By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram was delighted to return to The Big Easy in 2021. Ingram was reunited with the team that drafted him and he even made Brandin Cooks jealous that he was back in the Black and Gold.

Ingram had four seasons of 700+ rushing yards, 50+ rushing touchdowns with the Saints prior to joining the Ravens. He’s currently the Saints all-time leading rusher in yards and touchdowns. It’s clear that he was a pillar of consistency and a key part of the Drew Brees-led offense throughout his Saints tenure. Furthermore, the Saints were thankful and full of bliss when they were able to bring him home last season.

Ingram was brought in as the backup to Alvin Kamara last season, but he looked like a fine 1B in many contests. Ingram averaged 3.8 YPC, but I believe that’s an impressive stat given how broken the Saints offensive line was in 2021. Alvin Kamara yielded a career-low 3.7 YPC last season.

According to NFL.com, Ingram averaged 5.2 YPC from September, October, and November combined. Ingram was clearly explosive and hitting the hole well when the offensive line was playing modest at worst. The last two times Ingram averaged 4.9+ YPC in a 16 game season, he made the Pro Bowl. Ingram also averaged 19.7 receiving yards per game with the Saints last season, which was his highest receiving YPG since 2017.

To be fair, a player is judged for how they perform in 16 games and not 12 games. Although, it needs to point out how porous and crippled the Saints offense was in December.

Ingram and the rest of the offense took a major dip in December. The Saints played the Buccaneers and Dolphins in two of the four games in December, as Who Dat Nation watched their offense mightily struggle. Injuries and COVID really haunted the Saints offense late in 2021. Ingram only mustered out a 2.4 YPC in December, as the offense completely sputtered out late in the season.

The Saints OT tandem, which is arguably the best in the NFL, missed a combined 16 games last season. Matter, in fact, the Saints had a record of 58 different starters last season. It would be an understatement to say it was tough sledding for the Saints RB tandem in 2021, especially in the cold month of December.

I believe Ingram was fresh, explosive, and in sync with the scheme that he knew all too well. Ingram was very efficient in 2021, but I believe he can be “very productive” in 2022.

The Saints will likely lose Alvin Kamara to a six-game suspension next season. He will clearly be the bell-cow in Kamara’s shoes the expected six-plus games in 2022. The universe/football gods shouldn’t deal consistent blows to the Saints offensive line, particularly against Ryan Ramcyzyk, who’s only missed one game prior to 2021. Musical chairs will most likely not be on the menu for the Saints OL in 2022.

Finally, the Saints should have a healthy Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas in their offense moving forward. The Saints won’t march into contests where opposing defenses fill the box and show no worry of the Saints passing attack. Expect the Saints 2011 NFL draft from Alabama pick to run strong next season and help his team push for their second taste of Super Bowl triumph.

The post Why Mark Ingram could make the Pro Bowl next season appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Reese Nasser

Coming into the 2021 season, all eyes will be on the New Orleans Saints. With questions at positions all over the roster and the return of players such as Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, this teams future is uncertain. The expectations will be high and much of the success will come down to one group: the offensive line. 

Anchor on offense

New Orleans has slowly crafted one of the best offensive lines in football. The tackle spots are locked down by Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk, who are both near the top of their positions. 

Armstead and Ramcyzk are joined by guards Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz. The line is completed with center Erik McCoy. The line has a combination of both younger players and veterans. Ruiz showed glimpses of potential during his rookie season and hopes to build on that going into year two. Terron Armstead continued his dominance at the left tackle position where he played 880 snaps. It was only due to being placed on the Covid-19 list that he was unable to appear in all 16 regular season games. Ryan Ramcyzk proved to be a top right tackle in the league. In 16 games, Ramcyzk only allowed two sacks. Center Erik McCoy is arguably the unsung hero of this offensive line. After appearing in all 16 games, playing 1073 snaps, and only allowing one sack, the third year is primed to make a case for the best center in the NFL. 

Durability 

The Saints offensive line has proven to be one of the most reliable and durable units in the NFL. All five starters appeared in at least 13 games. This has allowed them to grow as a unit, something that many offensive lines are not able to do. As time progresses, units that become used to playing together simply look better than others. This durability has also come at a time where much of the rest of the roster is up in the air. With both longtime quarterback Drew Brees and star wide receiver Michael Thomas both missing time, this offense was truly up in the air and relied heavily on running back Alvin Kamara. At this point, all eyes turned to the offensive line who never lost their step. They even blocked their way to a six touchdown performance by Alvin Kamara on Christmas day. 

Strong Backups

The depth that the Saints have on the offensive line cannot be ignored as well. At each position there are young backups who have contributed to the success that the line has as a whole. Backup tackle James Hurst has proven to be the best of the reserves. He appeared in 12 games during last season and played a major role when both Armstead and Peat missed time. In recent years, the Saints have attempted to solidify the line even more by drafting Will Clapp, Landon Young, Derrick Kelly, and Ethan Greenridge. If any of this young bunch is able to turn into a high quality starter, the Saints offensive unit will continue to be great.

This offensive line will have a lot asked of them and they will be up for the challenge. As NFL defenses continue to get better, more is being asked of the guys in the trenches of the line. This unit has proved that they are built for it. While there are still questions at quarterback in New Orleans, it may lead to problems for the offense. This unit will have to hold it down for this point. They are not only the most valuable part of this team but are also the most valuable offensive line in the NFL. And with guys like this playing for them,

They have absolutely no reason to worry.

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