New Orleans Saints intend to deliver message to Minnesota Vikings, NFL
 

The Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints and the NFC runner-up Minnesota Vikings have insisted all week that the results of their dramatic conference championship game in the Superdome eight months ago will have no bearing on tonight's rematch.

Michael DeMocker/The Times-Picayune
New Orleans Saints cornerback Tracy Porter intercepts a Brett Favre pass in front of Minnesota Vikings receiver Sidney Rice in the final minute of regulation of their NFC championship game victory Jan. 24.
And of course that's true, in the most literal sense. As Saints defensive end Alex Brown put it, "That's not going to give them any points, and it's not going to give us any points."

But to suggest that what happened in the Dome on Jan. 24 won't be on the minds or in the hearts of just about every player, coach and frenzied fan in the place would be just as ill-advised as the pass that Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre tried to force across the field late in the fourth quarter and wound up throwing straight to Saints cornerback Tracy Porter.
For starters, there is the emotion.
The Superdome will be oozing with it, especially when the film clips from that unforgettable 31-28 overtime victory pop up on the big screens, allowing everyone to relive the greatest sporting event to take place inside New Orleans' storied landmark on Poydras Street. Then the Super Bowl banner will drop and the noise will rise and hearts will start beating faster in the stands and on the sideline as the 2010 season kicks off.
The Saints have tried to prepare for the atmosphere. They snuck over to the Dome for a Tuesday practice and mimicked some of the theatrics so players would know what to expect. But it might prove futile to treat the moment like any other day at the office.
"When you lower the banner and drop that from the rafters, you get goose bumps just thinking about that moment happening, " said Saints linebacker Scott Shanle, adding that both the atmosphere and the memories of that specific playoff matchup will eliminate any notion of the Super Bowl champs coming out flat.

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You know they will be looking on & they will be pissed.

So many of their players & fans somehow think we "stole" the game form them & that it should be in there dome that we are playing & watching them unfurl the banners.

Oh well sucks to be them!!

They have already tried to unfurl a SB banner four times; and all 4 times that banner wound up in another city.

I know; they will claim the SB banner doesn't like purple; but I do recall the Baltimore Ravens winning one for former Minnesota coach Brian Billick.

Another one (excuse) bites the dust, as Freddie Mercury so aptly put it!

The BRETT FAVRE RETIREMENT TOUR Ends Tonight @ The BIG HOUSE ON POYDRAS!!!!
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...REMENTTOUR.jpg

will the queens get to see the lowering of the greatest flag/banner that i will ever see in my life time.

Man, that is gorgeous!
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1617977_n.jpg

If you lose you have a 24% chance of making the Playoff. The 1st game of the year.

so the loser of the first game only has a 24% of making the play-offs? *ouch*

I was just watching NFL N and thats what they said. Steve Much

ESPN radio stated that the SB winner won their opener the last like 10+ years ... for whatever it's worth.