CINCINNATI -- Assuming that New Orleans coach Jim Haslett actually installs some semblance of a game plan for the third exhibition contest, as do most of his peers, the rest of the league was served notice here Saturday night that it might be in for a large dose of "Deuce Juice" when the regular season commences in two weeks.

At least that's what talkative Saints wide receiver Joe Horn suggested after his team's preseason victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. And when "The Horn" orates, particularly when he is blowing someone else's trumpet, then you owe it to yourself to lend an ear.

In a performance that not only silenced the remaining skeptics, but probably also fueled the passions of his truest believers, New Orleans tailback Deuce McAllister established that he is a more than worthy successor to one-time franchise savior Ricky Williams, peddled to Miami earlier this spring.

	McAllister rushed for just 91 yards and one TD last season.

And the Saints, a far less decimated bunch than some pundits have made them out to be during the offseason, sent a message that they could be one of the league's pleasant surprises in 2002.

"If that man can do on a steady basis what he did tonight," said guard Kendyl Jacox, nodding in the general direction of McAllister, "then people better look out. You name it, he can do it, and he showed everyone tonight what he is about. He's got rare talent."

Fact is, folks in The Big Easy might want to start referring to McAllister by his given first name. Which, in case no one knows, is Dulymus. The former University of Mississippi star was stuck with the "Deuce" handle by a high school coach, who happened to be a huge fan of one-time Alabama running back David Palmer, who wore uniform No. 2.

But the fact McAllister possesses the same kind of diverse skills that earned Palmer five seasons worth of NFL paychecks is where comparisons cease. It is unfair to McAllister, since he's so much more than a reasonable facsimile of Palmer, and because he is the No. 1 option in the New Orleans offense now that Williams has departed. He proved both those points in one sterling half against a usually solid Cincinnati defense.

On the Saints' first offensive possession, McAllister got four "touches" in five plays, accounted for 60 of the 69 total yards New Orleans rang up on the drive, and culminated the series with a 16-yard touchdown catch. In the first 13 minutes of the game, he touched the ball on eight of New Orleans' 10 snaps and registered 75 all-purpose yards.

For the half, McAllister carried 13 times for 84 yards and a touchdown, including four runs of 10 yards or more and two of 20-plus yards. He added two receptions for 22 yards and a score. Of his 15 "touches," eight resulted in either first downs or touchdowns. Thankfully for the Bengals defense, Haslett and Saints offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy gave McAllister the second half off.

It should be noted, in fairness, that McAllister did all his damage against a defense that was without its two standout linebackers, Brian Simmons and Takeo Spikes, but one that might still have been overmatched. "He pretty much did anything he wanted to do to us," acknowledged Bengals coach Dick LeBeau.

If some Saints officials and even McAllister himself were conjuring up "I-told-you-so" thoughts afterwards, well, they earned the right. The team's first-round draft choice in 2001, when he served as Williams' caddy and logged just 16 rushes, looked a little like Marshall Faulk and Fred Taylor rolled into one. His game is speed, and McCarthy spreads the field to take advantage of that, but McAllister has also bulked up to the 230-pound range and can now bludgeon defenses in addition to running around them.

	“	People will start paying attention real soon. And they'll see all the things I bring to the game. I'm not one of those guys who is out to pay back the team that passed on me. I guess they had their reasons. But there will come a point when teams will regret letting me slide by. ”
		— RB Deuce McAllister, who slid late in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft

"This is about as strong as I've ever been," said McAllister, who now has 224 total yards from scrimmage in three preseason outings. "I knew that, once Ricky was gone, the gig was mine. And I knew I had to be ready to be the workhorse. So I got into the best shape of my life."

Certainly the second-year veteran looked like a thoroughbred on Saturday. It's not like Williams was a plow horse, but Haslett was fond of telling any visitor who gave him an opening that Williams never had a touchdown run of longer than 26 yards in his three-year Saints tenure. In fact, he had just two runs longer than 30 yards. McAllister in only 16 carries rumbled for a 54-yard score in 2001.

"Nothing against (Williams), but we can do a lot more now," Haslett said. "The guy has the whole package."

Said quarterback Aaron Brooks: "He's the ultimate weapon."

McAllister, 23, demonstrated that Saturday in less than 30 minutes playing time. His first run, for 13 yards, was equal parts muscle and speed, as he cut past a would-be tackler, then turned on the afterburners. On the next snap, he simply glided around left end for 25 yards. He got his pads down for a six-yard gain on this third run, then wove through Cincinnati defenders for a 16-yard touchdown on a screen pass.

He is quick to point out that the biggest differences between this year and last season are the opportunity to play and the confidence he has gained in his starter's role. One other element, however, is that McAllister is healthy. Given his track record, that is no small feat, and the Saints need desperately for him to remain that way, since there is no viable threat behind him.

During his college career, McAllister never had a season in which he started every game, because of a series of nagging injuries. The joke among some SEC teams was that Ole Miss had to assign a member of its swimming team to watch over McAllister in the whirlpool. At a 2000 game against Georgia, one NFL scout suggested McAllister would have a big night, because it was raining "and the guy knows all about water."

The string of injuries caused McAllister, who was rated the nation's No. 1 overall prospect by National Football Scouting in the spring preceding his senior year, to drop in the 2001 draft. The Saints didn't end his misery until the 23rd choice in the first round. His most notable contribution as a rookie was a 24.2-yard average on 45 kickoff returns.

But when the "dreadlocked one" headed to South Florida in one of the major trades of the offseason, McAllister inherited the starting spot, and sees no reason he won't have it for the next decade or so. New Orleans officials felt confident he could step into the lineup, and provide a more balanced look, and McAllister certainly agreed.

"People will start paying attention real soon," he said. "And they'll see all the things I bring to the game. I'm not one of those guys who is out to pay back the team that passed on me. I guess they had their reasons. But there will come a point when teams will regret letting me slide by."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.