Incidental or not, the suspension that Mark Ingram just finished serving was of no fault but his own. He has no one to blame but himself for the four games he potentially compromised by way of his unavailability during the start of a season that had all the makings of being one of the most special in Saints' history. I have nowhere near enough faith in the NFL, their testing policies, or their priorities to consider Mark Ingram selfish for whatever illegal substance he happened to let in his system, but he certainly wasn't selfless in being at least mildly irresponsible with regards to what he put in his body and/or when he did so. I say all that not to trash a guy whose presence was sorely missed in a rushing attack that only yesterday finally managed to get things going on the ground, but rather to highlight just how beloved that presence is amongst a team that appears absolutely amped that he's back. Doesn't seem to be even one hard feeling within a group whose jobs were made more difficult by the lack of the type of back who can give a struggling defense a breather, as there's nothing but a soft spot for Mark Ingram inside a locker room in which he's undeniably become a leader...
Of all the players that have been scapegoated by the fanbase during the Sean Payton era, Mark Ingram might be the player who was most often served the nuttiest dose of undeserved shit. When you think about how many wildly overpaid defensive additions have churned out performances that were both literally and figuratively defenseless throughout the years, that's certainly saying something. I say that not to bring up bad memories, but rather to highlight exactly how far Mark Ingram has come by running off the stink in the process of winning over the entirety of the Who Dat Nation. It is now absolutely indisputable how important he is to both the Saints' recent success, as well the cohesive culture that's equal parts the cause and the effect of it. Regardless of why he was out in first place, a team that somewhat miraculously managed to go 3-1 without him knows exactly how much better off they are with him. Both on and off the field, Mark Ingram is a vital piece to the championship caliber puzzle, as - for the most part - it was painfully obvious it wasn't quite close to being complete in his absence. There are probably a couple players whose physical impact is bigger than that of one of the many offensive weapons at the Saints' disposable, but I'd contend that there aren't nearly as many whose emotional impact looms as large. I suspect his season debut in the Dome for 'Monday Night Football' will put that full array of contributions on display, as he spent the preseason running like he was motivated to put out the fire that looked to be burning under his ass.
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