Saints make impossible possible, reach Super Bowl

[7 Comment(s)]

By Christopher Gordy

Forty-two years. That's how long it took for the football curse to be broken in New Orleans.

But in its 292 years of existence, the Big Easy had never enjoyed one night of excitement, nervousness, heartache and bliss all at the same time, until last Sunday night.

Weathering tragedies like yellow fever, The Great Fire of 1788, Hurricanes Betsy & Katrina and Aaron Brooks, the city has overcome all devastation.

And now the Voodoo spell is broken: the New Orleans Saints are going to the Super Bowl.

Before Sunday, all but five NFL teams had reached the big game before. Scratch the Saints off that list. The Lions now hold the distinction of being the only non-expansion team to have yet to appear in the Super Bowl.

But honestly, if someone had approached you back in August and made the prediction that in five short months, the New Orleans Saints would force 46 turnovers, win 13 straight games, the Ying Yang Twins would make a career comeback and the Saints would go to the Super Bowl, you would have said they were clinically insane; and rightfully so.

Now history has been made. Football fans across South Louisiana have shed their tears of joy and can now smile after years of frustration. For the first time, true Saints fans will finally have a vested interest in the Super Bowl. They won't be watching just for the commercials anymore. "Who Dat" fans actually have a dog in the fight (Refrain from a Michael Vick reference here.)

However, real football fans could have seen changes in the air when it came to the Saints' offseason moves. A fifth-round draft pick on a punter named Thomas Morestead seemed like a stretch. Letting go of defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs and bringing in Gregg Williams seemed like a good move, but some questioned if his philosophy would work in New Orleans. Head coach Sean Payton liked the idea of getting Williams so much, he gave up a quarter of a million dollars of his own salary to get him.

Saints icon Deuce McAllister was released from the team, and many wondered if running back Pierre Thomas could carry the workload as a fulltime starter. Dealing with years of problems in the secondary, the Saints brought in cornerback Jabari Greer, hoping he would provide shutdown support. They let safety Josh Bullocks jump ship to Chicago, and attracted veteran safety Darren Sharper days later. Sharper went on to an All-Pro season, and proved to be the leader of the Saints secondary.

They released cornerback Mike McKenzie, only to bring him back mid-season and see him start against the New England Patriots, wreaking havoc on quarterback Tom Brady en route to a big win. The Saints drafted cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, who came in and instantly made an impact on special teams with big tackles and forced fumbles. Linebacker Dan Morgan was signed out of retirement, before he flip-flopped and decided to retire again. The signing inspired linebacker Scott Shanle to play harder for his starting role and ultimately have a fantastic season.

Ultimate jubilee for Saints fans came in August when the organization released its biggest headache, cornerback Jason David. The drafting of Jenkins and the signing of Greer meant there was no need for David...and Saints fans couldn't have been happier. Kicker John Carney was brought in and filled in nicely, while Garrett Hartley dealt with a four-game suspension. Eventually Carney was switched over to a coaching role, and Hartley would go on to make the most historic kick in Saints history. Add the acquisitions of fullback Heath Evans, tight end David Thomas, running back Mike Bell and defensive linemen Remi Ayodele and Anthony Hargrove, and the Saints had a recipe for success.

So now the Saints find themselves in strange and unusual territory. Heading to Miami for a chance to win a Super Bowl Championship, the boys in Black and Gold will try to put a cap on a season that will be talked about for years to come. And as Saints radio play-by-play man Jim Henderson made the final call to Sunday's game, the impossible seemed no longer impossible: "Pigs have flown. Hell has frozen over. The Saints are on their way to the Super Bowl."

Originally Published: Issue 862 - January 27, 2010

Share on Facebook

Back to the top