Mike Triplett: "It's not unrealistic to picture Ingram rushing for 1,000 yards this year"

all signs are pointing toward a big year for New Orleans Saints tailback Mark Ingram
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Ingram certainly should have his most productive year to date in his third NFL season.
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(First, our) four-way tailback logjam (is now) a three-man rotation (with Ivory gone)
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(Second,) Sean Payton has made it clear that he intends to make an improved run game one of his top priorities this season.
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(Third,) Ingram is fully healthy this offseason for the first time since he left Alabama for the NFL in 2011. "I've just been working hard this offseason, trying to get in the best shape of my life," said the 5-foot-9, 215-pounder, who spent last summer recovering from toe surgery and a minor knee surgery.
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"I want to have a big year" (said Ingram)
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Through the first eight games (last season), Ingram gained a total of 178 rushing yards with one touchdown.
...Over the final eight games, Ingram ran for 424 yards with four touchdowns (finishing with a team-high 602 yards and a team-high five rushing touchdowns).
"I think...we started scheming up the run game a lot better," Ingram said when asked if there was anything in particular that started working better down the stretch last season.
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It's not unrealistic to picture Ingram rushing for 1,000 yards or 10 touchdowns this year


http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2013/05/healthy_mark_ingram_is_poised.html

 

check out the difference in Ingram's ypc between the first 8 games and the last 8 games:

FIRST EIGHT GAMES
178 on 54 att -- 3.30 ypc

LAST EIGHT GAMES
424 on 102 att -- 4.16 ypc


and, if you compare first 7 games to the last 9 games, it gets even more dramatic:

FIRST SEVEN GAMES
134 on 47 att -- 2.85 ypc

LAST NINE GAMES
468 on 109 att -- 4.29 ypc

plus, Ingram will be wearing his #22 again for the Saints this year, like he did at Bama








Mark Ingram, Sr.


Mark Ingram, Sr. with the Lombardi trophy he won with the Giants in 1991 with Bill Parcells and Lawrence Taylor

Here was his biggest play of that Superbowl: 14 of New York's 73 plays (19.2%) came on its initial drive of the third quarter, which covered 75 yards and consumed a Super Bowl-record 9:29 before running back Ottis Anderson ran one yard for a touchdown.
Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler kept the long drive going by converting three third-down plays -- the highlight was a 14 yard pass to wide receiver Mark Ingram on 3rd down and 13. Ingram caught a short pass 7 yards short of the 1st down and broke five Buffalo tackles to get the first down and keep the drive alive...

 

The only way he rushes for 1,000 yards is if Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles suffer season-ending injuries in the first few weeks of the NFL season...

 

Exactly. The way we rotate backs, seemingly on alternating plays, it's hard to see him doing it. Also, it's funny how his rushing yards and per carry stats coincided with the success Ivory had. Now with him gone, it's do or die time for Ingram. If he doesn't have the breakout year he's anticipating, it might be time to free up some cap room at the end of next season.

All that said, I'm pulling for him. Obviously stated, his success equals the Saints success.

 

If he's got half the passion for the Saints' that he does for the Tide, he could be the best...

 

per Pierre Thomas, this is what Payton said in his first meeting back with the team on April 15:

"When we had our first team meeting, ... He said we definitely need to get back to that ground game"

"There's going to be more focus this year on that ground game than any year. He said we've got to get back to running the ball, having 100-yard games non-stop. I can't wait. I'm excited and I know everybody else is excited."

"I know I've heard we're going to change up a whole lot of things this year. Because Coach Payton has seen a lot from his point of view, and now that he's back in the show he wants things to change."


http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2013/05/new_orleans_saints_rb_pierre_t_3.html

 

Screw Mark Ingram. Saints should have traded his ass and kept Ivory.