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I really like how Sean Payton would listen to our players and do something what they like.
METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton was jogging back to the locker room for halftime at Atlanta in Week 13 when he decided to pick the brain of one of his most trusted offensive minds: Running back Alvin Kamara.
"It was just in casual conversation -- he happened to be next to me walking to the locker room. And I said, 'What do you like in the second half?' Just getting his gut," Payton said. "We talked about a few different runs. And then he said to me, 'I really like that same play that we ran Taysom [Hill’s quarterback] keeper, but the run off of it.'"
Sure enough, Payton took Kamara’s advice. He installed an adjusted version of the play at halftime -- this time with Kamara getting the ball -- and it resulted in an 11-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the third quarter.
"I was coming off and [Payton] was like, 'You called that play!' And I was like, 'Yeah, you damn right,'" recalled Kamara, who said it was both validating to know he read the situation correctly and potentially useful in the future.
"It's like, OK, I might have some money in the bank now," Kamara said. "I might be able to call a couple plays in the game.'"
METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton was jogging back to the locker room for halftime at Atlanta in Week 13 when he decided to pick the brain of one of his most trusted offensive minds: Running back Alvin Kamara.
"It was just in casual conversation -- he happened to be next to me walking to the locker room. And I said, 'What do you like in the second half?' Just getting his gut," Payton said. "We talked about a few different runs. And then he said to me, 'I really like that same play that we ran Taysom [Hill’s quarterback] keeper, but the run off of it.'"
Sure enough, Payton took Kamara’s advice. He installed an adjusted version of the play at halftime -- this time with Kamara getting the ball -- and it resulted in an 11-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the third quarter.
"I was coming off and [Payton] was like, 'You called that play!' And I was like, 'Yeah, you damn right,'" recalled Kamara, who said it was both validating to know he read the situation correctly and potentially useful in the future.
"It's like, OK, I might have some money in the bank now," Kamara said. "I might be able to call a couple plays in the game.'"
A beautiful mind: How Saints' Alvin Kamara stays 'two moves ahead'
Kamara has been blessed with many gifts but none may be as impressive as his mind, which helps him pull off things other running backs can't.
www.espn.com