neugey

(Written last night. The original version I wrote had some more personal material tied with the last time we played the Colts. I decided to post an abridged version here)

Like many fans, I find myself bewildered now by where we are. When I look ahead, and when I look over my shoulder, I see so much that is new. The Saints aren't my life, but sometimes when I see the Saints I tend to see myself and it cannot be helped. It's like looking at a parallel line. It seems that following the Saints has a unique flavor, a certain feeling that spans borders, crosses rivers and oceans and other fan bases - and it can only be the Saints and their followers that know and share this special flavor, tasting a little differently to us all.

For this one game, I don't want you to think about who you represent and inspire and what you've done to encourage people. For this game, more than any other, just hold the belief that you are beloved. I know that we've put our shoes into the concrete, into the turf, spitting into the rain and wiping our foreheads ... because you hate, because you regret, because you live, because you can. At this step, there will be a sense of total disgust about anything that stands in your way. This game, as all football games do, will have its own distinct path. There isn't a pregame show, celebrity prediction, TV rating, a point spread or a multi-million dollar advertising campaign that can step on that path or ever hope to change it. You take the path and follow it at jackrabbit speed - then at the end of those 60 minutes, you look over your shoulder to know that Saints do not go astray. In the dead of night and the pounding rain and blurred vision, you did not lose your way.