Mike Triplett, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Saints' Ingram, Anthony, Kikaha listed as probable

METAIRIE, La. -- Three New Orleans Saints have been ruled out for Sunday’s game at the Houston Texans after being held out of team drills all week: linebackers Dannell Ellerbe (hip) and David Hawthorne (thigh) and cornerback Damian Swann (concussion).

Everyone else on New Orleans’ injury report is listed as probable.

Running back Mark Ingram (shoulder) and linebacker Stephone Anthony (leg) practiced fully Friday after being limited earlier in the week. Linebacker Hau'oli Kikaha (ankle) and left tackle Terron Armstead (knee) practiced on a limited basis all week.

All four of those starters should be good to go on Sunday.

Ellerbe, Hawthorne and Swann should all be back sooner than later, as well. All were in attendance at Friday’s practice, although they didn’t participate in team drills. Swann participated during the portion of practice that was open to the media on Thursday for the first time since he suffered two concussions in a three-week span in Weeks 5 and 8.

Swann said he is no longer experiencing any concussion symptoms, but he said they wanted to be safe and smart.

“It’s all about making sure that I’ll be OK, because two in one year does cause for concern,” said Swann, who said he had never had any concussions before this year.

“It’s the brain. You only get one of these. You can’t really repair it. Once that thing is damaged, it’s pretty much damaged. You just have to be smart. I was definitely scared.”

Lewis on I.R. because of sports hernia: Saints coach Sean Payton explained that it was cornerback Keenan Lewis’ lingering sports hernia/hip issue that landed him on injured reserve Thursday, rather than his more recent knee injury.

The sports hernia nagged Lewis all year after he originally had surgery late in the preseason. He returned to the field in Week 4 but then missed another game in Week 7 and never made it all the way back to the starting lineup. Lewis said earlier this month that he finally felt like he was on the mend, but then he suffered the knee injury in Week 10.

Payton said recovery times vary on sports hernias, based on the injury specifics and the nature of the position. He said it can be harder for a cornerback with the need to cut and change direction.

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