Kendre Miller made waves this offseason after being picked by the New Orleans Saints and quickly making his intentions clear of replacing his Pro Bowl teammate Alvin Kamara. It’s not unusual for rookies to set high expectations, but Miller set the bar awful high for himself in the spring.
And it’s something Kamara is happy to see. When NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett asked about Miller’s comments over the summer after Friday’s training camp practice, he was all smiles.
“It’s funny, ’cause he gets drafted and everybody’s sending me his quotes,” Kamara grinned, “You know, ‘I can do everything Alvin Kamara can do,’ and ‘I watched all this film.’ I think everybody’s like ‘Man what is he talking about? Did you see that?’ Yeah, I see it. He’s supposed to feel like that. You know what I mean? That’s what a competitor does. You know, when I get out there I’ve got to spank him a little bit, show him this (expletive) is different.”
Kamara was complimentary of Miller’s study habits and attitude, praising the rookie for “being a sponge” and learning a lot early on. He also expressed his willingness to give his new teammate anything needed of him, just like veterans once did for him. The way he sees it, there’s enough room for both players to be great in New Orleans’ backfield.
“A candle doesn’t lose any flame by lighting another candle,” Kamara added.
Miller will get his opportunity with Kamara starting the regular season on a three-game suspension after his arrest in Las Vegas last year, and the rookie should make the most of it. He’s run hard in training camp now that players are practicing in pads and doing what he can to be more of an asset on passing downs after he wasn’t asked to do much in that area at TCU. Having one of the best in the game coaching him up after every rep has to be a valuable resource. Let’s see if Miller’s able to back up his tall-talking.
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