WhoDat!656

Manning. Hilliard. Hebert. Dempsey. Martin. Swilling.

For Saints fans, all of these names conjure up images of great moments over the lifespan of a mostly mediocre NFL team.

Who Dat Nation has had plenty of names to cheer about, and plenty of others to hide their faces in paper bags about over the 46 year existence of their mostly beloved Saints. Even when things weren't going so well, the "laissez les bon temps rouler" attitude of past Saints fans and Louisianians, generally allowed for it. Football (outside of LSU, of course) was a mere diversion.

Suddenly though, the eighties happened. Jim Mora rolled in from the now defunct USFL, and the Saints began to win. Saints fans began to have expectations. With those expectations came a sense of pride.

Pride turned in to playoff appearances under Mora. Later came a playoff victory under Jim Haslett. Finally, a terrible decision (in hindsight) by the Cowboys' Jerry Jones to allow quarterbacks coach Sean Payton take on his first coaching job with the Saints, leads to Super Bowl immortality.

Who are the figures, though, that have brought the Saints from the laughing stock of the league, to one of the most heralded and competitive teams in the NFL?

Here are the four most iconic figures in New Orleans Saints history.

New Orleans Saints Mount Rushmore: Four Franchise Icons

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

jeanpierre

If it's players only - then Manning, Brees, Jackson, Andersen...

jeanpierre

Top Ten Would Be; with their flaw...

Archie Manning, he's the original and most beloved Saint; he can do no harm...

Sean Payton, even when he fails, we still respect and understand what he does - even when he surprises us; can't seem to get right with the defense and a coordinator...

Drew Brees, we can live with the INT's; but the selfish salary grab may have closed the window on a Superbowl...

Rickey Jackson - one of the greatest defenders of ALL-TIME; still using denial exercise of mental image of being a POW while he played for 49ers...

Morten Andersen - greatest kicker ever in the NFL; he was too good and made Mora even more conservative; playing for the Falcons was like the crazy uncle everyone loves but ruins Christmas one year that no one can forget...

Stan Brock - most underrated Offensive Tackle in NFL history; always regretted he didn't do a local auto improvement show with his knowledge of cars...

Sam Mills - one of the finest men to wear the Black and Gold and that hit on Herschel Walker; I know late Mora era and post Mora was dark times, but the Panthers?!?

Vaughn Johnson - one of the hardest hitters ever in the NFL; Never knocked out Joe Montana...

Pat Swilling - unbelievable pass rusher that has left us spoiled with the high bar he set; but Detroit and then Politics?!?

Jim Finks/Jim Mora - took the Saints from the League Joke to Class of the League with amazing drafts and hard hitting football; Unfortunately Jim Finks passed too soon and Mora lost his mind and undid all the good they had done with his stubborn pride...

It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

Tobias-Reiper

Icons...
Got to have Archie in there.
Got to have Brees in there.
How can you have a Mount Rushmore of iconic figures without Deuce?
And you have to have a member of the Dome Patrol... so it's either Mills or Jackson.. I'd go with Jackson.

So it's Archie, Jackson, Deuce, Brees

Danno

My four...

Archie Manning
Rickey Jackson
Drew Brees
Sam Mills (narrowly over Willie Roaf)

subguy

I would say due to space constraints on the Mount Roaf couldn't make it...he has one big head

Tobias-Reiper

No Deuce?

Danno

Not over those 4, and it ain't even close.

WhoDat!656

If Deuce isnt on the Saints Mt. Rushmore, then a tremendous travesty has been committed!!

Not taking anything away from Jackson, Mills, Swilling & Vaughan, but IMO, only Jackson & Swilling make it. I still haven't forgiven Mills for going to the Panthers, and in all honesty, Vaughan Johnson was my favorite of the Saints LBs.

The way Deuce played in the 2006 Divisional Playoffs against the Eagles alone should be enough to get him included!

If it is players only, my four are:

Rickey Jackson
Drew Brees
Deuce McCallister
Archie Manning

If a coach is included, then replace Manning with Sean Payton!

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

Danno

I'm stunned. Deuce over Sam Mills? Willie Roaf? Pat Swilling? Morten Andersen?

No f'ing way on Earth does Deuce deserve it more than those guys. And if Colston and Evans keep it up a few more years Deuce slides behind them as well.