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METAIRIE, La. -- Saints running back Tim Hightower isnt about to assume New Orleans ground game will return to its usual form in Tampa this week -- even if last weeks anemic performance looked more like an anomaly than a trend.You cant look at what you did three weeks ago or what you did a month ago or at the beginning of the season, Hightower said. You have to look at, `Hey, why didnt we get it done this (past) week. Weve got to figure out what we didnt do last week and get it corrected.Hightower and several other key members of the Saints offense echoed the same theory about what caused the drop-off in production on the ground in a 28-13 loss to the Detroit Lions last Sunday, when New Orleans rushed for only 50 yards.The problem wasnt so much an inability to execute blocks or read the defense, they said. It was about a lack of opportunity to establish a rhythm because of how poorly the Saints executed on third downs, whether they were passing or running.If we can learn anything for last week ... its so important and imperative for us to sustain drives, keep the momentum going, keep the ball control, Hightower said. Then youll get more runs. Youll get more favorable runs. But when were three-and-out, three-and-out, teams can just hold the ball and try to play keep away from us and its not going to work out well.The Saints, who boast the No. 1 offense in the NFL, currently rank 12th in rushing, averaging 109.3 yards per game. When the Saints have run well, theyve been tough to beat.In Week 8, when Hightower rushed for more than 100 yards, the Saints beat Seattle. In Week 9, Ingram gained 158 yards and Hightower 87 in a lopsided victory at San Francisco. Then in Week 11, Ingram gained 146 and Hightower 51 in a rout of the Rams.A good running game is a quarterbacks best friend because it makes the defense respect it, Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter said. `Then when you go to play-action you get bigger windows (to throw). And Brees, his accuracy is off the charts.A few days after that victory over Los Angeles, Lions safety Glover Quin said he felt the key to stopping the Saints offense began with shutting down the running game. Ingram broke loose for one 22-yard gain against Detroit, but had only 15 yards on his six other carries. Hightower gained just 5 yards on two carries, one of which went for no gain on a drive-stalling third-and-1 play.We want to be balanced, obviously, right guard Jahri Evans said, adding that linemen dont particularly like back-peddling in pass protection all game. That essentially forces offensively linemen to play defensively against attacking pass rushers rather than firing off the line of scrimmage and inflicting physical punishment on defensive players.First, it comes with just having the opportunities, Evans said of getting the running game going again. Getting the opportunity means converting on third down.For the season, the Saints lead the NFL with a third-down conversion rate of 49.7 percent. They converted six of 13 third downs (46 percent) against Detroit, but also saw three drives stall on interceptions thrown by Drew Brees. The result: New Orleans ran 62 total plays on offense, about 11 below its average coming in. All but 23 of those plays were run in the second half, when New Orleans was behind and more inclined to throw.Brees said if the Saints can sustain long drives and dont fall behind by much, if at all, at Tampa Bay, that should set the stage for a resurgent ground game.We didnt get the number of plays, Brees said when asked for his take on why the running games production plummeted last week. If you dont sustain drives and you get behind, then all of a sudden youre in a position where it changes the game plan a little bit and you become a little more one-dimensional. You have to manufacture some bigger plays to get back in the game. That was the real reason for the lack of rushing attempts, and therefore production in yards.Game notes Three players missed practiced Wednesday: linebacker Craig Robertson (shoulder), receiver Michael Thomas (foot) and tight end Josh Hill (fibula). Those players listed as limited included Ingram (toe, knee), left tackle Terron Armstead (quadriceps, knee), center Max Unger (foot), right tackle Zach Strief (elbow), guard Senio Kelemete (hip) and running back Daniel Lasco (hamstring).---AP Sports Writer Fred Goodall contributed.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Fake Air Max 97 For Sale . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Cheap Air Max 90 Uk . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. http://www.fakeairmaxukoutlet.com/best-max-tn-trainers-cheap-uk.html . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Air Max 97 Wholesale Uk . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. Cheap Air Max 95 Wholesale . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. KINGSTON, R.I. -- Jared Terrell scored 18 points and Kuran Iverson had 11 points and nine rebounds to help Rhode Island beat Holy Cross 65-54 on Sunday.Terrell hit a 3-pointer with 5:52 left to give Rhode Island a 54-46 lead and he made three free throws on their next possession for an 11-point lead.Senior Hassan Martin, who leads the team with 16.1 points, missed his third straight game for Rhode Island (7-4), which had lost three of its last four games. The Rams made 50 percent of their field goals bbut were just 3 of 17 from distance.ddddddddddddThe Rams outscored the Crusaders 21-3 over 10 minutes of the first half to take a 24-11 lead with 5:19 left.Malachi Alexander scored 15 points for Holy Cross (4-7), which was outrebounded 36-19. Karl Charles added 12 points and senior Robert Champion, averaging a team-high 14 points, was held to five points on 2-of-5 shooting. ' ' '