SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Through deed or words, inspiration comes in many forms.
For the New Orleans Saints, the emotion came Saturday night when former Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen was invited as a guest speaker before the Saints faced the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on Sunday.
Saints running backs Mark Ingram, Travaris Cadet and Marcus Murphy sat in the audience wearing Allen's Oakland Raiders jersey, while Tim Hightower and fullback John Kuhn wore Allen's Kansas City Chiefs jersey as the NFL great held court.
From his experiences as a player over a 16-year career to doing what it takes to win as a complete team, Allen shared words of wisdom to a captive Saints audience, all of whom absorbed his speech.