New Orleans Saints RB Mark Ingram has reportedly undergone arthroscopic knee surgery. The Saints' 2011 first round draft pick is expected to miss six weeks of offseason workouts and training activities. Since Ingram will be back for training camp and New Orleans has the NFL's deepest stable of running backs, his surgery won't slow down the Saints' high-powered offense one bit.
Surgery
Mark Ingram reportedly did not sustain an injury and doctors simply cleaned out his knee. Advancements in surgical procedures and the science of rehabilitation have rendered arthroscopic surgeries as virtually routine. Pro athletes today often return from knee surgeries as well as, if not better than, they were before.
New Orleans Saints RBs
I believe that Mark Ingram was the Saints' fourth best RB in 2011. Late in the season, he was slowed by a turf toe injury and only played in 10 games. New Orleans employed a revolving door at RB in 2011 and Ingram only carried the ball 12.2 times per game. In those attempts, Mark Ingram only averaged 3.9 yards per carry for New Orleans.
As talented as Mark Ingram is, the Saints other three RBs bring more to the table. Darren Sproles is as fast and quick as any RB in the NFL and he is a great receiver. Pierre Thomas is experienced and can find a crease on any running play. And tackling Chris Ivory is like trying to stop a boulder going down a mountain.
Mark Ingram's sophomore season
The reason the Saints drafted Mark Ingram is because they had had terrible luck keeping their RBs healthy. If any New Orleans RBs go down in 2012, I believe Mark Ingram will be prepared to step up his game. You don't get to be a Heisman winner without being a competitor and I believe Ingram is out to prove he is a quality NFL RB.
In the aftermath of the New Orleans bounty suspensions, Mark Ingram had the best tweet of any Saints' player. His brief quote summed up the sentiments of New Orleans fans like me perfectly. Ingram tweeted, "Don't worry they just making us hungrier and putting a bigger chip on our shoulder!! #WHODATNATION will rise above it!!"
If Mark Ingram is healthy in 2012, runs like he did at Alabama and plays with a chip on his shoulder, there's no telling how great the New Orleans Saints offense could be this year!
Patrick Michael lives in New Orleans and has always been a big fan of the New Orleans Saints. Patrick's favorite Saints season was 2009 when New Orleans won Super Bowl 44.
Sources
Brett Martel, "AP Source: Knee surgery for RB Ingram," yahoo.com
"Mark Ingram," pro-football-reference.com
"Mark Ingram," twitter.com
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