Saints don’t think Mark Ingram will be 100 percent when camp starts

TheOak · 05-16-2012, 06:38 AM

Originally Posted by burningmetal

I still don't get it. What was so special about this guy in the first place? Yeah, he won a Heisman, but a lot of Heisman winners have been crap in the NFL. I never saw anything about his game that was worth trading up to get him, when we were already crowded in the backfield. And that was before we signed Sproles. Plus, he had some nagging injuries at Alabama, so that was another concern.

I hope he makes use of himself at some point soon, but right now the way I see it, we have two guys who can't stay healthy - Ingram and Ivory - and when they ARE healthy, there is no question that Ivory is a far better player right now. So, it's difficult to imagine Ingram having a future here. But, anything can happen. He does have some talent even though I thought he was a wasted pick.

I do not disagree with his performance last year. I do cut him a little slack due to the nature of his rookie season.

A rookie year is a transition year for any player. A rookie year with no OTA's, mini camp, preseason training just makes "finding a groove" that much more difficult.

Last year he averaged 3.9 YPC which puts him right in line with Chris Johnson, Amahd Bradshaw.. Which is also better than Addai, Jacobs, Green-Ellis and Tomlinson....

If you are looking at TD's well, that is a function of utilization.. But he was still in line with PThomas, Jackson, and Blount.

So what exactly about his rookie season was so terrible? Spreading the ball like we do also does not help someone have a stellar rookie year.

burningmetal · 05-17-2012, 04:14 AM

Originally Posted by x626xBlack

I do not disagree with his performance last year. I do cut him a little slack due to the nature of his rookie season.

A rookie year is a transition year for any player. A rookie year with no OTA's, mini camp, preseason training just makes "finding a groove" that much more difficult.

Last year he averaged 3.9 YPC which puts him right in line with Chris Johnson, Amahd Bradshaw.. Which is also better than Addai, Jacobs, Green-Ellis and Tomlinson....

If you are looking at TD's well, that is a function of utilization.. But he was still in line with PThomas, Jackson, and Blount.

So what exactly about his rookie season was so terrible? Spreading the ball like we do also does not help someone have a stellar rookie year.

Well I agree that spreading the ball around doesn't help his stats, but to answer your question, it isn't his number of yards or touchdowns that failed to impress me. He didn't run with much authority, but for a few nice runs that were good to see. He didn't display good vision, and that was the number one thing that was always said about him in college, was his vision, so that was disappointing. I understand not being used to the system and the speed of this level, but when you have a hole and fail to see it or hit it with much authority, that's just plain not getting it done.

And the RB's you mentioned with their YPC last year, with the exception of Johnson and Bradshaw, are all well past their prime. And though Johnson and Bradshaw are still young and obviously are talented, there is no denying that they had very disappointing seasons. Especially Johnson. So, the fact that Ingram's average per carry was comparable to theirs was not really a good thing. But again, it wasn't really the raw statistics that bothered me as much as the fact that he looked slow, and seemed to run with tunnel vision at times.

Lastly, the nagging injuries weren't too encouraging.

05-16-2012, 06:38 AM	#1
TheOak 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Cypress Tx. Posts: 19,047	Originally Posted by burningmetal I still don't get it. What was so special about this guy in the first place? Yeah, he won a Heisman, but a lot of Heisman winners have been crap in the NFL. I never saw anything about his game that was worth trading up to get him, when we were already crowded in the backfield. And that was before we signed Sproles. Plus, he had some nagging injuries at Alabama, so that was another concern. I hope he makes use of himself at some point soon, but right now the way I see it, we have two guys who can't stay healthy - Ingram and Ivory - and when they ARE healthy, there is no question that Ivory is a far better player right now. So, it's difficult to imagine Ingram having a future here. But, anything can happen. He does have some talent even though I thought he was a wasted pick. I do not disagree with his performance last year. I do cut him a little slack due to the nature of his rookie season. A rookie year is a transition year for any player. A rookie year with no OTA's, mini camp, preseason training just makes "finding a groove" that much more difficult. Last year he averaged 3.9 YPC which puts him right in line with Chris Johnson, Amahd Bradshaw.. Which is also better than Addai, Jacobs, Green-Ellis and Tomlinson.... If you are looking at TD's well, that is a function of utilization.. But he was still in line with PThomas, Jackson, and Blount. So what exactly about his rookie season was so terrible? Spreading the ball like we do also does not help someone have a stellar rookie year. Danno, darstep, Rugby Saint II and 1 others like this.
	It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Henry David Thoreau

05-17-2012, 04:14 AM	#2
burningmetal 1000 Posts + Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 3,923 Blog Entries: 3	Originally Posted by x626xBlack I do not disagree with his performance last year. I do cut him a little slack due to the nature of his rookie season. A rookie year is a transition year for any player. A rookie year with no OTA's, mini camp, preseason training just makes "finding a groove" that much more difficult. Last year he averaged 3.9 YPC which puts him right in line with Chris Johnson, Amahd Bradshaw.. Which is also better than Addai, Jacobs, Green-Ellis and Tomlinson.... If you are looking at TD's well, that is a function of utilization.. But he was still in line with PThomas, Jackson, and Blount. So what exactly about his rookie season was so terrible? Spreading the ball like we do also does not help someone have a stellar rookie year. Well I agree that spreading the ball around doesn't help his stats, but to answer your question, it isn't his number of yards or touchdowns that failed to impress me. He didn't run with much authority, but for a few nice runs that were good to see. He didn't display good vision, and that was the number one thing that was always said about him in college, was his vision, so that was disappointing. I understand not being used to the system and the speed of this level, but when you have a hole and fail to see it or hit it with much authority, that's just plain not getting it done. And the RB's you mentioned with their YPC last year, with the exception of Johnson and Bradshaw, are all well past their prime. And though Johnson and Bradshaw are still young and obviously are talented, there is no denying that they had very disappointing seasons. Especially Johnson. So, the fact that Ingram's average per carry was comparable to theirs was not really a good thing. But again, it wasn't really the raw statistics that bothered me as much as the fact that he looked slow, and seemed to run with tunnel vision at times. Lastly, the nagging injuries weren't too encouraging.
	If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, the NFL would fine and suspend me.