Drew Brees is a no brainer inclusion for the New Orleans Sports Mount Rushmore, and Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter aimed to complete the final three spots. He went with Cam Jordan, Chris Paul and Anthony Davis. Things were acceptable until he picked the wrong Davis, Demario Davis or Alvin Kamara would be a much more appropriate final selection.
The way Davis left the Pelicans immediately keeps him from being included in a Mount Rushmore of athletes in the city. It may seem petty, but it’s the truth in a city where the most revered athletes also established a connection within the city. Davis soured himself to an entire fan base to a point where it’s hard to see him placed side by side with the legends of the city.Â
The plummet in image aside, Anthony Davis shouldn’t be on the list even by pure merit. It only fits if you want to have an even amount of football and basketball players. There’s Saints with better careers than Anthony Davis who deserve to be on the list.
Demario Davis or Alvin Kamara should complete the Mount Rushmore
It makes sense for a New Orleans sports Mount Rushmore to be dominated by the Saints, seeing that they’ve had significantly more success than the Hornets or Pelicans. If it was expanded to Louisiana, LSU could balance out the conversation. Seeing that it isn’t, the natural replacement for Davis is a Saint.Â
There’s a few options, but Kamara and Demario Davis are the two options that stand out the most.
Marques Colton and Michael Thomas are viable options but lack the mix of peak and longevity as Demario and Kamara. Colston has the longevity, but his peak wasn’t as high. Thomas has the highest peak of any Saint this century not named Drew Brees, however, his run was just too short to beat out Kamara or Demario.Â
Demario had five straight seasons where he made first or second team All-Pro, and he came in and completely revolutionized the Saints defense. When Brees left, Davis is the reason there wasn't a dip in leadership afterwards.
As a linebacker, he was consistently one of the best in the league. He showed ability as a pass rusher, thumper in the run game and as a coverage player, and his ability to do all at a high level is what allowed him to extend his great play this far into his career. It's why he's the second greatest free agent signing in Saints history after Brees.
Kamara gets the nod here on the back of longevity. He doesn't have the accolades that Davis has, but he does have the franchise records. Go look at any career rushing record, and Kamara holds it.
It's more than just stats on paper. Kamara was an elite dual threat running back that was in the conversation as the best in the league. He, along with Christian McCaffrey, was a part of ushering in the era of nearly all of the best running backs being elite pass catchers as well.
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