Chapter 588: The Experienced Saints
The New Orleans Saints, founded in 1966, are not a team with a long history, but in their short history of half a century, this team has had a difficult journey. Just like the team's name, "Saints," they have endured countless hardships on their pilgrimage, getting beaten up and worn out.
In 1970, the Saints officially joined the NFL. In their first draft, they selected Mississippi University quarterback Archie Manning with the second overall pick. At that time, no one knew that the Manning family would become an indispensable part of the history of professional football. After that, the Saints began their long and arduous journey in the professional league.
After the team was founded, in order to achieve better results and improve their competitiveness, they went through many different coaches, even including top-tier coaches who dominated the league, but their performance still never improved. They went up and down, stumbling along.
From 1971 to 1985, they only had one season with a winning percentage of over 50% and never made it to the playoffs. In 1978, they had the worst record in the league since the regular season was expanded to 16 games, with one win and 15 losses. It wasn't until 2008 that the Detroit Lions' winless season surpassed it. The long period of decline seemed to have no end in sight.
In 1985, automotive sales tycoon Tom Benson purchased the team. In 1986, he hired former Chicago Bears general manager Jim Finks and Jim Mora, which became a major turning point in the Saints' history. In 1987, 20 years after the team was founded and 17 years after they joined the league, they made it to the playoffs for the first time in their history.
Under the leadership of the two Jims, the Saints entered the first peak period in their history, making it to the playoffs for three consecutive years in 1990, 1991, and 1992. In 1991, they won their first division championship since joining the league. But with the death of general manager Finks from lung cancer, the team once again fell into a slump.
From 1993 to 2006, they only made it to the playoffs once in 2000. In 2005, New Orleans was hit by Hurricane Katrina. The entire city was ravaged, not only destroying the lives of countless people but also the Saints' hope for a comeback. Because their stadium was severely damaged, they had to play their home games at different stadiums, becoming homeless.
The Saints, who had never truly reached the top, were always wandering, struggling, and suffering. In 2006, the Saints, who had returned to New Orleans to take root, earned the respect of the city. Even in their most difficult time, the team never gave up or left. Now, the city needed them to come back and awaken people's hope, and to begin the long reconstruction work after the disaster.
This year became the beginning of the Saints' second glorious era. Former Dallas Cowboys assistant coach Sean Payton took office. With Payton's persistence, they took the biggest gamble in the team's history in the free agency market—they signed the San Diego Chargers' quarterback, Drew Brees. At the time, Brees was suffering from a shoulder injury and had not fully recovered from surgery. The Chargers did not offer him a high-priced contract extension, so Brees entered the free agency market. The Saints signed him to a six-year, $60 million contract, a bold and risky move. In the same year, they also made at least three important and crucial picks in the draft, building the team's foundation.
In 2006, 2009, and 2010, the Saints made it to the playoffs three times. In 2009, they won the first and only Super Bowl in the team's history, which was also the first championship for a major league team in the history of the city of New Orleans. In addition, Brees had a complete breakout, passing for over 5,000 yards in a single season in 2007. He was only the second quarterback after Dan Marino to reach such a height, and he became one of the elite quarterbacks with his accurate passing and efficient and stable performance.
In their half-century of history, so short yet so dramatic, the Saints have never truly built a dynasty. Most of the time, they were a weak team. Even after 2006, their performance was not very stable due to their poor defense. But now, this team has become the soul of the city of New Orleans, with countless fans, and has also become an indispensable part of the NFC. As long as Drew Brees remains with the New Orleans Saints, they are a team that no one dares to underestimate.
Just like Peyton Manning was to the Indianapolis Colts, Tom Brady was to the New England Patriots, and Aaron Rodgers was to the Green Bay Packers. In the 2011 season, the Saints had their best season in team history, winning their fifth division championship. More importantly, all of their stats were comparable to their 2009 Super Bowl-winning year, and even better. In 2009, the Saints' offense was ranked first in the league, and their defense was ranked 20th. This year, the Saints' offense was ranked second, and their defense was ranked 13th. They were more balanced and more well-rounded. Their defense, which had always been criticized, also showed a high level of play. And the 32-year-old Brees was at the peak of his career. This was undoubtedly the best time for the Saints to contend for their second Super Bowl.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Saints easily defeated the Lions at home. In the second round of the playoffs, the Saints would travel to play the 49ers. For the Saints, this was a game they were determined to win.
Few people know that the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers were rivals, and their hatred was deep-seated, even becoming a sore spot for the residents of both cities. However, that was ancient history. Even in the league, only a few old-timers still remembered that long and distant history.
After joining the league in 1970, the New Orleans Saints were placed in the NFC West, where they were bitter rivals with the San Francisco 49ers until 2002 when the league was realigned. The New Orleans Saints then moved to the NFC South. As division rivals, the Saints' record against the 49ers was far behind. Not only during their long period of slump were the Saints always suppressed by the 49ers, but even when the Saints gradually began to recover and rise, they were still helpless against the 49ers.
In 1987, the Saints made it to the playoffs for the first time in their team's history. That season had a small-scale strike, and they only completed 15 games. The Saints had a record of 14 wins and one loss, and that one loss was at the hands of the 49ers. Even during the peak period when the Saints made it to the playoffs for three consecutive years, the 49ers still had the advantage in their head-to-head record. Standing in front of the San Francisco 49ers, the New Orleans Saints never seemed to have a real advantage.
Interestingly, the San Francisco 49ers' glory stopped precisely in 2002. Before that, the 49ers were the undisputed overlord of the NFC West. For a long period of 20 years, they only missed the playoffs four times and won the division title 16 times. At that time, the other four teams in the same division, the St. Louis Rams, the New Orleans Saints, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Carolina Panthers, were always struggling to breathe. Their head-to-head record was almost a total rout—the only exception being the St. Louis Rams, the only team that could barely put up a fight.
For the New Orleans Saints, all memories of the San Francisco 49ers were bitter, even dark. Even though they hated them so much, they were still helpless. But after the realignment in 2002, the San Francisco 49ers fell into a slump. The New Orleans Saints, who had moved to a different division, revitalized and had a strong six-game winning streak in their matchups, completely reversing the trend. But even so, in their historical head-to-head record, the San Francisco 49ers still had the absolute advantage with 47 wins, 24 losses, and two ties.
This year, the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints, former division rivals, would have their first playoff matchup in their history. On one side, a team returning to the playoffs after eight years, finally ending their long slump and finding a glimmer of hope. On the other side, a team that had made it to the playoffs for three consecutive years, had just won the Super Bowl two years ago, and was still in its prime.
In fact, the past is no longer important to both teams. Now, they are no longer division rivals. Most of the old fans who remembered that history have moved on. Instead of focusing on meaningless old records, it is better to focus on the outcome of this playoff game. But no one can deny that as two teams with a long history that have never faced each other in the playoffs, this matchup naturally takes on a special significance.
As a side note, the two teams had a preseason matchup this season. The San Francisco 49ers, led by Colin Kaepernick, suffered a terrible loss on the road, with a final score of 24-3. Although everyone knows that preseason games have very limited value and don't mean much, that game was a reference for this upcoming divisional game, sparking more discussion. Even the Saints and the 49ers themselves were full of anticipation for this game, not for the hype and topics, but to earn the right to advance to the next round. No need for deliberate hype and promotion, the tension had already started to quietly spread, especially among the fans of the two quarterbacks, who expressed their anticipation on Twitter, each believing that the victory would surely belong to their team.
As the wild card games continued, the heated discussions not only did not die down but continued to rise, and all the discussion and hype had multiplied several times, far exceeding the regular season. Under the spotlight, people could truly feel the madness and passion of the playoffs.
When all the wild card games were over, Lu Ke and Logan returned to the team on time to prepare for the first playoff game of their careers.
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