Sean Payton has “high expectations” for Mark Ingram
By Mike Dyce
The New Orleans Saints fave up a 2012 first round pick to get Mark Ingram late in the first round of the 2011 draft. But the Heisman trophy winner hasn’t had the expected impact in the New Orleans running game.
As a rookie he carried the ball 122 times for 474 yards and in his second season he carried the ball 156 times for 602 yards. He’s barely passed 1,000 yards rushing in 2 seasons.
This season could be the turn around year for Mark Ingram according to Sean Payton.
“I know we have high expectations for Mark and he has high expectations for himself,” Saints coach Sean Payton said, via Pro Football Talk. ”He is in great shape right now. I know he is anxious, . . . healthy, and probably I would say going into his third year as healthy and as good of shape as he has been. I expect him to be a big part of what we do running the football.”
Part of the problem is that Ingram has a crowded backfield to split carries with. On the roster right now they have Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas. Chris Ivory left the Saints to try and get more carries with a different NFL team. If Ingram doesn’t get more opportunities he could try and leave as well.