The Beast Is Back: Mark Imgram Returns To Action For Crimson Tide

1) Experience. Saban himself said Ingram was playing his best football yet before the surgery, a pretty serious statement considering Ingram was literally the entire offense for a large stretch of last season, catapulting him into the national spotlight and earning him the Heisman Trophy despite zero preseason buzz or an orchestrated media push by the university. To paraphrase OTS, if Ingram wasn’t playing his best football last season, then Mark Ingram must currently be operating on a higher plane of existence than the rest of us mere mortals.
2) Depth. I would happily wager that any other team in the SEC would trade their current backfield for the combination of Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy (though Auburn wouldn’t admit to it since they totally pwnd us in recruiting last year and OMG Cam Newton), so think about what Ingram’s return does for our quality depth. Not only do we have two backs that could carry the load individually, but we now have two feature backs and a more than serviceable #3, which brings me to...
3) Versatility. You can maybe file this under “the unknown” as well, but consider this: we’ve see enough new wrinkles so far (empty sets, more formations in the Wildcat, different personnel groupings, etc.) to expect more as the season wears on, but we also have no inkling of what part Mark Ingram will play in those wrinkles. With all the praise he’s gotten for his smarts and ability, it should come as no surprised if we find out he has an even greater role in the offense once he gets back on the field. We’ve all salivated over the prospect of Ingram and Richardson getting on the field at the same time, and even though Jim McElwain has expressly said he’s not looking to add any two back sets just to do so, don’t rule out a lot of experimentation via the Wildcat or lining one or the other up at WR from time to time.