The Saints finally got a second running back after the injury of Tony Jones back in week four against the Giants. Kamara has been carrying a workload that at the rate it was going at, it would be unwanted. Now with the trade for Mark Ingram things for the offense can open up a little bit more than they could before and Kamara won’t be taking 25-30 unnecessary hits a game.
Aside from week one the Saints offense has been lackluster which is a polite way of putting it, but the Saints are winning games so it was acceptable, until it wasn’t. Winston shouldn’t be having only four of his sixteen passes targeted at receivers caught and Kamara shouldn’t be taking 25 hits a game. He’s never been that kind of player. Kamara is the Saints most valuable player right now and you can’t risk him taking too many unnecessary hits. Now with Ingram back on the team the offense can open up the playbook, schemes, and personal groups.
Kamara is one of the most balanced backs in the leagues, he’s elite in the run and pass game which is what makes him so lethal, but once teams stop the run like Seattle did and double team him in the passing game there isn’t much left for him to produce, especially when he’s doing early down runs and then running routes on third and long. With Mark Ingram back the offense can be used in more creative ways. Now Sean can put Ingram in the backfield and use him for the power runs and the inside plays on early downs and keep Kamara fresh. Sean will utilize Kamara when Ingram is in the field as a possible slot wide receiver or line him up at receiver (similar kind of offense was ran in 2017/2018) which brings a safety over cause nobody is putting a linebacker in man coverage against Kamara.
In 2017 and 2018 we saw Sean use Kamara more as a slot guy and wide receiver as a decoy and/or to set up a screen or sweep or some type of misdirection play. Now now this offense can possibly go to a similar style of ground and pound with Ingram while everyone’s attention is on Kamara.
The Saints have been using Alvin as an every down back and that is not the kind of guy Kamara is. You can’t use him as an early down back and expect 3-4 yards and use him as a receiving back in third down. That’s too much for one guy. Kamara isn’t an early down runner who will get you 3-4 yards on a power run play, but Ingram is. So while Ingram pounds the ball on early downs then Kamara comes in on third down fresh and ready to make a play for his team. Let Ingram do the dirty work and have Kamara move the chains.
The offense is definitely trying to get to a place where they can run the ball now only effectively but run the ball effectively with multiple guys. Taysom Hill was a guy that was used on power plays on short distances, but he could be or longer or be back this week, but Ingram fills that void if Taysom is out.
A successful run game is also a successful passing game, and if the Saints can move the ball with Kamara and Ingra, the way we know they can, then the defense will be on their heels and that’s when Winston airs one out over the top to Deonte or whoever it may be. This trade wasn’t just to open up the run game and rest Kamara more, but it was also viewed as an opportunity to open up the passing game.
Film Session
Before I get into any film I’d like to give a special thanks to Allen Jube for letting me use his NFL Gamepass sign in so I can provide you guys with this sort of content. Make sure to support him by subscribing to his YouTube channel here. He does giveaways tickets for home games so make sure not to miss it!
In this first set of clips you can see that the Texans use him as an inside runner, and from the looks of it he still has gas left in his tank, given these are his best runs but from the other plays I saw he still gains 2-3 yards even when the offensive line missed an assignment. His release is good and has a good patient stutter step which allows his blockers to create the gaps for him to run through. His release from that step into the gap is fast and he speeds up on contact which allows him to usually wake the first guy miss and get a few extra yards. While Alvin is a good runner, with the way the offense was going whenever Alvin got a handoff there was nowhere for him to go because all eyes were on him, now he can get more of the outside runs and more passing plays while Ingram stays a work horse.
On film Ingram looks flashy and well rested, that’s because the Texans had a three running back rotation while in New Orleans Kamara is the only consistently good offensive player. Here Ingram shows his downfield and power speed, once again he takes a little stutter step in the beginning which allows his guards and linemen to go get a block. Once the whole his there he takes off and his downfield speed is ridiculous for the age he’s at right now. He speeds up on contact and continues to drive his feet. His downfield and power steps are definitely faster than Kamara’s which is why Kamara can’t shoot the gap as successfully as some other guys. That’s nothing on Kamara, it’s just he’s a more versatile back as opposed to Ingram whose a power and contact back.
For these final set of plays, these are perfect example of what early down running plays Sean Payton could call with Ingram rather than Kamara. Ingram can get the Saints 3-4 yards on 1st down if there’s execution and the play call was right. Give Ingram that gap and he’ll do the rest in the trenches. He fights through contact and cuts upfield to get those early down yards,
In Ingrams first stint with the Saints from 2011-2018 he totaled 6,006 rushing yards with 50 touchdowns. He’s currently in second place for the Saints all time leading rusher only needing 89 yards to tie and 90 to break it. He also leads the all time Saints leading rushing touchdowns with 50, but Alvin is catching up as he currently holds 44 touchdowns.
In their first season together Kamara and Ingram totaled 1,852 rushing yards, 1,242 receiving yards on 139 catches, 20 rushing touchdowns, and 5 receiving touchdowns, stats via Jeff Nowak.
Written By Kadin Janisch
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