2024-10-18 23:30:04
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara said dropping a fifth game in a row on Thursday night to the Denver Broncos is as disappointing a run as he’s been on in his football career.
Kamara, in a press scrum after the game (H/T NewOrleans.football), said that he found two broad things “unacceptable,” from Thursday night’s loss.
“It’s a couple unacceptable things going on. One, our play is unacceptable. And two, the dome being empty, or emptying out, I think I saw some fans leaving second quarter, that’s unacceptable.”
Later, he said, “I’ve been here eight years, and I’ve never seen the dome clear out like that.”
Kamara admitted that the fans leaving is entirely within the team’s control and an appropriate response to the way the team is playing. He also juxtaposed his experience playing in New Orleans the last seven years and said he’s never seen this from the Superdome.
“If I was a fan, I would leave too. Just being honest. It’s just, people fed up.”
“We shoot ourselves in the foot. I don’t think we’re playing with a lot of detail. I don’t think we’re playing with a lot of energy… Monday night, Sunday night, Thursday night football you got to come out with energy… Team that comes out and just puts [their] mind in a place of where it’s like, ‘It’s Thursday, we know it’s a short week, we just gotta go play.’ The team that can do that? I mean, that’s the team that’s gon’ win. And I don’t think we did it today.”
“I think we came out flat. I think just came out, it was a Thursday and we had a game. It wasn’t Thursday Night Football.”
New Orleans lost 33-10 and only had four drives that lasted longer than six plays. Kamara rushed for 10 yards. Before the season, Kamara listed a New Orleans-area home for sale that sparked trade speculation.
Despite being a reasonable sell-off candidate the last few seasons as he’s maintained productive play while the Saints have floundered, in addition to the fact that Kamara has seldom had an issue being candid with the press about how he feels about sub-par performances, he has stayed mostly engaged and active with the team and vice versa. However, he did skip a minicamp over the summer related to a contract dispute.
