New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - Article Saints players ready to give support back to fans after Hurricane Isaac

METAIRIE, La. – Malcolm Jenkins and his New Orleans Saints teammates sat at their hotel in Cincinnati on Tuesday night and Wednesday, watching as Hurricane Isaac slowly destroyed parts of southeast Louisiana.

And they felt for the victims, knowing just how strong the bond is between the city, the region and the team.

“It’s not like a burden, like we’re going in to entertain people,” Jenkins said. “We’re feeling it just as much as they are. We care about the people in LaPlace and Plaquemines Parish like they’re our own. These are the people that support us on a daily basis. We go into it with a family mentality.”

The Saints arrived back in town Friday morning from what turned into a week-long sojourn to Cincinnati and Nashville to get away from Isaac and then play a preseason game.

But while physically they were miles away, mentally they were still in New Orleans.

“The Gulf Coast is always on our mind,” interim head coach Aaron Kromer said.

The experiences some of the team’s fans are going through currently are eye-opening, providing Kromer and the coaching staff with lessons to teach their charges.

“I talked to the team this morning about adversity and that this isn’t adversity, having a new coach game one, having Joe Vitt during the preseason or having Sean Payton have to leave when he did,” Kromer said.

“That is not adversity. Rather, it is opportunity for all of us to step up. Adversity is when your house is flooded and you can’t go home.

“That’s what we talked about. Those are the things in life you are going to find out about yourself.”

Saints players ready to give support back to fans after Hurricane Isaac | wwltv.com New Orleans