I do think Saints RB Mark Ingram will turn some heads under the national spotlight Friday night if he looks anywhere near as impressive as he has looked throughout these summer practices.
Ingram has looked strong, fast, fluid and a little slimmer -- a result of being fully healthy for the first time throughout an entire offseason since he joined the NFL. And the Saints have talked about using him in a more versatile way after pigeonholing him as the short-yardage/base offense running back the last two years.
I think all three of the Saints' top tailbacks [Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas] will have nice bounce-back seasons this year, especially now that coach Sean Payton is back and making the run game a top priority. But of the three, Ingram is clearly the one with the most to prove.
Thomas was listed atop the depth chart, but it appears that Ingram has been more impressive in camp. With Thomas sidelined with an undisclosed injury, Ingram will have a chance to shine on Friday night. We prefer Thomas from a talent standpoint, but the Saints have a lot invested in Ingram, so they will give him every chance to earn a larger role.
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