Saints “Winners and Losers” From Win Over Arizona
By Bob Rose
Aug 20, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) during a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
LOSER: MARK INGRAM, RUNNING BACK
Ingram had a strong performance with 78 yards on 17 carries, a 4.6-yard average, and by all accounts played well, as he has all year long quite frankly.
But the play that had many Who Dats talking last night and once again this morning occurred with exactly 3:27 remaining on the game clock yesterday, after running back Tim Hightower scored on a 2-yard TD run to give the Saints a 48-34 lead that seemed to seal the victory (which it eventually did).
As the Saints celebrated with Hightower; the former Cardinal who was originally drafted by Arizona back in the 5th Round of the 2008 NFL Draft and who had scored his 2nd TD of the day against them, not everyone on the Saints sideline was in a celebratory mood.
That’s because as the FOX TV cameras panned back around to the New Orleans sidelines, they showed Hightower’s good friend and teammate — fellow running back Mark Ingram — angrily YELLING at coach head coach Sean Payton.
Ingram had just gained 2 yards the previous play to convert a critical third-and-1 play from the Arizona 4, but he was taken out of the line-up and was forced to watch the Hightower touchdown from the sideline.
“I’m real competitive in everything I do,” Ingram explained to reporters afterwards after the incident. “I got to be smarter, I got to control my emotions better, but we had a great win as a team and that’s our No. 1 goal. And that’s what I’m happy for, that we’re bringing a win back to New Orleans.”
Ingram’s antics could be viewed as “selfish” — an observation that we made here at Big Easy Believer just this morning (click HERE to read). Either way, whether he was being selfish or was just caught up in “the heat of the moment”; Ingram needs to be more professional, because what happened yesterday isn’t a good look for him or the team.