WATFORD, England -- Marques Colston hopes England is the right place to rediscover his rhythm.
The New Orleans Saints wide receiver was as surprised as many fans about his poor performance in a 30-7 loss to the Panthers, when he dropped two balls and finished without a reception in his return from a five-game injury layoff.
With running back Reggie Bush out injured and renewed questions about tight end Jeremy Shockey's health, Colston knows he can't afford a repeat performance against the San Diego Chargers at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
"This week I definitely want to make a lot of progress," Colston said after finishing practice outside the team's five-star country resort northwest of London. "This is an important game for the team, and a game I have to step up and play well in, so I fully expect that."
Colston, the team's top receiver the last two seasons, played with a small plastic splint on his surgically repaired left thumb against Carolina.
"I fully expected to come in and pick up right where I left off, and obviously that didn't happen for me," he said. "I just didn't have a good day. You have those every once in a while, and hopefully it's a long time before I have another one."
He wasn't the only receiving threat who struggled. Shockey, who returned after having surgery on a sports hernia, lost a fumble that led to a touchdown for the Panthers and later complained about how team doctors handled his injury.
Shockey sat out Wednesday's practice, but is expected to play Sunday.
Quarterback Drew Brees said he expects his favorite targets to return to form quickly.
"I'm not worried one bit about either of those guys," Brees said. "It's only a matter of time before we get back on the same page and take our game to another level, even better than we have been before."
Bush had surgery Monday to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee, and coach Sean Payton said the team was unlikely to announce a return date until after the bye week.
"We'll have to wait through this initial time when he's off of it," Payton said. "The good news is that it was just the meniscus and that's something that shouldn't be too long."
In Bush's absence, Colston isn't the only offensive player looking to step up his game. Veteran Deuce McAllister is expected to be the main running threat, with Pierre Thomas and Aaron Stecker also taking an increased number of snaps.
"It's the one challenge we have, but it's something where we'll count on other guys that play his same position," Payton said.
The Saints will practice Thursday and Friday at Premier League soccer club Arsenal's nearby training ground before Sunday's game, which is meant to showcase the NFL to the British audience. With the Saints listed as the "home" team, there are also a number of festivities to promote New Orleans as a tourist destination for Europeans.
But with both teams at a disappointing 3-4 and heading into a bye week, there is no doubt the Saints' season is on the line as well.
"We came over here knowing that this is pretty much a must-win game for us," Colston said. "We have the bye week next week, and just to go in with a win could set our season back on the right track."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
