Saints RB Coach: Alvin Kamara is back to 100%
“I feel good. I’m back.” Alvin Kamara
The 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Alvin Kamara, revealed on August 10 that he had played the majority of the 2019 NFL season on a torn MCL in his knee. A week into full padded training camp Saints RB coach Joel Thomas believes his Pro-Bowl RB is back to 100 percent. Thomas and Kamara have echoed each other’s comments regarding the Saints' superstar's health since the beginning of the month. Both are confident that Kamara will return to his 2017-18 form.
The injuries were apparent in Kamara’s play last season, where he totaled only two plays of 20+ yards in the passing game. “I was hurt,” Kamara said Friday. However, the former Volunteers RB sees the 2020 offseason as an opportunity not only to get healthy but for “iron to sharpen iron.” “I feel like we have the best defense in the league,” said Kamara. “So just being able to go out there and compete with them every day... iron sharpens iron is the best way I can put it.”
Kamara shared last week that recovery and rehab were his main focuses' this offseason with his trainer Dr. Sharif Tabbah at Athletix Rehab and Recovery.
Kamara added. "I had a rough year last year dealing with injuries. So I have dealt with that, got back healthy and I'm here now. Just trying to get back in the swing, trying to navigate what is going on with this corona thing and just focus on what we've got to do as a team to be able to overcome this."
Entering a contract year, Kamara has made it clear he is more concerned with returning to health and improving on the field than focusing on an extension, despite rumors of a deal being discussed.
“I bet on myself every year, but it’s never been something, like I never came in thinking about like, oh, I can’t wait until I get a contract. It’s like, I’m playing and when that comes it’s going to be well deserved and it’s going to be perfect timing for it. It’s just not something that’s on the forefront of my day. It is not something I wake up thinking about. I just wake up thinking about, alright, I’ve got to do what I have to do for this team to win, put myself in the best position to be successful, and then with team success comes individual success. So that’s what I’m focused on and that’s been my message since I’ve been here.”
Saints News Network’s John Hendrix broke down what a new contract would look like for Kamara in July.
Kamara posted a PFF grade of 82.7 in the red-zone and a 92.3 grade as a receiving back since he entered the league in 2017. Both grades rank him in the top three for those categories. Kamara also became the first player in NFL history to record 2,000 rushing yards, 2,000 receiving yards, and 3 Pro-Bowl appearances in a player’s first three NFL seasons.
After an injury-plagued and sub-par season in 2019, expect an explosive Alvin Kamara on full display in 2020. With his improved health and the additions of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and a more youthful offensive line, the field should open up for Kamara to make explosive plays in the run and passing game. Kamara believes a new contract will work itself out, but a big 2020 would only speed up the process.
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