MARK INGRAM: I mean, that's crazy, I told him you can't be telling people that, man. You can't be telling people that but it had to be like 2008 when I was a freshman or something. I guess it's a good thing, you know, so yeah.
Q. What's it like to be around that long and have a guy say that to you?
MARK INGRAM: It's a blessing. Thanks to God for a long career and great health and I still feel good going into my 11th year. It's a blessing.
Q. What do you think about having the fans back?
MARK INGRAM: It's a blessing. I think 2020 was rough for everybody, especially sporting events not being able to have fans and not being able to have family and stuff at the game.
So just to have fans at practice, anticipate having fans all throughout the season, I think that's something everybody is looking forward to?
Q. (Being coached by Lovie Smith.)
MARK INGRAM: And I feel like an extension of him. We had a great two years together in Baltimore. He was always someone who encouraged me through my good seasons, even last year, that was a challenging year, he was always super encouraging to me, always consistent, always relatable, always down-to-earth, always doing the best he could to put his players in position to have success, and develop his players to continue to improve. Just to be here with him, that's very comforting and I feel the same way.
Q. Do you feel like --
MARK INGRAM: Yeah, I healed up from the ankle injury last season about midseason, but I think just not having as much wear on my body last year, being able to go into the off-season healthy, being able to train hard, being able to train hard, get better conditioned, put myself in position to come out here and put my best foot forward, I feel really good coming into this year.
I feel healthy. I feel strong, fast, explosive and I'm just ready to play and do the best I can do to help the team win games.
Q. What's it like being an entrepreneur? How did you decide to do that, being an owner of a professional team?
MARK INGRAM: It was amazing and just a tremendous opportunity through networking and it's more of a partnership and it was something that was really appealing to me.
Obviously being an owner but also being able to be a partner with good guys who have had a track record of having success running professional teams, running a soccer team in the Champions League and just being able to be a person -- I'm on the board. They call me, I'm in touch with the partners; I'm in touch with the players.
To be able to do that while I'm focusing on my career and trying to be the best I can being during my career but also still be an owner and be an entrepreneur I think is great and something I'm proud of.
Q. What's it like being able to call yourself an owner?
MARK INGRAM: Run the question again.
Q. Calling yourself an owner?
MARK INGRAM: It's crazy, it's through networking, being around the right people that presented me with an opportunity to join a partnership of a great group. The fact that I can be an owner is crazy.
It's something that I didn't think that would happen but just fortunately through great networking, great people and a great partnership, it all worked out and I'm able to be an owner of MLS team in D.C. United. So vamos United.
Q. Talk about the running back position.
MARK INGRAM: This is the NFL. You're going to have in every single training camp everywhere, there's a great group of guys and we have a great group of guys who have played football ask done it at a high level for a long time from Rex to D.J. to Phillip, even Dontrell, even Buddy. We got Scotty, too.
We just got a group of guys who are competing who enjoy being around each other, aren't afraid of competition and when you have a group like that, it makes everyone better. It makes the team better. It makes the group better and it's something that you can thrive on.
Q. Trying to help improve the run game, obviously last year wasn't a great run game -- how have you incorporated ideas into making it better?
MARK INGRAM: We're just working, trying to learn the system. We want to emphasize running the ball, we want to emphasize being physical and we are just trying to be able to assess, assert our abilities and our talents within the offense.
You know, whether that's running down hill, whether that's running inside zone, whether that's running power, gap schemes, outside zone, tosses, coming out the backfield catching passes. We are all just trying to continue to improve, continuing to stacking the days and continue to get better so we can be the best possible when we step on the field on Sunday so we can give ourselves the best chance to win.
Q. How much are you liking the Podcast and being a content creator?
MARK INGRAM: It's a great opportunity to be able to hone in on some skills as far as interviewing and just talking on camera. So it's with my best friend, Cam Jordan. We got drafted in 2011 together to the Saints. We're still brothers and family and to be able to have guests on the 'Pod from our network and resources is just a super enjoyable experience.
It's not always easy coordinating schedules and getting guests on at the right time but when we do it and you sit down and we're recording with a guest, man, it's a great time. It's a genuine conversation and it's something we enjoy putting out. Make sure everybody subscribes to Trust Levels and make sure anywhere you get your Podcast, check us out, Trust Levels, rate us and let us know what you think.
Q. Don't be breaking any stories.
MARK INGRAM: It's all 100. It's all real. It's genuine, if it pops up, it pops up, you know what I mean.
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