I’m dumbfounded. According to NFL.com, the Saints have only retired two numbers to date: 31 (Jim Taylor) and 81 (Doug Atkins). However, they also retired #51 (Sam Mills) and #57 (Rickey Jackson). Why isn’t that on their page?

I really thought I remembered seeing Archie’s number 8 on the Superdome wall as well, plus the honorary banner for Jim Finks. Am I mistaken?

I’d also like to see 21 (Dalton Hilliard) and 19 (Tom Dempsey) but that’s another article.

Also, Jim Taylor? Really? He only played 1 season with the Saints; their first year. Maybe someone can tell me why he deserves the honor over guys like John Gilliam?

Anyway, on to a little Rickey love…

- Bum Philips made Jackson the Saints second round pick in 1981  .

- He won a Superbowl with the 49ers the year after he left the Saints. It was one of the few times I rooted for San Fransisco in the Super Bowl.

- He was a pro bowler every year I was in high school (‘83-‘86) plus 2 other times (‘92, ‘93).

I was hoping they’d announce him last, but I understood why they left Jerry Rice and Emmit Smith for the end. Wouldn’t it have been great to hear the loudest cheers for Rickey? (I always appreciated Rice, but Emmit, notsomuch)

It's no secret that although we weren't even top 10 in personal fouls this season, the Saints are being viewed as a dirty ballclub... particularly Gregg Williams. It's also no secret that the Saints do a lot of misdirection runs and quick outs. On many of these plays, it's legal to block below the waist (as long as the defensive player isn't being engaged by another lineman.)

Given these facts, plus the fact that Freeney's cankle is the most famous body part in the USA, I think that the Saints blockers will have it in their heads that IF Freeney were to be taken out of the game by a low block, they would get fined and maybe tossed from the game.

I haven't heard any of our blockers discuss how they'd be impacted if Dwight plays, but do you think the Saints will be a little more cautious if Freeney plays hurt, which could make him more effective?

A lot was made about home field advantage in the playoffs, and rightfully so. Even though the Saints were undefeated on the road "in games they tried to win" (I love that phrase; thanks Colts!), home field advantage is a huge boost in momentum.

That being said, this is a game being played in the South. Do you think that the crowd will be cheering for the Saints? Is it possible that Manning actually might be restricted in making line of scrimmage calls because of the noise?

Honestly, I don't see it happening that way, but I DO think that most fans will be rooting for the Saints.

I get SI, and it seems every week, the Saints get the half-page write up and the playoff opponent gets the full write up. There are exceptions, because some player stories have been SO good that they're almost worthy of a movie, but, I was thinking...

What if...

...we, as a group of Saints fans that have seen it all and know our Saints players better than anyone... each picked one player to spotlight in a post. Do you think we could cover the stories of every Saints player on the Superbowl roster? It'd be a tribute to each player. It'd almost be like being back in school (of course, some of us ARE in school I'm sure), having a class project where each 'student' is designated to research and write a short essay about any player on the Saints roster.

I'd recommend we pick a player, find out where they're from, how they excelled in school to finish in the draft, and any obstacles they have overcome.

I think this is something that could be done as a tribute to our team. There are SO MANY stories here, from the undrafted, to the ones that have gotten their second chances... and enough articles have been written so that we could probably out-do any wiki article out there.

Would anyone be willing to devote the time to this? If so, we could start a thread naming our chosen Saint in order to avoid duplicates.

Or am I simply too obsessed that this is going above and beyond fandom? : )

Like every NFL team, the New Orleans Saints have endured their share of injuries this season. Some of the names are minor players, some were expected to have a large impact on this team. But I assure you, all of the guys listed here would cut off their pinkies a la Ronnie Lott for the chance to play in Super Bowl XLIV.

The more I look at this list, the more impressed I am by the importance for roster depth. Since this is injured reserve, it doesn’t include losing CBs (Greer), TEs (Shockey), RBs (Thomas) and all the other guys who were able to survive for the last 20 weeks.

Bless you boys!

p.s. I dubbed them the "Suite Sixteen" because they can watch the Superbowl seated in luxury while their teammates clash with the Colts.



 

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I heard his call on the radio this morning, and it made me laugh and cry at the same time. He is such a passionate Saints fan! This one is right up there with his 'Hakeem drops the ball!' call.

I have spent a few hours looking for his call, but I can't find it online. Does anyone know where to find it? (I couldn't find a link for it on wwl. I /did/ find a call about pigs flying and hell freezing over, but I don't think that's the same call I heard this morning on Fox Sports news.)

If the Saints and Colts meet in the Superbowl, I suggest that we attempt to sign Archie Manning to a contract and have him on our sidelines as an honorary captain alongside Deuce.

I'm *suurrre* he'd agree, right?
If not him, maybe we can get Cooper Manning? Bobby Hebert? Heck, let's get Hokie Gajan too. It'll look like a college game on the sidelines!

Although, maybe we should wait until this week is over before planning on the next game... I'm pretty nervous about this one.

Eleven years ago in 1998, with major league baseball struggling, two players captured America’s attention with a chase at an historic record; 61 home runs set by Roger Maris in 1961. In a time when we didn’t care about who’s juiced, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa fed off of each other, and they both eclipsed the total that stood for almost 40 years. They overcame media attention that had previously stressed great players into mediocrity for decades.

This year’s NFL season has a similar feel to it, although admittedly there is no concern of pro football losing its fans even with the ongoing labor/owner tension regarding a season without a salary cap.

Unless you’ve been under a rock (or living in another country), you already know that the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints have both started the season 10-0. This is fairly familiar territory for the Colts, who have won 19 consecutive regular season games and routinely win at least 8 in a row to start a season. It’s a completely new experience for the Saints, however. New Orleans is renowned for a laissez-faire attitude, so long as the natives could ‘laissez les bon temps rouller’, or let the good times roll. They are much like the Cubs; loveable losers with a fan base that is completely devoted to them, win or lose. So could this organization really be two-thirds of the way through a perfect season? More importantly, is it possible that they could complete the season unblemished on the road to their first Lombardi trophy?

Peyton Manning is generally considered to be the best quarterback of our generation; perhaps of all time. He has a perfect build for an elite quarterback, with size, speed, and the intelligence needed to run such an efficient passing attack. Even against staggering odds, he controls the line of scrimmage as a lieutenant would; commanding his troops to victory more often than not. The Colts remind me of Mark McGwire, who was a mountain of a man, crushing baseball out of parks as if they were fireworks on New Year’s Eve. When McGwire walked up to the plate, you expected a home run every time, despite the fact that his batting average predicted only one hit in every 4 at bats.

Drew Brees is rapidly gaining respect and is being talked about in the same breath as Peyton. This is very similar to the Sammy Sosa that left the White Sox as a scrawny base stealer but quickly developed the power to match McGwire. He was a fan favorite, and the media’s darling. The Saints are supplying that feel-good story this year.

The Colts have made the playoffs in 9 of the past 10 seasons, but they never had that perfect season. Often, the spotlight shines brightly on this team in December, when their playoff spot has been secured. The stress levels intensify and they usually struggle to finish off a perfect season. Only once in the Peyton Manning era have they won a Superbowl; in 2006, they went 9-0 before losing their first of 4 games.  This year, however, they have the Saints going stride for stride with them each week, matching their win total.

The Colts and the Saints are sharing a spotlight. Both teams are playing well enough and getting enough breaks to continue to win. It could be that there is interdependence for them to continue their success. Both teams should be favorites to win their remaining games; the only reason to fear a loss would be from self-destruction. But much like the Sosa/McGwire rivalry, there seems to be something beyond the weekly wins. It seems that these teams are meant to meet in the Superbowl. Despite great storylines involving the Patriots and Brady’s recovery, or Favre’s return from retirement, the primary story remains about the league’s two undefeated teams.  If New Orleans beats New England this week in Monday Night Football, they will affirm what most fans and players already know: these New Orleans Saints are a special group, and they may have it in them to make history.

And wouldn’t it be fun if two undefeated teams arrived to the Superbowl, patting each other on the back while acknowledging each others’ greatness, ready for a showdown that would match the 1998 baseball season? Yes, it seems like a stretch, but then again, so did 70 home runs in a season.

I’m ready.