Reggie Bush was ailing, Jeremy Shockey was fuming and the New Orleans Saints are reeling.

Welcome to London.

There are plenty of issues on plenty of fronts for the Saints as they landed in London on Monday trying to digest life without their top playmaker, life with their temperamental tight end and life after a 30-7 pummeling by the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Bush didn't cross the pond with his teammates as he just crossed one time zone to the office of Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., following Sunday's loss. Bush underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn medial meniscus in his left knee Monday after sustaining the injury on a punt return near the end of the first half.

The prognosis for Bush's return is two-to-four weeks. It's the same injury that defensive end Sedrick Ellis had repaired following a win over San Francisco in Week 4. Ellis hasn't returned to the practice field since his injury and was given the same rehab time length.

Saints coach Sean Payton said Bush's absence will change the way the team's explosive offense operates. Bush is the team's leading receiver with 42 receptions. He has eight touchdowns.

"He has been a big part of what we have been able to do offensively and it's an injury that we have to deal with," Payton said. "Hopefully on a short-term basis rather than a long-term basis and it sounds like that's the case. From a timing standpoint, it falls with this game and then a bye weekend, so there is a little bit of time there for him as it pertains to his recovery.

"We'll have to make some adjustments offensively and some other guys are going to have to step up and play along with Deuce (McAllister), be it Aaron Stecker or Pierre Thomas. It's a lot like with some other of these guys getting hurt. But he's a dynamic player. It's disappointing. I'm sure he's as disappointed as anyone that he's not here."

Quarterback Drew Brees is looking at Bush's absence like he's looked at all the other numerous injuries the Saints have endured throughout the first seven games of this season — use other weapons and move on.

"As you recall, we were without Reggie last year for the last four games of the season," Brees told reporters in London. "We felt like at that time it was Pierre and Stecker doing a great job. I think that Deuce is running the ball very well right now.

"Whoever we put back there I have a lot of faith in. Hopefully we won't skip a beat. Obviously we'll miss Reggie like we'll miss any guy who is that productive for us offensively. Early on it was Marques (Colston) missing time and Shockey. Guys stepped up and did a great job. I felt like we kept rolling."

Shockey's verbal jabs started earlier this week as he took a shot at former teammate Eli Manning by saying he was more used to a quarterback "moping" around. Then he criticized the New York Giants for being unprofessional in dealing with him as an injured player during the Super Bowl.

Then after a disappointing game on his part, Shockey pointed the finger at himself and at the team's handling of his injury that required sports hernia surgery. Shockey said the team thought it was a groin injury and he tried to fight through it during training camp. Instead it turned out to be a tear in his abdomen requiring surgery after a Week 3 loss in Denver.

"I'm worried that this thing could have been taken care of in camp, like it should have been," Shockey told reporters after the loss to Carolina. "If it wasn't misdiagnosed in camp like it was there'd have been no problems. Next time I know. When I get hurt I'll get three or four opinions besides just the team's."

Shockey said he hoped the pain he felt throughout the game wouldn't set him back again forcing him out of this Sunday's game against San Diego in Wembley Stadium. Payton said he understands Shockey's sentiments and the two chatted on the flight to England.

"I think it's frustrating though because we're talking about a player who is used to excelling at a certain level and I've seen that and certainly he knows what that level is," Payton said. "We discussed this a little bit last night even on the flight of how difficult it is when you expect to play at a certain level and this injury is keeping him from being 100 percent. But he's an emotional guy and that's one of the things I like about him. I like the fact that it's so important to him. Coming off the field (Sunday), there wasn't anyone that was as disappointed as he was."

Brees said the team didn't do much of anything right against the Panthers. The loss put the team deeper into the NFC South cellar as Carolina and Tampa Bay are 5-2, Atlanta is 4-2 in a bye week and the Saints are 3-4.

"Our three previous losses were all opportunities that we had to win the game in the end. This was the first one that we were beaten decisively in a game against a division opponent that we really felt good going into it," Brees said. "That was more disappointing than anything. We had gotten some guys back and for one reason or another we couldn't find a rhythm in that game (Sunday) and obviously there's some things that we need to correct and fix.

"We need a win as bad as anybody right now."