One play from the Super Bowl – The play that broke our hearts

[eschneider]

I’ve been a Saints fan all my life. I was born in Peoria, Illinois but shortly after I was born my family moved to Kenner, LA and some of my earliest memories are from within the Superdome. It’s been a long and hard ride, but all the loyalty and heartbreak to my team finally came to fruition last season when the Saints defeated the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

I’ve since moved away from Louisiana. In fact, I’ve lived in Denver, CO since 1989. It’s hard to be a Saints fan in Broncos Country. I’ve had many people over the years try and convert me to their team because “the Saints suck, dude”. My answer to them is always the same. “Once a Saints fan, a Saints fan for life”. Only Saints fans can truly appreciate what exactly this team has done to rejuvenate the city of New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast. Only a true Saints fan felt the emotion that I felt when Garrett Hartley kicked the game winning field goal in the NFC Championship against the Minnesota Vikings to send our team to its first Super Bowl. I dropped to my knees and collapsed to the ground in tears of joy.

When the Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV I had a lot of people telling me that the Saints were a one hit wonder. I would just laugh at them because their team, the Broncos, was in shambles and knew they just wish their team was in the position that the Saints were in…that the Saints are in. I felt in my heart that the Saints had a legitimate shot at being the first repeat Super Bowl Champ since the New England Patriots.

The 2010 season certainly had its highs and lows. Entering the playoffs I knew, even as a number five seed, that the Saints had a real shot at hosting its second straight NFC Conference Championship. I knew that the Falcons weren’t as good as everyone thought and that the Saints were better than any team in the conference on any given day. The day of the Wild Card game I had a bunch of people telling me that the Saints would lose. I would just chuckle and sit back comfortably in my chair knowing that the Saints would be moving on to the Divisional Round. The Seahawks played out of their minds that day. They had us backed up into a corner but at the start of the fourth quarter I just had this gut feeling that the Saints would come back and pull out the win. With just over nine minutes to go the Saints had cut the deficit from 14 to 4. Plenty of time for Drew Brees & Co.

Then came the play that broke our hearts. That run by Marshawn Lynch made my heart sink to my stomach. The play should have been dead 5 yards in. I kept waiting to see a yellow flag go flying for offensive holding. No flags were flown. No tackles were made. The New Orleans Saints season was over. When the Saints won the Super Bowl less than one year ago I had a feeling of disbelief. A feeling of “did this just happen?” I had that same reaction as time expired in Seattle only with a much different feeling.

As I sat and watched the NFC Championship game in Chicago this past Sunday I couldn’t help but think about how I thought at the start of the playoffs that the Saints could possibly host the NFC Championship. If only they could have figured out a way to get past the Seahawks, the Saints would have had the renewed motivation to go into Chicago and play like the champions that they are and then host the Green Bay Packers for the chance to go to Super Bowl XLV. It was the first time that I have sat and watched the playoffs believing that my team had just as good, if not better, team than either Green Bay or Pittsburgh. In just one play the Saints let destiny slip away. In just one play the Saints went from defending Super Bowl Champions to biggest playoff goat.

As I look ahead to next season I cannot help but smile. I cannot help but think about the opportunity that the Saints will have in front of them. As long as Drew Brees is our quarterback the offense will be fine. The Saints will enter the 2011 NFL Season unnoticed and under the radar. They will probably spend the first half of the season trying to make believers out of the naysayers. The ones who will look at that Wild Card Round defeat as a defining moment for a team on the downward slide. That defeat was definitely a defining moment. A moment that will not fade from the memory of Drew Brees, Sean Payton, Greg Williams or anyone else that was on that team. A moment that they will use as inspiration. A moment that they will never want to experience again. The NFL better watch out for the 2011 New Orleans Saints because this team is poised to make a legitimate run at Super Bowl XLVI.

My name is Eric Schneider and I am a true Saints fan for life.

This is the 1st time that I have posted anything like this so I hope I didn’t bore you to death. I just wanted to introduce myself to blackandgold.com and express my feelings and love for this incredible team.