Saints running back Deuce McAllister had surgery Thursday to repair ligaments he tore in his left knee during Monday night's 31-14 loss to Tennessee. Dr. James Andrews, in Birmingham, Ala., repaired McAllister's anterior cruciate ligament and then cleaned up his right knee, which had been surgically repaired following a similar tear in October 2005, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said. McAllister, in a statement released by the team, thanked everyone for their prayers and well wishes. "I'm eager to begin the rehab process and to get back with my teammates as soon as possible," he said.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is giving $2 million to his alma mater, Purdue University, for a student-athlete academics center. The Drew and Brittany Brees Student-Athlete Academic Center will fill 11,000 square feet in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility next to Mackey Arena. The academic center in that facility now occupies 6,500 square feet. "Drew and Brittany's gift reinforces their commitment to having it both ways _ championships and diplomas," said athletic director Morgan Burke, who will announce the gift Friday night during the Purdue Athletic Director's Dinner.

Saints running back Deuce McAllister will miss the rest of the NFL season after tearing a knee ligament. McAllister said an MRI exam Tuesday confirmed his worst fears: He tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in Monday night's 31-14 loss to Tennessee. "I didn't want to believe, but just taking that walk to the locker room you could feel it just kind of giving way a little bit," he said. 'And that was just kind of reminiscent of how the other one felt," he added, referring to a 2005 injury.

Two Saints sources told ESPN's Ed Werder after the 31-14 loss to the Tennessee Titans that the preliminary diagnosis on running back Deuce McAllister is that he has a torn ACL in his left knee and will likely miss the remainder of the season. An MRI is scheduled for Tuesday to confirm that diagnosis. Officially, the Saints say only that McAllister has a left knee injury and will have an MRI.

Vince Young threw a pair of touchdown passes and the Tennessee Titans kept New Orleans winless, beating the Saints 31-14 Monday night before a Superdome crowd that showered boos on the same players who provided such a pick-me-up to the devastated city a year ago.

Reggie Bush rushed the ball 10 times for 27 yards, while catching six passes for 43 yards in Sunday's loss at Tampa Bay. Bush had been bothered by a sore left ankle throughout the preseason, which may explain the slow start for the Saints' multi-purpose running back.

It took the Colts one half to shake off their post-Super Bowl hangover. Then Peyton Manning and friends came alive to beat New Orleans 41-10 Thursday night in the NFL's opener, running away in the final 30 minutes with a championship caliber performance. Playing against his hometown team, Manning had three TD passes, two to Reggie Wayne and another to Marvin Harrison. Joseph Addai ran for 118 yards on 23 carries and a super-quick defense with four new starters shut down Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and the explosive New Orleans offense. The game was tied 10-10 after a sloppy first half.

The whereabouts of Saints running back Reggie Bush will be the top priority for every Colts defender in their game against the Saints on Thursday night. The multi-skilled runner is the wild card in the Saints' offense, Colts Coach Tony Dungy said. "He's like Barry Sanders," Dungy said, "but he's more involved in the passing game, and he's in more positions and more places. "Probably (former Colts and Rams back) Marshall (Faulk) is the best comparison of a guy who can catch the ball, hurt you in the passing game as well as running," he said. "He runs reverses and catches screens and catches the ball out of the backfield and lines up as a wide receiver. It's very similar to playing against Marshall."