#Saints RB Alvin Kamara on being Captain: “Everybody was kinda laughing like ‘you’ve been a captain,’ but just to get that title and that ‘C’ on my jersey, it’s definitely meaningful. It’s my teammates voting for me, so it’s a double compliment.” @BootKreweMedia @JohnJHendrix pic.twitter.com/PqRWZ779rS
Buy Saints Tickets— Jack Culotta, Jr. (@TalkCulotta) September 8, 2022
There aren’t many people around the NFL who know the New Orleans Saints offense better than Alvin Kamara. The five-time Pro Bowl running back was often picked out by Drew Brees and Sean Payton as one of the sharpest minds on the team, credited for his high football IQ and comprehension of the playbook.
But one of the few people who might have him beat is his play caller. When asked about Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. after Thursday’s practice session, Kamara was all smiles. Carmichael is the NFL’s longest-tenured offensive coordinator, and his star player is understandably amped to see him receiving a brighter spotlight.
“Sneaky Pete, man, he’s been the one. I don’t think a lot of people know, he was up — he’s a mastermind. I’ll say that,” Kamara grinned, pausing to reflect on Payton’s departure and Carmichael’s stepping into the role as a play caller, which was a change that Kamara embraced. “It’s not a better or worse thing (comparing Carmichael to Payton on the headset), but I like Pete. He seems kind of quiet and relaxed and reserved, but he’s crazy. He takes pride in how he calls the plays, with tempo, he’s like a graceful play caller. He always knows what he wants to do to set up something else.”
Now that’s an interesting take. Carmichael’s last full-season stint as a play caller came in 2012, when Payton was suspended, and he lit up the scoreboard by fully weaponizing Brees and versatile pass-catchers like Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles. That high-octane offense saw both players draw 100-plus targets, as did wide receivers Marques Colston and Lance Moore. Carmichael was eager to air it out with Brees in his prime, though some of that may have been due to the historically-poor defense the team was shackled with at the time.
Will he take a similarly aggressive approach with Jameis Winston? Maybe. Carmichael has to know that things are different now than the situation he stepped into a decade ago, but one key lesson he may have learned from that experience could be how much easier his job is when trusting his star talent. Getting Kamara on track quickly with Winston (he’s coming off career-low numbers as a receiver in 2021) makes for more effective looks for all their teammates, including the finally-deep receiving corps. If Carmichael can get Kamara and Winston on the same page early this season, watch out. Kamara’s enthusiasm for the situation seems to suggest they’re already in lockstep.
