Saints: A Walk Down Memory Lane

[jive1]

Wow. They Aints are finally in the big one. What was once a league laughing stock who peaked as a one and done in the playoffs every blue moon is in the Bowl.

Let's take a walk down memory lane for the old Saints fans, and educate the youngsters and band wagon jumpers.

The birth of the Aints
The Aints go 20 years without a winning season. Best record was 8-8. They had a 1 win season, and a bunch of 2,3, and 4 win seasons. Not even Archie Manning could get them a winning season. Only bright spot was Dempsey, the kicker with half a foot who had the field goal record.

The era of hope
The late 80s/90s with Jim Mora had Bobby Hebert coming out of nowhere to prove to be a winning QB. The 3 headed rushing attack of Hilliard, Mayes, and Ironhead. The beast LBs Sam Mills, Pat Swilling, and Rickey Jackson. They finally get to the playoffs, and get destroyed by the Queens in the Wild Card game 44-10. They get to the playoffs 3 more times, but lose in the first round each time. Mora goes on a downhill slide and loses his job midseason and the Aints have another 3 win season.

Return of the Aints
Saints go for broke and get a Superbowl winning coach with a fiery personality, Iron Mike Ditka. First thing he does is trade all his draft picks to draft Rasta Ricky in the first round. They show up at the press conference as bride and groom, with Ricky in a wedding dress. Iron Mike has 2 Billie Joes, Tolliver and Hobert at QB. Ditka doesn't last long, culminating in a 3-13 season after 3 years. Ditka's time in the Big Easy drove him to do Chunky Soup commercials instead of coach.

Is you is, or is you Aint?
Hasslet comes in and offer glimmers of hope. Ricky actually looks like he's laying off the weed and running well. Aaron Brooks looks like quite a find, after replacing Jeff Blake. Joe Horn is pwning the league. Haslett takes them to the playoffs and actually wins a game before getting destroyed by the Vikings. The Aints continue to tease their fans by starting strong, including a 7-0 start only to miss the playoffs or wind up with another 8-8 record. Even missing the playoffs because of a missed extra point after an amazing last second touchdown involving multiple laterals. Haslett like most Aints coaches ends his tenure in the Big Easy with a 3-13 record.

[Pitbull Growl]

You forgot the pre-Katrina attempt to move the team from LA to L.A.

[JimB52]

I think if the Saints go 10-6 for the next 30 years, their cumulative wins record will be above .500

[Gard]

Originally Posted by JimB52

I think if the Saints go 10-6 for the next 30 years, their cumulative wins record will be above .500

Nice. Philly fan, right?

...what's expected from the average Igglesiot.

Hey, go throw snowballs with batteries in 'em and boo Santa Claus, why don'cha?



Still butt-hurt because of the @$$whuppin' the Saints laid on your boys week 2? Still can't deal with getting spanked two weeks in a row by the Cowgirls?

Guess what, Saints are likely to do something the Iggles never have: WIN A SUPER BOWL.





Jive brother, thanks, you're OK for a Bores fan.

[burk48237]

It could be worse. You could be a Lions fan. Super Bowl? Nope, never appeared, I believe now that the Saints are going the Lions are the ONLY franchise ever to have not gone to a Super Bowl. I have no reason to think that will change anytime soon. Although most of the players had tickets in 2007 because the game was here.

Lions Brief history

1950s: Won one NFL championship then traded away the championship QB (Bobby Lane) The curse of Bobby Lane is born. The Lions have only had one QB (Greg Landry) appear in the Pro Bowl since, over fifty years.

1960s: Had a good team with sucky QB's always played Bridesmaids to the Packers and later in the decade the Vikings. This Despite having one of the best defenses in the NFL with Dick "Night Trane" Lane and Alex "Blazing Saddles" Karas.

1970s: We did manage to be consistently mediocre during this era with one team that got to the NFC championship with Billy Sims.

1980s: The Beginning of the era of the best running back ever (Barry Sanders). Unfortunately we had QB's with names like Hipple, Danielson, and Komlo. We actually won one playoff game, crushing the Dallas Cowboys of Aikman, Smith, and Irvin. We got crushed by the Redskins in the NFC title game. We haven't won a playoff game since

1990s: The end of the Sanders era culminated with Sanders retiring with a lot of career left because he was to embarrassed to put of the Honolulu Blue and Silver.

2000s: The Matt Millan era, were we became the worst franchise in Sports. In his five years the Lions didn't win TEN GAMES. We now have new standards and look at last seasons 2-14 as "hopeful".

[Holy War]

wow...another football thread.

Colts 34- NO 24

[MonetBass]

Originally Posted by burk48237

It could be worse. You could be a Lions fan. Super Bowl? Nope, never appeared, I believe now that the Saints are going the Lions are the ONLY franchise ever to have not gone to a Super Bowl.

The Browns haven't either. Pre-Super Bowl they won the NFL Championship in 1964, but have never been to the to the Super Bowl. I hope that changes some day.

[Mad Russian]

Go Saint or Colts...Doesnt matter to me.

Go Steelers in Superbowl XXXXV

[SteveC]

I was really hoping that the Vikings would have gone - and lost - so they could hold the record for most SB loses. You think it sucks being a Saints fan...

BTW - was there a bounty on Favre? They were really going after him.

[Gard]

Originally Posted by SteveC

I was really hoping that the Vikings would have gone - and lost - so they could hold the record for most SB loses. You think it sucks being a Saints fan...

BTW - was there a bounty on Favre? They were really going after him.

Hey, better to have been than not to have been!



No, no bounty, just a gameplan to knock them out of rhythm...it may not have APPEARED to be effective (lots of yards given up), but that depends on your definition of "effective".

Mine is simple: Who won?

WHO DAT!

[PSPookie]

Originally Posted by jive1

Wow. They Aints are finally in the big one. What was once a league laughing stock who peaked as a one and done in the playoffs every blue moon is in the Bowl. . .

That's a bit generous seeing as a blue moon happens once every two or three years

Still, good on the Saints. My teams are done playing 'till next season so might as well root for them. Besides, Brees has been very good for a long time now. It's about time he got a shot at the brass ring.

[jive1]

Originally Posted by burk48237

It could be worse. You could be a Lions fan. Super Bowl? Nope, never appeared, I believe now that the Saints are going the Lions are the ONLY franchise ever to have not gone to a Super Bowl. I have no reason to think that will change anytime soon. Although most of the players had tickets in 2007 because the game was here.

Nope, the Browns, Jaguars, and Texans have never been to a Superbowl either.

But, the Lions are the only non-expansion team to never go to the big game.

[jive1]

Originally Posted by Gard

Jive brother, thanks, you're OK for a Bores fan.

Had to give folks some insight as to why you are crazy happy right now, and the rough life you've endured for decades.

[Gard]

Originally Posted by jive1

Nope, the Browns, Jaguars, and Texans have never been to a Superbowl either.

But, the Lions are the only non-expansion team to never go to the big game.

Technically, the Saints are an "expansion" team as well, they didn't enter the league until 1967....

[john turner]

Originally Posted by PSPookie

That's a bit generous seeing as a blue moon happens once every two or three years

Still, good on the Saints. My teams are done playing 'till next season so might as well root for them. Besides, Brees has been very good for a long time now. It's about time he got a shot at the brass ring.

yeah, i agree. let the ugly chicks dance once in a while.

as a lifelong sixburgh fan, i'm used to ups and downs, the operative word, of course, being frequent -ups- coming along with those downs. six very big ups (woulda been 7 if not for rosie o'donnell's "fantastic" passing game )

all kidding aside, i've had a few saints fans as friends for over 20 years, so i know what it's been like for them, and i couldn't be happier for em, tbh. what a treat. i know how i felt last year when the steelers pulled #6 out of the bag.

good luck saints!

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Would you agree, Hartley's kick was probably the most memorable Saints field goal since Tom Dempsey's record 63-yarder in 1970 or 71?

[HogieWan]

Originally Posted by Bob Lee (QSC)

Would you agree, Hartley's kick was probably the most memorable Saints FG since Tom Dempsey's record 63-yarder in 1970 or 71?

As a longtime Saints fan, I say no. It was a great kick, but I think the game will be remembered because of the defense beating up on Favre all night.

[Gard]

Originally Posted by HogieWan

As a longtime Saints fan, I say no. It was a great kick, but I think the game will be remembered because of the defense beating up on Favre all night.

Most memorable FIELD GOAL, absolutely.

However, watching the defense use Brent FAR-VUH as a punching bag all night, seeing the game plan of "knock the ball out of their hands" working to almost perfection, was the truly beautiful part of it all....

[HogieWan]

Originally Posted by Gard

Most memorable FIELD GOAL, absolutely.

I was saying that the field goal wasn't that memorable. It was a good kick in a clutch, but nothing as special as Dempsey's

[LilRay]

Most memorable Saints FG NOT kicked by Morten Anderson.

God Bless, Ray