New Orleans Saints rookie tailback Mark Ingram joins teammates for workouts at Tulane

Michael DeMocker / The Times-Picayune

 

By Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune NOLA.com

New Orleans Saints rookie tailback Mark Ingram has joined his new teammates in recent days for their player workouts at Tulane University.

Saints running back Mark Ingram takes a hand-off from quarterback Drew Brees during the players' workout at the Westfeldt practice facility at Tulane University on Wednesday, May 25, 2011.

Ingram, who has been working out throughout the offseason with local trainer Wyatt Harris at Sonic Boom academy in Jefferson, was hesitant to join the Saints' workout program at first since he's not under contract yet and doesn't have injury protection. But he decided that it would benefit him to learn the Saints' offensive plays and terminology, as well as start developing chemistry with his new teammates.
"I've been meeting with Drew (Brees) and a couple of the guys, just learning the system and getting familiar with things out here. So I'm really just trying to get accustomed to 'em and just getting used to everything going on," Ingram said. "I really just wanted to develop better chemistry with the guys, be out here, get ready, get to know 'em better and just get familiar with the terminology and the system. And that's what I wanted to do, just be out here with the guys."
All six of the Saints' rookies have spent at least some time at the player workouts this month. The veteran players have been able to share old playbooks with the rookies, as well as review film with them and run through plays on the field.
Though there is no contact at these practices, thee players have been doing some 7-on-7 drills to simulate some offensive formations in recent weeks, in addition to several position-specific drills.
"He looks great, he looks great," Brees said of Ingram. "There's no doubt he's been working and he's in shape. Now it's just a matter of getting used to these elements here and also just the NFL, the speed of the game, the grind, the physical nature of it all.
"Now as we get into more football-specific stuff, I know he's gonna be around a lot more to engage himself with us and learn the offense and just get used to hearing plays, line up, reacting, having it be more muscle memory as opposed to thinking. I think that's a disadvantage to a lot of rookies this offseason is they're not getting those reps that they otherwise would be getting in OTAs and minicamp. So when training camp does start, if they haven't been looking at stuff or getting those reps, they're gonna be way behind. And I don't want that for him, because I think that he can play a pretty significant role on our offense."
Ingram hasn't been able to work out with many other veteran tailbacks, though. Reggie Bush has elected not to join his teammates for workouts, partly due to his own contract uncertainty. And Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory are still rehabbing from offseason surgeries.
Ingram said he has a good relationship with Bush, though, whom he's met in the past and met with recently at fullback Heath Evans' charity softball game. He said there has been no tension, despite Bush's draft-night tweet that suggested that Ingram's arrival would force Bush out of New Orleans.
"Reggie just congratulated me, told me just to enjoy the moment and that I deserve it. It's something I've been working my whole life for," Ingram said. "So everything with Reggie's been real positive and he's been real
"He's always been real cool with me, real encouraging, real positive. So he's always been nothing but a positive influence for me."
And for those who are curious, Ingram said he does not know yet what number he will wear in the NFL after wearing No. 22 at Alabama - which currently belongs to Saints cornerback Tracy Porter. Ingram said he isn't too concerned about it.
"A number's just a number," he said.

Source:  http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2011/05/new_orleans_saints_rookie_tail.html#incart_mce