New Orleans Saints

Awwwww yeahhhhh!!! My boys! I LOVE the New Orleans Saints with a fierce passion. My entire life during football season The Saints were on my television every Sunday.

Oh they've been breaking our hearts for years, too. When I was young I remember my dad yelling at them on television and after every game going out into the garage to throw shit...lol. I remember going to games with him in The Dome and him sporting a paper bag over his head. Still...every Sunday of every year during football season was church and then home to watch Saints football.

In 2009 I was in a bar in the French Quarter watching the game that turned out to be the most exciting football game I have ever seen. In my entire life. *chills*

OMG when Tracy Porter intercepted the Vickings' ball for the tie...that bar starting rocking. Hard. Then the field goal for the win.

For a second you could hear a pin drop. In the French Quarter. Then everything just exploded. THE SAINTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL. THE MOTHER FUCKING SUPERBOWL!!!! THE SAINTS!! I cannot tell you how many complete strangers I hugged that night. Hundreds. Seriously.

I love my boys. Then, now and until the day I die. I eat, sleep and breathe Black and Gold.

I love them all but there is one Saint in particular that I am madly head over heels in love with. Mr. Jimmy Graham will you marry me?? Please?? Pretty please??

http://youtu.be/YRsYNFQOwl4

In terms of all-time performance, the New Orleans Saints have been mediocre. The team has a sub-500 record since their first season in 1967. However, the Saints did win Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 (2009 season). Today, there are still a dozen active NFL franchises without a Super Bowl win.

Sean Payton was the head coach responsible for most of New Orleans' success. He led the team to nine postseason appearances in 15 seasons (2006-2011, 2013-2021). Seven times, the Saints finished atop the NFC South. Also, Payton never finished a single season more than one game below .500. Needless to say, with that 2010 Super Bowl win, he was a successful coach.

Of course, the black eye on Payton's career was "Bountygate." From 2009 to 2011, Saints players were paid money to intentionally injure opposing players. This time period included the championship season. Ultimately, for his part in the under-the-table bounty system, the NFL suspended Payton for the entire 2012 season. He also had to forfeit some salary.

Sean Payton and Drew Brees were like Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, very successful coach-quarterback combos. Brees was the Super Bowl XLIV MVP and he also won two NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards (2008 and 2011 seasons). Payton won NFL Coach of the Year his first year in New Orleans (2006). Wide receiver Michael Thomas was another standout player for Payton. He led the league in receptions for the 2018 and 2019 seasons and was named Offensive Player of the Year in 2019.

Brees announced his retirement in March 2021. Payton resigned in January 2022.

The 2010 Super Bowl victory was an impressive one over regular-season-MVP Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. The Saints won, 31-17. The Colts were coached by Jim Caldwell. Caldwell used to coach one of my favorite college teams, Wake Forest. He coached the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, North Carolina from 1993 to 2000.

Finally, I can't write a Yelp review about the New Orleans Saints without mentioning their oldest rival, my favorite NFL team, the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons and Saints have been rivals since 1967. The series has been close with the Falcons leading the Saints, all-time, 54-52 (at the time of writing this review). I've listened to Atlanta sports talk radio on a regular basis over the past 20-plus years and have heard my fair share of Falcons-Saints game coverage and analysis. While the Falcons have been to one more Super Bowl (two appearances) than the Saints (one appearance), the Saints are the only team between the two to have won it.

Awesome stadium. Everyone was so helpful and going in and out of the stadium ran smoothly. Once your in you can't access the team store though so you must wait till after the game. The stadium is a maze though lol. At the beginning all escalators go up so if you end up on the wrong level you must wait till the start of the game to head down.

Shame on the Saints. I will not support you ever. Your stadium is old and outdated, and when one of your most community-minded players voices his heartfelt opinion, you force him to change his narrative. Shame on the NFL too. Pay attention to your sinking ratings. America is done with you.

I am not a fan of the sportsballs, of any sportsballs. Despite that, I have been to 3 live professional sportsballs games. One basesballs, one basketsballs, and now one footsballs. Please do not try to correct me on my references of the sports balls.

My siblings and I bought tickets this past December for my father and oldest nephew to see the Saints play the Buccaneers for our father's birthday, and the Saints won! My nephew was ill, so I ended up going in his place. I was pleasantly surprised by actually enjoying the game. I may not know the rules, or the names of the players, but it was entertaining. It was great to see the team spirit others had for the Saints, the sense of community. The love is strong here.

If you've never been to a saints game, I recommend going to at least one in your life time! They are so much fun. Saints fans can be a little aggressive at games, but other than that, it's a lot of fun. The crowd is always energetic and the music is fun. The sell lots of different food items and have beer. I like watching the halftime show with the cheerleaders. You can see pretty good to wherever you sit in the stadium!

I mean really #WHOKNEW???

Whats there NOT to say about the Saints!!! They're the greatest in the league, bar none!!! Sean Payton, Drew Breezie, Jimmy "golden graham" Graham, Marcus Colston, Jabari Greer, Darren Sproles, Rob "great hair" Ryan... Omg!!!!

This team has such an impact on the morale of the city as a whole. There was even a mention in regards to the 'lack of crime' & The Saints playing & winning. Its true, well idk about the crime comment (although I GET IT tho), but the Saints are a common pleasure point for New Orleansians. Meet a group of strangers, strike up a convo abt the "bless you boys" & there you go INSTANT FRIENDS!!!!!

I remember the Saints vs Atl game post Katrina game in the Dome, circa 2006, a weight was lifted off the city. I was never more happy for football season to have begun... The city WAS ALIVE AGAIN!!!!

Saints fans are the bestEST fans in the whole frigging (excuse the language) world!!!!!! Hands down!!!! No questions asked!!!! End of story!!!! Good night irene!!!!

Super fun football game in NOLA. Great team spirit and welcoming fan environment. Who Dat!

OMGosh.... how I hate the Saints!! Every Sunday growing up I had to endure them on the tv... you know, back when we use to have three channels and PBS? Living in MS, there was no NFL team (still isn't), so the closest team was the "Aint's" (as I like to call them). It was torture. I still remember the days of their fans wearing bags over their heads.

Living in Florida now for almost 18 years, I'd like to say I've gotten away from all the "who dat" nonsense. Thanks to social media, I get to spend every football season with my MS friends blowing up my Facebook newsfeed with constant "who dats." This year, I've found the trick is to just stay off my facebook newsfeed. I haven't looked at it once this football season. Finally, I've had some peace!

So, in case I haven't made it perfectly crystal clear, I HATE HATE HATE the Saints!

If you haven't had the chance to go to a Saints game, it's one for the bucket list! I have been to several regular season games, but had my chance to go to my first pre-season game two weeks ago and even that was fun! Even though you only get to see the starters play for like 1 quarter, the 2nd and 3rd string players are fun to watch as well!

I wasn't planning on going but at the last minute like 3 hours before I decided to check the ticket prices on StubHub! (This is a online secondary ticket market place where people can buy and sell tickets). Often times people will buy tickets at face value and sell them for more on this site to make a profit. In this case I was able to get a fantastic last minute deal (section 130, row 29 for $29 each). When I checked days prior even nose bleed seats at the very top were about this price (and I found them on the lowest level hours before for the same price)! If you have the StubHub app you can just pull up your ticket order on a smartphone and they will scan that as your ticket for entry!

Traffic on the I-10 is horrendous before the games and once you exit finding parking is a hassle, make sure you leave hours before the game if you want to make it on time for the kickoff. I found a lot near the Hyatt regency that was $35 cash only so make sure to plan for at least that amount in parking. And ladies be sure not to bring any medium/large handbags with you because they will not let you in with it.

Concession prices are as expected, outrageously overpriced but it's well worth spending some extra money to get the full experience. We had some extremely delicious prime rib sandwiches at a little sandwich stand inside the stadium (they cut the slices of prime rib right in front of you) and it cost $19 which comes with kettle chips.

Overall, an unforgettable experience that keeps you coming back for more! Who dat?!