This holiday season at my house was one of true joy and merriment we already decorated and fixed all the problems in the roof with the help from professionals from http://www.palmbeachroofingexpert.com/. Everyone got what they wanted gift-wise, including me: a ticket to the Monday night tilt between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons. Instead of a traditional column, I decided to gift to you a photo essay of this past week’s game.
A ominous beginning to the evening as we were leaving for the game from Chez Christensen. Probably going to rain. Thank goodness the Saints play indoors.
And we have rain! And a ton of it. Not to worry. No matter what the weather, nothing could dampen the spirits of these Saints fans at the corner of Poydras and Claiborne.
We decided to head to Champions’ Square which, despite the weather, was pretty happening.
Oh yeah, son.
It was as good as it looks.
Rockin Dopsie was at Champions’ Square to do his thing.
Here’s the scoop: no one has ever called this man by this nickname.
Somewhere, John Daly is missing some trousers.
After a fun outing at Champions’ Square, we made our way to our section in the BenzDome.
A view from our section, #537.
Every section has a leader. The Section Leader of #537? This man. I do not know his name. He is known only as Section Leader. He lets the inexperienced know when to get loud, when to quiet down, and acts as a sort of spiritual leader for the entire group. It’s a tall order, but Section Leader 537 is more than up to the task. Next time you attend a game, identify your section leader and shake his/her hand.
Flavor Flav has to be salivating.
One thing that impressed me during pregame warmups: Sean Payton (black shirt and pants, by Zack Strief) shakes everyone’s hand before kickoff – everyone from trainers and ballboys to starting players. Sure, it may seem a bit cheesy, but I like this kind of stuff. It shows unity as a team, and that really trickles down and sends a message to everyone in the organization.
The man in the middle of this photo? He is responsible for TV timeouts. So, the next time that you are yelling at the television for showing the same crappy car insurance commerical for the fifth time in the past half hour during a game, this guy is partially to blame. Still, the most important question remains – where can I get officially NFL licensed elbow-high orange oven mitts?
A Saints game is maybe the only venue worldwide where you can find hundreds of 50 year old white men dance to the Ying Yang Twins.
The night, however, really belonged to QB Drew Brees, who broke the season record for passing yardage, set in 1984 by Dan Marino.
A good evening culminated into a great one with not only Brees breaking the passing mark, but the Saints winning the NFC South divisional crown. New Orleans gets, at a minimum, a home playoff game. If the Saints beat Carolina this week, and the 49ers lose to St. Louis, New Orleans can still clinch the 2nd seed and a first-round playoff bye.
What a night. I learned many things while attending Monday night’s contest – the beauty of gumbo on a cold, rainy night, the importance of a good Section Leader, the motley variety of fan fashion choices. But the biggest thing I took away?
The Saints can be the best team in the NFL when they want to be.
The 2011 Saints offense is one of the best that I have ever seen. Obviously, the offense’s strength is in passing the ball. The running game, however, is woefully undervalued and under-appreciated by many. The running back rotation of Ingram, Thomas, Ivory, and Sproles can do anything that it is asked of. Pair them with a stable of unselfish receivers and a steady line, and the Saints are an amazingly balanced and incredibly explosive offense.
The defense? Eh. After watching the d-line intensely during the game, I’m just not convinced that anyone besides Will Smith can get consistent pressure on the quarterback. Matt Ryan had a ton of time early on to find receivers down the field. The secondary plays too loosely for my liking, and the linebackers look overmatched at times, sans Jonathan Vilma.
If the defense can play with a little more consistency and give the offense a few extra possessions, the 2011 Saints can go deep into the playoffs. Hopefully, Santa can maybe advance me some 2012 holiday gifts in the form of another trip to the Dome in a few weeks.
