Thursday, everything changes. The Superdome lights dim. A banner drops. The Who Dat nation is transformed.
From pitiful to powerful. Long-suffering to non-suffering. Wannabes to wildebeests.
Last to first.
But don’t kid yourself, New Orleans Saints fans. This won’t be easy. We’ve been lovable losers for a long time. After 43 years below sea level — literally and figuratively — it can be dizzying to suddenly find yourself cheering from such lofty heights. Seventy-thousand people fainting will not create the hostile environment Coach Sean Payton is counting on when the Minnesota Vikings come to town for Thursday’s nationally televised, prime-time kickoff to the 2010 National Football League season.
METAIRIE, La. — The disrespect card has become such a cliché in professional sports that players and teams routinely deal it to manufacture motivation instead of just shutting up and performing.
To be sure, the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints are not martyring themselves this week as they prepare for their NFC championship game rematch with the Vikings, who did everything last January to punch their ticket to Miami and a showdown with the Colts — except hold on to the football.
Nor are the Saints deaf to the chatter emanating from Minnesota for seven months that the Vikings, who dominated every statistical category, lost that game more than New Orleans won it.
Over the last decade, the NFL has been littered with defending Super Bowl champions. Five of the last 10 champs have missed the playoffs all together, the 2008 Steelers the latest victims.
Over the last 11 seasons, only one team has been able to repeat as Super Bowl champions: the 2004 New England Patriots.
Brees, fresh off setting the NFL record for completion percentage (70.6), is back to see if he can turn in another mega-season and help the Saints defend their title. Until last season, the Saints had won only two postseason games in their 43-year history.
The Saints needed to improve their run defense, which gave up 122.2 yards per game and ranked 21st in the NFL. They’ll get a stiff test early when they face Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson to open up the season.
Who knows what evil lurks along the line of scrimmage?
The Stinch knows.
Indeed, if there is trash talk along the line, then veteran New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb, who will start his 65th consecutive game Thursday night against the Minnesota Vikings at the Superdome, would know. The fact is, however, there’s generally a lot less than fans might think.
With one notable exception.
“It’s really pretty rare,” he said. “Jared is one of the noisier guys we play.”
ESPN.com’s inaugural 2010 regular-season NFL Power Rankings are out, and let me make one thing very clear as I get ready to head to New Orleans for Thursday night’s opener between the Vikings and Saints: I did not have a vote.
Somehow — and this is beyond my comprehension — the defending Super Bowl champions are No. 2 in the rankings. How’d that happen? Well, three voters did the only prudent thing they could and gave the Saints their No. 1 vote.
The fourth voter ranked the Saints No. 5. Yes, No. 5.
For the record, that voter is John Clayton and he and I will have a little discussion about this Wednesday when we roll out the final segment in our Great Debate series.
Of all the TV specials, NFL Films mash-ups, newspaper articles, magazine spreads and books about the New Orleans Saints’ Super Bowl season, none has been anticipated more eagerly by Who Dat diehards than the one that premieres Wednesday night.
“America’s Game: 2009 New Orleans Saints” does not disappoint.
Bowing at 8 p.m. on the NFL Network, and repeated numerous times thereafter, the 44th installment in the Emmy Award-winning Super Bowl documentary series adds new anecdotal delights and emotional resonance to New Orleans’ version of The Greatest Story Ever Told. At turns funny, revealing, heart-wrenching and exhilarating, it rates as not only the most complete film account of the 2009 season, but the most cathartic.
Overview: Real world scavenger hunt in downtown New Orleans to excite and mobilize fans of Reggie Bush and the Saints during week leading up to NFL season opener.
Platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare
Duration: Monday, 9/6 – Thursday 9/9 (2 “Red Zones” per day for 8 total)
Prizes: 8 footballs and 8 shirts (autographed by Reggie)
Winners: First to find and touch football wins it, second to touch wins shirt (sampling and giveaways for other participants)
Location: The “Red Zones” will be a variety of iconic locations (e.g. Superdome).
Thursday, everything changes. The Superdome lights dim. A banner drops. The Who Dat nation is transformed.
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