Tag: Deuce McAllister

Clyde Edwards-Helaire talks return to Louisiana after first Saints practice

Clyde Edwards-Helaire discussed the opportunity to return to Louisiana after his first practice on Thursday, and the call he received from the Saints:

The New Orleans Saints signing of Clyde Edwards-Helaire brings another Louisiana native back to the state, as he was born and raised in Baton Rouge. Edwards-Helaire then went on to play high school football at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, before moving on to college where he would spend three seasons with LSU, win a National Championship, and move on to the NFL.

He will now have a chance to play at this level with the Saints, and he had the opportunity to discuss this return to the state after his first practice with his new team on Thursday.

Edwards-Helaire told reporters it was too perfect of an opportunity to pass up.

“When I saw that 504 number come across my phone the other day, I couldn’t be more than ecstatic. Being able to come home and put on the black and gold was something I dreamed of as a kid,” Edwards-Helaire said.

He’s a lifelong Saints fan, so this was something of a full-circle moment for him. Edwards-Helaire said his mother had just found some of his old Saints gear during some housecleaning before the team called him: “I had multiple Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Deuce McAllister posters in my room. My mom was texting me on the way up here, she found my Saints puffer that I used to wear that had my name embroidered on it.”

He will now return home after winning two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, as he looks to make an impact on his home town team.

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WATCH: Taysom Hill ices the game with third-longest rush in Saints’ history

WATCH: Taysom Hill ices the game with one of the longest rushes in Saints history

The New Orleans Saints managed to pull away late against the Cleveland Browns, and things wrapped up with a 75-yard touchdown rush by Taysom Hill.

This run tied for the third longest in Saints’ history with Mark Ingram’s 75-yarder and behind George Rogers (79 yards) and Deuce McAllister (76 yards). The rush came with Hill in the wildcat spot, where he took the direct snap and ran around the left side, where pretty much noone was there to meet him and he ran all the way down the field for a touchdown.

And this sealed a victory for the Saints as they went up 35-14, and managed to get to a 4-7 record entering their Week 12 bye.

Alvin Kamara moved up to second among Saints’ all-time rushing yards leaders

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara surpassed Deuce McAllister in Week 3 to rank second among the Saints’ all-time rushing yards leaders:

The New Orleans Saints’ 15-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 somewhat overshadowed some of the positive things that had happened, including Tyrann Mathieu tying for second place with his 35th interception among active players. It’s tough to say much was positive for the offense when they only scored a dozen points, but some individuals did pass important milestones.

One of them was Alvin Kamara surpassing Deuce McAllister in career rushing yards with the Saints, moving him up to second behind his old teammate Mark Ingram II. Kamara entered the game trailing McAllister  by 69 rushing yards, and with 87 yards on the ground, he ended the day 18 yards ahead.

Even more impressively, Kamara did this on 53 fewer rushing attempts than McAllister. He has a decent margin remaining to get up to first place, however, with Ingram sitting at exactly 6,500 rushing yards for New Orleans, while Kamara checks in at 6,114. For Kamara to reach Ingram on the same amount of rushing attempts, he would need to average around 5.1 yards per carry on his next 75 attempts, which is pretty unreasonable given his hot start to the season. With only 386 more yards to go, he could feasibly find his way to the top of the list this season however, which is a fun stat to keep an eye on throughout the year.

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Alvin Kamara has now joined the NFL’s 6,000 Yards Club

Alvin Kamara has now joined the NFL’s 6,000 Yards Club. He’s gaining ground on Mark Ingram and Deuce McAllister:

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara has officially joined the NFL’s 6,000 yards club with his standout performance in the 44-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Kamara finished with 2 catches for 65 yards and 1 touchdown, also recording 115 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on 20 carries. It was also his seventh career game with 3 touchdowns or more.

He is now the third player in franchise history to cross the 6,000-yard mark with a total of 6,027 yards, joining the likes of Deuce McAllister (6,096) and Mark Ingram II (6,500). He’s on track to pass both of those names this season if he can gain at least 474 more yards. That’s an average of 31.6 yards per game over the next 15 matchups, but he’s totaled 198 rushing yards through the first two weeks. He’ll get there by Week 7 at his current pace.

So far this season, Kamara totals 35 carries for 198 yards with 4 touchdowns. Known for his versatility, he’s also been a force out of the backfield in the passing game, catching all 7 passes he has been targeted on this season for 92 yards with 1 touchdown.

Kamara and the Saints will look to keep up the same level of success as they return home to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 22 at Noon CT.

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Deuce McAllister’s record-breaking TD is the Saints Play of Day 54

Deuce McAllister’s record-breaking touchdown run against the Green Bay Packers in 2008 is the New Orleans Saints Play of Day 54:

There are 54 days to go until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 regular season, and our pick for the Saints Play of the Day countdown is something special. The play itself isn’t what stands out so much as what it represents: Deuce McAllister’s record-breaking touchdown run back in 2008.

He’s had flashier plays, including a 54-yard touchdown run against the Atlanta Falcons as a rookie in 2001. But this one capped a career full of hard work and adversity. McAllister followed his blockers left and crashed into the end zone for six points. It was the 54th touchdown McAllister scored in his career, breaking the record set by his predecessor Dalton Hilliard. McAllister would find the end zone one more time before hanging up his cleats, extending his record to 55 touchdowns scored in a Saints uniform.

Of course he himself was later surpassed by other great players — first Mark Ingram II (57) and Marques Colston (72), and now Alvin Kamara (78 and counting). Jimmy Graham returned to the Saints and tied McAllister’s total in 2023. But that doesn’t diminish what McAllister accomplished. That he put so many points on the board without playing with a future Hall of Famer at quarterback for so many years speaks volumes.

He gave fans someone to root for during a tough time in franchise history before passing off the torch to the next generation of star talents. He’s one of the greatest players to ever suit up for the black and gold, and fans who got to see him go to work in his prime were lucky to do so.

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Alvin Kamara won another Saints franchise record against the Giants

Alvin Kamara won yet another Saints franchise record against the Giants. No player has had more seasons with 1,000-plus scrimmage yards in team history:

Don’t look now, but Alvin Kamara has won yet another New Orleans Saints franchise record during his performance against the New York Giants. No player has had more seasons with 1,000-plus scrimmage yards in team history — a feat Kamara has now accomplished seven times.

Kamara went into Sunday’s matchup with 966 scrimmage yards through his first 10 games in 2023, and he went the distance midway through the third quarter to join the Comma Club again. Here are the leaders in Saints franchise history for 1,000-yard seasons:

  • RB Alvin Kamara: 7
  • WR Marques Colston: 6
  • WR Michael Thomas, RB Mark Ingram II, RB Deuce McAllister, and WR Joe Horn: 4
  • WR Eric Martin, RB Ricky Williams: 3

Kamara’s impact on the Saints can’t be understated: he’s a rare talent who landed in the perfect spot to make the most of his talents with Drew Brees throwing to him and Sean Payton drawing up his plays to start his career. And he’s still producing. Hopefully he can keep it going for years to come.

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WATCH: Saints running back legends lead Who Dat Chant before last preseason game

WATCH: Saints running back legends Deuce McAllister, Mark Ingram II, Alvin Kamara lead Who Dat Chant before last preseason game | @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints treated the fans to a special Who Dat Chant for the last preseason game of the year against the Houston Texans as Deuce McAllister, Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara all took the field to lead the crowd.

It was a nice moment to see who many would consider the three best running backs in franchise history together on the field. Ingram was in town with his new FOX Sports gig, so the Saints took the chance to honor him and give the fans another chance to show their appreciation.

An extra level to the night was that all three backs were wearing the Ingram Jersey numbers with the three numbers that the Heisman Trophy winner wore as a member of the team. McAllister wore the No. 28, Ingram wore the No. 22 and Kamara took the most recent No. 14 (the inverse of his usual No. 41).

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The top 20 rushing leaders in in New Orleans Saints history

These are the top 20 rushing leaders in in New Orleans Saints history. How long will Mark Ingram II stay on top?

The New Orleans Saints have always had a history of strong running back play, and it wasn’t easy for Mark Ingram II to finally climb the mountaintop and win the franchise rushing records. But how long will he hold the record for career rushing yards after taking it from Deuce McAllister? Alvin Kamara is closing in quickly.

And Taysom Hill deserves a shoutout — he’s already ranked inside the top 20 rushers in Saints franchise history, and another productive year like he had last season could vault him into the top-10. Here’s the full list:

Every 1,000-yard rusher in New Orleans Saints history

Mark Ingram and Deuce McAllister are the latest Saints running backs to rush for over 1,000 yards. How many Saints have achieved this feat? | @southexclusives

The New Orleans Saints have had 13 seasons in team history where a rusher eclipsed the 1,000 rushing yards threshold. Running back Deuce McAllister has the most such seasons, rushing for over 1,000 yards four times in five seasons between 2002 to 2006.

Mark Ingram II was the last Saints rusher to achieve this feat in 2017. The Saints splitting the carries in the backfield has made it more difficult to accomplish in recent years.

Jamaal Williams has the best chance to break the drought. With a potential Alvin Kamara suspension on the table, Williams will likely lead the team in carries at times this season. If he succeeds, Williams would be the eighth rusher to cross century mark in Saints history. Here’s the full list so far:

Deuce McAllister launches fundraising platform for local community

Deuce McAllister launches fundraising platform for local community. The former Saints running back is eager to support New Orleans, via @MaddyHudak_94:

While former New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister is a Mississippi native, he’s engrained himself in the local community since they selected him in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft. The once all-time rushing leader for the Saints – eclipsed by Mark Ingram this past season – is remembered for his impact on the field. But his legacy lies in his work behind the scenes, much like several players from the team hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Despite retiring over 10 years ago, McAllister continues his local efforts in launching a new fundraising platform with founder and president Jason White, FRYP – Your Best Friend for Fund Raising.

When reading back stories detailing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as witnessed by those Saints players, what stuck out about McAllister was his indelible memory of the people. The Saints’ team cook searching for a lost relative, the volunteers at a local church, Red Cross workers he worked alongside, volunteers and staff at the airport housing evacuees. Oftentimes, the true heroes are those working seamlessly behind the scenes, on the front line of a crisis, and most recently, amid the pandemic. The hospitality industry is perhaps misunderstood or underappreciated; to co-founder McAllister, they are the exact type of people their platform intends to lift up.