New Orleans Saints America's Team

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Tune in Monday night and be part of something special. ...GEAUX SAINTS
COMMENTARY
By Mike Celizic
NBCSports.com contributor
Updated: 12:15 a.m. ET Sept. 12, 2005
Mike Celizic
You have a team. Everybody does. Usually, it’s your hometown squad, but it could be a team that was great when you were young, and you just fell in love with it and have cheered for it every since.
But as much as you need one team to live and die with, it also helps to have an emergency back-up team. That’s a team you can follow with interest if not complete passion. It should be in another city and preferably in another conference or division. It’s a team you can cheer for except when it’s playing your No. 1 team. It’s a team that can give you a lift when your main team isn’t doing so well.
If you don’t have such a team, as luck would have it, there’s one available. It has everything a team needs to merit the affection of everyone in America. It’s a team that is all too familiar with the taste of disappointment, a team that’s a bit forlorn, a team that’s an orphan and needs a home..............
I’ve never cared one way or the other for the Saints. They weren’t a very good team, and their owner, Tom Benson, is more than a little annoying. And, when you cover sports for a living, you quickly stop being a fan of teams and start being a fan of people.
But I’m a Saints fan right now. I followed their game online and felt good when they won. I hope they win a lot and go to the playoffs.
They’re my team now. They’re America’s team.

 

[bigb]

Is it fair for them to play what should be a home game on the road? The NFL couldn't find a college stadium that would be neutral territory? Anyone from N.Y. know if season ticket holders got first pick at the seats and how that all worked out? Sorry I haven't seen sportscenter so I don't know.

 

[scubadoo]

Originally Posted by BigB
Is it fair for them to play what should be a home game on the road? The NFL couldn't find a college stadium that would be neutral territory? Anyone from N.Y. know if season ticket holders got first pick at the seats and how that all worked out? Sorry I haven't seen sportscenter so I don't know.
Saints say despite trimmings, game against Giants will be road game
01:28 PM CDT on Thursday, September 15, 2005
Associated Press
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Joe Horn and the Saints won't be fooled. They'll be far from home, no matter how much New Orleans flavor is added to Giants Stadium.
"It's cool. But don't get me wrong, the New York Giants are still playing a home game," the Saints wide receiver said Wednesday.
The teams will play Monday night in a game originally scheduled to be played at the Superdome. But Hurricane Katrina changed all that on Aug. 29, so the game was moved to Giants Stadium but will still count as a home game for the Saints.
"Everybody can put sheepskin over their eyes and act like it's not a home game for the Giants, but we all know," Horn said. "I'm sure the fans and the New York Giants football club care about what happens and their heart goes out to us. We will appreciate that, but we're also not crazy and thinking it's a home game."
Some 600 displaced New Orleans residents will be flown to the New York-New Jersey area by relief agencies; the city's police chief, Eddie Compass, will be involved with former president George Bush in the coin toss; and Saints gold and black will be displayed along the blue walls of the stadium and in one of the end zones.
The victims of Hurricane Katrina will be honored during the pregame and halftime shows, which will have a New Orleans and Gulf Coast flavor. New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis will perform the national anthem on piano and saxophone, and New Orleans jazz trumpeter Irvin Mayfield will play "America the Beautiful." The band 3 Doors Down, from Escatawpa, Miss., will perform at halftime.
At the same time, the NFL will stage a telethon to raise money for a relief committee headed by former presidents Bush and Bill Clinton. It will originate from ABC studios in New York and continue through the doubleheader, which begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT with the Giants-Saints game, and is followed at 8 p.m. by Washington at Dallas.
The New York-New Orleans game will switch in many markets to ESPN at 8 p.m.
The Red Cross will collect money inside Giants Stadium on Monday night, and the Giants will match the amount and donate their portion to the relief fund. At last week's game against Arizona, $46,000 was collected for a total contribution of $92,000.
In addition, Giants running back Tiki Barber has pledged to donate $100 for every yard he gains and $500 for every touchdown he scores against the Saints, with a minimum donation of $10,000. Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said the team's players have already collected $141,000 among themselves to be donated to Habitat For Humanity.
Several thousand tickets remained for the game as of Wednesday morning. Saints season ticket holders and others who had already purchased tickets to the game were given first priority, followed in order by Giants season ticket holders, people on the Giants' season ticket waiting list and the general public.

 

[scubadoo]

This team actually means so much to this region right now.....,,
The Forecast takes a break from Katrina cleanup to enjoy Saints game
06:39 AM CDT on Thursday, September 15, 2005
Ralph Malbrough / "The Forecast"
This past Sunday, did you positively ache to either listen to or watch the Saints game? I did. I don’t think I have ever wanted to watch a Saints game so much in my life. It was if after two weeks of going through hell, watching a football game was my ticket out of reality. I’m thinking a lot of you felt the same way.
So what does all the pain and suffering we’ve all endured have to do with the New Orleans Saints playing a football game against Carolina? Everything.
I woke up Sunday determined to see my Saints play. So what if the house where I live in is under water and the greatest city on Earth lay in ruins? I wanted to pretend for three hours none of it mattered and enjoy my favorite day of the year, opening NFL Sunday, like I always do.
It proved to be a bit of a challenge since WWL is the only station broadcasting in our area. (Huge props to ESPN for letting WWL broadcast the LSU game, by the way.)
So my father and I hooked up his old school satellite dish and begin searching for a station that was carrying the Saints. By old school satellite, I mean those dishes that allow you to watch any thing you like except you have no idea what each channel is. It might be the Saints or it might be an Indian cricket match.
After an hour of pointing and readjusting we found a station out of Birmingham -- jackpot. Heat up the nacho dip (it was two-years-old, but I didn’t care), crack open an ‘alternative beverage,’ and let’s watch some football.
All the horrors, despairs, destruction, and tragedies are put aside. Everything is right with New Orleans because the Saints are about to play.
(Watching the pre-game shows made me realize how national ‘experts’ really know very little about the teams. The way they talked, it was if the Saints winning would be equal to Moses parting the Red Sea. Chris Berman even wondered if by the end of the year the Saints would be so worn down teams would have to think about not running up the score.)
Oh, please…
If there is one thing beyond all others we know about Jim Haslett, it’s that the man is at his best when times are the darkest. Under Haslett, the Saints are flat out road warriors and last year they were 4-8 and left for dead; but then Haslett pulled it together.
I wasn’t sure if the Saints could win, but I knew it would be the typical Saints/Panthers all-out brawl. It was.
The Saints were as focused as they’ve ever been. Aaron Brooks was magnificent, save that one fumble. The offense stayed with the power run game and didn’t get discouraged, and Ernie Conwell had his best game wearing black and gold.
Meanwhile, the defense hung tough even though they were not getting enough pressure on Jake Delhomme as I thought they needed to win the game.
The secondary looked very good and they will not have to face a Steve Smith every week.
The linebacker play was spotty and Ron McKinnon may soon take Courtney Watson’s spot in the middle but it’s a defense this team can win with.
As Mike McKenzie and Jason Craft made interceptions and the Saints tried to hold off Delhomme late, at that moment all I thought was football. Not about hurricanes, or insurance, FEMA filings, or levees breaking. My mind was thinking only of a defensive stop.
With the game tied at 20, I thought not of evacuees clinging to life at the Dome, but of Joe Horn making a big play. When Horn hauled down that late game pass, I was doing cartwheels like it was any other Sunday.
(All the Saints players have been great but Joe has been exceptional during all this -- Joe Horn: greatest Saint ever. There, I said it.)
When John Carney hit the game winner I jumped up and yelled, “Five in a row, baby!” It just spilled out. The Saints are in the middle of a winning streak.
I have no idea if they can keep it up. This disaster has worn us all to our limits and likely beyond. I wonder if the playing in Baton Rouge and San Antonio along with the players having to put back together their lives just like the rest of us will be too much for them.
Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps each Sunday the game will be their escape like it will be ours.
It would be just the luck of Saints fans for our team to have their best season ever and we can’t enjoy it to the fullest because our lives are in shambles.
Then again, I enjoyed the hell out of myself Sunday afternoon for three-plus hours. So thank you, guys.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to real life and cut some trees and clean out a freezer that has a smell words can not describe. So we’ll fight through all of this because we’re some of the toughest people on Earth until Monday night; we’ll escape again for just a little while.

 

[dougai]

im a cowboys fan..
and i never want to hear the words "americas team" and "NO saints" in the same sentence again

 

[carshark]

I am gonna get the Bandwagon flaming here, but it is simply not the case. I have been a Patriots fan all of my life, and a die hard red sox fan, do you know how many years I have been poked fun at?? I mean it truly is sad, but I have stuck with them through thick and thin. I remember as a kid going to my first NFL game to watch my patriots get stomped at home by the giants time over again....then to go watch my Red Sox lose to the Yankees over and over again. America's team?? Id say Boston has America's teams! too bad the Celtics cant get it together without Mchale and Bird. The Red Sox have broken the "Curse Of The Bambino
I think a super bowl would be great for morale, as far as america's team the sad truth is whomever wins the big games...

 

[cowfishrule]

< lifetime Vikings fan... soooooooooo f'n glad Moss is gone.
here's the deal... if i were either the cboys, eagles, or skins, i would be furious with the nfl for moving that saints opener to giants stadium. sure, they could paint the endzones, hang banners, etc. anyway you look at it, Giants have 9 home games this year.
Saints season ticket holders got first crack at tickets for the game. cmon now, if you live around NO, are you really concerned about flying to NY to watch your home opener?
I certainly hope not.
as for the "America's team" crap, ummmmmmmmmmmmmm no.
They got their emotional victory for the year, and they are going to lose their next 15 games. How does this make them "America's Team?"

 

[darth tang]

im a cowboys fan..
and i never want to hear the words "americas team" and "NO saints" in the same sentence again
Reply With Quote
I second that.
I sincerely hope the saints smack the crap out of the Giants. It is crap they get an extra home game.

 

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From Peter King NFL writer..
Well, the Saints are on their way to becoming America's Team (don't laugh; I can feel the groundswell)
Deal with it Dallas!

 

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Forget the Cowboys, the Saints Are America's Team
Transplanted Squad Isn't Just a Football Team Anymore
By JIM ARMSTRONG, AOL Exclusive
Chuck Burton, AP
Sports Commentary
The New Orleans Saints won their opening game Sunday. Afterward, team officials were spotted scrambling through the record books to see if it was the first time they had been in first place this late in a season.
I only mention this because the Saints, those loveable, laughable wretches in shoulder pads, those perpetual orphans of the gridiron, are my new team. Come to think of it, they're everybody's new team. Forget the Cowboys. Until further notice, the Saints are America's Team.

 

[darth tang]

The Yankees were America's team 4 years ago as well. Now everyone is right back to hating them for the most part. Wait, maybe that means they are still America's team.

 

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Originally Posted by Darth Tang
The Yankees were America's team 4 years ago as well. Now everyone is right back to hating them for the most part. Wait, maybe that means they are still America's team.
THis will fade later this season...but it is an intersting story. The Yankess still had their home field and practice facilities. THey also had recent and past history franchise success previous to 9/11. The Saints have had very little success and have only won one playoff game in their history.
I can understand the Dallas folks being upset at the new Amrecia's Team..but it will be short-lived. I suspect not too many Dallas fans will be capable of swallowing those massive egoes for a brief period.
They have now won five in a row as they won the last four games of the season in 2004. Th
Not a problem.....I understand Dallas as you have had to endure Campos, Switzer and VINNY TESTAVERDE in recent years.

 

[darth tang]

You forget, Quincy Carter, Eddie George, and Hambrick.
Don't get me wrong, I am cheering for New Orleans, unless they play Dallas or Minnesota. Lived in Minnesota 12 years, hard to not be a vikings fan also.

 

[scubadoo]

For a chuckle follow this link and click on the Waiting Room commercial.
http://www.neworleanssaints.com/cust...cfm?pageid=260

 

[scubadoo]

Originally Posted by COWFISHRULE
< lifetime Vikings fan... soooooooooo f'n glad Moss is gone.
here's the deal... if i were either the cboys, eagles, or skins, i would be furious with the nfl for moving that saints opener to giants stadium. sure, they could paint the endzones, hang banners, etc. anyway you look at it, Giants have 9 home games this year.
Saints season ticket holders got first crack at tickets for the game. cmon now, if you live around NO, are you really concerned about flying to NY to watch your home opener?
I certainly hope not.
as for the "America's team" crap, ummmmmmmmmmmmmm no.
They got their emotional victory for the year, and they are going to lose their next 15 games. How does this make them "America's Team?"
Many national and international coporations own season tickets and have boxes in the Superdome. Many of these corporations have headquarters/offices in NY so they will get to use them. The average guy/gal certainly could not.
The Amreca's Team has been attached to their name becuase of the situation. SOme things rise above won/loss records of the past and present .
The nation loves to pull for the underdog......has any other team in recent history lost their stadium, players lost homes, been forced to travel, relocate facilities to another location, watch their city and area be destroyed, etc, etc. ?
The Amreca's Team has nothing to do with record or success.
.. it is simply folks, writers, sports broadcasters and sports fans 'caring" and pulling for the "underdog"....which is homeless and faces hurdles that may be taller then they can clear.
I understand some cannot relate to this view which is okay.

 

[reefraff]

I feel bad for NO and all but the aints still suck

 

[dougai]

Originally Posted by Darth Tang
You forget, Quincy Carter, Eddie George, and Hambrick.
Don't get me wrong, I am cheering for New Orleans, unless they play Dallas or Minnesota. Lived in Minnesota 12 years, hard to not be a vikings fan also.
if parcells didnt get rid of quincy we wouldnt have sucked last year..
he had some talent
but nooooo parcells likes to bring in old pats and old jets, and i emfasize(sp) the OLD

 

[cowfishrule]

Originally Posted by ScubaDoo
Many national and international coporations own season tickets and have boxes in the Superdome. Many of these corporations have headquarters/offices in NY so they will get to use them. The average guy/gal certainly could not.
The Amreca's Team has been attached to their name becuase of the situation. SOme things rise above won/loss records of the past and present .
The nation loves to pull for the underdog......has any other team in recent history lost their stadium, players lost homes, been forced to travel, relocate facilities to another location, watch their city and area be destroyed, etc, etc. ?
The Amreca's Team has nothing to do with record or success.
.. it is simply folks, writers, sports broadcasters and sports fans 'caring" and pulling for the "underdog"....which is homeless and faces hurdles that may be taller then they can clear.
I understand some cannot relate to this view which is okay.
the "america's team" junk is nothing more than sensationalism created by the liberal media. imagine in 1941 what the feeling was like of pearl harbor day. now, nobody cares about pearl harbor day. Andrew ripped up most of florida in 92. now, its just past memory. so Katrina's time will come and go.

 

[cowfishrule]

just to add to my last post..
i actually know friends of mine that have been displaced by katrina. while they are upset that their house was damaged, they see this as a time to get a fresh start.

 

[scubadoo]

Originally Posted by COWFISHRULE
the "america's team" junk is nothing more than sensationalism created by the liberal media. imagine in 1941 what the feeling was like of pearl harbor day. now, nobody cares about pearl harbor day. Andrew ripped up most of florida in 92. now, its just past memory. so Katrina's time will come and go.

I don;t think many sportscasters and writers are making "political" statements. Andrew tore up MOST of FL? Actually only south Dade County but the damge was catostophic. Not a very large area and certainly not most of FL. THe storm later wnt on to hit the LA coast.
I am sure MANY in this country CARE and recognize Peral Harbor and what happened on that day.
My ex-hometwon New Orleans has a great WWII museum which only received minimal damage from the hurricane. This day as well as D Day was quite important and certianly remembered. The community I currently live in has a large military base so these times are also remembered and inportant.
Perhaps in other areas they are viewed as unimportant and/or forgotten.