This is a tough time in the year to come up with topics for a post. I usually belt out top 10 lists in hopes it gets us closer to training camp. So while the Max Unger news was quite unwelcome, I thought to myself: “well, at least I can write about what the plan is without him.” News is hard to come by this time of year. But then I read this. Then this. It was bad enough listening to the irrational hate of LSU fa… ahem, sorry, SAINTS fans, for years.
Here’s how a typical Saints fan conversation works about Mark Ingram:
“Mark Ingram has terrible fumble problems”…
actually the stats show Ingram has one of the lowest fumble rates in the league…
“oh, yeah, well he always seems to pick the worst possible time to fumble.”
The great Buddy D used to have a name for fans like this. Squirrels.
But now it seems the squirrel epidemic is airborne and has spread to other parts of the country. And now it’s not just irrational fans basing their hatred of where the player played college football. Now it’s the national media spewing uneducated garbage. The Saints signed Adrian Peterson. The Saints drafted Alvin Kamara. This must mean the Saints hate Ingram. It’s an easy narrative to jump on after Mark Ingram threw a hissy fit on the sidelines after his teammate Tim Hightower vultured a touchdown from him against the Cardinals at Sean Payton’s behest.
Payton got into a sideline spat with Ingram and now some think he’s on the same “list” as Rob Ryan, Greg McMahon, Jimmy Graham, and Brandin Cooks. All got in spats with Payton on the sideline during games – all suffered the same fate of being shipped out. The big difference, though? Ingram immediately publicly apologized after the game. The other guys never did. Ingram is a passionate, fiery and emotional guy. That side of his personality often brings out his best football. Payton loves that about him. Sometimes that side of his game can backfire, but lumping him with the other guys I mentioned would be a mistake.
Now, let’s go to the facts. Ingram is 3rd all time in Saints history for rushing yards. He needs 30 yards to eclipse George Rogers for 2nd in franchise history. He has a legitimate shot at catching Deuce McAllister for the top spot eventually, needing 1,858 more rushing yards. His 5.1 yards per carry last year is best all time in franchise history, single season, for a 200 carry minimum. If you drop the carry minimum to 100, it’s still 4th best all time in franchise history, behind only Hokie Gajan, Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory. Wanna know the list of running backs in the NFL that have more rushing yards than Mark Ingram the last three years? DeMarco Murray, Le’Veon Bell, LeSean McCoy, Lamar Miller, Frank Gore. That’s it. He’s 6th in the entire league in rushing yards the last three years. I had one fan tell me just today on twitter that Mark Ingram “goes down way too easily”. He led the NFL in yards after contact last year. I guess that means every single other back in the NFL sucks even worse when it comes to power?
I’m not saying he’s elite, mind you. But he’s unquestionably a top 10 back in the NFL and he’s knocking on the door of top 5. If he replicates another season like last year, I think his top 5 claim would have even more merit.
Now back to the national media. If you use drafting Alvin Kamara as an example of why Ingram might be on the outs – I have no respect for you as a writer. You haven’t done your homework and you clearly don’t understand the Saints offense. On the depth chart it might say “running back” next to both names, but they might as well play different positions. Kamara is a problem for Travaris Cadet, not Ingram. It blows my mind that watching Reggie Bush and Darren Sproles operate very successfully part time in this offense wasn’t reminder enough of why Kamara is not threat to Ingram at all.
As far as Adrian Peterson – the Saints don’t know what they have in him. He could easily be their next Champ Bailey experiment. Even if he plays well, he has a 1 year contract with a team option for a 2nd year. This isn’t a long term solution. Tim Hightower was gone, the Saints needed a replacement. Sure, if he turns into AD of old (who knows how likely that is) he may end up seeing more snaps than initially envisioned. But right now, the plan is for Ingram to continue being “the guy”. As he should be. He’s coming off the best year of his career, one that already has him listed as a top 3 back in Saints history (soon top 2).
All you have to do is read the quotes people:
“I think the role will be very clear and defined,” Payton said. “It’s a tough, long 16-week season. I think that he’s someone that certainly will be able to complement Mark. Those guys are different in some ways, and yet we feel like we’ve added another quality player.”
“Listen, man, it’s nothing new,” Ingram said. “I’ve been sharing the ball with one or two, maybe even three, guys since I got there. I figured we were going to draft somebody or get somebody in free agency. We still might. I figured that was going to happen, so it’s not surprising to me.
I get it. I’m an LSU fan too. Some of you will never forgive him for being an Alabama star. But let’s not pretend he’s not on solid ground and let’s not pretend he’s not a very good player. Either position is just stupid and plain wrong.
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