foreverfan

Not only did New Orleans Saints tailback Mark Ingram look fine during a rigorous workout on Saturday, the day after he was involved in a car accident with an 18-wheeler, but he appeared to be in the best shape he's been in this entire offseason.

Lean and chiseled at 215 pounds, Ingram said he's eager to take the field for his first NFL practice whenever the lockout finally comes to an end. "I'm about 215 right now, the same thing I was (around the time of the draft.) But it looks better. I'm leaner, a lot more muscle, a lot more cut. And I feel more explosive," said Ingram, who has been working out with trainer Wyatt Harris at the Sonic Boom conditioning and strength training academy in Jefferson since his junior season ended at Alabama.

"It's just a situation where I just wanted to be in the best shape possible, be the most explosive player I can be. So when they do lift this thing, I can go in there and contribute in any way I can to help the team win games," Ingram said. "And I can't do that without being in top-notch condition. So that's been my focus all summer."

Ingram said he considered himself blessed to have escaped the car accident unscathed around 1 a.m. Friday morning in Huntsville, Ala., where he was in town for an autograph-signing event.

2019 Death of a Parrot.