As Team USA heads to Tokyo, which Saints players would be likely to compete if they did not fall in love with football?

The 2021 Summer Olympics are right around the corner. Some events have already started but the opening ceremony is slated to go off on Friday. Despite some concerns in Tokyo, the Olympics are something we can all look forward to as we still battle the Covid-19 pandemic. American Football is not an event in the Olympics, because if it were, Team USA would win every game by 300 points. So without Football as an option, what sports would some Saints players be likely to compete in if they never took to football? Let’s start with an event nearly as old as Tom Brady, the Marathon.

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Malcolm Jenkins-Marathon

Running the marathon requires stamina, and lots of it. That is one thing that we know Malcom Jenkins has, as he has played nearly every defensive snap since 2014. Jenkins has missed just 9% of defensive snaps in the last seven years, and has played over 1,000 plays in six of the last seven years. Jenkins has missed just nine games in his 12 year career, that kind of stamina and reliability would be well suited to run the 26.2 miles required for the marathon.

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Deonte Harris-100 meters

Harris is the most explosive player on the Saints, so naturally his speed would fit well in the 100 meter dash. Harris has ran the 100 meters before, as he ran a personal best of 11.00 seconds for Archbishop Curley High School in Maryland as a Senior. Harris’s quick movements and great straight-line speed would make him a good option to run the 100 meters.

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Alvin Kamara-110 meter hurdle

Alvin Kamara is one of the best running backs in the league, mainly because he can make exciting and unexpected plays like this amazing hurdle during his rookie year.

Kamara has made many plays such as this throughout his career, and could easily convert his proclivity for jumping over defenders into jumping over Olympic hurdles. Kamara has even jokingly asked former LSU Tiger and Team USA hurdler Lolo Jones to be his coach for the 2021 Olympics.

Perhaps Kamara can squeeze in some time to train and compete in Tokyo before training camp begins?

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Terron Armstead-Shotput

We have seen Terron Armstead shotput plenty of defenders across the field in his eight year career in New Orleans. But before he threw around defensive ends, Armstead threw shotput at Cahokia High School in Illinois. Armstead was named the News-Democrat Track and Field Athlete of the Year, after registering a throw of 61 ft. 5 in. which earned him the Illinois state title. Armstead continued his shot put career in college at Arkansas Pine-Bluff, placing 10th at the NCAA West Regionals in 2012 with another throw of nearly 61.5 ft.

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Taysom Hill-Decathlon

What better event for Mr. Swiss Army Knife than the Decathlon? Much like him playing multiple positions in the NFL, Hill played multiple sports back at Highland High School in Pocatello, Idaho. Hill lettered in Football, Basketball, and Track in high school, and competed in the 200 meters, 4 x 200 meter relay, and the long jump. The decathlon consists of ten different events, namely the 100 meters, long jump, shotput, high jump, 400 meters, 110 meter hurdle, discus, pole vault, javelin, and finally the 1500 meters. We know Taysom has the speed and stamina to compete in the running events, and we know he can throw a football well enough to throw a javelin, discus, and shotput. The only question would be his pole vaulting abilities, but based on what we have seen from him on the football field, I have no doubt he could pick it up quickly.

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Jameis Winston-Baseball

Jameis Winston has a very strong arm, an arm that he put to use for Florida State’s baseball team during his two years of eligibility. At the plate, Winston batted .235 his sophomore year as a switch-hitter, and had an OPS of .723. As a redshirt junior, Winston had an ERA of 1.08 as a relief pitcher, registering 7 saves that year as well. With the Major League Baseball season currently in full swing, Team USA might want to call on Winston if they are in need of an extra arm in the bullpen.

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Cameron Jordan-Discus

Cam Jordan is one of the best defensive ends in the league. A model of consistency, Jordan has registered over 7.5 sacks every year since his rookie season, and has never missed a game. Before he was a star at the University of California and in New Orleans however, Jordan was a state champion Discus thrower at Chandler High School in Chandler, Arizona, with a top throw of 175 ft. 7 in.

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Marshon Lattimore, Ty Montgomery, Patrick Robinson, P.J. Williams-4×100 meter relay

Despite all the individual events, Track & Field is a team sport after all, and one of the most notable team events in Olympic athletics is the 4×100 meter relay. The Saints relay team would be comprised of four players who ran the 100 meters in high school, including arguably the fastest player on the team. Before Marshon Lattimore became Rookie of the Year and a three time Pro Bowler, he ran track and field for Glenville High School in Cleveland. Lattimore anchored his team to a second place finish in the 4×100 meter relay in the 5th annual Maralyn H. West Invitational, finishing just 0.23 seconds behind the first place team.

Ty Montgomery ran a 10.81 second 100 meter dash to take first place at the 2011 SPC Championships, and also anchored the St. Mark’s School of Texas 4×100 meter relay team to a first place finish at the same event. Patrick Robinson ran a career best 10.65 second 100 meters, and won the district title in the same event for Gulliver Prep High School in Pinecrest, Florida. P.J. Williams ran track for Vanguard High School in Ocala, Florida. His personal best 100 meters is still the school record after Williams ran a 10.68 in 2011 as a Junior.

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C.J. Gardner-Johnson-Boxing

The best boxers on earth are all great trash talkers. From Muhammed Ali to Floyd Mayweather Jr., in order to beat your opponent inside the ring you must first break them outside of it. C.J. Gardner-Johnson is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best trash talkers in the league. Of course his ability to get into the opponents head would mean nothing if he didn’t back it up between the lines, which he does every time. So much so that Bears WR Javon Wims took a shot at him during a Week 8 game in Chicago.

Gardner-Johnson showed just how solid of a chin he has, brushing off two punches like they were nothing before other players came in to break up the fight. Gardner-Johnson may need to learn how to return a punch however, as you can’t do all that trash talking only for the fight to go to a decision.

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