'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'
This is the way it should be for Alvin Kamara , considering his relationship with Mark Ingram II.
Ingram has held the all-time rushing lead for the Saints since Nov. 14, 2021, when he topped Deuce McAllister's mark of 6,096. But even as Ingram was stretching out the mark to 6,500 yards, his close friend, Kamara, was mounting an assault on the franchise record books that would lead to this:
Kamara enters Sunday's game against Atlanta in the Caesars Superdome just 12 rushing yards short of taking over as the Saints' all-time leading rusher. He enters the game with 6,489 rushing yards, a mark he reached with a 155-yard, 29-carry effort against Carolina in the last game.
"That was the whole plan," Kamara said, smiling. "It's definitely a full-circle moment because I came in young buck, he kind of gave everything to me, just poured into me and helped me kind of become the running back I am right now, the player I am, the pro I am.
"That was my example. Thank God he was in my (running back) room; I had an example right there, right next to me to kind of guide me and show me the way."
Ingram, one of two first-round picks by New Orleans in 2011, was in his seventh season when the Saints drafted Kamara in the third round in 2017.
The two virtually were inseparable almost from the beginning, often conducting joint postgame interviews that season as Kamara earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and each was named a Pro Bowler, the first time that running back teammates were named Pro Bowlers in the same season since 1975.
While Kamara was working Sunday, Ingram was counting.
"I got on the bus last week (after the Carolina game) and Mark was like, you should've broke it but, good thing you can break it at home," Kamara said. "I'm like, what are you talking about.
"Then I realized, I was like, oh, he's talking about the rushing record. It's definitely cool. 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.
"It makes me feel old, because now I'm thinking about how many yards is 6,000 yards in game form. I'm like, dang, that's a lot. (But) it's gonna be cool."
For the record, Kamara has played 110 career games to reach his current total and if he gains the 12 rushing yards Sunday, it will be the latest in an impressive list of accomplishments as a Saint.
He already is the franchise all-time leader in rushing attempts (1,465), rushing touchdowns (60), total touchdowns (85), yards from scrimmage (11,075) and all-purpose yards (11,739).
This season, Kamara had run for 660 yards and six touchdowns on 150 carries and caught 46 passes for 367 yards and a touchdown in the first nine games. He'd topped 100 yards from scrimmage in six games.
If Kamara accomplishes the feat, it will happen almost three years to the day that Ingram set the record; Ingram and the Saints played the Falcons at home the week before he set the record on the road, while Kamara will look to break it against Atlanta in the Superdome.
