Mark Ingram is gearing up to represent his third franchise — this time as a member of the Houston Texans — as he enters his 11th season in the league. Prior to his two-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens, Ingram began his career with the New Orleans Saints — where he played eight seasons alongside Drew Brees.
During Ingram’s media availability on Wednesday, the three-time Pro-Bowler took time to honor Brees, after his former teammate retired after a Hall-of-Fame career.
“Just coming in as a rookie, learning how to be a pro, learning how to approach walkthroughs, learning how to approach film, learning how to approach practice, learning how to approach body recovery,” Ingram said. “All those things – how locked in he was at walk-throughs. Paying attention to detail, always wanting to be perfect, striving for that perfection.”
Ingram joined the Saints a year after the organization won their lone Super Bowl title in 2011. The Brees-Ingram pairing led the Saints to a 76-52 record, with four post-season appearances.
Ingram’s best season with the Saints came in 2017 when he rushed for a career-best 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns in 16 games. He finished his career in New Orleans with the second-most rushing yards in franchise history (6007) — trailing Deuce McAllister by 89 total yards.
After 20 years in the league, Brees ends his career as one of the greatest quarterbacks in league history. A Super Bowl MVP winner in 2010, Brees ends his career as the NFL’s all-time leader in most career passing yards (80,358), most career pass completions (7,142) and tied for the most touchdown passes in a game (7).
“I think his legacy is just he’s played this game, was a great human being, a great father, a great husband, a great teammate, a great humanitarian and obviously one of the best to do it statistically ever in the NFL,” Ingram said. “He’s the GOAT. First ballot Hall of Fame person, first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback. He deserves everything that’s coming for him in retirement.”