METAIRIE, La. -- Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has travelled to Philadelphia to have arthroscopic knee surgery, but how long hell be sidelined remains unclear, coach Sean Payton said Thursday night. "Well have him back and well kind of go from there," Payton said. The 31-year-old Vilma has had numerous surgeries on his left knee during the past two seasons. He missed five games in 2011 and started last season on the physically unable to perform list. However, Payton stopped short of saying he viewed Vilmas latest surgery as a setback. "This is a little different procedure, so well how he does when he gets back," the coach said. Vilma opened training camp working as a first-team middle linebacker in New Orleans 3-4 defence, but had missed a handful of practices lately. His absence will move veteran David Hawthorne, who was acquired as a free agent last season, up to the first team in advance of Friday nights preseason game against Oakland in the Superdome. Payton portrayed Vilmas absence during preseason as an opportunity to better evaluate other linebackers before coaches have to decide who to cut and who to keep as current 90-player roster is trimmed to 53 by the start of the regular season. "The most important thing is getting the chance to evaluate all these players," Payton said. "A guy like Jon Vilma, I know exactly what we have in that player. It gives us a chance to see not only Hawthorne more, but then if hes going earlier, the guys behind him are getting to play quicker, too." The 28-year-old Hawthorne started 10 games last season but was hampered by left knee and right hamstring injuries and said he is eager to show he can provide more support to his unit than he did a year ago. "I came here to play football and then when you get sidelined by injury after injury, it kind of gets you down, you know. You dont really know your place," Hawthorne said. "Thats kind of all behind me and Im feeling good and Im feeling healthy." Meanwhile, Curtis Lofton, the strong side middle linebacker, was absent from practice Thursday and Payton did not offer an explanation for that. Lofton practiced Wednesday without showing any apparent limitations. Ramon Humber worked in Loftons spot Thursday and sounded as if he expected more playing time against Oakland. "I definitely feel comfortable," Hawthorne said. "As a linebacker, you kind of have to learn the whole defensive system. You have to know what everybody is doing because youre the quarterback of the defence."Fake Royals Jerseys . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Kansas City Royals Store . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. Royals Jerseys 2019 . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable. Custom Kansas City Royals Jerseys . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency.STANFORD, Calif. -- Alison Riske and 17-year-old wild card?Catherine Bellis?each upset a ranked opponent on Tuesday?in the first round of the Bank of the West Classic.Bellis was down 4-1 in the second set but rallied to beat sixth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-4. It was the first Womens Tennis Association win of the year for Bellis.Riske came back after losing the first set by four games to defeat No. 8 seed Varvara Lepchenko 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). Riske won five straight games in the second set and the first three points of the third-set tiebreaker. Lepchenkoo was a Bank of the West Classic semifinalist the previous two years.ddddddddddddulia Boserup, Urszula Radwanska and Magda Linette won afternoon matches, and each will face an opponent with a first-round bye. Boserup and Linette both rallied after losing their first sets 6-2. Boserup, a wild card, plays No. 3 seed Johanna Konta, Radwanska goes against second-seeded Dominika Cibulkova and Linette faces top-seeded?Venus Williams. ' ' '