ESPN- New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara wasn’t so sure about the whole Mardi Gras thing.
Hours later, as he walked down the street packed with adoring crowds on either side, talking selfies with whomever ran out to him and throwing beads into the masses, it was clear he had figured it out in his own way. The two rookies had a float to themselves, complete with a band that quickly struck up “Stand Up and Get Crunk” as soon as the parade started rolling. “This is crazy,” one of them murmured as they saw the crowd of people, thousands of them, lined up along several miles of a route that would conclude at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Kamara and Lattimore, both participating in their first Mardi Gras, clearly didn’t care about what anyone did in the past. They enticed someone from the crowd to give them burgers and chicken in exchange for some premium beads. Kamara, who had been provided Airheads on the float, threw them off like they were normal throws. They hung their game day jerseys and Pro Bowl jerseys off the float, teasing people with the idea that they might actually throw them. “Let’s get off the float,” one of them suggested. And before anyone could really think it over, the group was jumping off and running down the street. While some stretches of the parade have barriers to prevent anyone from crossing, this part did not. Anyone who wanted to run up to them could, and did. This was probably the worst nightmare of the security detail provided for the float. They were short-handed that day and had one man assigned to the players and their friends. This didn’t seem to bother either rookie. Kamara was swallowed into a crowd of fans that held up their phones, pleading for a picture. They hugged him. Lattimore walked alongside him, taking it all in. This stretched on for several minutes. The parade creeped behind them and then stopped. Security tried to entice them to get back on the float, but the two didn’t notice or didn’t care. It was clear they were loving it almost as much as the fans who held up signs for them or screamed their names. They were persuaded to get back on the float, but jumped off again only a few minutes later. Kamara took off by himself, grinning as he threw beads into the crowd from the ground level. At one point, the two spotted Saints general manager Mickey Loomis at the parade with his family and jogged over to take a picture. They gathered for a picture with former Saints safety Steve Gleason in the middle of the street. A police officer eventually yelled for them to wrap it up. They obligingly climbed back up on the float. The band struck up again, and the parade continued rolling along toward the Superdome. When asked how he felt about Mardi Gras now that he’d seen it for himself, Kamara grinned. “I’d f--- with it,” he said. ---------- Their award winning performance on the field had already long convinced me that Alvin Kamara And Marshon Lattimore were destined to one day be part of their very own uninhibited, celebratory parade throughout New Orleans. That said, I'll be damned if them embracing their newfound stardom Mardi Gras-style doesn't have me desperately hoping that procession gets scheduled sooner rather than later. Watching the Eagles - led by Jason Kelce, of course - become a gritty reflection of the city of Philadelphia was so cool that it almost made me forget that the shit-eating grins of their fanbase were all-too-literal. I say that to say this, Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore are New Orleans. If that wasn't made clear by the swagger with which they somehow casually dominated professional football in their first season and the subsequent celebrations that ensued then it was made clear by their willingness to brush off security detail and become one with the culture and tradition of their new home. The current Saints team might be the most likable of a Sean Payton era that includes both a resurrectional rebirth of the city as well as the franchise's first Super Bowl victory. Transcendent talent aside, that's due - in large part - to the personalities that have come along with the central figures in a youth movement that's rapidly progressed beyond its year. The recency bias of renewed relevance is weighing heavily on the following statement, but I can honestly say I'd be surprised if neither of them ended up being a part of a championship extravaganza in NOLA. Let's hope that's the correct assessment, because clearly they know how to a embrace a parade and a...umm..."lubricated" fanbase as their own.
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