It’s highly improbable to have the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year on the same team, but if you’re a fan of the New Orleans Saints, it’s a reality. Marshon Lattimore and Alvin Kamara are built differently than most and their play as rookies showed it. The Saints can proudly boast their terrific and dynamic young players and the accolades that come with it, but the offseason has the players craving even more.
“We talk about it all the time — we’re just trying to be the best,” Lattimore said recently to the New Orleans Advocate. “We won Rookie of the Year, now we’re trying to win Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year.”
It’s clear they aren’t settling, and why would they? They, along with a few others from their draft class, pretty much reshaped the future for the Saints organization. The Saints were almost at the point of no return with coaches being on the hot seat, an aging quarterback who was still forced to single-handedly carry an offense and a defense full of holes. Enter the rookie class of 2017, which injected new life into the team.
And now they have the opportunity to put the Saints into the highly exclusive club of teams that have had both the AP Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. Last year’s Los Angeles Rams and the 2003 Baltimore Ravens are the only teams with that distinction.
The wait for their encore performance is tough.
“You’ve got a lot of free time on your hands. You’ve got to know what to do with it,” Kamara said.
Kamara focused on eating right and being on top of workouts as things that were significant about the offseason now that they had made it to the league.
With this level of comfort and familiarity comes confidence. Lattimore and Kamara have been working out and running camps, but this time around, they aren’t the youngbloods. They have gone from accessories to headliners really quick, and they know it.
They also know who’s the more popular of the two. Kamara, the flashy and explosive offensive machine, gets a lot of publicity because of his position. Lattimore, after having an all-time season for a rookie and a season any cornerback would dream of, knows he has to do more on the field to catch up in status with his teammate.
“Alvin’s the superstar,” Lattimore said. “They love the offense. … Nobody cares about defense. … I’m trying to get on AK’s level.”
He may have to do that, but in the eyes of the Saints fans, Lattimore is already a conquering hero. As long as his play continues to elevate, he won’t be forgotten by anyone in the Saints fandom anytime soon.