As Alvin Kamara boarded the bus after a loss to the Panthers, at that point the owner of 6,489 career rushing yards, he got a confusing text from Mark Ingram.
The text was saying that he should've put the former Saints star out of his misery that week, but at least he'd be able to do it at home against the Falcons. Alvin hadn't even realized that as the Saints drove down for a potential go-ahead score, he was one 12-yard carry away from becoming the Saints' franchise rushing leader. That would've been a bittersweet moment had it happened in a defeat that ultimately led to the firing of head coach Dennis Allen this week.
Listen to the full, exclusive interview with former Saints RB Mark Ingram in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
"He timed it great, man," Ingram told WWL this week. "He’ll be able to break the record at home in front of the Saints faithful and he’ll be able to do it against our hated rivals who we don’t really like that much, so I think he timed it perfectly."
Speaking in the locker room this week after a pair of practices under Darren Rizzi in the interim head coach role, Kamara pointed to changes and a rejuvenated sense of energy and fun around the team. That's a scary thought for a guy like AK, who is on track for his best statistical year at age 29 and is fresh off a 155-yard rushing game that tied his career high in his 8th season.
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The team has maintained that it's not giving up the season and that the sole focus is getting a win, ending the 7-game skid and going from there. Kamara said the weight of such a record hasn't really set in yet, but that will come as the game approaches.
"It’s definitely cool, I think right now I don’t feel it because I’m in the middle of the work week, so I’m just trying to get to Sunday, but it’ll probably be cool," Kamara said. "I mean, it’s cool, now, it makes me feel old because now I’m thinking about like, how many yards is 6,000 yards in game form and I’m like dang, it’s a lot. It’s gonna be cool.”
For Ingram, watching Kamara break the record will be a full circle moment, and something that was always part of the plan. It was Ingram who mentored Alvin early in the pairs career. They were nicknamed Boom & Zoom and became the first RB duo in NFL history to each compile 1,500 total yards in a single season. Ingram was on a clear pace to break the record, then held by WWL's Deuce McAllister, but couldn't work out a deal to stay with the team and left just a handful of yards shy. After a few seasons elsewhere, the Saints worked out a deal to trade for Ingram in the 2021 season and the record went down.
Even then there was an obvious qualifier. The Saints all-time rushing leader ... for now. AK was always on the way to make that record his own if he stuck it out with the Saints long enough, and that'll happen on Sunday, quite possibly on the first play from scrimmage.
just what he’s been able to accomplish throughout his career, how he’s grown as a man, as a player, as a leader, I’m just super happy for him," Ingram told WWL. "All records are meant to be broken and I’m just surprised it took him this long to do it.”