Like the biblical journey of the Israelites in the desert, the New Orleans Saints have been wandering in the NFL wasteland for 40 years. It has been a tough slog with very little manna from heaven to quench the thirst of long suffering Saints fans. As Saints Head Coach Sean Payton aptly described, Saints fans have been through “thick and thin, a lot more thin than thick.”

But now, after 40 years, as the Israelites finally reached the Promised Land, will the often lampooned and lowly New Orleans Saints actually reach the Super Bowl? It seems that the stars are aligned for this team of destiny.

It all started when the City of New Orleans was officially granted an NFL team at a league meeting on November 1, 1966, All Saints Day. Because of the holiday and the strong Catholic traditions of New Orleans, it was only natural that the team was called the Saints. Local fans assumed that with such a name, the Saints would go marching in to the Super Bowl in short order. Well, not quite.

 
The next season, the Saints fielded their first team and in their opening game at old Tulane Stadium, John Gilliam ran the kickoff back for a touchdown. It was a great way to begin their inaugural season in the NFL. Unfortunately, the team lost the game and finished the first season with a 3-11 record. Many more losing seasons followed as the team under the ownership of John Mecom churned through nine unsuccessful head coaches. Of course there were some highlights, especially the record setting 63 yard field goal by Tom Dempsey in a 1970 game against the Lions, but it was mostly a difficult period for fans.

{sidebar id=5}In 1985, New Orleans native and car dealership owner Tom Benson purchased the Saints and promptly hired a competent coach, Jim Mora, who holds the record for most wins in team history, and Jim Finks as General Manager, who led the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl and was eventually inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. This management team turned around the fortunes of the team and by 1987; the Saints finally enjoyed their first winning season and made their first playoff appearance. Mora and Finks led the team to three more playoff appearances in 1990, 1991 and 1992, but, unfortunately, no playoff victories.

Eventually, Mora resigned in the middle of the 1996 season, ultimately unable to move the team to the next level of competition. After a disastrous three year experiment with Mike Ditka as coach, Benson hired former Saints Assistant Coach Jim Haslett as Head Coach. Haslett revamped a team that finished 3-13 and made them a 10-6 playoff team in 2000. Finally, in the first round of the playoffs, on December 30, 2000, against the St. Louis Rams in the Louisiana Superdome, the Saints won their first playoff victory 31-28, leading to pandemonium in the Crescent City. Unfortunately, over the next five years, the Haslett led team was not able to return to the playoffs.

With such a scant history of success, it is amazing that the team is still in New Orleans, still representing hope to fans and poised to reach the ultimate prize, the Super Bowl. After Hurricane Katrina hit the City of New Orleans in 2005, many commentators predicted the Saints would leave the area forever. Owner Tom Benson arranged for several of the games to be played in San Antonio and there was a true feeling of gloom in New Orleans about whether the team would remain in the Crescent City.

What a difference a year makes! Now, the Saints are a bright spot in the recovery, in fact the brightest spot. After the 2005 season, positive things started to happen for the team as the management brought in free agent quarterback, Drew Brees, drafted a star running back, Reggie Bush, and hired a new Head Coach Sean Payton, who instilled a creative offense, discipline and a no-nonsense attitude. The excitement about the team grew and it led to amazing ticket sales. In fact, prior to the opening game of 2006, Saints fans sold out the Louisiana Superdome for the entire season, meaning that all 68,354 seats had been purchased, eclipsing the previous record by 15,000.

The astounding ticket sales showed the world that the Saints fans are the best in the country, the most loyal and the most supportive. It was only one year after many so called experts were questioning whether the area could support a professional sports franchise. What other city would strongly support a team that has been wandering in a desert of defeats for 40 years? Throughout their history, the Saints offered an example of futility and ineptitude unmatched in the world of professional sports, as even the Chicago Cubs won an occasional playoff game. Despite their woeful past, Saints fans stuck by their team and showed remarkable perseverance.

In 2006, Saints fans were finally rewarded for their devotion with an incredible season. The team finished 10-6, won their division and beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-24 in the playoffs to earn their second post-season victory and made their first appearance in the NFC Championship Game. Although they ultimately lost to the Chicago Bears in the Windy City, it was a magical year that exceeded everyone’s expectations.

It has set the stage for 2007, the most anticipated season in the history of the franchise. After 40 tough years in the NFL desert, Saints fans finally see an oasis on the horizon, the Super Bowl.

According to Ken Trahan, sports broadcaster and General Manager of the Saints Hall of Fame, “On paper, this is a better team than last year.” Trahan credits a good draft, solid free agent acquisitions, and the improving health of the two biggest stars on the team. “Deuce McAlister and Drew Brees will be better than they were last year because they have had another year to recover from surgery,” said Trahan. Nevertheless, another keen Saints observer, Mark Clark, publisher of a leading fan website www.BlackandGold.com, noted that, “Due to parity in the NFL, it will be hard to maintain such a level of excellence.” In Clark’s view, a return trip to the NFC Championship Game, or a first ever trip to the Super Bowl will not be easy. Nevertheless, for Saints fans, hope springs eternal

For many struggling fans, the football team became the only thing in their lives that was positive. It literally kept some people going and gave them a reason to be positive and move forward. Now, a solid team, with a competent coach, staff and players will be in a position to showcase their talents before local fans for at least the next four years.

The agreement makes sense for a number of compelling reasons. For one, it gives the City of New Orleans a four year commitment, not ideal, but much better than the previous situation, uncertainty. This allows the city time to rebuild, recover its business community and start laying the groundwork for a deal that will keep the team in New Orleans for the foreseeable future.

For the Saints, the decision eliminates short term anxiety for staff and players. It allows everyone in the organization to focus on the upcoming season without distraction. The pact is also a reward for a community that displayed tremendous support last year. As the forty year history of the Saints has showed, there are no better sports fans in the world. Last year, Saints fans displayed their amazing support for the team throughout the season and practically willed the team into the NFC Championship game.

Last year, the Superdome was sold out before the season started and the fans have duplicated that feat for the upcoming season as well. Even better, the luxury suites which were sold at a record pace last year are now sold out for the upcoming season. The suite sales have always been a bone of contention for Saints owner Tom Benson, but now he has nothing to complain about. Benson still does not care for the Superdome, but it served the team well last year and the State of Louisiana has now agreed to further enhancements. The club level will be upgraded and other cosmetic improvements will be made to enhance the look of the historic stadium.

The four year deal is not the long term answer that all Saints fans want, but it is the best that can be accomplished in this uncertain period. The two sides will begin negotiating on a long term deal soon, but, most likely, another agreement will not be reached until after the next gubernatorial election. Benson and Governor Kathleen Blanco never were the best negotiating partners, but both of them should be credited for not letting their differences prevent this deal from being reached.

Once a long term deal is confected, the City of New Orleans can once again bid on hosting the biggest event in sports, the Super Bowl. One of the travesties of the ongoing negotiations is that the city has not been able to host the Super Bowl since 2002. New Orleans is by far the best site for the big game and almost everyone who covers the game will admit to that fact. Hopefully, New Orleans will one day be back where it belongs hosting the Super Bowl and showing the entire world that no city can entertain and put on a show like the Crescent City.

With the draft finished and teams beginning to focus on trying to get their rookies under contract and trying to determine which players are going to fill out the remainder of their training camp rosters, we can now begin to focus on the approaching mini camps and eventually the pre-season.  That being the case, now seems as good a time as any to take a quick look at some of the teams that will be competing with the Saints in the NFC.  Below is a list of some of the teams thought to be the top contenders in the NFC this season, along with a few statements about each team.

Carolina Panthers – Carolina as is the case every year could be a challenger for the Saints and the NFC crown.  They have talent on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.  However, as is the case every year with this team, whether or not they can stay healthy will play a key role, along with if their younger players can step in and help the void left by a handful of departing veterans. 

Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons’ season appears up in the air and a lot will depend on what happens with their star quarterback.  While the addition of a new coach and a few new veterans should help this team, they still appear set to go only as far as Vick can lead them.  Expect this rival of the Saints to be a tough opponent this year, but only if Vick is able to play this year and has a solid season.

Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles could possibly be one of the most dangerous teams in the NFC.  With McNabb coming back and the team not having loss really any notable veterans, the Eagles appear ready to make a run.  However, the question becomes if the Eagles have the talent to compete with some of the other big guns. 

Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys lost their head coach, kept Owens, and will cross their fingers and hope that Tony R. has a solid second season.  Overall just the fact that Owens is on the roster with no true power figure to keep him in check means this could be an explosive season for “them Cowboys.” 

Washington Redskins – Okay, the Arizona Cardinals appear to be the hot pick for the surprise team this year.  However, for me it’s the Redskins.  With a hall of fame coach, solid defense, and a young quarterback who should come into his own this year, the Redskins could be a sleeper pick in the NFC.  While I don’t put them on the Saints level, they could be a disruptive team for a lot of opponents this year. 

Chicago Bears – The Bears had about as good a season as a team could have last year defensively.  However, with a few key pieces gone and a couple of players asking for trades and threatening hold-outs, the Bears appear setting themselves up for a letdown season.  That combined with the fact that Grossman will likely be forced to play more of a vital role could really hurt this team. 

New York Giants – The Giants appear to be a team that has two faces the past few years.  However, this season will all depend on Eli Manning.  This is a team that lost a few key veterans and they need their younger players to step up if they want to be competitive. 

Seattle Seahawks – Overall I believe Seattle could be the Saint’s biggest competition if they stay healthy.  They have a solid defense, balanced offense, and experienced head coach.  If the Seahawks don’t stumble due to any unforeseen problems, then they could be a team the Saints see in the NFC championship game. 

While there will likely be a few surprise teams that step up and try to compete this season, these are a handful of the favorites.  However, keep in mind that as is the case every year, an injury or lack thereof always can drastically affect the course of a team.  Although, considering the Saints moves and depth compared to some of the other favorites, fans and media both would have to agree that the odds of the Saints being one of the favorites is looking good.  

Q & A

Q & A is the question and answer section.  If you have a question you would like answered, email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject heading of Q&A and we will try to answer the question to the best of our ability.

A – JB you spoke of Usama as someone to watch but what of the other cornerbacks they signed? The one from Texas and from Rutgers. Do you like there chances to make the squad? – SD Saint Fred

Q – Well Fred, so far they haven’t had too much information creeping out about any exceptional play from the un-drafted corners.  However, I like Joe Porter from Rutgers and hope that he is able to prove himself.  Porter was part of a massive turnaround at Rutgers University and seems like the type of player that really could fit into the Saints mentality.  However, he is a raw prospect and needs to have a solid off-season to earn himself the opportunity to prove himself in the pre-season.  However, this is a position that players can push the veterans for roster spots, with Fred Thomas and Jason Craft both possibly expendable.

Q – Hey JB, thanks as always for the great coverage of our team.  Wonder if you’ve heard anything on the status and plans for Rob Ninkovich?  He seemed like he was coming on gangbusters last year until the knee injury.  There was little to no talk of his presence this year going into the draft (DL needs, etc.)  What’s his progress in recovery, and how does he fit into the defense plans this year?  Thanks! – T.C. in Atlanta

A – TC, don’t be worried about not hearing much about Rob going into the draft.  He wasn’t a highly fought after prospect in last seasons draft so until he gets some tackles on the field it will stay that way.  However, from what I am hearing he is coming along fine and if he can return to form then he should play a key role in the rotation with Grant and Smith. 

Odds & Ends

The Saints added some nice depth this week at the defensive tackle position by adding veteran defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy.  Clancy is a seven year vet that found his time in Arizona cut short when they opted to change schemes.  However, the Cardinals’ loss is the Saint’s gain, which helps add a solid presence that gives the Saints some insurance for Hollis Thomas and Brian Young.  His addition should be yet another key move that continues the Saints effort to strengthen and add more depth to their defense. 

Psycho’s View

Overall the Saints off-season moves have been extremely solid this year and have provided the Saints with some additional weapons on offense, while helping to re-tool the defense.  With a second off-season on Payton’s belt, he is once again proving his ability to recognize and attract talent to the Saints.  Hopefully he can also continue his streak of being able to get rookies into the fold quickly as he was able to last year so that they can contribute immediately this season for the team.