NEW ORLEANS — Where were you when the Saints won it all? It’s one of those questions — like, Where were you during the Apollo 11 moon landing? — that will be asked a lot in the decades to come by generations of sports fans trying to put their lives in the context of something far bigger.
Where was I? Inside Al and Patricia Jones‘s house in the Ninth Ward. I met them for the first time when I showed up on the doorstep early in the fourth quarter, just as the Colts missed what would’ve been a lead-extending field goal and the Saints were rearing to take everyone in this town on the ride of their lives.
New Orleans already had a singular reputation for hospitality, but during the Super Bowl the city eclipsed its own lofty standard. Even the most seasoned party crasher would’ve struggled to keep up with the Joneses, who didn’t go 10 minutes without offering me something to eat (I’m good), five minutes without checking on my drink situation (I’m good), or two minutes without apologizing for the rowdy family members that congested their living room. (Goodness, were they hilarious.)
When the nominations are announced next month for the 31st anniversary edition of the Sports Emmys, it will be Super Bowl XLIII that contends. NBC carried that 2009 game in which the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-13.
When the day Jeff Schwehm had waited his entire life for came, the New Orleans Saints first appearance in the Super Bowl, he took a nap. A lifelong Saints fan, he was too nervous to watch the pregame.
Schwehm, a Lakeland associate professor of biochemistry, grew up in the New Orleans area, and like all Saints’ fans in their early history, endured the torment entailed in rooting for one of the worst teams in the NFL.
“A lot of people went to the games and the fans always had a good showing, but that didn’t mean that the fights in the stands weren’t more interesting than the game,” Schwehm laughs, going on to recount the times when fans wore bags over their heads at the time the club earned the unflattering “Aints” nickname.
This is a very emotional and real video. This shows what true leadership is about, and why this community is so blessed with Coach Payton. This was shot at the Saints Victory parade.
Posted in Videos! | Comments Off on Leadership is more then just a catch phrase.
Peppers said the Panthers have been silent about their plans. He can become an unrestricted free agent unless the Panthers use the franchise tag on him for a second straight season. That’s going to cost more than $20 million.
I still think there’s a chance the Panthers may use the tag on Peppers, but trade him before they have to pay him. Where does Peppers end up? There’s been speculation about New England and Philadelphia and there were rumblings about Dallas last year.
But I’ve got a suggestion. Actually it comes from television colleague Ed Werder. As we rode down in the elevator at our hotel yesterday, Ed suggested the Saints should sign Peppers because they could use an elite pass rusher to go with Will Smith.
It seems awfully early to be asking the New Orleans Saints, “What have you done for us lately?”
But the NFL scouting combine kicks off in less than two weeks, and the free-agent signing period begins March 5. So it’s already time to start working on that repeat.
The good news is that the Super Bowl champs likely will be able to keep their roster mostly intact. Assuming the NFL heads into this year without a salary cap, as expected, the Saints will have only two unrestricted free agents in their starting lineup — safety Darren Sharper and outside linebacker Scott Fujita.
Chances are the Saints will be able to keep both, and they’ll likely also hang on to tailback Reggie Bush despite his exorbitant $8 million salary in 2010.
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