Saints in the Zone

The Saints are 3 and 0 and it feels good. After 2 nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat last minute wins, this week was a welcome landslide victory over the Cardinals. Things started with a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem sung by my Django Unchained costar, Dana Gourrier. Storm predications led to lots of seats up for grabs so we got to watch from the 17th row – practically on the field. There were plenty of touchdowns and most of them were just yards away. Even quarterback Drew Brees made a touchdown.

One of the things I love about being a Saints fan is the variety of player jerseys we wear in this town. ALL of the Cardinals fans wore jerseys reading “Peterson,” but our fans look like the team on the field with players like Colston, Ingram, Sproles, Graham, Morstead, Thomas, Meachem, Moore and, of course, Brees represented. I even saw 2 jerseys for new draft pick Vaccaro. After the way he’s been playing defense, I’m certain his apparel will become even more popular. And I love how many kinds of people attend the games. Within a my section were several toddlers, a nun (a real one – not just a “superfan” costume), a group of women over 50, a father (and son) coming straight from work in his uniform and an ocean of black-and-gold adorned folks of all ages and ilks.

After some discussion, it looks as though, for now, every-other touchdown will be celebrated with getting Crunk. It seems a radio station (I’m going to guess it was a metal/rock station) held a fan vote for a new anthem which was played after the 2nd touchdown. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t recognize the winner. In fact, it was the first time during the regular season that I’d ever seen a touchdown celebrated with… quietly sitting down. In a city best known for inventing excuses to celebrate, the Who Dat Nation sat in silent victory. I may be willing to agree that we need to explore our options (and I listed many Who Dat anthems as possibilities – check them out HERE) but I’m not a fan of silent victory at football games.

With seats so close to the action, I was delighted to find we were also just above the exit the players use to leave the field. It was the first time I could actually see their faces as they headed into the locker room. They looked happy to be #1 in our division so far. Walking through the French Quarter after, we passed a kid playing 2 saxophones at once. I thought to myself (as I often do) – it’s extraordinary what passes for average in this town. I love my city and I love my Saints. Who Dat!

Enjoy this video of Drew Brees making a touchdown and the Dome standing and getting Crunk after.