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

SmashMouth · 09-09-2010, 07:14 AM

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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09-09-2010, 07:14 AM	#1
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 37,148 Blog Entries: 29	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. read more Attached Thumbnails

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