The New Orleans Saints will be ready to roll over the Tennessee Titans in Week 14 of the 2011 NFL season, with or without Mark Ingram.
According to Mark Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the rookie running back will sit out the Saints' game on Sunday with a case of turf toe.
New Orleans, though, should be no worse off without its leading rusher. After all, head coach Sean Payton can still call upon free-agent phenom Darren Sproles, the powerful Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory, the team's leading rusher in 2010, to fill the void left behind by Ingram, at least for the time being.
Sproles is second on the team in rushing (430 yards), third in receiving (522 yards) and first in total touchdowns from scrimmage (10). Thomas has racked up 413 rushing yards of his own at a five-yards-per-carry clip. Ivory, meanwhile, has heretofore been buried on the Saints' depth chart, with only 21 carries for 85 yards in two games after racking up 137 carries for 716 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games for New Orleans last season.
As such, the Saints won't exactly be hurting for guys to whom Drew Brees can hand the ball off. Ivory can slot right into Ingram's role if need be, but will probably see the freed-up carries divided between himself, Sproles and Thomas throughout the game.
And it's not as though New Orleans is about to face a defensive juggernaut, either. The Titans rank 21st in the league in rush defense and 19th in yards per carry allowed (4.3).
If all else fails, the Saints can always lean on Brees to get the job done against Tennessee's 19th ranked pass defense.
In other words, the Saints will be fine (just fine) without Mark Ingram.
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