By Jimmy Hyams
The city of New Orleans is below sea level, but Alvin Kamara is playing in rarified air.
Kamara is one of only four NFL rookies in history to have at least 600 rushing and 600 receiving yards in their first season.
The former Tennessee Vol has been an explosive toy in the tool box of coach Sean Payton.
NFL draft analyst Mike DeTillier, who has covered the Saints for over 30 years, is blown away by Kamara’s performance.
“If you didn’t say it was shocking,’’ DeTillier said, “you’d be lying.’’
DeTillier said Payton discovered Kamara’s abilities when Payton went to Knoxville to work out former UT quarterback Josh Dobbs. Kamara volunteered to run routes, Payton gave Kamara some complex patterns and Kamara handled them with ease.
So when it came draft time, the Saints moved up in the third round by trading two picks to select the native of Norcross, Ga., even through the Saints had foolishly acquired Adrian Peterson, who didn’t fit New Orleans’ system.
Peterson was traded and Kamara traded places with Peterson in the lineup.
The results have been spectacular.
Despite suffering a concussion in the Saints most recent game, Kamara has 608 yards rushing and 639 receiving. Only Charley Taylor, Billy Sims and Herschel Walker have achieved those numbers right out of college.
Kamara is averaging 7.0 yards per carry and has had five 60-yard games. He is averaging 10.3 yards per catch and has had seven 50-yard games.
“I knew he was a good fit for what Sean Payton wants to do here in New Orleans,’’ DeTillier said. “But to see him excel at this level, I don’t think anyone thought that this would happen.’’
DeTillier has covered the NFL for 33 years, He’s seen some great ones. And he puts Kamara in elite company.
“He is the best open-field, make-you-miss runner I have seen hit the league as a rookie since Marshall Faulk,’’ DeTillier said. “He is stunning the way he runs with the football, so effortlessly – almost like when you watch Usain Bolt run. You’re like, `It doesn’t look like he’s running fast until you are on the track with him.’’’
Kamara’s ability to make the first man miss is “tremendous,’’ DeTillier said.
An NFL study revealed that Kamara makes the first man miss about 26% of the time, the most of anyone in the NFL.
Kamara and the veteran Mark Ingram might be the best 1-2 running back duo in the NFL. Kamara has 1,247 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. Ingram has 1,296 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns. That’s over 2,500 yards from scrimmage and 20 scores.
They are known as Thunder and Lightning in the Saints backfield.
DeTillier said Kamara and Ingram go together like Dean Martina and Jerry Lewis, or like Cheech and Chong – minus the bong.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees told DeTillier a few days into practice that Kamara has the “wow’’ factor. According to DeTillier, Brees never said that about Ingram or receiver Michael Thomas or tight end Jimmy Graham.
When Payton worked out Kamara in Knoxville, the coach gave the running back some intricate routes to run, testing Kamara’s football IQ.
After successfully negotiating Payton’s challenge, Kamara was “almost yelling at him, like, what else you got, coach? Throw it at me.’ He won over Payton pretty quickly.’’
DeTillier said on Day 2 of the most recent NFL draft, Saints fans were livid that the team drafted Kamara after acquiring Peterson.
DeTillier said nine out of 10 callers said, `What in the world is Sean Payton doing trading a second and a seventh-round pick for a running back when you got Adrian Peterson and Mark Ingram?’ Now I can’t find any of those people to call back.’’
DeTillier would give them a pass, but he also notes that Kamara has been “a fantastic football player for the Saints and an electrifying guy.’’
With the help of Kamara, the Saints offense has been much more efficient on the ground and relied less on Brees to pile up gaudy passing numbers.
DeTillier said the Saints, under Payton, are 47-4 when rushing at least 30 times in a game and they win 15% of the time when Brees throws at least 45 passes.
“I didn’t go to MIT or Cornell or Yale or Harvard,’’ DeTillier said, “but I can figure out that if your running game gets cranked up early and you can finish a game off with a running attack, you can win a lot of games in this league.’’
Kamara’s value to the Saints was underscored in a recent 20-17 loss to Atlanta, when Kamara suffered a first quarter concussion and the offense bogged down.
Payton said recently the only person that could keep Kamara from winning NFL offensive rookie of the year was Payton.
Payton might be right.
“Alvin Kamara is built like a sports car,’’ DeTillier said. “And when he gets that thing in high gear, all you see is the back of his heals.’’
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