must be placed on the PUP list before the start of training camp to become PUP-list eligible. It's certainly possible Harper and Robinson could return to the field during training camp as a player can be taken off the PUP list at any point before the season.
A player can't be placed on the PUP list once he participates in a practice session, which is why injured players start camp on the PUP list. If a player remains on the PUP list once the regular season begins, the player has to remain on the list for at least six weeks.
In shame-faced fashion, I must report that your weekend CSC news desk anchor (me) TOTALLY MISSED this story as it relates to P-Rob. Kristian Garic reported that Darren Sharper hinted at P-Rob's injury in a puff piece WWL radio interview in advance of the camp he and Harper were hosting this weekend.
"I'm going to go out and guarantee that (a return to the playoffs,) also," Sharper said. "I think the addition of Coach Payton coming back, having Rob Ryan, some of the key pieces they've picked up via free agency, adding Keenan Lewis, who now I think is going to be the free agent acquisition of the year, due to the fact that Patrick Robinson might not be ready for the start of the season."
That caught me a little off-guard. I asked Sharper to elaborate about why Robinson might not be ready.
"Well, you know he's dealing with a knee injury that he suffered from off-season, so I don't know he'll be back in time for the season."
If you chase that Garic link above, you can listen to the whole Sharper interview.
I don't know what to say, folks...this story came out Friday night, after Satch's FDL post, and then I whiffed on checking WWL.com's page all weekend.
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So, half the 2012 starting secondary will be on the PUP list to start training camp. Does that freak you out? Or are you relieved?
Let's get after it in the comment section...