Hank Stram was the only coach of the Kansas City Chiefs (who were the Dallas Texans for the first three years of their existence) from 1960-1974.

Reference: They're Playing My Game, Hank Stram with Lou Sahadi (1986)
Top of Page

Hank Stram

Paul Wiggin

Chuck Muncie

Dick Nolan

Archie Manning

Benny Ricardo

Richard Todd

Reference: Tales from the Saints Sideline, Jeff Duncan
Top of Page

Mike Ditka

Sammy Knight

Ricky Williams

Top of Page

Kent Graham

Joe Jurevicious

Amani Toomer

The 1-5 Saints hosted the Cleveland Browns on Halloween afternoon, October 31, 1999. I attended this game and recently listened to an audio tape of the Browns' broadcast.

• The second incarnation of the Browns (after the original franchise became the Baltimore Ravens in 1996) began play that season as an expansion team and were winless in their first seven games.
• The week before, the undefeated St. Louis Rams had clobbered Chris Palmer's club 34-3.

The Saints offense had been so inept that Coach Mike Ditka made two important decisions that week.

• He took over the play-calling himself.
• He changed QBs, starting Billy Joe Hobert in place of Billy Joe Tolliver, who had thrown three INTs in the debacle at the Meadowlands the week before.
• Unfortunately, Hobert suffered a neck stinger in the first half that put him on the sidelines for the rest of the game. So the other Billy Joe entered to a chorus of boos from most of the 48,817 in attendance.

With several minutes left in the game, the color announcer on the Browns broadcast said, "This game has that Halloween feel." He didn't know that more eerieness lay in store.

• The teams combined for 14 penalties.
• At the start of Q4, the Saints dominated time-of-possession 2-to-1, yet trailed 14-13.
• The culprit, as usual, was turnovers. The Browns collected five on the day, including an INT from Hobert and one from Tolliver as well as three fumbles from rookie RB Ricky Williams, who, playing with an injured arm, set a Saints record for number of rushing attempts in a game, 40 for 179y.

All three TDs in the first 45 minutes were set up by turnovers.

• The Saints took a 7-0 lead with 3:59 left in Q1 after Rob Kelly recovered a fumble on the Cleveland 15 caused by Vinson Smith smashing into David Dunn right after he received Tommy Barnhart's 43y punt.
• The Browns tied it with 7:37 left in Q2 on QB Tim Couch's 27y pass to FB Marc Edwards. The score was set up by DE Roy Barker's interception of Hobert's pass and return to the 22. After an illegal motion penalty, the Browns scored on the first play.
• Doug Brien kicked a 49y FG with just 8 seconds left in the half to put N.O. back in front 10-7.
• Cleveland took the lead for the first time with 8:53 left in Q3. DT Darius Holland recovered a botched hand-off between Tolliver and Williams at the 22. Couch hooked up with WR Kevin Johnson on a 24y TD.
• With 1:13 left in Q3, the Saints pulled within one on Bryant's 22y FG.

With the Black and Gold D putting the clamps on the Browns, the Saints' O struggled to get into FG position against a team that had been outscored 90-19 in the last period in its previous contests.

• Midway through the final period, Ricky's third fumble, inside the Browns 10, killed what seemed to be the Saints' last chance.
• But the D forced a punt and got the ball back. Handing to Ricky and passing it to him in the flat, Tolliver led a drive into Cleveland territory.
• As soon as the advance reached the 29, Ditka used his last timeout with 29 seconds left without letting the clock run down. Even though, at first glance, this was a major error, the Browns had all their timeouts left and probably would have called one themselves to save some time in case Brien made the FG.
• And that's exactly what Doug did, drilling the 46-yarder with 21 seconds remaining for a 16-14 lead. Seated at midfield behind the Saints bench, I told the fan in front of me, "Well, we huffed and puffed and finally beat the Browns." His reply was prescient. "It's not over yet."
  

Steve King wrote in the Elyria (OH) Chronicle Telegram:

At that point, no doubt thousands of distraught Browns fans turned off their TVs, thinking they had just witnessed another loss. Heck, even some of the Browns themselves found it hard to stay hopeful. "Sure, we were disappointed, because you had to figure that it was pretty much over," offensive tackle Lomas Brown said. "It's human nature to feel that way."

The Browns and their fans forgot that they were playing the Saints.

• Johnson returned the kickoff to the 25 with 15 seconds left.
• After an incompletion, Couch threw a 19y pass to Leslie Shepherd, who quickly stepped out of bounds with two seconds left.
• With time for only one more play, Cleveland had to forget about getting into FG range and go for the home run. They called a timeout to plan the play.

They came out in their "Flood Right Tip" formation, with three WRs bunched on the right.

• The Saints rushed only three and kept multiple safeties on the goal line in the usual Hail Mary D.
• Taking the snap in shotgun formation, Couch rolled to his right, barely escaping DE Brady Smith.
• Johnson admitted right after the game to the Browns Sideline Reporter that he watched the big screen as he ran to the end zone to see what was happening behind him.
• Tim reared back and lofted a pass to the goal line. Three Saints were in perfect position in front of Shepherd as the spheroid came to earth, but just as one prepared to either catch it or knock it down, another Saint, Sammy Knight, jumped in front of him and batted the ball so that it went behind them to Johnson, who just got both feet inbounds as he fell outside the field of play.

• The Browns first-round draft choice, Couch, had combined with their second-rounder, Johnson, on a 56y game winner. Johnson told the press: "I still can't believe it. It's a miracle. I can't put it into words."
• Ditka fell prostrate on the turf when the game ended. Afterwards, he told the press:

Yeah, it's a prevent defense we were playing at the end, but if it's played with the proper technique, it's called a victory defense. Unfortunately, when we play it, it's a victory for the other team. Now that's bad. It makes no sense.

This loss is embarrassing. It's certainly wonderful for them to get their first win. But it's not good for us. It's our sixth loss. Maybe we're not good enough to beat the Browns, I don't know.

The two teams ended the season with five wins between them.

• Cleveland won one more game the rest of the season, over the Steelers two weeks later.
• The Saints managed two more victories, the second being a Christmas Eve upset of the Cowboys when backup QB Jack Delhomme went 16-for-27 for 278y and two TDs.
• To no one's surprise - probably not even his own - Ditka was fired at the end of the season.
• The following year, Jim Haslett led the Saints to their first-ever playoff victory.
  

Billy Joe Hobert

Ricky Williams

Tommy Barnhart

Doug Brien

Tim Couch

Mike Ditka after Hail Mary pass

 

 

 

 

Sometimes a penalty provides a turning point in a game. Usually it's a penalty against your team that nullifies a TD or a turnover. But sometimes a penalty on the opponent ends up turning the momentum of a game.

That's what happened to the Saints when they visited the Steelers November 5, 1978.

 
Saints vs Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium 1978

Top of Page

Dick Nolan

Archie Manning

Rich Mauti

Mean Joe Green

Terry Bradshaw

Lynn Swann

Tony Galbreath

Sam Mills

Browning Nagle


Morten Andersen

Craig "Ironhead" Heyward

The 1992 New Orleans Saints finished their season at the Meadowlands against the New York Jets. A victory would clinch second place in the NFC West and a home playoff game the following weekend for Jim Mora's 11-4 crew.

• Bruce Coslet's third Jets aggregation was limping home with the exact opposite record: 4-11. As a result, only 45,614 showed up on a clear Saturday afternoon with a strong wind that produced a -2 wind chill.
• As the AP article stated the next day,

The New Orleans Saints came, conquered and went home for the playoffs. The New York Jets, undermanned and overwhelmed, gladly said goodbye to 1992.

• The word "undermanned" referred to the fact that the Jets were minus nine injured starters and without any RBs who were with them in November.
• The Saints recorded their first shutout of the season, and Sam Mills ran a team-record 76y with a fumble to spark the ho-hum 20-0 victory.

It took the visitors' O almost an entire half to get going.

• Dalton Hilliard fumbled the ball away on the very first play from scrimmage.
• The Jets controlled the ball for 13:09 of the first period but trailed 7-0 thanks to Mills' heroics. He knocked the ball out of Browning Nagle's hands as the QB went back to pass, picked it up, and took the pigskin to paydirt. Sam said afterwards:

  It felt like the longest run ever. I was just running and hoping there were no receivers around to catch me. I was running scared. When you run that far, you'd better get in.

• But only C Jim Sweeney chased Sam down the field.

I better get separation from a C. The first few yards, he was right there and I looked back and saw him right there. I think that gave me the extra burst. At first, I thought, "If the C catches me, I'll never hear the end of it."

• Sweeney admitted Mills had nothing to worry about.

I was breathing so hard the fog was pushing him away and clouding my vision. So I couldn't see when to dive for him.

• Morten Andersen booted a 27y FG with 33 seconds left in the half to make it 10-0.

The Saints regrouped during the intermission.

• RB Ironhead Heyward:

We got on each other while we were inside at halftime. Then we got it going.

• Heyward eased into the EZ in Q3 to cap a a 65y drive in which he reeled off a 22y run.
• Andersen made it 20-0 with a 36y FG against the wind early in the final stanza.
• Nagle, playing on a twisted knee that caused him to leave the game three times, couldn't get anything going. Whenever New York threatened, they'd make an error, such as not picking up Mills on the blitz that produced the opening points.

The statistics reflected the final score.

• First downs: 17-10 Saints
• Rushing yardage: 95-55 Saints
• Passing yardage: 14-25-185-3 Saints, 16-34-142-2 Jets

Mora expressed his satisfaction with the season.

We ended up with 12 wins and made sure we're playing at home next week. I'm very proud of these guys.

When asked if he wanted to play Philadelphia or Green Bay, Mora replied:

I don't have a preference. Any time you get in the playoffs, you have the twelve best teams in football and a formidable opponent.

The Saints hosted the Eagles the following Saturday, giving up 26 unanswered points in Q4 to lose 36-20. It would be another eight seasons before New Orleans would win its first post-season game.

When the New York Giants reviewed their Sunday night, November 27, 1988, game in the Superdome, they found these negatives.

• QB Phil Simms, the starter for the first 12 games of the season, and LB Carl Banks couldn't play because of bruised right shoulders.
• All-Pro OLB Lawrence Taylor competed despite a torn deltoid muscle in his chest that gave him so much pain he kept coming out of the game for a play or two until he felt better.
• The Saints' vaunted D held the Giants to 14y rushing on 17 carries. New Orleans gained 155 on the ground.
• The home team doubled the visitors in first downs, 16-8.
• Giants coach Bill Parcells jettisoned backup QB Jeff Hostetler at halftime and sent in Jeff Rutledge, in effect his third-stringer.

So how did New York win 13-12?

Lawrence Taylor

Jeff Hostetler

Jeff Rutledge

Top of Page

Curtis Martin

Jim Everett

Quinn Early

The Saints traveled to Foxboro MA to meet the New England Patriots on Sunday, December 3, 1995.

• New Orleans had begun the season with five straight losses but had rallied to win five of the next six, including an 11-7 squeaker at San Francisco October 29 over the defending Super Bowl champs.
• Bill Parcells' fourth Patriot team had also started poorly, winning only two of the first eight before rallying to take three of four. Rookie RB Curtis Martin had emerged as the bell cow of the O, ranking second in the league in rushing with 1,004.
• So both clubs were 5-7. The loser would almost certainly be eliminated from the post-season. As the Hartford Courant put it:

At least one of these teams is playing out the string, maybe both. They just don't know it yet. It's amazing the Patriots are in the playoff hunt when you consider they have won in consecutive weeks once all season. Ditto for the Saints, who started the season 0-5. But if either team wins the rest of its games, it probably will make it to the postseason.

Jim Mora's club survived to fight another day thanks to three long scores.

Top of Page

The 1978 Saints, preparing for the first 16-game regular season in NFL history, made history by opening the pre-season against the Philadelphia Eagles in Mexico City.

• 30,000 Mexicans and a few hundred Saints fans enjoyed the August 5 contest.
• After New Orleans received the opening kickoff, RB Chuck Muncie fumbled on the first play, and Drew Mahalic recovered for the Eagles at the 19.
• That drive fizzled but on Philly's next possession, which began at the Saints 30, QB Ron Jaworski threw a 13y TD pass to RB Wilbert Montgomery.
• Archie Manning quarterbacked only the first series for the Saints before being replaced by Bobby Scott.
• With the Eagles still leading 7-0 two minutes into Q3, rookie WR Wes Chandler, who had signed a contract calling for $1 million over six years, ran Spike Jones's punt back 92y for a TD to tie the score.
• On the next Philly possession, FS Tom Myers intercepted a Mike Cordova pass intended for WR Randy Williamson at the Saints 45. Myers returned the ball to the 23.
• A 9y pass by Scott and four runs by HB Chuck Muncie put the pigskin on the 2. On second and goal, Muncie plunged over with 8:23 in Q3.
• Ed Burns replaced Scott under C in the last quarter.
• The 14-7 lead held up for the Saints.

What the Saints players and coaches remember most about the game is what happened afterwards.

Chuck Muncie

Drew Brees signs with Saints - this was harder for him than it looked

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deuce McAllister runs against Browns

John Carney

Devery Henderson

The story of Sean Payton and Drew Brees coming to New Orleans has already been told. So let's pick up the action from their first training camp with the Saints.

• Brees had been working since February to rehabilitate his arm after major shoulder surgery. At the news conference announcing his signing with the Saints, he struggled to hold up the #9 jersey for the photographs. His right shoulder was so weak two months after the surgery that he could barely raise his arm above his chest.
• He wasn't close to 100% when camp began in Jackson MS on July 27 despite throwing 120 balls a day. He had to restore his mechanics and sync up with a new set of receivers.
• As a result, Drew wasn't impressive in the preseason games, a 19-16 win at Tennessee followed by an embarrassing 30-7 loss to Dallas in Shreveport on national TV. Trying not to push the panic button, Payton told GM Mickey Loomis on the team bus afterwards, "We might now win three games this year."
• The preseason ended with losses to Indianapolis (27-14 in Jackson), and at Kansas City (10-9). Brees and the other regulars played more than they normally would in order to get back in the groove and adapt to a new coaching staff. His combined stats for the four games read like this:

39-for-62 for 394y with 0 TDs and 2 INTs

• Still, Drew took heart from one play in the Colts game.

In the first quarter, Coach called the play - a twenty-yard run by the receiver across the field. In order to complete the throw, you end up having to throw the ball about forty yards in the air. I took the snap, reading the defense on my way back. The cornerback covering my primary receiver was playing soft, therefore allowing us to throw the deep out. As I hit the last step in my drop, I hitched up, cocked the ball back, and let it fly.

There's a feeling unlike any other when the ball leaves your hand just right. You know immediately that it's a good throw, and there's a thrill as you watch it spiral downfield into the hands of your receiver. That pass was a good forty yards as it made its way across the field into the hands of Donte Stallworth on the left sideline. He actually dropped it, but I didn't care. It came out at just the right velocity, perfectly timed with the stride of the receiver, right into his arms. It was just like the old days, before the surgery. That is what I've been waiting for, I thought. I'm back!

• The fans and TV commentators, and even his head coach, didn't share Drew's optimism as the first game approached.

As the Saints prepared for their trip to Cleveland to open the season with a roster that was over 50% different from '05, Brees asked to speak to the team the Wednesday before the game.

• Drew handed out sheets with the word FAITH written on them.
• He gave meaning to each letter: Fortitude, Attitude, Integrity, Trust, Humility.
• After he explained how each virtue applied to the upcoming season,

... we left that meeting fired up about the season and the team. In the days that followed, one of our team mottoes became "Keep the faith." Faith in each other, faith in the process, faith in our fans, faith in our coaches. And for some of us, faith in the God who had made all of this possible in the first place.

Prognosticators didn't give the Saints much chance.

• All twelve ESPN experts chose the Panthers to win the NFC South.
• A typical website said this about the '06 Saints while predicting a 4-12 finish (an improvement of only one win over the Katrina year debacle):

The Saints have great potential on offense. The sooner the team can jell under Brees the more noise New Orleans can make in their division. It will be interesting to see how [#1 draft choice Reggie] Bush fairs at the pro level.

At least the Saints didn't have the pressure of high expectations as they took on the Browns, who weren't expected to do much better than the Saints in '06.

• The defense provided just what a team with a struggling offense needed in the first half, holding Cleveland to just 56y and zero points.
• Meanwhile, Payton did a great job of mixing things up with his play-calling to keep the D off-balance. By using Bush and Deuce McAllister on the field at the same time, he was able to create matchup problems and create downhill running seams inside the Browns' 3-4 D.
• Still, the Saints O weren't world beaters themselves in the first half, producing just three John Carney FGs (43, 25, and 21y) to take a 9-0 lead into the dressing room.

The Browns got on the board quickly in the second half.

• The home team marched 67y on its first series to pull within two when QB Charlie Frye threw an 18y TD pass to TE Kellen Winslow.
• The Saints retaliated with a 73y, 11-play drive of their own, culminated by Brees' first TD pass in a Saints uniform - to emerging rookie star Marques Colston from the 12. Along the way, Drew hit Devery Henderson for 16 and Bush for 14.

 

L: Kellen Winslow fends off Roman Harper to score. R: Marques Colston scores his first NFL TD.

Joe Horn

Josh Bullocks

• The Browns continued the tit-for-tat game with a 13 play drive starting on their 26 that produced a TD on Frye's 1y run with 11:20 left in the game.
• A 20y connection Brees-to-Joe Horn, a 19yarder to Henderson, and Deuce's 17y ramble gave the Saints first-and-goal on the 2. But three plays gained nothing. So Carney booted a 20y FG with 5:42 remaining made it 19-14 - still a "one possession game."
• Would the Saints cough up a lead late as their predecessors of the last few years had done with regularity? Not today as S Josh Bullocks intercepted a pass that deflected off the hands of Braylon Edwards at the N.O. 30 with 1:35 remaining to seal Cleveland's seventh season-opening loss in eight tries since returning to the NFL in '99.

Bush was pleased with his initial NFL effort.

• Although he never got loose on one of the trademark breakaway runs that made him a Heisman Trophy winner at USC, Reggie did gain 141 total yards - 61 rushing on 14 attempts, 58y on eight receptions, and 22 on three punt returns.

I just wanted us to get a win. I wasn't focused on anything else. This was a perfect first step.

• Deuce added 90y on 22 carries in his first game afater missing the final 11 contests of '05 following knee surgery.
• Brees' bottom line read: 16/30, 170y, 1 TD, 1 INT. As Drew wrote later:

It wasn't pretty; we basically had to grind out the win. But it was a victory all the same, and beating them on their home field gave us a measure of confidence. The locker room afterward was a happy place - we had achieved our goal of winning that first game. But we knew we had our work cut out for us the next week.

• Payton summarized the game this way:

  Nothing flashy but a win nonetheless. Drew had finally turned the corner. Although he wasn't 100 percent, there was a huge feeling of relief on the coaching staff, even from Drew himself.

To be continued ...

References: From Bags to Riches, Jeff Duncan (2010),
Coming Back Stronger, Drew Brees (2010)
Home Team: Coaching the Saints and New Orleans Back to Life, Sean Payton (2010)

L: Reggie Bush in his first NFL game. R: Payton celebrates his first NFL win as a head coach.

Having beaten the Browns, the 2006 Saints prepared for a trip to Green Bay. As Drew Brees wrote:

Beating Cleveland was definitely a start, a stepping stone. Take care of the first game and then you can move on to the second. It would take a lot more to face Green Bay at their place against Brett Favre. If we could somehow pull off a victory against the Packers, it would carry a lot more weight.

Sean Payton felt that Drew had passed a test at Cleveland.

Drew had finally turned the corner. Although he wasn't 100 percent, there was a huge feeling of relief on the coaching staff, even from Drew himself. I think if you asked him, "At what point in 2006 did you feel 100 percent healthy?" he would tell you, "Shortly after that opening game, in Week Two or Week Three."

• Since the Packers had humiliated the Saints in 2005 52-3 at Lambeau Field, the game would provide a litmus test for the amount of improvement Payton had achieved in a very short time.
• The Pack would have a chip on their shoulder because the Bears had come to Lambeau in Week One and won 26-0, the first time a Favre-led team had been shut out.
• The Saints would be trying to win two consecutive road games to start a season for the first time in franchise history.

The visitors looked like the old Saints in Q1 as Brees turned the ball over on their first three possessions.

• On the third play from scrimmage, Aaron Kampman sacked Drew, forcing a fumble, and recovered on the Saints 37.
• Five plays later, Favre hit rookie Greg Jennings for his first career TD.
• Brees fumbled again on the next possession, GB pouncing on it on the 15. However, the Saints D forced a FG by Dave Rayner to make it 10-0.
• The Black and Gold O moved the pigskin to the Packer 24. But Brees' pass down the left sideline for Devery Henderson was tipped by Nick Collins and intercepted by Al Harris at the 8.
• Favre led his troops to the N.O. 17 before bogging down. Rayner's second 3-pointer made it 13-0.

Brett Favre

Aaron Kampman

Greg Jennings

 
L: Al Harris intercepts in front of Devery Henderson.
R: Will Smith sacks Brett Favre.

Both fumbles occurred on sacks in the pocket when a defensive end hit my arm as I was throwing. Hits like these can cause shoulder injuries even to healthy arms, but thankfully I came away from both plays feeling durable.

... it looked like they were on their way to a blowout, just like the previous year. That was not the way I had envisioned my first-quarter performance, and human nature was telling me it was time to get really frustrated and start berating myself. You blew it! Are you sure you belong here?

But I hadn't come that far to quit. And we hadn't come that far as a team to quit either. We could have lamented our misfortunate, packed up, and headed home. But something was brewing. Something was going on that the fans at Lambeau and the people watching on television couldn't see. They had no idea how hard we had worked to get where we were. They had no idea of the desire burning in the belly of each player on our team. And they had no idea how much the people of New Orleans meant to us. We were playing for them. So instead of listening to that voice of defeat, I kept visualizing doing things the right way and focusing on what I'd been coached to do.

The tide turned in Q2.

• After two punt exchanges, the Saints finally put points on the board.
• Deuce McAllister's 3y plunge over LT culminated a 58y drive. A 3rd-and-4 pass from Brees to Joe Horn gained just enough to keep possession on the GB 48. Three plays later, Brees flipped the ball to Reggie Bush in the left flat, and the rookie got another first down on the 36. Next, Drew fired a 33y strike to TE Mark Campbell to set up Deuce's first TD since September 2005.
• After receiving a punt on their 27 with 4:27 left, New Orleans marched to the go-ahead TD.
• Working hard for every yard, the Saints converted a 3rd-and-1 and a 4th-and-1. On a first-and-10 play at the 26, Brees threw deep down the left sideline to Henderson for the TD. John Carney's second PAT put the Saints a point on top with 0:56.

The Saints added to their lead in Q3.

• The Packers top the kickoff and marched smartly to a first-and-goal at the 7.
• But Omar Stoutmire picked off Favre's pass just inside the EZ.
• Brees immediately fired a short pass over the middle to Horn who raced 57y to the 23.
• After three plays netted -4, Carney booted a FG to extend the lead to 4.
• The D then forced a three-and-out. Brees connected with Bush for 23 to the GB 35. Four plays later, Carney's 47-yarder made it 20-13.

• Favre ended an 80y march with a 4y pass to Robert Ferguson 42 seconds into the period.
• The defenses dominated the next two possessions. Then the Saints drove 65y to take the lead for good.
• One play after an interference call provided a first-and-10 at the GB 35, Brees passed to Marques Colston for the score with 8:20 left.
• 26 seconds later, N.O. scored again. On GB's first play after the kickoff, Will Smith recovered Ahman Green's fumble on the GB 23.
• Deuce scampered around LE for the TD. The one-play drive made it 34-20.
• The Pack bounced back with a TD drive that consumed 3 1/2 minutes. Favre's 6y pass to Noah Herron cut the lead to seven.
• Needing to run some clock, the Saints could gain only 4y and consume only a minute.
• When Favre took over at his 41, Saints Nation could be forgiven for thinking, "Here we go again" and expecting a tying drive. But these were not your Daddy's Saints. Favre got one first down to the N.O. 44, then misfired on four straight to turn the ball over.
• Brees knelt three times to run out the clock. He recalled:

That win was a watershed moment for us. We had faced adversity, and we hadn't let it get us down. After the game we talked about what was different for the Saints now. That was a game the Saints probably would have lost in previous years - not necessarily because the team wasn't as talented but because they didn't have the positive mentality and belief we exhibited. We really believed we could overcome any situation we found ourselves in. ... No matter what kind of hole we'd dug for ourselves, we still believed we could go out there and win.

• Payton:

Starting out 2-0 after two road games is a big accomplishment for any team in our league. And every bit as important as that final score was that Drew had made two or three throws in that game that reminded Pete Carmichael of the healthy QB he knew in San Diego. ... Our defense was showing signs of improvement as well.

The Saints now prepared for the most important event ever held in the Louisiana Superdome.

Continued below ...

Deuce McAllister

John Carney

Reggie Bush vs Packers

Mark Campbell

Robert Ferguson

Ahman Green runs against Saints.

Noah Herron

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Benson in October 2005

Paul Tagliabue

 

 

 

 

 

 

Superdome after Katrina

Glenn Menard

Doug Thornton

• The NFL schedule makers sent New Orleans on the road the first two weeks of the regular season to provide maximum time for the refurbishment of the Superdome.
• Knowing the homecoming would be of national interest, they made it a Monday Night game and selected the hated Atlanta Falcons as the opponent.
• The interest surrounding the game would have been off the charts even if the teams were 0-2. As it turned out, both were 2-0.

As recently as nine months earlier, this night seemed impossible.

• Owner Tom Benson's former city, San Antonio, welcomed the Saints with open arms after Katrina. With the future of New Orleans totally uncertain in the weeks right after the storm, the Mayor of San Antonio, like a man courting a widow at the wake, led an effort to convince Benson to permanently relocate his team in the Alamo City. Mayor Hardberger:

I'm pretty comfortable in saying he wants to be here. ... I think Tom Benson would like to stay here permanently and I, as mayor of San Antonio, would like to have the team stay here permanently.

• The San Antonio newspaper even reported that Benson planned to invoke the force majeure ("chance occurrence") clause in the Saints' contract with the State of Louisiana to avoid an $81 million exit fee for violating the agreement binding them to New Orleans.
• On October 19, Crescent City Mayor Ray Nagin fired back, blasting Benson for abandoning New Orleans while it was "on its knees."
• The next day, Superdome officials reported that the stadium would be ready to host Saints games by the following October.
• Despite Benson's protestation that "no decisions have been made regarding our future plans and none will be made until after the 2005 season is concluded," ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that the Saints had "probaby played their last game in New Orleans."
• The Washington Post weighed in with an article stating that the NFL would consider allowing the Saints to relocate to Los Angeles if the Crescent City was unable to recover from the hurricane devastation.

From New Orleans's point of view, the man in the white hat who galloped in to save the situation was NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

• He asked Benson at a meeting of state, team and league officials on October 30 just before the Saints' first game at Tiger Stadium to refrain from invoking force majeure. Tagliabue said at the news conference afterwards:

The Saints are Louisiana's team and have been since the late 1960s. We're dealing with a rebuilding here, and we're going to make every effort to keep the New Orleans Saints as Louisiana's team.

• Still, the San Antonio media claimed Benson was more committed to permanent relocation than ever, especially after a nasty confrontation with fans following the first game in Tiger Stadium.
• Tagliabue followed up his pro-New Orleans pronouncement by forming a New Orleans Advisory Committee of eight owners to keep their fingers on the pulse of recovery in New Orleans to determine the city's long-term viability as an NFL member.
• Reacting to Benson's projection that he would lose $20-40 million during the next several seasons if he returned to New Orleans, Tagliabue crafted a contingency plan to subsidize the Saints with revenue from visiting teams' shares of gate receipts. Paul also helped organize the Saints Business Council, a group of 27 local business leaders who pledged to buy suites, tickets, and sponsorships.

Tagliabue and other NFL officials made their first visit to post-Katrina New Orleans on December 5.

• They found the Saints' training facility in excellent condition.
• However, the Superdome was in worse shape than expected, causing the Commissioner to wonder if the Saints could play there at all in 2006.
• That emboldened the Benson to lobby Tagliabue to allow the Saints to play in San Antonio again in 2006.

The team was still in limbo as the 3-13 season limped to its merciful end.

• However, something or someone changed Benson's plans because, on December 30, he surprised staff members by informing them of the club's plan to resume operations in Metairie by mid-January.
• The "someone" behind the decision was widely assumed to be Tagliabue, who met with the players and coaches for more than five hours that day before announcing the move to the media.

Still, a major question remained: Would the Superdome be ready?

• A concerted effort orchestrated by Dome GM Glenn Menard and spreadheaded by Doug Thornton, regional vice president for SMG, the company that runs the facility, completed the $185 million renovation in time for the September 25 kickoff.
• The plan heeded Tagliabue's admonition not just to rebuild the old Dome but to make it better.
• The original timetable called for a November completion, but the league insisted it had to be ready for mid-September at the latest.
• The amazing, almost superhuman effort cut through the usual Louisiana red tape and put Dome refurbishment ahead of other major projects. Thornton worked for nearly three months without a day off.
• Critics, including legislators, questioned giving priority to a sports stadium over hospitals and schools. But the majority knew that the Dome represented the most visible symbol of the city's rebirth.
• Workers removed 4,000 tons of debris and extracated 3.8 million gallons of water from the Dome and its garages. Almost every square foot of sheet rock, tile, and carpeting was replaced. More than 22,000 new seats were installed, and the rest were treated and cleaned.
• $32.5 million was spent in replacing the roof - the largest and costliest such project in U.S. history.

Saints fans and the entire nation would see the product of all that effort and money on September 25, 2006.

Reference: From Bags to Riches, Jeff Duncan (2010)
Top of Page

As the entire nation (seemingly) prepared for the Saints' return to the Superdome after Katrina for a Monday night game against the Falcons, Sean Payton was worried.

Frankly, I wasn't sure our players were prepared.

• As he explained in his book Home Team:

How could they be? Half our guys had never played in the Dome before. That included all the first- and second-year players. And nobody at all had played in the Dome since its top-to-bottom renovation, a whirlwind $193 million job. ... This was really a brand-new stadium inside an old shell ... Thirty thousand people had taken refuge in the Superdome when they'd had no place else to go. All of our players had heard the stories and seen the TV reports. ... No one had actually been murdered in the Superdome after Katrina. But one man had committed suicide, and nobody had been left unscathed. And when people finally get out of there, most of them were shipped off to further heartbreak and despair. Even a year and a month later, images like that can mess with a player's head.

• The coach was also concerned about the Saints

being too tight, too distracted, too emotionally wound up - and having our execution suffer. I wanted to deal with all of that before game time. We had to try to chase the ghosts away.

• So Sean scheduled a Friday night practice in the Dome.

But Payton didn't wait until Friday to start preparing the team mentally.

• He told them at Thursday's practice:

Monday has a chance to be a special night. It's going to be a memorable night regardless of the outcome. But it will be a special night only if we win. None of this "We're just happy to be here," OK?

The coaches and I, we know you're going to be ready. But this game will come down to you being able to focus, much like a play-off game or a Super Bowl. Both teams will be ready. Now, will you keep your focus with the increased atmosphere and distractions and media coverage and all the other things that go into this game? I am counting on it.

• One of the purposes of the Friday practice was to acclimate the players to their new home - locker rooms, new turf, new lighting - since they hadn't played the usual preseason games.
• This was not just a walkthrough but a full practice starting at Monday's kickoff time.

When practice ended, Sean gathered the team at midfield.

• He introduced Doug Thornton, who had spearheaded the renovation of the Dome, and Benny Vanderklis, the security director who had ridden out the storm in the building.
• At Sean's signal, the lights went off for a moment before the new Jumbotrons lit up.
• A video began that showed footage of the Katrina disaster. Sean:

The video was just five minutes long. But I swear, it was the most emotional five minutes of tape I'd ever seen. The rising water, the people's faces, the houses with X's on the doors letting the rescurers know how many bodies were inside. ... When the video was finished, these images of Katrina gave way to a song - the throaty exuberance of Hank Williams Jr. singing "Are You Ready for Some Football" - the Monday Night Football theme.

• The video achieved the effect Payton intended: From "Oh, my God, look at where we've come from" to "Oh, my God, look where we're going now."
• The stunned players stood in silence, most in tears. That was what the coach wanted. I wanted the rush of emotion on Friday, not on Monday night. On Monday, this team had to execute.

Drew Brees in particular couldn't wait for Monday night.

This would be my first chance to play in front of the home crowd in the Superdome. I finally had the opportunity to be in front of our fans - my fans. These were the people who had welcomed me with open arms after the injury, rehab, and free agency signing. I felt like I had something to prove to them. I wanted to show them I'd been a worthwhile investment and I could lead them. That game symbolized recovery for me, for the Saints, and for the region.

• Drew had never set foot in the Superdome before the Friday night practice. He understood what his coach had in mind with the practice.

He knew it would be better for any initial shock or awe to come now instead of on Monday night.

• Brees also reacted to the video as Sean wanted.

These were the people we were playing for now. These were the survivors, and they needed hope. They needed something good to happen.

[The video] made football seem less important in a way, compared to all that these people had experienced. But at the same time, it made Monday's game even more significant.

• Fighting back his own tears when the presentation ended, Payton challenged the team.

You want to make this night special? Then you go out and win this game for these people. They deserve it.

• The final piece of the game plan had fallen in place.

Continued below ...

References: Home Team, Sean Payton (2010), Coming Back Stronger, Drew Brees (2010); From Bags to Riches, Jeff Duncan (2010)
Top of Page

 

 

Sean Payton

 

 

 

Deuce McAllister on cover
of Sporting News

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drew and Brittany Brees in 2006 as they refurbished a home in New Orleans

 

Mickey Loomis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U2 and Green Day perform before the game

Former President George H. W. Bush flips coin before kickoff.

GM Mickey Loomis came up to Drew on the field before the game and put his hand on his shoulder.

• Mickey told him he had heard about his trouble getting to the stadium. "Just relax, Drew. Everything's fine. You're here, and you're ready to play."
• Those words put Drew at ease. He may have been the only person in the building who was "at ease."

The atmosphere inside the arena surpassed anything that had ever happened there.

• John DeShazier of the Times-Picayune likened the experience to

a combination homecoming celebration and religious experience, where fans of every age and station in life and players that night emotionally intertwined to create an atmosphere that will rival any atmosphere, anywhere, in terms of passion.

• Rick Leventhal of Fox News blogged:

It's not often I see grown men cry. In my experience, it's rare. But I saw it Monday night, standing on the Saints sideline inside the Superdome, as I congratulated one of the supervisors on the rebirth of the huge structure. He'd put his heart and soul into the project, giving up the last year of his life to see it through, he told me. Repairing the cratered roof, ripping out the wet and mildewed walls, ceilings, carpets, and furniture, rewiring, replacing, and redecorating a facility he considered his living room and his whole life.

And now, with 72,000 Saints fans cheering wildly, after Green Day and U2 rocked the stage with songs about the city, including a rewritten "Beautiful Day," tears began to fall from his eyes. "I've cried a lot tonight," he told me, as others came up to shake his hand and give him a hug. His labor of love was alive and healthy and already giving joy to the people who needed something to cheer about.

Pro-football is back in New Orleans. It's just one step forward for a city with many struggles, but it's a big step, and at least 72,000 people are fired up about it.

The stands were packed an hour before kickoff.

• A host of VIPs and celebrities attended, including former President George H. W. Bush, who handled the pregame coin toss, Governor Kathleen Blanco, Archie Manning, New Orleans-born musician Harry Connick Jr., Mayor Ray Nagin, filmmaker Spike Lee, acress Hillary Swank, rappers Snoop Dogg and Lil' Jon, and native New Orleanian Avery Johnson, coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
• Two internationally-acclaimed bands, U2 and Green Day, teamed up for a three-song set at midfield before the kickoff. The local Rebirth and New Birth Brass Bands backed them up. Local legends Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, and Kermit Ruffins collaborated on the National Anthem.
• According to DeShazier,

Grizzled, hardened, cynical, seen-it-all media members had damp eyes before it began (yours truly included). U2 and Green Day collaborated on a remake "The Saints Are Coming" that still can make the hairs stand on end.

Coach Payton later recalled:

The feeling inside the Dome was absolutely electric. ... The place was fully awash in emotion. It was the loudest crowd I'd ever heard in my life. I know I never walked into a stadium feeling like more was riding on the game. The fanfare and the atmosphere were just unbelievable.

The Falcons didn't know it, but they had no chance. 

References: Home Team, Sean Payton (2010); Coming Back Stronger, Drew Brees (2010); From Bags to Riches, Jeff Duncan (2010)
Top of Page

 Just 90 seconds into a game that was a horrific year in the making, the New Orleans Saints flopped on a ball in the end zone -- and the party was on.

The defense beat up Michael Vick. Tom Benson danced off the field with his parasol. Even "The Superdome Special" worked to perfection.

The Saints are home again.

Thus began the ESPN.com article on the Saints 23-3 victory over Atlanta on Monday night, September 25, 2006.

• The "flop," of course, was the recovery of the blocked punt after the Falcons went three-and-out on the opening possession of the game.
• The Saints' special teams had been preparing all week for this moment. As Sean Payton recalled in his autobiography:

Special teams coordinator John Bonamego had convinced me we had a real good punt-block rush. He gave Steve Gleason ... a specific assignment. This was perfect for Gleason. He didn't have gret athletic ability. He didn't have that much speed. At five foot eleven, 212 pounds, he was definitely on the small side for an NFL player. As a football player, he didn't have a lot on paper. But you could give Gleason an assignment, and he just had a way of getting it done.

I didn't plan on trying to block a punt so early. But Bonamego didn't seem eager to wait. "You want to block the first one?" he asked. I knew we wanted to run the block at some point. Teams rush eight and attempt to block punts all the time. But so soon?

I heard myself say, "Yeah, let's do it." And we did. Eight guys rushed. Gleason hit the A gap, pulled a little loop stunt and went right up the middle to block the punt.

• The ball rolled across the goal where Curtis Deloatch fell on it for a TD. He then sprang to his feet and ran along the back of the EZ before he ran toward the goal post and jumped so high spiking the ball that he almost hit his helmet on the cross bar which sits 10' off the ground. Curtis said later: It wasn't something I planned; it just happened. I was going crazy. You could feel the Dome just rocking. We must have celebrated for 20 minutes. They could have thrown all their flags on us, but I guess with it being such a special night, and the Dome reopening and Hurricane Katrina and everything, they let it slide.
• The noise was deafening. Gleason said later, It was so loud inside my own head, I could have jumped out of my own skin. I felt like I was in every inch of the Superdome, up in the crowd, just so happy that I could do that for the people. I couldn't ask for anything more. Athletically, it was the coolest thing I've ever done, no doubt. I'm the little kid that dreams of playing in the NFL and doing something great. And tonight I did it, man.
• Brees agreed: It was the loudest one-time roar I have ever heard in a stadium. That moment served as a confirmation: this night belonged to New Orleans.
• The ESPN announcers stayed silent for nearly 40 seconds to allow the viewers to experience the frenzy.

 
Steve Gleason blocks Falcons punt

• Warrick Dunn gained only 1 at RT, Mike McKenzie making the tackle. Michael Vick threw incomplete in the left flat to Alge Crumpler.
• From the shotgun, Vick threw to Crumpler all alone in the EZ. But, perhaps reflecting the hand of fate, Alge dropped the ball. So the Falcons settled for a 26y FG by 46-year-old ex-Saint Morten Andersen.

Drew Brees finally got his chance to take a snap in his new city. Unfortunately, the first possession didn't produce a Cinderella story.

• Drew threw two short passes good for 8y before missing Colston to force a punt.
• The Saints returned the favor to the Falcons, forcing a three-and-out to give Brees & Company another shot from the 20.
• They made good this time, driving to a TD in eight plays. Drew completed 3-of-4, the last one for 22y to Marques Colston which, with a roughing the passer penalty tacked on, put the ball on the 22.
• That set the stage for one of Payton's signature plays. Brees handed the ball to Reggie Bush who in turn gave it to Devery Henderson on a reverse around RE. Devery barely made it past the pylon before being slammed out of bounds.
• John Carney's PAT moved the lead to 14-3.

 
L: Devery Henderson scores on a reverse. R: Deuce McAllister rambles for 22.

Roman Harper fights Alge Crumpler for a loose ball.

• On the second play, Deuce McAllister burst through for 22 to the NO 45.
• Brees kept the drive alive with a 3rd down completion to Colston to the 40.
• Drew hit Joe Horn for 17 more before three plays gained only 4y.
• So Carney split the uprights from the 37 to make it 17-3 with 6:48 left until halftime.

The Falcons cranked up a drive that ended with inspired play by the Saints' D and special teams.

• First, a 34y return by Jerius Norwood coupled with unnecessary roughness against Deloatch gave Atlanta excellent field position at the NO 42.
• On 4th-and-1, Vick found Crumpler for 17y to the 16, then two plays later hit Alge again for 13 to the 3. A flat pass to Justin Griffith moved the ball to the 2 with 2:42 on the clock.
• With the crowd roaring, Brian Young broke through and sacked Vick back to the 9. Taking a direct snap out of the shotgun, Dunn immediately got 2 up the middle. Vick misfired on a pass into the EZ, necessitating a chip shot FG attempt by Anderson. Josh Bullocks blocked the kick to send the fans into a frenzy again.

Starting on their own 13 with only 1:49 and two timeouts left, the Saints navigated into FG range.

• Brees handed off and dinked and dunked the ball out to the 37. Then Bush, whose unexpected draft availability had electrified Saints fans, shot up the middle for 13y to the 50. Payton used the Saints' last timeout with 0:13 showing.
• After two 1y passes to receivers who went out of bounds sandwiched around an incompletion, Carney booted a 51y FG as time expired to send the Saints into the clubhouse and the fans to the concession stands with a 20-3 lead.

It was hard for the second half to be anything but anti-climactic especially after the Saints extended their lead on the opening possession.

• Starting from their 25, New Orleans drove to a first-and-goal on the 1 with a 19y Brees-Horn connection producing the biggest gain. But just as the Saints had repelled the Falcons twice inside their 10, Atlanta's D now rose up and stopped three straight runs. So Carney did his job again to extend the lead to 20. More importantly, the 12-play drive used up half the quarter.
• With the Saints running the ball most of the time to control the clock, the defenses dominated the rest of the game, the deepest penetation being a Falcon Q4 thrust that ended on a 4th-and-12 incompletion on the Saints 31.
• As the last seconds ticked off, owner Tom Benson came down from his suite to do the Benson Boogie to the strains of "When the Saints Go Marching In" to elicit cheers from a fan base that a year earlier feared he would move the team to San Antonio.
• Although no one thought about it at the time, the Saints ended a seven-game losing streak on Monday night football although they remained winless (0-5) on Monday night road games.

Postgame reactions:

• Sean Payton said the Saints gave the game ball to the city of New Orleans. Avery Johnson [N.O. native who coached the Dallas Mavericks] accepted that on behalf of everybody.
• Drew Brees: From the moment I signed with the Saints, I was looking forward to this. It was a great night. It's something we'll never forget.
• Reggie Bush: It was so emotional on the sidelines. We talked all week about making a difference with special teams. Today we put it to work and made it happen.
• Joe Horn: Whether we would have won that game or not, I think the fans would have still been happy. If we would have lost, I'm sure they would have still been proud of us. They would have still been happy because this organization is still in New Orleans. But that wouldn't have been enough. We had to win that football game.
• Falcons coach Jim Mora, whose father was the winningest coach in Saints history: As tough as it is to lose a game, I'd be lying if I said there isn't a little, little, little piece of me that didn't appreciate what this game meant to this city. It meant a lot.
• Michael Vick, who finished just 12-for-31: I never in my life heard a crowd roar so loud. It just goes to show the appreciation they have for having the New Orleans Saints back in the Dome, bringing football back to the city. I commend them for that. They deserve it.
• Mike Ditka, former Saints coach, on TV the next morning: What Sean Payton is doing down there is outstanding. This is the beginning of a new era. There's a whole new enthusiasm.

John Bonamego

Steve Gleason

Curtis Deloatch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morten Andersen

Joe Horn

Reggie Bush

John Carney

Brian Young

Josh Bullocks