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Chris Ivory doesn't know why he didn't get his first chance to carry the ball until the eighth game of the season.

The Saints running back figured the best thing he could do during the first seven weeks of the season was simply stay sharp and focused, so that he could be relied upon when his number finally was called.

''I still don't get it. I just played the patient role,'' Ivory said on Wednesday after logging 10 carries for 48 yards - nearly 5 yards a carry - including a 22-yard touchdown in New Orleans 28-13 victory over Philadelphia on Monday night. ''It was hard to be patient but, you know, I was. ... When they needed to count on me, I was accountable. The focus was definitely there, and like I said, once they called my number I was ready to go.

Saints RB Ivory hopes he earned more action - NFL News | FOX Sports on MSN

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."