New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - Evans report: New Orleans Saints fullback Heath Evans' season blog

New Orleans Saints fullback Heath Evans, who last month had season-ending surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, writes an occasional diary for The Times-Picayune:
At the start of Sunday's game against the Rams, I only had a weak knee. By the end of the game, I had a weak heart to go along with it! "Too close for comfort" is the phrase that comes to my mind.
When we are in the midst of a game like that, playing and reacting and planning for the next series, our testosterone and adrenaline are roaring, and we never quite feel the pressure like a fan does watching on TV. That kind of anxiety is a first for me. I've played in the league nine years, and this is the first season I have had to sit back and watch my teammates deal with the ups and downs of a close game. Needless to say, one more game like that and I'll be heading to New Orleans Audio-Video for a new TV -- a crutch having been sent through the plasma screen I have now!
This experience has really increased my respect for how fans live and die by each play, because now I am sitting in front of the TV dealing with it myself. The great fans of the Saints are one of two things keeping me sane right now (the other being that my team does not have an ounce of quit in them; lesser teams would have found a way to lose that game. Like it or not, these types of games -- and the Miami game a couple weeks ago -- build that bigger-than-life character that every great team needs). Walking through the grocery store, driving down the street, even in church, Saints fans are encouraging me and my family during a tough time. You guys are the best, and I can't wait for the chance to get on the field next year and thank you properly. So from the Evans family to the Saints Fan Family -- Thanks so much!

Evans report: New Orleans Saints fullback Heath Evans' blog for Nov. 18 | New Orleans Saints Central - - NOLA.com