Let me preface this by saying I have no idea whether Alvin Kamara will be back with the Saints next season.
Kamara is without question one of the most beloved players to ever put on a Saints uniform. The shoes that someone eventually will have to fill when he is no longer wearing the black-and-gold No. 41 jersey will be the size of a New Orleans pothole.
The thought of it probably make you nervous, just like Travis Etienne claimed to be when he started his introductory news conference Friday morning. But if his 29-minute session with the media is any indication, there’s no need to fret.
Etienne’s jitters disappeared within the first 30 seconds, and he was well on his way to [owning this news conference](https://www.nola.com/tncms/asset/editorial/94d90f91-bedb-4d98-91b8-b4a2b425ec96/) with the same flair he has owned every running back room he’s been in.
The one at Jennings High School. The one at Clemson University. And the one with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Now he’ll try to do the same thing in his home state, just 2½ hours away from Jennings where he and all of his family members would gather and watch Saints games when he was a kid.
New Orleans running backs always were his heroes.
Playing football in the yard as a kid, he was Deuce McAllister. His little brother Trevor, now with the Carolina Panthers, was Reggie Bush. Etienne has old pictures from his college days when he was wearing Kamara jerseys.
“I watched AK a lot,” Etienne said. “Some people say I model my game after his. I took a lot from his game. I would love to play with him. I just think having that veteran guy who can just help accelerate my growth. I grew up idolizing duos. Why wouldn’t I be excited to do something like that?"
Who knows whether Etienne — who signed a four-year, $52 million deal — actually will get to form that dynamic duo with Kamara. The Saints restructured Kamara’s contract last week and coach [Kellen Moore was evasive](https://www.nola.com/tncms/asset/editorial/94e816a7-f35d-4091-a7fa-7099cc4da52d/) Thursday when asked about AK’s future with the team. When asked whether Kamara retiring was a possibility, Moore had this to say:
“I’m not going to get into all that stuff. I haven’t had those conversations in any way.”
If Kamara does call it quits or heads to another team, it would take a special type of player to replace him and win over the fanbase the way he did when he arrived in 2017.
Etienne could be just the guy. He has the skillset, swagger and confidence, just like Kamara.
If Etienne produces here like he did in Jacksonville, coupled with his love for both Louisiana and the Saints, he would win the hearts of the fans immediately. Fans love a player who understands New Orleans and embraces the culture of Louisiana.
Etienne doesn’t have to embrace it. He’s lived it his entire 27-year life. He named his son Saint. In college when his friends would go off to Miami and other beaches during spring break, Etienne would make his way back to Louisiana.
He's just as much a Saints fan as the ones who will cheer for him. He’s one of them, putting him on the direct path to the hearts of Who Dats. If things go right, his jersey undoubtedly will become one of the most popular ones in the city.
Just moments after signing his contract, Etienne already was referring to himself and his new teammates as “we.” He walked by the Lombardi Trophy when he entered the building, and he knows what that meant for the state of Louisiana.
“I’ve seen the high of the Saints,” Etienne said. “We just want to get back where we are playing a high level of football.”
Etienne vows he will do his part.
“I’m going to give 100 percent,” Etienne said. “I’m going to give everything I can to the Saints organization each and every Sunday until I’m done playing the game of football.”
Although LeBron James is his favorite basketball player, he also says he has the Mamba mentality of Kobe Bryant. He spent many hours on YouTube studying Bryant’s nonstop work ethic.
“They can’t measure your heart,” Etienne said. “That’s what makes Louisiana players so special. At the end of the day, you’re going to get everything we have every time we are on that field.”
Etienne was once an unknown recruit in high school. He attended a Nike camp in New Orleans and it changed everything. After running a blazing time in the 40, he had five offers from SEC schools by the time he made it back home to Jennings.
The rest, as they say, is history. Except for Etienne, there is more history to write as he tries to make his place in Saints lore alongside the likes of McAllister and Bush and Mark Ingram and Kamara.
He won’t be able to do that by winning the news conference, though. It’ll all come down to what he does on the field. He’s thrilled that field is the one in the Dome.
This is where he is supposed to be. It's a full-circle moment that he appreciates.
“I feel like all the stars aligned,” Etienne said. “This is a dream that I couldn’t have even dreamed of. I’m just happy I’m standing here with my best foot forward every day. To give all I can for this city.”
It's a city that could fall in love with him just like they did with Kamara.