sainttommy

I have found that this is a pretty sensitive subject but I need a distraction from current events. I was hoping some of the older fans can educate me.

What is up with Archie Manning fans, they are everywhere?

I think i am in the minority but I think its one of the worst jerseys I have seen worn at the games and around town... the old #8 retro jersey.He might be the worst QB with at least 100 starts EVER. He never had a winning season.

Why do we still keep this guy on a platform?
Let me back up my position with a few stats:
35-91-3 as a Saint starter (0-10 with other teams)
%55.4 career passing and 115/151 TD/INT ratio
I know he won the MVP but he did it with an 8-8 record, I can only assume it was a down year for the NFL. One excuse I hear all the time was that he had a terrible team and I am not buying it. there is no way that excuse can survive 11 years.

I'm only 32 so I wasn't around for these years but why do we glorify this guy as our "home town hero"?
He was born in MS, Went to Ole Miss, I am not sure if he still lives in NOLA but I know he has a condo in MS. His kids went to Tenn and Ole Miss. I am starting to think the only reason he hangs around New Orleans is because this is where fans support him and he can still squeeze a few pennies out of New Orleans off of his name through merchandise and his restaurant.

In my eyes he was the reason for the Saints having those terrible years. The argument I always get into is "you had to see him play". I am pretty sure blackout rules applied and unless you went to the games (not many did back then) no one saw Archie play unless they were away.
Not to mention the stats lead me to believe it was painful to watch him play.

I am a Saints fan until I die regardless of record but I'm not an Archie fan because to me he put the Saints in a hole for 11 years and held us back, so I am asking older whodats to educate me on why I am still seeing the Archie jerseys being worn so proudly.

I know he still does philanthropy with his sons in the city and thats great but this city is the only reason he is relevant, and he owes a lot to New Orleans. But concentrate more on the football player and not the philanthropist.

Help me understand.

aintasinner

He was a great football player. He was surrounded by massive ineptitude. Constantly changing coaching staff, horrid management, and a bunch of untalented, washed up players as a supporting cast, for the most part anyways. The fact that he was chosen as league MVP in a year that the Saints went 8-8, is a testament to the respect he earned around the league. He truly was the most valuable person on his team. If you had ever seen him play, you wouldn't be asking these questions. He took a beating over and over again but he never pointed fingers at others and he was always humble when accepting accolades for a great performance. The man was a class act. He does still have a home in New Orleans. Believe me, his win loss record is not indicative of his playing ability and efforts. Try to get some highlight reels of Archie as a Saint, ( I don't know where); I think that will help you understand why Archie is still considered the ultimate Saint by many.

TheOak

Same question as the OP but insert Edwin Edwards name.

lumm0x

aintasinner summed it up pretty good. He was the lone bright spot on a terrible franchise and struggled through everything with class and poise. As said, for him to get league MVP says it all. We were a 1-15 without him for sure. He did reside in the garden district and raised the kids there, contributed largely to the NOLA community, was a large part of the broadcast growth. He's a guy who came to New Orleans, made it his home, won the fans and general population through just being a good person, a still acts as an ambassador for the city who adopted him. What's not to like besides how he acted in the Eli/San Diego thing?

aintasinner

There are several books available on the early history of the Saints. Try to read up on the Archie years. Not only was it possible for a team to be horrible for 11 years, it was a reality. The Saints history will help you understand why. Unlike Drew Brees, who has had only one head coach, except this year, by the time Archie was in his 7th year as a Saint, he had about a dozen or more head coaches and as many if not more offensive coordinators. Look at what has happened to the Saints this year and multiply that by about 12 and you get the picture of why the Saints were so very bad.

Saint_LB

It would take too long to explain from an obviously biased Ole Miss fan...and you don't want to hear it.

I can remember one thing regarding the Archie era, however. I remember the debates going on as to whether he would be good if he played somewhere else. I also remember Mecom being pretty tight with the purse strings. What I was gonna say, though, is that right about the time that the people in NO were wondering if it was time for a change and the Archie fans definitely were curious, there was rumor that the Rams, then in LA, wanted to trade for Archie, but John Robinson was quoted as saying, "They want Newport Beach for him!"

Whether you think you can or think you can't...you're right!

UK_WhoDat

Briefly

GUTS.


Epitome of waht we look up to, in everything we do.

Budsdrinker

There was no free agency back then and expansion franchises didn't get multiple top picks. You got the wash up players who were great in their prime but their prime was 5 years ago. Mecom was a rich kid but didn't have a clue on running a football team and there were countless mistakes on player decisions. Go to this link and keep clicking year by year and see how many players you ever heard of.1971 New Orleans Saints Statistics & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com

SloMotion

I wasn't a Saint fan back then, but I knew who Archie Manning was. He took a licking and kept on ticking ... when you were playing sandlot ball & you wanted everyone to know you were toughing it out at QB, you called out, "Archie Manning". Respect.

When Peyton entered the league, and later Eli, I always said the NFL would make sure those boys win a few SuperBowls as a reward to their father for all those years he toughed it out in New Orleans. Speculation on my part, of course.

You did the right thing by asking ... it was a different era back then & you weren't always judged on your stats.

onebyone

"We were an awful team back then, but we had Archie and that was good enough for me." - my dad