Speech Won’t Erase Grudges Against Roger Goodell In New Orleans

Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League, arrived in a hostile territory, took the stage and stood his ground. He’s not a likable person, at least not in New Orleans. He’s not welcomed in a town, where fans have a grudge against the commish. He likes the city and its fans as well — and they don’t like him.

The people of these festive, active streets aren’t over the infamous Bountygate scandal and could paint a mural of him with devil horns above his head to bring laughter to a community filled with anger, after leaving a population in a predicament. But the words, spoken by a humiliated man during Goodell’s State of the League Address, won’t rid grudges against him in New Orleans.

Eleven months ago, in this forgiving country, a despairing town turned its back on Goodell. They still won’t let it go, dwelling on the past and pointing the finger at nobody else but the commish who wrongly killed the Saints executional style, when he dropped the proverbial hammer on New Orleans for the bounty system. Sean Payton, the Saints head coach who led the team to a Super Bowl victory three years ago, was suspended for the entire 2012 season without pay. Rather than levying a light punishment, enough to put fear on players who dare to supervise a bounty program, he suspended Saints general manager Mickey Loomis for eight games.

Wait, there’s more.

Goodell, the NFL Sheriff who, to some, took a position to his head, fined the Saints $500,000 and suspended the ringmaster Gregg Williams indefinitely. In unprecedented cases, as with Roger Goodell, it ruined the Saints season and finally he realized that he crossed the line by abusing his authority to lose credibility and trust. Today, was a moment he tried to win back the vast majority of those folks in New Orleans giving him the evil eye and heckling him throughout the city. Today, was a moment he failed to gain stature among resentful New Orleans fans, as the most hated commissioner in the history of the NFL.

By now, you know that citizens are hoping he steps down as the head honcho and becomes so fatigued in a role of responsibilities and headaches. It’s a long time coming if he decides to escape the burdens and allow bitter fans to exhaust him with obscenities and personal attacks. Goodell’s speech is only the most recent assumption on how bad he’s trying to reduce the anger and make those people like him again, underscoring the reality that player’s safety is a top priority.

If and when the day comes that he’d seriously take the initiative to protect not only the brand but also the players, he would likely earn back respect and reconcile with the past. For once, he’s shown sensitivity to safety, coming up with a solution to minimize the significant amount of head injuries happening frequently in the league. He’s not, as of this moment, ignoring player’s safety, reiterating the importance of discipline — to eliminate some tackling and suggest that discipline will come down hard on players who violate rules.

“This is something that we have seen, an escalation in the discipline, because we are trying to take these techniques out of the game,” said Goodell. “I think it was about four years ago at this very press conference, I said, ‘We have to take these hits out of the game that we think have a higher risk of causing injuries.’ The focus was on defenseless players, and I stand by our record because I think we have made those changes and made the game safer. I think we’re going to have to continue to see discipline escalate, particularly on repeat offenders.”

It won’t matter to folks in New Orleans what measures he takes to enhance safety at this point. The damage has already been done, and a community is not very forgiving. By now, he knows that, he knows he’s not liked by most of the people who reside in the city.

“We’re going to continue to emphasize the importance of following those rules. When there are violations, we will escalate the discipline,” said Goodell.

The population of New Orleans won’t take the word discipline too kindly.

When he stepped on the glittery stage to address the media, it was an appearance of a manipulator looking for a change. As much as anything, Goodell wants his professional disgrace to dematerialize. For much of the week, while in New Orleans, he’s been busy and dealing with a flurry of lawsuits and a public backlash. Goodell, a very smart man, knows it all. A lot of people want him to disappear into the darkness forever, without ever showing his face publicly, now the perfect scapegoat for incompetence.

Not surprisingly, he’s responsible for the Saints plights in the 2012 season, and fans are not obligated to what his next step is as far as focusing on safety. Outside the convention center, infuriated fans, raging over the bounty scandal, heckled and harassed Goodell. He’s not welcomed to restaurants and bars. Inside the windows, signs are plastered that suggest service to Goodell would be refused. With a portrait of Goodell covering the bull’s eye on a dartboard at one lounge, he also has a float dedicated to him in the Mardi Gras parade and he’s even a voodoo doll.

The bitterness is still raw. The feeling of hate is still stronger than ever, perhaps because he’s in town for the Super Bowl festivities. Even amid his latest promises, fans are mad over Bountygate. A man that once helped rebuild the Superdome in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is seen on a banner that hangs from the Superdome ridiculing him. It’s clear that he’s not a saint in New Orleans, but a villain who needed extra security and a secret dungeon to lay his head at nights, without having to worry about death threats in a city where segments of the community despises him. While players have derided him, he’s had his suspensions overturned. He was joking around about New Orleans’ reaction to his arrival. The reality is that he was far more concerned about safety, which was his excuse for harshly penalizing the Saints last March.

“That is bad for the players, for the game, and I think the message is incredibly clear, and I don’t believe that bounties will be part of football going forward,” he said. “. . . As it relates to the regrets, I think my biggest regret is that we aren’t recognizing that this is a collective responsibility to get them out of the game, to make the game safer.”

There’s not a season that goes by without players suffering a concussion, which can trigger brain damage and can lead to dementia that often affects memory, thinking and behavior. All week, the NFL’s commissioner has stayed away from the crowd, barely showing his face in public, feeling a bit uneasy and nervous to step out of his hotel room. The hotel has a scattered, spacious lobby, which is perfect to surreptitiously escape and hide from the bitter crowd. When he does leave his secret suite, he’s quickly jumping into a flashy car with tinted windows and riding behind a line of police motorcycles. He’s publicly keeping his distance and he’s trying to avoid busy streets — Bourbon Street.

The important thing is that the NFL needs to protect its name and brand. The Saints paid greatly for their bounty program when it was uncovered. The growing number of lawsuits could prove costly for the league. But Goodell, as the person in charge, thinks he found a solution and suggested harsher penalties for hard hits.

When asked if he felt like he was behind enemy lines during the state of the league address, he smiled and had no comment.

It’s up to Goodell, not the fans.

For All the Doubts, Brees Carried Weight on His Shoulders

If he weren’t one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks, which his tactical style on the field is designed as a military scheme, he’d probably be a general in the military to provide structure and discipline. Drew Brees is from Dallas, Texas, a visible advocate of the military and takes great pride in U.S. service men and women.

To him, it’s an honor, a tribute to reminisce about the stories that both his grandparents fought in World War II, with Brees paying his overall respect for the armed forces each time he energizes his teammates during his military-style pregame warm-ups and takes the huddle on the field. His affinity for the military inspired millions of believers around the NFL – including his teammates after he had proven that he was an elite quarterback and propelled the Saints to their first NFC title game, and then eventually to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.

And now, in the mardi gras-jiving, Cajun-eating, cool-jazzing, voodoo-practicing culture, if not the most festive city in America, Brees is a symbol for a once disheartened community, a remedy in a town that was devastated by the tragedy of destructive tropical storm. While he continues to bring such joy to New Orleans, as we really should rank him among the elites – a gracious public figure for his craft, a humanitarian who has had a major impact on rebuilding a severely damaged city in the time of catastrophic floods, the jazzy, celebratory folks are waiting for Mardi Gras to wave proudly at Brees on one of those festive floats. For those folks, it’s understandable to honor the acclaimed passer when he broke the NFL record set in 1984 for passing yards in a single season on Monday night, surpassing the great Dan Marino.

But he doesn’t care about individual achievements, so he feels it’s trivial to worry about honors – and instead of accepting the credit – he’s more concerned about taking care of business as a team effort and winning games. The doubt toward Brees was publicly argued across the country when he underwent surgery on his shoulder as to whether he’d ever play again, but if disbelievers truly had faith, they would have visualized one of the touching comebacks, and then they’d have had supported the humbled role model.

There was a sense, a great sense – once he visited Dr. James Andrews (Dr. Doom), that he wasn’t ever going to return to usual form and be healthy enough following his recovery of arthroscopic surgery, but he rehabbed and returned almost in good condition. Any evidence this offered the kind of quandary as precisely as bitter fans, sitting in the stands wearing paper bag mask over their heads, bullied and protested angrily when the Saints were known as the Aints is now laughably irrelevant. When he became a free agent, as the San Diego Chargers thought he’d be done and promised the future to Philip Rivers, the franchise chose not to re-sign him – an unwise decision as Brees tested the market.

This was partly because of Chargers general manager A.J. Smith, and as of right now, his job security remains in limbo. So now he’s in seclusion and blamed for awful draft picks, and jettisoning veteran stars, like linebacker Shawne Merriman and star running back LaDainian Tomlinson, then he stunningly fired former coach Marty Schottenheimer after an NFL-best 14-2 season that sadly ended in a playoff loss to New England. It wasn’t long after, despite that he’s never been a consistent coach but efficient as an assistant, that he and Chargers team president Dean Spanos hired Norv Turner, one of the worst coaches in the NFL.

The Saints, in desperate need of someone with charisma and leadership, knew it was a gamble but signed and named Brees their franchise quarterback. Dr. Andrews, who performed his surgery, wasn’t sure he’d ever play again but had hope. There was Brees, standing in the Orthopaedic center in Birmingham, Alabama where he visited the doctor, fighting back tears, wondering if he’d ever resume his career in the National Football League. Sure enough, he played again and his injury was not career-threatening.

What? Yes, now I see. The Chargers also dispatched Brees, and doubted a miraculous comeback, assuming that his injury was career-threatening. It comes to our attention, after bringing life to a franchise that experienced 43 years of misery, he’s better than ever, shattering NFL-passing records and growing into a legend before our very eyes as one of the gifted quarterbacks to deliver a Super Bowl in a city once devoid of tasting greatness.

The great ones, meanwhile, normally establish a home and indeed he found home sweet home in New Orleans. The folks even made him feel welcomed, a little Southern hospitality, not knowing what to expect from a sore-armed quarterback healing from surgery. No one ever thought he’d break Marino’s record of 5,084 yards with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles on Monday night against the Atlanta Falcons, right? No one ever thought he’d pass for 300 yards or more 12 times this season for an NFL-record, right?

This is not a phantasm. This is not imagination. This is real.

He has accomplished more than the average quarterback, although he had to recover from a shoulder operation for the most heartfelt story in football. Now in his prime, Brees earns his place in history, when with all the adversity, he was unwanted after the injury as one damaged shoulder nearly ended a bright career. But he’s helped the resurgence, valued as the viable player in town where he’s a godsend, by leading his troops like he really is a military sergeant and becoming the likable athlete. Nobody in general knew he’d be accurate as a quarterback. Nobody truly knew he’d emerge into a big-game player. More to the point, he was not recognized, and apparently he’d never be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

The day eventually came when Brees had a team again.

Saints Come Alive In Time to Salvage Promising Pursuit

The moment the defending champs escaped futility, on a night inside the loud and energetic Superdome, the Saints embraced an imperative win to keep aspirations alive. On this night, the Saints’ faithful wore costumes celebrating Halloween, and saw the New Orleans Saints escape purgatory.

Just in the last year we witnessed the Saints win a title, the first in franchise history, and we all commended the well-respected franchise as if they had emerged as America’s team.

It clearly took an opponent like the invigorated Pittsburgh Steelers, the most critical game on the Saints schedule, to make it evident that they are still relevant and resilient. It will be games like this, not over-match meetings against inferior opponents that offer telling leads as to whether the Saints are tangible or a mirage, suffering from a pestering hangover.

In general, the sluggish beginning of another palatable drive to the biggest stage in football faded out of the spotlight, but suddenly the Saints resolved the lousy and bleak obstacles.

Simply, as we discovered a tenacious franchise with perseverance and persistence, the Saints increasingly mended woes and established its identity against a defensive-minded team. On paper, specifically, the Saints were worthy of exceeding standards and had the pieces to repeat glory.

But in reality, Drew Brees, who completed 34-of-44 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns against the Steelers, rediscovered his usual form in time to revive into convincing contenders.

Given all that we’ve noticed on Sunday night of the viable toughness from a high-powered offense and stalwart defense, it doesn’t seem like the Saints have stopped marching after a humiliating, ghastly home loss to Cleveland.


The good news is that the Saints are finally marching again, following a crucial 20-10 defeat in a Halloween party against the Steelers. It was a kind gesture, rightfully so. And basically, the Saints redeemed all misery at a time when the season becomes fierce and competitive, at a time when winning becomes meaningful and convenient.

“It was good for us to get a win,” coach Sean Payton said. “We’ll keep working. We’ll recognize that it is what it is and we’ve got a lot of things to work on.”

There is plenty to work on. Although the Saints haven’t looked flawless or frightening, regardless of falling short in close games this season, clearly the win happened against a good team with vital weapons. The national scene has been seized by the Steelers, a team that somehow survived without Ben Roethlisberger to begin the season, while the franchise quarterback served a four-game suspension.

Meanwhile, the standards are always high for a team seeking to win back-to-back championships, and it symbolizes a team of resiliency and diligence. Early on, no one anticipated the Saints to decrease from championship-caliber and suddenly turn lousy, awakening in a timely situation to bypass fiascoes and afflictions, clouded in a disastrous storm.

At last, Brees had shed the paltry, useless performance of this season and past a rigid test against arguably the stingiest defense in the league. The Saints, on the other hand, healed all sorrow and refused to flunk the stiffest assignment this season. Wipe away the losses to the Falcons, Cardinals and Browns.

Stunned heavily by the Browns at home, the Saints were forgotten at that point and had been ridicule for under-performing. With that, it was clearly a game that the Saints rejuvenated in, ending the dreadful memories of an early crisis.

This could have easily doomed a poised and cohesive team with a knack to steer a high-powered offense as well as manipulate opponents’ tactics on offense, basically because of the defensive guru Gregg Williams, who strongly emphasizes the methods of playing brilliantly on defense.

“We’ve got high expectations,” Brees said. “We’re disappointed with the 4-3 start, especially because of the way we lost some of those games. It was really about sticking together. Everybody outside the building was like, ‘What’s wrong with the Saints?’ But we knew in our locker room that we had to stick together. We played as complete a football game—offense, defense and special teams—as we have all year.”

He’s telling the truth.

“We knew that this was going to be a pound it game where the defenses were going to take over early and the offenses had better patient or they could lose it early,” Saints cornerback Malcom Jenkins said. “That’s how it went. The offenses were trying to find themselves for most of the night. The defenses were trying to keep them in that mode.”

Instead of it being a high-scoring game, it was a low-scoring game and by halftime the scoreboard had 3-3. As the Saints defense has been stout for much of the year, the convoluted schemes were troubling for the Steelers and Roethlisberger was harassed and shoved as if he was chew toy.

By the fourth quarter, the Saints were toying with the Steelers and took a 6-3 lead. Eventually, they won it. Most of all, this is a win that may have saved the Saints season.

By the time the fourth quarter arrived, the Saints removed their costumes and suddenly played like a championship-driven team. An even more telling and lasting scene is that the Saints elevated its intensity and effortlessly advanced to the end zone twice.

However, the difference might have been when linebacker Marvin Mitchell stripped the ball loose from Steelers tight end Heath Miller and the ball drifted right into Sharper’s hands.

For the rest of the way, Brees completed all five of his passes and connected with Marques Colston for a 16-yard touchdown pass and then wide receiver Lance Moore on an eight-yard pass with 2:37 left.

“It was huge,” Saints safety Darren Sharper said.

Certainly, it was a huge win.

And suddenly, all eyes are on the Saints.

If Favre Can't Handle Pressure, Credit Saints' Stingy Defense

They gathered collectively inside an electric Superdome, on a night when swarms of fans embraced a delightful moment witnessed for the first time ever in New Orleans, releasing bleakness in a town once devastated in a recovery from a disheartening tragedy.

It was a blissful turnout, on a night zealots wildly initiated one of the most thrilling parties on Bourbon Street, still celebrating in high-spirit ever since the New Orleans Saints won their first ever Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Back to defend their title, the rational feeling is that the Saints marched in with the hardware, and considerably are favorites to return to the biggest stage in football and defend their title. In reality, this here, however, isn’t an illusion but a real hangover after hoisting its first ever Lombardi Trophy seven months ago. As always in circles, the Saints were referred to as the Aints, until the improbable pursuit in the postseason alarmed enthusiasts and energized the mood in a flustering environment to deepen the heart and soul of hopeless citizens.

For that matter, this uplifted the sanity of fans and brought happiness. Lately, as a city celebrated a momentous turnaround, from a team once so awful that its fans wore paper bags and regularly protested disappointed in the poor performances, 70,000-plus jammed into the Superdome and were fired up to witness the Saints on Thursday night.

And while the Saints seem to be feeling a hangover during the perpetual celebrations, you are carefully trying to predict whether the team can reach a climax again and sustain rare back-to-back triumph. If there’s a possibility, maybe the Saints are in position to repeat. That seems rational, not necessarily irrational in a way, when New Orleans in the first game of the regular-season respectively played with urgency, firepower, resiliency and balance to survive a 14-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings to begin the season 1-0.

The perception is, of course, that the Saints were the feel-good story a year ago and noticed as the ferocious team in the league, with a much vibrant and monstrous defense which deserved abundantly most of the credit. As often last season, the Saints defense in the shadows of their high-powered offense was rarely anointed. Although it was the ugliest beginning for the defending champs, Brett Favre was doomed in a poor second-half performance and finally played like a senior citizen.

Because of creativity and blitzes, they harassed, abused and knocked out the battered Favre, and he completed merely four of his final 12 passes for 44 yards. The rest of the way the Saints were allowed to secure a stunningly low-scoring win, and proved unflappable with the ability to ultimately inhibit and frustrate Favre, a veteran quarterback whose retiring and un-retiring sagas annoys us during the offseason.

“I can’t say we were hitting on all cylinders like in the championship game. I’d be lying,” said Favre, who threw for a staggering 310 yards on 28-for-46 passing in the NFC Championship Game a year ago. “You can call it rusty. People are going to have their own opinions. Whatever."

“There were a lot of opportunities we capitalized on but there were way more that we didn’t. The fact is they were there. There were plays to be made. That’s what I’m concerned about. If we were not any good, it would be obvious.”


It all means that now, for once, he is playing like an old man, or maybe someone who is very fatigued as his performance level drastically declines. Or is the Saints blistering defense really that stellar? Believe it or not, this is a much-improved unit on defense for the most sterling juggernaut in football. With the expense of dominant platoons and instrumental pieces for prevailing on the biggest stage, the Saints are arguably the most powerful team in the league. And not just on a creative offense. To articulate, the Saints settled for a mere 14 points and still managed to pull away with a convincing win, but amazingly held the Vikings to nine points, 20 below their average of last season.

This is a team, after all, on a quest to repeat triumph, a team anxious to strengthen the foundation in a community where there are a myriad of believers, ready to celebrate another championship as the Saints are ready to watch another banner rise inside the Superdome. There were moments when the Vikings seemed hard-driven at the Saints’ wildest festival, but on the opening drive a night swelled in a hurry.

For that, the most compelling and possibly the most evident storyline is developing under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, an intellectual mastermind admired for assembling forceful plays and cultivating unstoppable schemes that are troubling to all opponents. The basic fundamentals are standing out as a convenient requisite and the Saints needed strong defensive effort from profoundly a physical and experience defense.

“Until Gregg got here, we [the defense] were kind of an eyesore around here,” Porter said. “That’s something we’re working hard to change."

It’s still a work in progress, but the incredible defense is the difference maker and takes a bundle of pressure off the proficient offense. If he wants to ultimately dilate his legacy, then Favre must find a groove and lead the Vikings. Relatively speaking, it’s critical to expose his customary arm-strength and accuracy on the field to preserve his legacy and protect his Hall of Fame status.

As a way to irritate Favre, the Saints exploited the 3-4 and 4-3 front, without even blitzing as much and they still applied enough pressure and made Favre peeved while handling all the tension and blows to the turf. From the beginning, for the most part, it seemed like it would have been a blowout. But the Saints, a high-scoring team, weren’t so overpowering with possession of the ball and instead without possession of the ball.

More surprisingly, is that the Saints were limited to 231 yards after a dramatic 77-yard drive. But as long as Williams is the defensive coordinator, the Saints may slow down opponents and march in as the best defenders in the NFC, if not all of football. More than anything, the Vikings were fooled by the 3-4 alignments, an unusual formation that Williams rarely employs.

Williams, who has numerous tricks in his mind, is an expert at calling defenses and knows how to match the opponents’ personality by using a specific system to slow down the opposing team. It was very stunning to Vikings coach Brad Childress that the Saints limited blitzes. It was common to wonder if he would've plotted to blitz as expected.

“We were right where we wanted to be at halftime,” said Childress. “Unfortunately, we were three-and-out far too many times.


There weren’t exactly any fourth and blunders or Belichick miscues, but the Vikings were too conservative in play-calling which resulted in either second-and-long or third-and-long situations. But of course, the grandfather of quarterbacks has flaws and deficiencies he needs to mend in an instant. The inconsistency is signs of a receding 40-year old, which are glaring archetypes of a receding era already slowly deteriorating before our very eyes. Now, as the football season barely begins, Favre is already showing signs of fatigue and seems battered after one game this season.

“(Favre) was antsy,” said Saints middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma. “He wasn’t able to set his feet. He wasn’t able to make the throws he would (normally) make.”

His consistency descended by the second-half after connecting on 11 of 15 first-half attempts. Pressured heavily by Saints’ safety Roman Harper on a blitz, he tossed an interception to Vilma on an ill-advised throw. It’s hard to tell how effective the Vikings are with a struggling Favre, particularly when he’s without Sidney Rice his favorite target.

The absence of his prolific receiver is unhelpful, but he’s expected to be sidelined at least until midseason while rehabilitating from hip surgery. Since he is missing in action, an abundance of pressure is on Adrian Peterson, who is an explosive running back and had a pretty sufficient game on 19-carries for 87-yards.


As he ages, Favre isn't nearly effective in his dropped back passes and has trouble scrambling out of the pocket quickly. This was a rematch of the 2009 NFC Championship game last January that the Saints pulled off in an overtime thriller. But considering that the Saints limited the blitzes like in the title game when Favre was battered and brutally hit 16 times, New Orleans is still the better, fiercest team because of its sturdy, much-improved defense.

That was a wonderful sequence in the opening of a tense and tight rematch. It took only five plays for Drew Brees, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, to connect with receiver Devery Henderson for a 29-yard touchdown pass on a rollout and gained a 7-0 lead. With the exception of free safety Malcolm Jenkins, who is replacing an injured Darren Sharper, Harper who has played a key role, and lastly Tracey Porter, whose interception return for a touchdown sealed the victory and gave the franchise its first ever title, a stingy secondary dictates the fate and complexion of the Saints.

Sure enough, Favre orchestrated a nice throw for a touchdown to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, a primary target and settled for a team-best, catching four receptions for 76 yards. This time, it was a bit surprising to see receivers Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin combined for catches and 15 yards against the Saints’ assertive defense, and Favre stumbled all night.

For once, he played like an elderly man with inabilities to ultimately find his receivers.

It’s very, very difficult to repeat a championship. From the looks of things, it’s certain that the Saints are on track to win it all. The blueprint is defense wins games. And this defense is one hell of a stingy one.

After all, they are marching…

Tracy Porter: From Little-Known IU Hoosier to Saints’ Championship Hero

3rd and 5. Peyton Manning looks to bring a comeback for the Colts, who are down 24-17. Manning drops back, throws a quick one to Reggie Wayne and it’s—NO!—it’s intercepted…IT’S INTERCEPTED! TRACY PORTER TAKES THE BALL! He’s running back, only Peyton can stop him, gets blocked. Porter is gonna take this all the way! TOUCHDOWN, SAINTS! 31-17, this looks to be over! Tracy Porter, one hella of a guy you are!

Two Weeks Earlier

Brett Favre looking to go to the Super Bowl since over a twelve years now! In field goal range, Favre looks to bring the ball up more right for a game-winning field goal. Favre drops back, runs to right and throws…it’s picked off! PICKED OFF BY TRACY PORTER! He ends the hopes of a fourth-quarter win for Minnesota. Saints can win this……[Overtime] Garrett Hartley for a 40-yarder. And it’s in! The Saints are going to the Super Bowl! Bourbon Street is going crazy! Saints going to their first ever Super Bowl! They’re gonna face the Colts! Saints win, Saints win! WHO DAT!

Tracy Porter. One little-known IU Hoosier, gets drafted by the Saints in the second round. 2008 season? Wasn’t much. This season changed it all. If it weren’t for this guy, heck, New Orleans wouldn’t even be in the Super Bowl….

Porter began playing at Port Allen High in Port Allen, mmm Louisiana. He was a playmaker, doing such positions as quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and cornerback. He played fantastic in his Senior Year, with 93 tackles and eleven interceptions. He went on to go to Indiana University, to play for the Hoosiers football team.

Porter didn’t disappoint there. He was the Hoosiers’ main guy at corner. His Senior year was the best, putting up 83 tackles and six interceptions, having the honors on the Big Ten Conference First-Team. Porter ended his career with IU with 211 tackles and 16 interceptions. The interceptions was placed second in team-history. Along in the Senior year, the Hoosiers went to the Insight Bowl, but losing in a heartbreaker to Oklahoma State.

After a good career at IU, Porter declared for the NFL Draft…

April 26, 2008

With the 40th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints select…Tracy Porter, cornerback, Indiana University….

Porter did well at the Combine to make it to the second round. Porter ran a 4.37 in the 40-yard-dash, which is impressive, being the tenth-fastest there. Porter looked to show off his skills on the field now. But, 2008 wasn’t the year. His rookie season was not much, having 25 tackles, one interception, and a sack.

2009 will be totally different.

The Saints went on to become 13-0, later going on a three-game losing-streak to end the season. At 13-3, nobody expected them to do much in the playoffs. Porter recorded 57 tackles, two forced fumbles, and four interceptions. Also, in the 46-34 victory over the Dolphins, Porter picked off a pass that would go for a 54-yard-touchdown. That season really made up for the rookie year, in my opinion.

Entering the playoffs, the Saints captured victory over the Cardinals, 45-14. Porter wasn’t a big playmaker in that game, only recording five tackles—nothing else. Following the next game in the NFC Championship, Brett Favre was trying to lead the Vikings to victory with minutes to go in the game. Favre led them down to what would be a 50-yard field-goal. He had to get them closer to ensure a made kick. With a broken ankle, Favre was being chased and ran to the right. He threw a crazy pass which was intercepted by Porter. Porter returned it to where the Saints could end it. They didn’t. Overtime. But it was no problem. They marched down the field after winning the coin toss, letting Garrett Hartley win the game for them. This win was sweet on Bourbon Street. Porter had eight tackles in this game, along with that interception. If Porter didn’t make that pick, who knows what would’ve happened? The pass most probably would have been incomplete. What if that field goal was made? See?

In the Super Bowl, the Saints made a touchdown off a Jeremy Shockey catch. It was Manning time. Could Manning tie the game? They were marching down the field. They were now up at the 30-yard-line, 3rd and 5. Manning was hooking up nicely with Reggie Wayne. This play was costly for the Colts. Manning looked at Reggie the whole time and threw a quick pass to him. Wayne didn’t see it coming. Only Porter did, who returned it 74 yards for a touchdown. It was all over from there. 31-17, Saints. If Porter didn’t do that there, who knows? Colts may have easily tied the game, made a comeback, and win.

Saints fans need to be very fortunate for Porter. Nobody will probably ever know of Porter’s heroics. I did. Tracy Porter was a hero for the Saints. The true one. He let the Saints go the Super Bowl. He stopped Brett Favre, he stopped Peyton Manning.

For those of you who don’t know Tracy Porter.

It’s time to know him now….

Super Bowl 44: The Colts Had It, But the Saints Wanted It More; The Best Night for Bourbon Street

As a Colts fan, this game really disappointed me. But hey, the New Orleans Saints wanted it more. They needed this. After all New Orleans has gone through for the past few years with Hurricane Katrina and all that. Along with that, the Saints were never a good football team. The NFC Championship was the farthest they’ve ever gone before the season started. And they only made the NFC Championship once in their life.

The Saints were undervalued. With losing to teams like the Buccaneers with their starters, the Saints were not favorites entering the playoffs. They proved everyone wrong. And then, the heroics of Tracy Porter came in the NFC Championship game. After that pick, it was over. It happened last night in the Super Bowl, against a high-powered Colts’ team.

The first quarter started off hot for Indiana. 10-0. But in the second quarter, it all began to slip away. The Saints made mistakes, but they know. They know how to stop Peyton Manning and this Colts’ offense. Amazing job by Gregg Williams with the defense. As a Colts’ fan, I wasn’t all that bad about Indianapolis losing to be honest. 2006 was more memorable, more intense. This season was destined for New Orleans. They needed this.

The NFC Championship win two weeks ago was a sweet win on Bourbon Street. Last night, it would have to be the sweetest. Back to the game. With the second quarter over, it was 10-6. Entering the third, it felt like the Colts knew what was going to happen. Every time they lead at the half, they are pretty much undefeated (the New York regular season game does not count to me in any way). And plus, if they were trailing, they always found a way to win and figure out the defense.

The game started off…with an onside kick. My god. Sean Payton pulled off a crazy stunt. Hank Baskett almost had it, but they were too surprised by this. So it started off with Saints’ ball, for both halves. That is when the Colts’ defense plummeted. They weren’t ready to go on and they failed on the drive. Couldn’t tackle, left guys open throughout the game and kept Manning off the field.

That was the way to stop the man. That was to way to stop the “Greatest of All-Time.” It started to get out of hand big during the end. Matt Stover misses a field goal while Garrett Hartley makes all of them. It was 17-16, Colts holding on real tight. They had this. Everything was going good for them. Joseph Addai was running the ball great. It was very unexpected. For the drive on the Saints, Indiana played horrible defense. They left guys open the whole game and gave Drew Brees so much time to throw.

Since the onside kick, it ruined it all. Jeremy Shockey got the touchdown and the Saints were up 22-17. Then came the two-point conversion. Lance Moore made a crazy catch. To me, it was 50/50 for a catch. It seemed liked he had it and then he loses possession. But New Orleans got it and it was 24-17. No reason to worry. If the Colts’ defense doesn’t want to take the push, Manning needs to take the control. It was Manning. It was all down to No. 18. With this drive, it would be legendary. He already had one with the 96-yarder. This had to be better.

Manning got a couple of first downs. It was now third. Manning was looking good with Reggie Wayne. There went Manning, hiked the ball. He threw a quick pass right at Reggie Wayne, and out of nowhere came Tracy Porter. He went to Indiana University. Now he was taking an interception back for a touchdown…on his hometown NFL team back then. Porter was something. He made legendary guys sad. First Brett Favre to end it, and now Manning. Saints were up 31-17 with three minutes to go.

Could the Colts come back? Yes they can. Manning threw a lob and long pass to Austin Collie. They were now in the red zone. After a few plays, they made it into the goal line. On those downs, they weren’t worth it. On third and goal, they ran it. They ran it! What the eff! It was a wasted down. Now it just came down to this. Fourth down. Manning threw it and it was tipped. Turnover on downs with 44 seconds to go. The Saints were going to win their first Super Bowl ever!

Colts’ fans, don’t get too overwhelmed with the loss. The Colts can run the ball now, in my opinion. It’s time for Joseph Addai to get back like he was back then. He will do it. And also, it’s not so bad being the second-best team in the league. Don’t worry. AFC Champions is something positive to look at. The Colts made it, but the New Orleans Saints just wanted it more. They needed it. The Saints can build on a future with Brees, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston, and more. Saints fans need to be very luck with Tracy Porter. They wouldn’t have even made it to the big show without that interception in the NFC Championship.

Don’t worry Indianapolis. You’re the team to beat in the AFC. With the way you were playing this year and you can bring it on more this season, it’s another Super Bowl. You’ll make it in one of the next two years, I know it. Hats off to New Orleans. They played one hella of a game. And fans of the NFL, don’t think as if the Saints killed Indy. 31-17 may look like it. To me, it felt more like 24-17. It was over from 24-17 anyways. Porter just ended it. Both teams played hard. The Colts gave the Saints a challenge, but they found out quickly about them after the half.

So again, hats off to New Orleans.

This has got to be the sweetest night ever on Bourbon Street.

Saints March Into Super Bowl, a Memorable Win For a Long-Suffering City

In what may have been the most heartfelt game in Super Bowl history, Who Dat Nation can finally celebrate on Bourbon Street. They can begin tossing black and gold beads, feast on gumbo and eat Emerald's prepared food dishes.


There’s a sense the New Orleans Saints are hometown heroes, giving the enthusiastic and authentic folks on Bourbon Street the sweetest win since the city dealt with a devastating crisis.

It was a moment to rejoice as a town and leave behind the dreadful memories of Hurricane Katarina—affliction that deprived and ravaged New Orleans. But finally, fans have something to cheer about, after the Saints rendered years of futility.

For once, it felt like an elite franchise, an experienced franchise prepared to seize its first title in franchise history on pro football’s biggest stage. For once, the Saints aren’t witnessing long-suffering calamity that placed misery and burdens within a community where the unfaithful fans booed, protested and wore paper bags over their heads calling them the Aints.

So the people of New Orleans, people who believes strongly in voodoo dolls and marching with the Saints, couldn’t be more elated to jive on the busiest street in town, listening to the beautiful jazz songs as its greatest victory flourished in South Florida to open a page in the history books.

Living in a country where the biggest game of the year should be declared a national holiday, the Super Bowl isn’t only viewed for the giddy commercial ads or gathering as a family to host a sizable party. It also embraces a storybook season. It seems a surreal season transformed into reality. The Saints proved unflappable in the greatest game of their 43-year existence. It seems the Saints were resilient, entering the game of roman numerals with a posture of perseverance and heart.

“Whoever thought that this could be happening?” Drew Brees said. “Eighty-five percent of the city was under water. People were evacuating to places all over the country. Most people left not knowing whether New Orleans would ever come back, or if the organization would ever come back.”

There you have it. The Saints are your Super Bowl champs. First time is a charm. This is exhilarating for a community that fought through adversity, a community that adores football and appreciates their sudden conquest to raise its first banner in the Superdome.

Not long ago, they were so hopeless and pathetic, to whereas ridiculing and lambasting the Saints was a yearly ritual. Today, of course, we’ve praised them, we’ve rooted them on, we’ve pampered them, and we’ve shared our sympathy. If there’s a cure for healing the tragedy that tore the spirit, the Saints marching to its first Lombardi Trophy is an antidote—a moment the town appeases a franchise that has long passed the lingering pain of failures, a predicament labeling the team for decades.


It took the second decade of the 21st century for the Saints to shake off hideous misadventures and dismay, finally reaching a crescendo in Super Bowl XLIV. But without debate the bigger story was Brees outshining Peyton Manning, forcing the greatest quarterback’s legacy to wait.

Much of the debate leading up to the big game dwelled on whether Manning could add a title to his resume and solidify his legacy. But a legacy materialized before our very eyes, along with a historic achievement. Not only was it revival within a dispirited town, but memories of joy and idolatry. The good people of New Orleans anoint and worship the Saints.

“We were on a mission,” said linebacker Scott Fujita. “For us, it was about much more than just football.”

Keep in mind, that’s how much the franchise means to a feverish crowd on Bourbon Street. They watched their Saints pull off the most impressive victory in Super Bowl history. Once it all ended, the Saints celebrated its first worthwhile championship, a memory that will always remain in the hearts of many.

All season, fans embraced their elite toughness, which revealed a renaissance age. With the resurgence of Brees, who most doubted after having surgery on his throwing arm in 2006, the Saints were an organization willing to allow him a chance.

Sure enough, he’s a true hero producing on a colossal stage when jitters play an effect on a first-timers performance level. The excitement and nervous reactions wasn’t a factor, able to master brilliancy after leaving behind images of a memorable quarterbacking performance.


For all the hype and constant debates of Manning’s legacy, Brees was a minority, and the Saints were still evaluated as an inferior team without enough experience. So much for Manning validating a legacy. Brees hijacked our consciousness on the most dignified night of his career, courtesy of the gutsy onside kick entering the second half that gave the Saints gained momentum.

It’s a rarity to witness trickeries when a championship is on the line, but Thomas Morstead kicked an undaunted onside kick that surprised the Colts and was recovered by Chris Reis. From there, the Saints maintained poise, dominated at will, and Brees continued delivering passes with incredible precision and awareness. That prompted 32- of-39 completed passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns. Amid Brees’ flawless performance, prolific cornerback Tracy Porter picked off Manning and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown.

“When I saw my blockers in front of me, and only Peyton and the offensive linemen left,” said Porter, “I cut back and ran it in.”

That put things out of reach, lifting premature celebrations and dance parties in the street. And lastly, the Saints danced as if they were children traveling from Sun Life Stadium to Disney World. Instead they were jubilating over an impressive 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, excited to be honored with their first memorabilia. While Manning’s legacy takes a downfall—missing intended receiver Reggie Wayne after Gregg Williams’ superb defense executed blitzes—we now realize how elite Brees really is.

“We play for so much more than ourselves," Brees said. “We played for our city. We played for the entire Gulf Coast region.

Without debate, he’ll go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks in Super Bowl history in a city where the population admires his humanitarian work, charitable work and involvement within a community that needs much rebuilding. But even greater, the Saints are mentioned in the Super Bowl category.

They now own a spot in history after dominating on the immense platform in sports. They marched until the intriguing contest ended, they marched against a team that had been there before, and they marched to come back from a 10-point deficit, proving title worthy.

There was Saints owner Tom Benson, the 80-year-old man who celebrated as the biggest fan, who stood on the midfield stage to receive the gleaming Lombardi Trophy and shouted to the heavens, “We’re back! We’re back!" He was filled with happiness as was Sean Payton, the best coach to ever lead the Saints. And Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees lifted his son, Baylen, and held him embracing the moment.

“I’ve just told our guys, you’ve got to make me look good on this,” Payton said. “We were going to be aggressive. When you do something like that, you just put it on the players, and they were able to execute. It turned out to be a big change of possession and ended with a score.”

Thousands gathered at Sun Life Stadium chanting “Who Dat! Who Dat!”

It was the Saints fulfilling a life-long dream for a grateful city. Finally, they can alleviate the horrid memories of long suffering.

Well, I guess Mardi Gras begins in the state of the fleur-de-lis.

Celebrate good times and twirl those fancy Saints’ umbrellas.

Colts Are Tops, but Don't Ignore Williams' Monstrous Saints Defense

So, the New Orleans Saints marched in as the greatest story of the NFL this year. Unless someone is inhumane, or just refuses to root for the Who Dat squad, the Saints are a storybook team.

With the biggest game in their 42 year existence looming, the marching band of New Orleans has been ignored or overshadowed by the everlasting debates of Peyton Manning legacy.

It’s not hard envisioning the Saints hindering a high-powered offense, based on their resilience and perseverance. Each year in the Super Bowl normally there’s a scenario. Each year, in the big game, there’s usually an underdog.

If there’s one thing worth noticing, it’s a team with a superior defense. Teams with stellar defenses most of the time walk away with the victory.

For all discussion that the Saints are undersized and inexperienced, still, ignoring mighty defenses is an understatement. All year, the Saints’ underrated defense created nightmares. They were underestimated, and neglected as if they were some type of action figures.

However, skeptics are toying with the Saints for refusing to acknowledge the monstrous defense, a dynamic unit that has blocked out teams and made a three-hour fray miserable. In what turned into nightmarish games, the Saints cast darkness over opposing franchises in a season when a fairy tale elicited truth.

And while concerned with the state of Dwight Freeney’s injured ankle or Manning solidifying his legacy, folks besides Who Dat believers no longer believe in the Saints forgetting about its bottomless defense.

Given their history, it’s because New Orleans was a hapless franchise, defaced by failure and humiliation when fans wore paper bags over their heads, roughly disheartened of the long-suffering letdowns. What a travesty, denying the truth of a franchise that isn’t pushovers, but features a prolific defense.

Sadly, it doesn’t receive credit for helping the Saints reach its first ever Super Bowl in franchise history. In the blink of an eye, it seems the Saints were the loudest marching band in the regular-season, managing to stay unbeaten for a long period.

No way are the Indianapolis Colts overlooking the Saints, not when it’s an organization starving to hunt down its pray.

So it’s worth giving the nod to an aggressive defense, responsible for directing New Orleans to the Super Bowl. It’s the strongest and most tenacious attack to make a sudden impact at the Superdome, and in a community where spirited fans admire their football, and braced the Saints all season for uplifting sanity and reviving joy.

In all their years of watching a calamity, which labeled them the Aints instead of Saints, the fans are thrilled to have Gregg Williams.

If you take pride in the black and gold team, you know he has cultivated and emphasized onslaughts and physicality. His basic method has given eleven men reason to believe their potential to knock off heads, with powerful blows sending the Colts to the turf.

Coming up with a symmetric scheme to baffle and frustrate Manning. When he’s pressured by a bulldozing frontline, Manning begins losing composure. That usually results in a large amount of turnovers, rushed to release the ball before he’s sacked and falls to the turf disgusted of limited pass protection.

Make no mistake, Williams has designed an outline equivalent to the Colts pedigree. At the very least, they aren’t intimidated or fearful of a vintage Manning.

Common sense tells the team that he’s a premier quarterback, a prestigious icon and perfectionist. He nearly anchored the Colts to NFL’s first 19-0 season in league history, which would have defined perfection.

Trust me, they know what’s at stake. Beyond that, it’s the most noticeable extravaganza in franchise history. Winning a title is also evident, and a time they must attempt securing happiness. Any team rarely replicates back-to-back trips, so a loss is considered wasteful.

At least the Saints can emerge from the tunnels of Sun Life Stadium on Sunday with a confident mindset—courtesy of Williams driving a forceful defense for an entire season. Before their defense was mediocre, but now it is aggressive, and potent.

Any way you analyze it, mediocrity isn’t an issue. The Saints are armed with defensive tactics, though it’s unpredictable betting whether they’ll win or not. But the greatest win transpiring in team history is possible, as long as Williams is the admirable defensive coordinator.

For all we know, he’ll stick to his basic ideas. That’s installing urgency within an intensive bunch, and being poised to strike their offense and force turnovers. That’s also creating interruptions by pressuring the quarterback. And that happens to be Manning.

Sure, Saints safety Darren Sharper will play with much intensity, the biggest playmaker and game-changing performer when explosive at running routes and reading the mind of quarterbacks to cut across field and intercept an ill-advised pass.

Sure, the crafty linebacker Jonathan Vilma participates in the action, but there have been games where he had trouble handling man-to-man coverage. He’s still a valuable piece to the package, if he’s not stagnant, but energized and efficacious putting pressure on Manning.

And lastly, Williams is calling the schemes, a ritual he greatly follows. His style is communicating and demanding productivity. Even better is, he challenges them to reach a crescendo in the most important element of the game. The nature of football is defense.

And the Saints’ storybook season wasn’t done by only Drew Brees’ passes or the high-powered offense, but a monstrous defense that produces blood on turf.

Reggie Bush's Show Is Bigger Than Life

Given the fortune of meeting the biggest stage in his lifetime, Reggie Bush’s time to shine is now. Of course, this week’s storyline circles around Peyton Manning’s legacy, neglecting Bush’s newborn career.

In reality, he’s on a quest, not only to win a Super Bowl, but to prove to skeptics that he’s the top-notch running back we anticipated since entering the NFL, where he hasn’t made much of a noticeable difference.

We revere Bush’s athleticism on the pro level, refusing to verify he’s a bust. I’ll argue he has potential, expecting him to create a breakout performance in the Super Bowl.

Bush defined greatness druing his sensational college career. Now, fans are hoping to witness some of the similarities he effectuated at USC, during the NFL's greatest game on Sunday.

In college there were many days optimists voted for Bush, not to rule the country, but to win the Heisman Trophy. He won the precious stiff-armed statue, proving to us that he was the electric tailback of college football. His accomplishments were unparalleled, includng an open field dash, where Bush lost his cleats, to complete a hair-raising touchdown.

During his time spent on campus, he became the centerpiece of USC, but since departing the school, he never made a scene on the pro level.

We’ve waited for Bush to break ankles, find the gaps, force miss tackles and elude the pressure of bulldozing defenses. Maybe he’ll finally shine in the most important game of his lifetime. Maybe he’ll flourish in Miami, where the world will have its eyes glued to the the game.

For now, he’s still noticed as the disappointing one. Since being selected at the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft four years ago, he’s still noticed as the overrated bust, but the way I see it, he’s not a bust.

He still has much potential and could blossom any time soon, including Sunday, when many hope he will produce and return to the valuable cornerstone player he once was.

“All I want to do is be the best player ever to play this game, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t feel that way,” said Bush. “If I didn’t feel that way when I step on the field, I’d be selling myself short.”

Of all people, the captivating residents of New Orleans are hopeful he’ll emerge as a stud, or even greater, as the Super Bowl MVP. Bush is not yet a celeb bust, but a tailback still angling to find himself and establish a righteous identity on the NFL level.

He’s respected and highly regarded by many, so people anticipated that he would make an impact straight out of college. But sometimes, it just takes a few seasons to adapt and transition.

Critics should give the guy a break. Although, maybe the criticism is good for Bush. There are players who feed off criticism. I’m sure Bush fathoms that critics are centering on his fortitude and heart of the game. I’m sure he grasps that critics are focusing heavily on statistics, rather than wins. I’m sure he understands that critics are concerned about the relationship between him and Kim.

“I’ve always been my biggest critic. I haven’t lived up to the expectations I set for myself,” said Bush. “Before I got to the NFL, I thought it would be the Super Bowl every year, make the Pro Bowl every year. You discover it’s hard. It’s hard to get to the Super Bowl. I’ve been in the league four years and just got here. There’s a lot of great players who never get to the Super Bowl. I haven’t lived up to the expectations, but I know it will come."

He’s equipped to be the best player in the game.

His speed is indescribable, but his lethargy at times is hurtful. The awareness is fine, but his lack of aplomb is a crisis. The athleticism is good, but not great, hindered at times by knee injuries.

He missed 12 of his last 48 regular-season games, rushing for only 1,940 yards in four years. Now, he has a chance to reach the highest goal by winning the Super Bowl. And now, he has a chance of proving he deserves high-regards.

The thrilled residents of New Orleans are hopeful that he’ll emerge. If so, he will be described as a savior and may even ascend upon the Saints legacy. There is no doubt that he’s an idol, folks on Bourbon Street love rooting him on, but they are waiting for Bush to break through...

No better place or time than the Super Bowl.

Jeremy Shockey: From Bombastic Bust to Super Hero?

There was a point amid a promising NFL career when Jeremy Shockey behaved annoyingly. But then came Media Day, the moment we were able to grasped signs of maturity. Finally, because there never was a time during an enigmatic career, Shockey acted with good sense.

Not only was he a distraction for teammates, but a mischievous tight end. At this time, he has grown and accepts a challenge as a Saint. But he has achieved more than the average tight end, and is fortunate enough to have been on winning teams.

Before, he was portrayed as a bombastic bust, but ever since tasting a bittersweet flavor at Super Bowl XLII with the New York Giants, he realized how gracious and gratifying sustaining a win on the biggest stage is. He probably wasn’t in good health to celebrate with ex-teammates, but he relates to players who were in similar situations.

It’s unfortunate he missed a significant game in which he had a broken left leg suffered late in the season that kept him sidelined. Even though he was inactive and unable to contribute in a huge way, Shockey recognized what it took and what’s at stake in a return home for Super Bowl XLIV.

“I’m here on a business trip,” said Shockey. “I’ve done enough partying to last me for this week.”

At least, he admits that he’s a party animal. But in this case, he’s more of a football devotee, committed to contributing on the sport's biggest stage. That he had a selfish personality; he was a pompous hypocrite. Ask Giants coach Tom Coughlin and general manager Jerry Reese, where in their regime Shockey failed to meet expectations and was implored to attend the Super Bowl. Finally, he wasn’t enthusiastic playing for the Giants and separated from the team, turning on a franchise with which he'd grown into a star.

But his selfish mindset, quickly, burned out avid fans and killed morale among teammates and the coaching staff and also injuries started to become problematic. The difference now is, everyone tells him how much they like having Shockey around. The difference now is, everyone tells him how much they could utilize his explosiveness and quick hands. The difference now is, he’s probably the coolest and likable figure within the organization.

And if you haven’t noticed any blemishes, again Shockey enters a critical game nursing an injured right knee. But any player with a functional state of mind is ready for a competitive matchup, particularly when the New Orleans Saints are one win away from immortality, reaching its first Super Bowl in franchise history.

In a neutral site, the Saints are viewed as underdogs, but more importantly they comprise of all the suitable necessities, beneficial in enduring delight. There are certainly good vibes, perhaps, understated impressions that makes absolute sense to the Saints. While most citizens here, in America, set their eyes on the legacy of Peyton Manning and Dwight Freeney’s health status, the optimist forgotten about the first-time arrivers.

Rather the Saints are undersized and inexperienced at such a high level: there’s Saints’ defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, a guru who has assembled a work of art on defense; there’s safety Darren Sharper, an explosive perfectionist who could steal the spotlight on Super Bowl Sunday, if he studies and reads all the plays accordingly, and there’s Shockey.

That's not counting a sturdy quarterback in Drew Brees or the sudden growth of running back Reggie Bush. But the biggest star may emerge at an unpredictable offensive position, and later hoist MVP honors. I’m referring to, Shockey, the monstrous 6-foot-4, 251 pound tight end.

Come now, he’s a totally different guy, understanding the importance of teamwork and contributing. And considering that he was a problem-child, Shockey has matured, putting to rest the rude mannerism. Never did he have a gnarly attitude, but an ungenerous attitude that never settled too well in New York. Nearly each week, he was criticized in local tabloids for either making inane remarks or staging foolish commotion among an intolerant organization, as a way to seize media attention.

As a stint gradually dwindled in New York, he was described as a “loose cannon” because he wasn’t compatible with quarterback Eli Manning. Blessed with ample chances, his imposing presence in the league never relapsed, recovering from the inevitable premise of self-destruction.

Since he was traded to New Orleans, a heartwarming town perceives Shockey has an endearing sporting figure. Make no mistake, he has come a long ways, though he’s not quite the ambassador. But he’s a lovable idol many welcomed with open arms, believing he’s a perfect fit.

Fame goes a long ways in New Orleans, a town attached to a loyal football franchise that revived a spiritless community of dreadful memories, regarding a heartless tragedy. Remember Hurricane Katrina ravaged an animated city, before the Saints were proclaimed as heroes for putting a smile on bleak faces, deprived of faith and hope. What we now verify as America’s franchise, Shockey has ascended to stardom. He’s viewed as a prolific player, valued greatly for running routes effectively and undermining defenses with gusto and a sharp-minded modus.

Even an unintelligent individual takes notice of what’s being analyzed during Super Week. If Shockey is robust by game time, he’s a threat to the Colts’ depleted secondary. It’s a huge loss that Freeney is sidelined, the all-time sacks leader in team history. It’s interesting to see if Shockey sabotages the Colts’ defense.

If anything, he’s an intimidating athlete with durability and athleticism to attack and punish Indianapolis by sprinting in routes and completing catches. If so, he’s very explosive after he completes catches, and usually gains a significant total in yards. In other words, Shockey is to be reckoned with.

“Watching Jeremy from afar,” said Williams. “I don’t think I would want him to be on a team I was associated with. But up close, I love the guy. He is crazy committed on the field, in practice and in games. He is a coach’s dream player. Now, that doesn’t mean I want to go out and have drinks or dinner with him. We know that side of him is crazy committed, too.”

Yes, knowing his reputation he loves to drink. But, I must admit, Shockey has grown up. And he’s now a menace on turf.

Consider it all the reason why he’ll have treatment and take on rigid preparations just so he’s back on the field in time for a precious opportunity. But he wouldn’t miss this game if his life depended on it, knowing the emphasis of shining when a championship is on the line. Why not now?

This is a week players spend dreaming of possessing the gleaming hardware, and if so, the moment is now when it’s in front of the large eyes. But it will take diligence and confidence to reach a pivotal climax that may never return in their favors. The only way Shockey misses the action is by having a leg or arm amputated.

“I’m going to play this game like it was my last game,” Shockey said Tuesday at Media Day.

Ineffective and inactive in prior games during the postseason, he’ll be one of Brees’ targets and difference-makers, depending on the number of touches.

Most of all, returning to Miami, where he was a college standout, Shockey comes to complete a long-awaited mission.

That’s to win the Super Bowl.

At 29, he’s a matured athlete and hero in some people’s eyes.

New Orleans Saints' Historic Quest: The Sweetest Win on Bourbon Street

What we’ve seen is real, even though it feels like an illusion, given the long-suffering. The New Orleans Saints weren’t always referred to as the Saints, but instead a disgrace in a community where the sport wasn’t the finest attraction.

Doomed with bad karma, Mardi Gras was more exciting than the Saints marching into the Superdome, more convivial than ridiculing the goofy fans for wearing paper bags over their heads to badly humiliate the home team.

The latest carnival is prepared to kickoff tonight and last until the wee hours or mid-morning in a town, where a massive parade is only one win away.


Until then, the biggest win in franchise history is the prelude of a triumphant quest, not only for a starved franchise, but a convinced town that believed and found sanity by applauding the Saints. It has been a season of triumph, finally mitigating doleful images of misfortune.

From the Ain'ts to Saints, a town is thrilled of the black and gold team. The population had clearly waited for New Orleans to bring joy and absolve tragic memories of Hurricane Katarina, a disaster that deprived and battered humanity.

In a town, where delighted fans are attached to the Saints, can fest on gumbo, dance all night in Bourbon Street and brace the Saints. You’ve seen a loud, committed crowd sell out the Superdome and scream. Like hearing an entertaining rock band perform in front of thousands, the mood inside the craziest venue isn’t only insanity, but the guts of genuine fans worshiping the Saints.

The 16-game regular-season meant a season of worthiness, when New Orleans were on the verge of presumably finishing the year unbeaten before suffering a three-game losing streak late in the season. But there’s nothing like finishing off the postseason on a strong note.

It’s well established the Saints removed the ignominious nametag to rename themselves to their original name. The Saints ain’t labeled as the Aints, particularly if you confute of all the poor literature brainwashing our society for all the innovated technology.

But once it all ended on Sunday in the NFC Championship game, the Saints celebrated after clinching its first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. It’s the sweetest win ever, a redemptive victory to break away from all the negativity and doubts.

This is the greatest accomplishment ever, to silence all cynical fans that never believed the Saints would avoid further headaches and painful failures, in which they weren’t seen in the playoff picture.

Besides a hurricane ravaging a community, the Saints brings elation to a despairing town, gracious of an astonishing postseason in the Big Easy. In a spectacular finish, New Orleans revealed its scoring offense ranks No. 1 in the league, including the No. 1 seed in the postseason. And to make a strong statement, the Saints controlled its own fate in overtime to climb over a challenging contest and critical test in the biggest game.

I’ll like to send my best wishes to New Orleans. Why not? It’s their first time appearing on the finest stage, a position every team wishes to be in, a dream every player desires. For a long time, they’ve waited anxiously and witnessed it finally. Nothing this thrilling was imagined in the aftermath of the calamity that, sadly, happened.


But in reality, the Saints punched a ticket to Miami and will travel to the dream vacation spot for a date with the AFC champs Indianapolis Colts on February 7, where The Who will perform at halftime, and where Peyton Manning meets Drew Brees.

“This is for everybody in this city,” Sean Payton said to the crowd. “This stadium used to have holes in it and used to be wet. It’s not wet anymore. This is for the city of New Orleans.”

There’s no point of even dwelling on the miserable losing streak that lasted since 1967. The Saints won 31-28 in the overtime thriller, and suddenly a tense night turned into a party on Bourbon Street. Confetti covered the aisles at the Superdome. Fans screamed to where your eardrums could’ve blown out.

Given the awful history, a rebirth was badly needed to reduce all the nagging bleakness. Late as time dwindled in regulation, it wasn’t easy to watch and nerve-racking Saints fans stared timorous realizing the Minnesota Vikings seemed convincing enough to advance.

If you’ve started taken it for granted, you didn’t understand this was a competitive championship showdown, a game that featured the 40-year old veteran Brett Favre, who hurls passes as if he’s a raw 20-year-old or a player barely entering his prime.

He’s the most prolific passer in NFL postseason history, exploiting the similarities of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, whose record he broke during the game. But individual awards aren’t enough to satisfy Favre. He was craving a title, despite surpassing Montana in the record books.

That isn’t all so enticing to Brett, a future Hall of Famer who strictly came back to prove to Green Bay he wasn’t washed up and win a Super Bowl ring. That was before he tossed a costly interception to Saints defensive back Tracy Porter at the 22. Did Favre throw away the game and ruined his legacy?

No, he played against prolific defense that didn’t relinquish the pass-rush, which remained adequate throughout the game. Favre was harassed, and knocked to the turf. He limped off the field, he grimaced in pain, and was constantly forced out the pocket in which the relentless Saints may have sent Favre into retirement. As times became dramatic and jovial, Favre watched New Orleans implemented a game-winning drive.

“Who Dat”?

It’s the Saints marching into field goal territory. They were brilliant to conserve clock, to save plenty of seconds and rely on special teams to salvage the biggest game in the biggest moment. Sure enough, it went in the favor, when unheard-of kicker Garrett Hartley declared fame for booting a 41-year game-winning field goal.

In the 42-year of existence, it took resiliency and fortitude to overcome adversity and reach a goal, in which the Saints prepared for all season. One win away from a historic accomplishment, and the Saints are celebrating before the important game.


It’s sensible predicting that the Saints will win. If their prolific defense outshined Favre’s Vikings, it’s rational to believe they could do the same to Colts. By putting pressure on Manning, the Saints harassment may frustrate Indianapolis high-powered passing game. Forgetting Brees is like neglecting a vicious predator with large fangs. He beamed and passed for 197 yards with three touchdowns. All the weapons are used to his advantages.


It’s a blessing any time you have a versatile running back in Reggie Bush, who is remarkable and explosive on special teams. It is also a pleasure to play on the same team with receiver Marques Colston. Next there’s Pierre Thomas, a running back with enough stamina and agility to be the next big thing in New Orleans. He found the end zone once, and returned the kickoff to the Saints 40 and had 61 yards on 14 carries.

Even more important, he secured the ball efficiently unlike Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson. There’s no doubt he has the speed, but he fumbled twice in a crucial contest. Percy Harvin flew with the Vikings to New Orleans, but was questionable on whether he would start or not. Of course, it didn’t matter.

Sad thing is, this could have been Favre’s final game. If so, he completed 28 of 46 passes with 310 yards and a touchdown. Sure you’ll remember the postseason passing record, but at the same time you’ll remember the interception late in the game.

The relentless Saints ended a surreal run for a battered Favre.

Believe it, the Saints are marching to Super Bowl 44.

The city is shedding tears of joy.

This is the sweetest story written in New Orleans.

So What if He Arrives Late, Reggie Bush Emerges on Time for Saints

Like the loudest musical performance appearing in New Orleans, the place was clamorous as the Saints inched closer to a trip to Miami. There’s no venue crazier or wilder than the Superdome, mainly because there’s no team in the league as exciting or electrifying as the Saints.

It’s a franchise, greatly, cherished for charming performances and amplifies mystique with the ability to put fear on teams still alive. Fear their ability to execute on all levels, a dimensional franchise that brought hope to a despairing town after a calamity struck New Orleans.

Sadly, Hurricane Katarina pierced the hearts of a helpless community and much was deprived, until the Saints marched in and lifted sanity. But there’s more to a feel-good story, and not only have a tenacious team cured souls. Realizing nothing the Saints have done is a fluke, the nagging fortitude and energy are elements to fear.

So each moment in the Superdome feels invincible, like the home team cannot lose. Respectively, a loyal crowd is attached to football embracing the franchise with craziness and intense screams, hungrier than the players themselves.

The emotions of euphoria carried the Saints to a level of belief, purging all debates and pontification of immortalities. In case you’re wondering, Mardi Gras has initiated prematurely on Bourbon Street, where a huge block party anticipates sparking a rejoicing celebrations. The fervid crowd will pour onto the streets, soaking in the greatest victory and memorable moment.

In the regular season, timeless flaws evoked dubious notions that the Saints weren’t the boundless contenders individuals had in mind. Late in the season, each moment revealed scary rationalization of New Orleans as a one-and-done team, based on a three-game losing skid to topple regard. During a sudden collapse, the Saints clumsily averaged 14.7 points when it was known for compiling the scoreboards. Every team has strengths and weaknesses.

The spectators entertained at the Superdome, a popular place to witness the aerial extravaganza, saw an efficacious Drew Brees hurl incredible passes to a bottomless receiver core. He exploited plays, designed to torment defenses. He executed plays opponents were unsuccessful stifling. Nothing in the Big Breezy stopped the creativity of jaw-dropping drives, which usually resulted in touchdowns.


Once again, the Saints had the swagger, finding its high-powered offense in time for the NFC Divisional round to literally manhandled the Arizona Cardinals, who again was noticed as the team from the desert with the word miracle written all over. Last year, we were caught by surprise when the Cardinals stunned the world and advanced to the Super Bowl, thanks to veteran quarterback Kurt Warner and wideout Larry Fitzgerald.

Your final score: 45-14

That decisive win punched a ticket to the NFC Championship game. The Saints await the winner of Minnesota and Dallas. But until then, an entire community relishes a moment of greatness. For some time, everyone waited for this moment, a time to erupt with the heroes of the town. The Saints are saviors, popular after alleviating the disastrous perceptions of reality. This is their city, this is their team, and this is their antidote to erase memories of a terrible tragedy.

As of now, New Orleans are marching, not to the nearest restaurant for gumbo, not to the local convenient store, not even to Bourbon Street to hear the soothing sounds of jazz, but marching with the Saints. With the exception of Brees, Reggie Bush, Devery Henderson, Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey, the boys of New Orleans reached the point where fans are convinced this is the year to shine.

If they win the championship rounds, the Saints won’t have to worry about hearing the discouraging word. Remember, it was a franchise belittled and referred as to the Aint’s. Those were the days, when the organization had suffocated dearly and fans protested and wore paper bags over their heads, deeply ashamed of the failures. But these days, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Instead they’re worshiping the Saints, proud of how far the team has come.


This wasn’t envisioned until he proved to us that he still has the swagger, finally translating to the pros. Reggie Bush was the hero. He was the player of the game. He earned the chants, “Reggie”, “Reggie”, Reggie!” Those choruses echoed inside the Superdome, where he played like he was at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. The former mighty Trojan dusted Arizona’s porous defense, bringing back memories of his prevailing era at USC.

This may have been the greatest sprint he advertised of his flowering NFL career, with a 46-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to set the tone and increase momentum. For those unfamiliar with Bush’s incomparable style, he was supposed to make an impact when he earned spotlight in his rookie season. He was supposed to be the best running back, to awe pro football devotees.

So what if he’s late, but what matters he’s succeeding expectations suddenly, meeting the tangibles of a stud running back. All of us waited for this moment, the emergence of Bush. And it happened in no better place than New Orleans, where the people live and die to witness triumphant junctures. The ability to break tackles, outrun defenders, and sprint in open field is a special knack.

That has given a better description of Bush in recent memory. I’m going to admit this was a breakout game, amassing 70 yards on four carries midway in the second quarter. I’ll be generous to confide, this was the greatest game of his career, which happened to come in the postseason when winning is critical.

His two touchdowns, 84 yards performance was a beautiful display, snapping the Saints out of a funk and back into offensive overdrive against the Cardinals, who yielded 90 points in the postseason, the most ever surrendered in two straight postseason games in a single season.

“We had a plan the whole time”, said Brees, who had a flawless game and passed for 247 yards. “It was hard for anybody to understand that plan if you’re not a member of my team, but we trusted in that plan, that process. We executed throughout the week and it showed in the game.”

Indeed, it did.

The Saints mastermind offensively is coach Sean Payton. Ever since he was brought in to solidify an offensive powerhouse, he has designed an effective rush attack. Turns out, he’s responsible for the emergence of Bush.

So what if Bush is late, he arrived on time. He came to the Saints aid.

NFL Is Your Sport, but Who Is Super Bowl Bound?

This was a season of suspense, a season that defined a team’s longevity and willpower.

We are witnesses of an incredible journey from a league that has paranoid our senses.

If you’re wondering why we suffered greatly and have impatiently waited for the season-opener of a 16-game regular season, well, it’s because we grasp the mindset of intense, non-stop drama.

Isn’t this what we live for, a dramatic year that could magnetize our minds and raise our self-consciousness? Aren’t fans essentially infatuated with football until the Super Bowl?

Despite a potential lockout in the 2011 season and merciless concussions and head injures that have raised much concern throughout the year, fans are in for football.

As sports depart from a relentless age of sleazes who cast shame on a league, our society truly admires an indelible season that expunges a dreadful period of DUI criminals, dog-killers and psychotic goons.

It doesn’t take long to cure a league where rebellious players try to get away with their despicable actions.

Whenever there’s a stern, narrow-minded commissioner willing to eliminate touchdown celebrations and constitute a personal conduct policy, crimes vanish and much tension mitigates.

Besides cracking down on mischievous megastars, the Indianapolis Colts excited us with their successive streak, a franchise that almost reached a historic plateau.

On Bourbon Street, the New Orleans Saints intrigued the hearts of avid fans as the home team achieved the improbable and captured an historic milestone by finishing the entire season unbeaten.

Early on, the Denver Broncos were in conversations for their incredible streak, and were unbeaten before collapsing midway.

But now, teams such as the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers are surprising us, as we sit back and relish an engaging postseason.

Any team can win the grandest prize on the biggest stage at this point. It’s impossible to ensure that any of these teams are ultimate champions. This has the makings to be a riveting postseason.

There’s no telling if the Minnesota Vikings are worthy of flying to Miami, even though they have arguably the most weapons, entering the playoffs.

There’s no telling if the shaky Saints deserves to dance in South Beach, after losing three consecutive games. And there’s no telling whether the Colts would falter in the AFC Championship game if they meet the San Diego Chargers, the villains and hottest team making it to the playoffs.

Until further notice, we don’t know which team will dominate. It depends on the environment, weather conditions and momentum, though.

Football is a sport of momentum, and vital fundamentals are required at a time when winning is meaningful.

By the end of the first round, maybe it would be easier to forecast. But until then, analyzing the likelihood of a franchise’s status is unpredictable.

Where tailgate parties reside, the Jets played their final game at Giants Stadium in the frigid climate

Amid a night of playoff ramifications, die-hard Jets fans renamed the venue, “FINAL GAME AT JETS STADIUM."

What turned into an exhilarating site, Jets coach Rex Ryan’s mental toughness and inspiration paid off. Whether he’s portrayed as a sensitive moron or someone who’s just ill tempered, he has cultivated an adverse group.

As we all know, media personnel in New York are critical of underperforming sports teams.

So clinching a playoff berth is huge for the Jets, a franchise that has coped with much scrutiny and mediocrity. Sure enough, the Jets can beguile us all by advancing to the AFC Championship game.

There’s no need to place a hot team on the backburner when Ryan has been specialized in defense.

Don’t forget there’s a rookie quarterback by the name of Mark Sanchez, who was willing to take on a steep challenge and implored the Jets to select him in last April’s draft.

Isn’t it fair to refer to him as Sanchize?

But more so, credit the lethal defense for elevating the intensity level in the late weeks.

In a rematch against the inspirational Cincinnati Bengals, who they routed in a 37-0 win, the Jets will have to attempt to win two games in six days.

In general, I’m impressed by the Jets’ tenacious defensive core.

On any given week, a forceful defense could spoil an opposing team’s optimism.

The NFL’s best defense happens to be the Jets, despite their 9-7 record that barely qualifies for a legitimate taste of the postseason.

Mind you, Darrelle Revis and Dwight Lowery are shutdown cornerbacks, with quickness and awareness. That hurts for an explosive wideout as proficient as Chad Ochocinco, when these two teams meet again for a significant matchup.

The Bengals are practically ailing in the receiver core, and Ochocinco is nursing a sore knee. That raises concern, especially when prolific quarterback Carson Palmer could use his primary target to exploit an unparalleled passing game.

Either way you view it, the best team, the scariest team and the team nobody wants to play are the Chargers.

Turns out they are the Super Chargers, exposing an outlook that defies logic with their ability to move the ball efficiently on the ground.

LaDainian Tomlinson is a decisive factor in the Chargers' chase for a potential Super Bowl appearance, as is a sturdy Philip Rivers. Late in the season, Coach Norv Turner has relied on the growth of Rivers’ passing game.

His powerful throws are significant, if the Chargers expect to pass the test of wills, which includes advancing to the Super Bowl.

In recent weeks, the masses have anointed San Diego and have given the Chargers the edge.

If so, tight end Antonio Gates must play a large role. To be honest, he has been, by far, the most productive star in the receiver core and amassed 79 catches for 1,457 yards.

Near the goal line, Tomlinson is lightning fast and he’s not to be reckoned with.

He has 12 touchdowns and isn’t easy to slow down inside the 20.

Doesn’t that remind you of Ravens’ running back Ray Rice?

There’s no doubt that he’s the difference in the Ravens’ entertaining offense.

The arrival of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has improved the Ravens' offense mightily, offsetting a typical 3-4 defense. His offensive recipe is designed to force the 3-4 into a nickel or dime formation, making life easier for Baltimore’s running game to explode.

No wonder Rice is the biggest star of an emerging offense and discards all of the weaknesses.

He’s the most entertaining and dangerous runner in the AFC, lethal with a remarkable 1,338 yards and a 5.3-yard average.

This should be enough to put a scare on the faces of New England.

Yes, Bill Belichick and the Patriots are well experienced, but they’re deteriorating before our very eyes.

After losing all its veteran leaders, New England is amid a rebuilding stage and has been dealing with road woes.

Wipe away an effortless win at a neutral site in London, and the Patriots would’ve officially been 1-6 on the road this season.

Because they have much mystique and dominated in the prior decade, the Pats aren’t forgotten just yet.

Then again, they might be out of the picture for good. The last thing New England needed was a severe injury to change the complexion, especially when it involves a speedy receiver.

Wes Welker, a primary target and a dynamic weapon, sustained a left knee injury. It’s believed to be a torn ACL and MCL.

That could cost New England a trip to Miami. He was a receiver the Pats relied on heavily, in what appeared to be Welker’s breakout season.

He led the league with 123 catches for 1,348 yards and four touchdowns, but Belichick is now forced to rely on a temperamental Randy Moss, who not long ago, created a distraction when many acknowledged that he had quit on his team.

Good luck facing a tough-minded Baltimore defense.

Seems safety Ed Reed is healthy enough to disrupt and frustrate Tom Brady in the first round of the postseason. This season, Reed was sidelined for four games with a groin injury, but his presence intimidates any team's offense.

There’s also the hard-hitting Ray Lewis, the veteran linebacker who applies unsympathetic hits to players.

Let’s not leave out the Dallas Cowboys, a franchise that owner Jerry Jones has earned his money from a new and colossal venue.

For once, Dallas avoided derision and further doom in December.

For the rematch, the Cowboys will face the Philadelphia Eagles next Saturday. For the longest time, they were fragile in December and couldn’t steer clear of letdowns.

Still, Dallas is a much-scrutinized franchise, until it captures its first playoff victory.

After escaping T.O. drama and after Tony Romo dumped Jessica Simpson to leave alone the celeb lifestyle, he's focused on improving as a quarterback and the Cowboys started performing at a high level.

Wade Phillips is delighted and confident he has salvaged his job status by winning a playoff game.

Like anything else, we try our hardest to guess which team will survive the next few weeks, leading up to the Super Bowl.

Did you know nothing is guaranteed?

How about you just watch and see what happens.

After all, it’s the NFL where drama lives.