I do think Saints RB Mark Ingram has missed out on his opportunity to establish himself as the team's primary runner with his uninspiring start to this season (just 31 rushing yards on 17 carries through two games, both Saints victories). And to make matters worse, Ingram was held out of Wednesday's practice with a toe injury, the severity of which is unknown.
Heading into this season, it looked like the Saints were committed to giving Ingram a chance to become more of a leading man in their three-man running-back rotation. But at this point, I don't think they'll be so stubborn in that attempt.
The Saints began featuring fellow tailback Pierre Thomas more after Ingram's early struggles last week at Tampa Bay. I would expect a subtle flip-flop in the coming weeks, where Thomas becomes more of a 1A and Ingram a 1B, instead of vice versa.
I still expect all of the Saints' tailbacks (Ingram, Thomas and dynamic runner/receiver Darren Sproles) to be more productive this season if the team can sort out the run-blocking problems that have plagued it for much of the past two seasons. But it's becoming clear that Ingram is the third-best option of those three.
Senior Editor John Paulsen issued a Sleeper Alert for Pierre Thomas during the preseason and if the touches start to shift his way, he could be a nice pickup off the waiver wire, especially if Ingram's toe becomes a big issue.
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