Mark Ingram is one of the running backs that can make your team a championship contender in 2011, thanks to a combination of great talent, a great situation, and misplaced skepticism which is keeping his average draft position lower than it should be.
A Prototypical NFL Workhorse
Mark Ingram was drafted in the 1st round after a stellar collegiate career. For those who don't pay a lot of attention to the college game, Ingram not only dominated, but he dominated in the SEC --- the nation's most competitive and talent-laden league. As a sophomore (2009), Ingram became the University of Alabama's first every Heisman Trophy winner, on route to a national championship. He logged 271 carries for 1,678 yards and 17 touchdowns, and was effective as a receiver, too --- with 32 receptions for 334 yards and 3 TDs. Had Ingram come out after his sophomore season, he might have been a top 10 pick, but he opted to return to Alabama where it was expected he would compete for another national championship and --- possibly --- back-to-back Heismans. A minor knee injury derailed that plan, and Ingram ended up running for only 875 yards and 13 TDs. But that didn't derail NFL scouts from viewing him as the best back in college, and the most NFL-ready tailback to hit the league in years.
Ingram is 5'9" and 215 pounds and runs with a low center of gravity, decisiveness, and power. Our own Matt Waldman, who pens the fantastic Rookie Scouting Portfolio, had this to say about Ingram:
Ingram is one of the smartest runners I've seen. He makes great reads, presses the hole, and he has the rare ability to set up defenders a step ahead of the game. These are the skills that not only made Emmitt Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Edgerrin James stars, but it also gave them longevity and productivity as their physical gifts declined.
Ingram has an explosive burst and he accelerates from his cuts, which combined with his patience makes him a dangerous player. However, Ingram's grind-it-out power and terrific balance is a dimension of his game that will make him a back that an offense can ride to preserve a lead. His pass protection techniques are good enough that with additional study he'll become a back that only leaves the field when he needs a break.
A quality about Ingram that's evident on film that isn't a technique is Ingram's passion and killer instinct. I believe he's going to be the player who consistently makes the big plays that make a difference in a game. In this respect, he also reminds me of Frank Gore --- another back with great vision, power, balance, and strong acceleration.
DEBUNKING THE MISCONCEPTIONS
Misconception #1 --- Rookie RBs are a bad investment
Fantasy football owners have short memories. It's a "what have you done for me lately" mindset for most of them, and that's often an opportunity for the more astute of you who can look back at history. While the last few seasons haven't produced an immediate star rookie RB, there's plenty of precedent to suggest it's been a fluke. In fact, it wasn't that long ago that if a rookie RB struggled; it was a condemnation on their overall future. After all, the RB position is one of the most instinctive --- and that's why rookie tailbacks have historically been able to step right in and make an impact.
[*]Matt Forte finished RB4 as a rookie in 2008
[*]Steve Slaton finished RB6 as a rookie in the same year
[*]Chris Johnson wasn't a top 10 RB as a rookie, but he was RB11 (in 2008)
[*]Adrian Peterson finished as the #3 fantasy RB in 2007
[*]Marshawn Lynch was RB12 in 2007
[*]Maurice Jones-Drew was the #8 RB in 2006
[*]Joseph Addai was RB11, also in 2006
So let's recap, although the rookie RBs in 2009 and 2010 didn't produce elite stats out of the gate, the three prior seasons were terrific. 7 rookie RBs produced fantasy RB1 numbers over those three seasons, an enviable hit rate.
Misconception #2 --- Sean Payton insists on a running back-by-committee
The Saints head coach Sean Payton has become one of the most respected offensive minds in football --- with good reason. In his five seasons as head coach, the Saints have ranked 1st, 4th, 1st, 1st, and 6th in total yards, and 5th, 12th, 1st, 1st, and 11th in total scoring. With that kind of success, it's understandable that many fantasy owners would think, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." But GREAT coaches aren't unyielding, they're always adjusting to their situations. Payton understands that the NFL adapts, and if you can't evolve from year to year, you're doomed.
How is this relevant to Ingram's fantasy success? Because too many people are fixating on the fact that Sean Payton has never had a workhorse back in New Orleans. First of all, the notion that Payton never had a workhorse in untrue. In 2006 --- his first season at the helm --- Payton had Deuce McAllister, and gave him 244 carries and 30 receptions. 274 touches is "work horse" in today's NFL, and if Mark Ingram gets 270+ touches, he's going to demolish expectations.
Now let's take a look at what Payton had to work with in 2007-2010:
2007 --- Reggie Bush led the Saints with 157 carries, and Aaron Stecker had 114 carries. Pierre Thomas was the third option with 50 carries. Both Bush and Thomas only appeared in 12 games and Stecker --- while heroic that year --- was an extremely limited talent.
2008 --- The top three rushers were Pierre Thomas (129 carries), Reggie Bush (106) and Deuce McAllister (107). McAllister was coming back from a major injury and was on his last legs, Bush missed six games (and was banged up for several others), and Thomas missed time, and only really earned reps toward the end of the season.
2009 --- The top three rushers were Mike Bell (172 carries), Pierre Thomas (147) and Reggie Bush (70). Once again, all three runners missed games, and were banged up in others. And once again neither Thomas nor Bell were ever considered elite talents, while Bush (an elite talent) hasn't given the coaches any reason to think he could handle a heavy workload now four years into his disappointing career.
2010 --- A veritable M.A.S.H. unit as unheralded rookie Chris Ivory led the team with 137 carries, but missed four games. Pierre Thomas (10 games), Reggie Bush (8 games), Ladell Betts (8 games) and Julius Jones (6 games) all missed SIGNIFICANT portions of the season.
Long story short, Sean Payton hasn't used a committee for philosophical reasons; he's done so because he HAD NO CHOICE. He hasn't had healthy backs with the talent to handle 20+ touches in a game. Mark Ingram is the tonic to what ails the Saints running game. Payton will see Ingram as the weapon he's been trying to do without for years, and no longer has to.
Misconception #3 --- The Saints are too pass happy to support a workhorse RB
This is the most absurd of the major misconceptions, yet I have heard far too many "pundits" throw it out there as a reason to discount Mark Ingram's fantasy outlook. A quick look at the Saints run/pass ratios each year tells the story:
Year Atts Rush %Pass %Run Postseason
2006 580 469 55.3% 44.7% L,ConfChamp
2007 653 384 63.0% 37.0% NoPlayoffs
2008 636 391 61.9% 38.1% NoPlayoffs
2009 543 465 53.9% 46.1% W,SuperBowl
2010 658 376 63.6% 36.4% L,WildCard
I can't emphasize this enough. In the three years where New Orleans threw the ball more than 60% of the time, the Saints either missed the playoffs completely or bowed out in the first round. In the two seasons when they had more balance, they advance deep into the playoffs once and WON THE SUPER BOWL the other instance. Do you honestly think that wasn't FRONT AND CENTER on the minds of Coach Payton and the Saints personnel department on the day they decided to trade back into the first round to draft Mark Ingram?