Saints of the NFL: A Concise Guide to The New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints: Team Profile, History, Greatest Players and Most notable moments
Your concise guide to the New Orleans Saints!
In this series, Matt Lively reviews each National Football League franchise and give you an in-depth history of who they are and how they came to be.
In today’s edition, we are talking about the New Orleans Saints!
New Orleans Saints: A History of the Franchise
The city of New Orleans was awarded the 16th franchise in NFL history in 1966.
The date it happened was ironically, All-Saints day. John W. Mecom Jr., a successful Texas and Louisiana businessman became the majority stockholder.
Less than a month later on January 9, 1967, no one was surprised when the team was named the "Saints."
The Saints got 20,000 season ticket sales for their first season and obtained three future Pro Football Hall of Famers for their 1967 roster.
Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor, a Louisiana State grid hero, came from Green Bay and defensive end Doug Atkins came in a trade with the Chicago Bears.
In the opening game, the Saints ran back the opening kickoff but lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
In their first year, the team went just 3-11 but they had an average fan attendance of 75,463 per game. This is really no surprise because the Saints have one of the most loyal fan bases of all time.
The Saints Stadium: The Superdome
Speaking of attendance, the Saints have only played in one stadium in the entire history of the franchise.
It opened in 1975 and has been the epicentre of New Orleans sports. It also served as the heart of the city during the devastating Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The Superdome has hosted seven Super Bowls over the years and the College Football Semi-final game is played every three years in New Orleans.
It is considered one of the best NFL stadiums for home-field advantage. Brett Favre once said after a playoff game that;
"That was, by far, the most hostile environment I've ever been in. You couldn't hear anything."
The Superdome in New Orleans
The New Orleans Saints Playoffs and Championships Record
In 54 seasons, the Saints have played in just 23 playoff games. They have a record of 10-13.
The Saints have appeared in just one Super Bowl, which they won after defeating the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning.
It was Super Bowl 44 in Miami Florida in 2010.
This was the Saints' first Super Bowl appearance and the fourth for the Colts franchise, their second appearance in four seasons.
The Saints entered the game with a 13–3 record for the 2009 regular season, compared to the Colts' 14–2 record.
The Game Itself
The key moment in the game was the first play after halftime.
The Saints were set to kick-off to the Colts but instead performed an onside kick and recovered the ball.
New Orleans went on to score 25 points in the second half and won by a final score of 31-17. Despite the Colts being favoured by five points going into the game, Drew Brees was too much to handle and won the games MVP award.
The Saints other notable playoff appearances came in the late 2010’s.
In 2018, the Saints were a play away from playing in the Super Bowl but a missed pass-interference call, which later allowed for pass interference to be challenged, gave the Rams a massive win in the NFC Championship game.
The Best Coach in Saints History
Without a doubt, Sean Payton is considered the best coach in Saints history.
There are only five coaches in Saints history, but Payton has enjoyed the most success in the league and has made New Orleans a perennial contender and NFC powerhouse.
Of the team’s 13 all-time postseason appearances, Payton’s Saints are responsible for eight of those trips to the playoffs.
Reaching the postseason in each of the last three years heading into 2020, Payton has led the Saints to the NFC Championship Game three times in addition to producing a Walter Payton Man of the Year, a Super Bowl MVP, an Offensive Rookie of the Year, a Defensive Rookie of the Year and three Offensive Player of the Year winners.
Three Best Players in Franchise History
Drew Brees - Quarterback
This one is way too easy. Drew Brees is a future Hall of Fame quarterback who has dominated the league for more than a decade.
Brees began his career in San Diego but after a career-threatening injury, he went to New Orleans. Brees holds well over 20 NFL records and achievements, and over 25 team records.
Brees has nine Pro Bowl appearances (eight with the Saints), multiple All-Pro selections, NFC MVP honours, NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards, and the extremely impressive list goes on and on.
He is without doubt, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Drew Brees - Without doubt the Saints GOAT
Rickey Jackson - Linebacker
Jackson was one of the great linebackers of his era.
He spent 13 seasons with the Saints at a time when the team was anything but good. He was a lone bright spot during some truly tough years in New Orleans.
He racked up over 1,100 tackles, 115 sacks, 38 forced fumbles and seven interceptions. Jackson earned six Pro Bowl nods, six All-Pro selections and an appearance on the NFL’s All-Rookie team in 1981.
Willy Roaf - Offensive Lineman
Roaf may not be the most attractive name on this list but he certainly is one of the greatest Saints to ever suit up for the team.
He is considered the greatest offensive lineman in team history.
As the team's 8th overall pick in the 1993 draft, Roaf went on to play in 131 of 144 games for the Saints. Roaf was instrumental in both pass and run-blocking, and made the Pro Bowl eleven times in his career, seven of which came with the Saints from 1994-2000.
Roaf was also a first-team All-Pro from 1994-1996, second-team All-Pro in 1997 and 2000, and was part of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team and 2000s All-Decade Team.
Greatest Draft Pick in Saints History
Archie Manning was drafted with the second overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft. Manning, the father of Peyton and Eli, was known as Mr. Saint.
To give you an idea of what era Manning played for the Saints, the fans were often putting bags over their heads. But this wasn't necessarily his fault.
Manning was sent to two Pro Bowls in 1978 and 1979, and was also named the NFC's offensive player of the year in 1978. When the Saints first introduced their Hall of Fame in 1988, it was Manning and Abramowicz as the first two inductees.
No one has worn No. 8 for the Saints since 1982.
Best Free Agent Signing or Trade in Team History
This one is pretty simple so we won’t go into much -- Drew Brees is the answer here. You can see above for this reason.
The Team’s Greatest Moment
The greatest moment in team history is not actually winning the Super Bowl. Rather it was the first game after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city of New Orleans.
Just 90 seconds into the Saints' first game at the Superdome, Steve Gleason burst up the middle of the Falcons' line to block Michael Koenen's punt, sending it backward, where Curtis Deloatch fell on it in the end zone.
Just like that, the Saints had a 7-0 lead. It was a moment where the entire sports world rallied around the city.
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