Saints Tickets

The New Orleans Saints had a rough start that stretched to 20 years.  In the mid 1980’s the Saints entire management structure changed hands.  The team was sold to Tom Benson, a relief as he was a New Orleans resident and there had been rumors of the franchise being sold to Jacksonville, Florida.  In 1986 Benson hired Jim Finks as president and general manager and then he hired Jim Mora as the head coach.  The team outlook was optimistic, but quarterback Bobby Hebert was taken out of the season by a third game knee injury and the offense never really got back off the ground despite NFC Rookie of the Year Rueben Mayes at running back.  Thanks to his contribution and the best defense the Saints had seen in years, New Orleans managed to secure a 7-9 season, also the best in years.

The next season was interrupted by a player strike, but replacement players were brought in to keep the league moving and only one game was lost for the season.  The Saints were 1-1 before the strike and went 2-1 with the replacement players including New Orleans born quarterback John Fourcade.  When the strike ended the first game back with the proper team was a 22-24 loss to the 49ers.  That was the end of the Saints defeats.  Their season ended with a nine game winning streak, setting a team record for total wins in a season let alone a streak.

The Saints’ 12-3 record earned them a wild card spot in the playoffs, their first such visit, where they were defeated by the Vikings.  Despite the loss, the Saints received much acclaim for their impressive season and phenomenal improvement.  Six Saints players were chosen for the Pro Bowl that year and Coach Mora and Manager Finks were awarded Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year by the NFL.

The longest standing rivalry in the NFC South belongs to the New Orleans Saints against the Atlanta Falcons.  The two teams were created just one year apart and they were the first two NFL teams in the traditional Deep South.  The two teams have shared players like Morten Anderson who holds the scoring record for both teams, Bobby Hebert who started at quarterback for both teams, and Joe Horn who left the Falcons in 2007 and was selected for the Pro Bowl while with the Saints.  They have also shared coaches including Wade Phillips who was the son of Burn Phillips, a former Saints coach as well.  Jim L. Mora, the recent Falcons coach, is the son of Jim E. Mora, the famed Saints coach who first led the New Orleans to a winning season, the playoffs, and eventually a championship win.

For over 40 years the Saints-Falcons rivalry has been the most important Southern contest in professional football, even when either or both teams have been less than impressive in the overall NFL standings.  Few fans take their football as seriously as those in the South and for relatively young teams it’s still exciting for a home team to exist at all so both sides take to the rivalry with a passion.  The series record between the two favors the Falcons 45-39, but this is looking to be a strong year for the Saints and anything could happen.

A new rivalry has been developing over recent years between the Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  The Bucs were added to the NFC South in 2002, really adding a spark to the match-up.  Even before they were divisional rivals the two teams met frequently and since 1977 there have only been five years in which the teams did not play each other.  Since becoming divisional rivals the Saints and Bucs are square for wins and losses at 9 and 9, but the Bucs brought a winning record with them from before 2002 bringing the overall record to 22-29.

When the New Orleans Saints opened the regular season against the Green Bay Packers it was everything football fans could hope for.  The Packers’ gut punching offense came out swinging to take 21 points to the Saints’ 7 in the first quarter.  But the steady hand of Drew Brees never faltered as the Saints defense warmed to the challenge and managed to hold the Packers to 7 just seven points in each of the remaining quarters while Brees’ surgical passing and unstoppable receiving squad, headed by Devery Henderson with 100 yards receiving and Marques Colston with 81, and two comfortable field goals kicked through by John Kasay secured two ten point quarters surrounding the half.

The Packers defense wasn’t about to surrender the game though and despite an 80 yard drive in one minute an eight seconds, the Saints were stopped just one yard short of a second fourth quarter touchdown to secure a Packers victory, 42-34.  When they met the Chicago Bears in their second match-up, the Saints had no intention of letting the historically hard driving team get any advantages.

Especially dreaded on special teams is the Bears go-to return carrier, Devin Hester.  In a team of unstoppable forces and immovable objects, Hester stands above the rest as one of the most feared players in the NFL today.  But Saints kicker Thomas Morstead gave no quarter.  In seven kick-offs Morstead’s cannon leg launched three out of the end-zone and the Saints’ kicking team intimidated the Bears into a fourth touchback.  The other three were precisely placed near the sidelines and near the 1 yard line, never allowing Hester and his blockers to form up or gain momentum.  Morstead also handled all the punts for the Bears game and gave no more quarter in that regard.  The end result was a 30-13 victory for the Saints.

This year the Saints fielded a powerhouse offense headlined by receiver Marques Colston and tight-end Jimmy Graham.  Both players are fast, big, and genuine defense wreckers when they’re on the move.  When Colston or Graham set their eyes downfield, cornerbacks and linebackers alike have to dig in a say a prayer for a chance to catch them or slow them down when they do.

Saints fans were dismayed when Colston broke his collarbone and nobody was sure when they’d see him again.  But after just two games out he’s back at practice and he’s expected to return this week.  Even without him the Saints’ passing crew has been holding things together just fine with their 2-1 record, Brees knows how to find the right hands, but with Colston and Graham to choose from opposing defenses will just have to choose which side they want to grant yardage from.

New Orleans’ roster has been gouged pretty deeply in other areas too.  Cornerback Tracy Porter is finally back after spending two weeks out with a calf injury and seems to be fully functional.  Right tackle Zach Strief will be out for a least a week with an injured knee, but early fears of it being season ending seem to be no great concern.  Strief’s replacement is athletic tackle Charles Brown, a second-year pro out of USC.  Brown saw a lot of play time against Houston and the Saints are excited about his potential.  Garret Hartley’s season is officially over because of a hip injury, but New Orleans is confident that John Kasay can fill the role.  Linebackers Jonathan Vilma, Will Herrin, and Martez Wilson, center Olin Kreutz, and tight end David Thomas are all on the injured list as well and while it’s possible one or two will be back this week, both sides of the ball will suffer until they heal up or long-term replacements can be found.

One thing fans love about football at any level, even if it’s a guilty pleasure, is the cheerleaders.  The New Orleans Saints don’t leave their spectators wanting in this regard.  The Saintsations are the modern day evolution of several generations of dance teams, as one would expect from a team hailing from the home of Mardi Gras.  Currently Saintsations are cheerleaders, an organized dance team, and a community service outreach extension of the Saints franchise.  They also put out a yearly swimsuit calendar that is extremely popular among Saints fans and foes alike, for obvious reasons.

The first iteration of the Saintsations was assembled in 1967 by Tommy Walker who had been director of Disneyland for many years.  He apparently decided to start playing with more grown up toys.  The choreographer for the original team was Phyllis Nelson, a prominent New Orleans personality with an extensive resume.  Nelson was a dance instructor, voice coach, actress, an active TV personality, and Miss New Orleans USA in 1954.  The team went through several name changes early on, beginning with the Louisiannes, then the Saints Dancers after just one pre-season game, the Mademoiselles a year later, and Mam’selles a year after that which stuck until 1971.  It was a good sized team from the start, averaging 48 dancers each year on the active roster and as many as 12 dancers in reserve.  One of the original dancers, Sandra Labourdette, had the distinction of being the first captain of the dance team and the first choreographer of the Saintsations under their modern day name.

A second set of dance teams came around in 1975 and lasted until 1977.  These dancers were called the Bonnes Amiees.  This team was primarily focused on charity work and performed on TV for fund-raisers.  The Bonnes Amiees were reorganized into the Angles in 1978, but that team fell apart quickly because of a drug possession charge against one of the staff.  The modern day Saintsations began in 1987 when the Saints General Manager, Jim Finks, wanted a dance team on the sidelines that would work together with the acrobatic cheerleaders.  The original Saintsations were 27 strong and their first year was also the first year the Saints had a winning season.

In their early years the New Orleans Saints shared Tulane Stadium with Tulane University.  Tulane Stadium is a good facility with impressive capacity, but it was not a professional venue and the Saints needed a home of their own.  The Louisiana Superdome actually predates the Saints, in terms of concept.  David Dixon first imagined a comprehensive sports complex on a vast scale when he was working to get an NFL franchise in New Orleans.  Dixon organized a number of exhibition games at Tulane Stadium but thunderstorms common to New Orleans in the summer prompted Pete Rozelle, the NFL Commissioner at the time, to refuse an NFL franchise until New Orleans had a covered field.

That was what Dixon needed to get John McKeithen, the Louisiana governor, on board and they started touring other facilities to get an idea of what they wanted.  When McKeithen saw the Houston Astrodome he said “I want one of these, only bigger.”  That’s exactly what they got.  The Superdome is still the largest fixed dome in the world.  It covers 13 acres and has a diameter of 680 feet.

The Superdome was selected for Superbowl IX but it wasn’t finished in time so Tulane Stadium had to be used instead.  A bit of an embarrassment for Louisiana, but the end product more than made up for it.  The artificial field in the Superdome has been replaced several times.  The original AstroTurf was changed to FieldTurf in the middle of the 2003 season and after Hurricane Katrina damaged the surface with flooding in 2005, a Sportexe MomentumTurf was put in.  In 2010 this was replaced by Speed S5-M turf.  The Superdome rose above simple sports during the Katrina crisis when it became a refuge for over 35,000 displaced New Orleans residents.  The Superdome was quickly returned to function so the Saints could have their home back.  In its lifetime the Superbowl has been played at the Superdome six times and it’s scheduled there in 2013.

On November 1, 1966 football fans in New Orleans, Louisiana were given an NFL team to call their own.  The Saints were named for their birthday, All Saints’ Day in the Roman Catholic calendar, suitable because of New Orleans’ large Catholic population.  Tom Fears was the first head coach and he would remain in that position for just four short years.  The Saints started out in the Capitol Division of the Eastern Conference, squaring off against the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins.  A fierce list of opponents for a brand new team.

New Orleans managed a 5-1 pre-season record their first year and they opened their first regular season game with a 94 yard kickoff return to score.  They went on to a humble 3-11 season.  Surprisingly this was only the second worst record that season and it tied for the best inaugural season by an expansion team to date.  They achieved minor improvements over the next few years, posting a 4-9-1 season when they were temporarily moved into the Century Division opposite the Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Cardinals, and Pittsburgh Steelers.  The next year they returned to the Capitol Division and improved to a 5-9.  In 1970 Coach Fears was replaced by J.D. Roberts whose first game out, played against the Detroit Lions, was won when Tom Dempsey, famous for being a phenomenal professional kicker despite having been born with no toes on his kicking foot, put a record breaking 63 yard field goal through the uprights.

The miraculous victory was the last of that season and the Saints closed with their worst record to date, 2-11-1.  The Saints struggled through several more painful seasons and eventually Coach Roberts was fired as well and John North was brought in.  He provided some stability with 5-9 seasons in 1973 and 1974.  In 1975 the Saints finally moved out of Tulane Stadium into their very own home, the Louisiana Superdome.  They celebrated the move with a 2-12 record during which Coach North was fired.  Two coaches and four years later the Saints finally managed a .500 season in 1979, the first non-losing record in their history.

When it comes to football, the New Orleans Saints have a killer squad. They recently traded up so they could get their hands on some first round draft picks. That’s why fans should buy Saints tickets and see this great team live in action. After having a stellar 13-3 season in 2011, the Saints lost in their divisional playoff game to the San Francisco 49ers. This was a tough beat to take, but fans still bought Saints tickets and went to see the game. 2012 will also offer another great season as pro bowler quarterback Drew Brees will be back to lead his team. Buying Saints tickets for the 2012 season will be easy with online market places. Fans should go out to the games next season and see some of the coaching and player changes that will take place. Follow us for the latest news and events for the New Orleans Saints!

Coming off of a crushing loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the 2010 season, the New Orleans Saints looked to make another deep run in the playoffs in 2011.

The New Orleans Saints started off the 2011 season with a near-win against the Green Bay Packers in what many though would be a potential NFC Championship preview.  The Packers took an early lead after the first quarter 21-7 but Drew Brees showed why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the game with a great comeback that was stopped just short of the goal line in the fourth quarter, allowing the Packers to just get by with a 42-34 win over the Saints.  The Saints were able to brush off the loss quickly, winning their next four games against the Bears, Jaguars, Texans, and Panthers.

Over the next three weeks however the Saints were very inconsistent on both sides of the ball, losing to both the Buccaneers and Rams in weeks 6 and 8.  After that New Orleans got back on track, winning their next eight games to finish the season at 13-3.  A total of five players made the Pro Bowl in 2011: Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Jermon Bushrod, Jahri Evans, and Carl Nicks.  Along with that Drew Brees was able to break the single season passing record set by Dan Marino with 5,476 yards, a number that will not likely get passed any time soon.

After a 13-3 regular season the New Orleans Saints were ready for another Super Bowl run as the number three seed overall, behind the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers.  In their first playoff game of 2011 the Saints faced off against the Detroit Lions, whose dynamic offense could have potentially caused fits for the Saints defense.  After the first half of the wild card game the Lions had the lead 14-10, but in the second half it was all Brees and the Saints, in which Drew threw for over 450 yards and three touchdown passes to win the game 45-28.

The Saints next moved on to face the 49ers in the divisional round.  While the Saints had a great offense, the 49ers had a great defense, and this would prove to be a difficult game for the Saints from the get-go.  The 49ers got off to a hot start though with 17 unanswered points off of Saints turnovers to begin the game.  The Saints were able to recover somewhat with two touchdown passes to narrow the deficit to 14-17 at the half.  After a lackluster third quarter the Saints Brees and the offense looked unstoppable in the fourth quarter; however, their defense could not stop the 49ers from scoring as well, and they eventually went on to lose the game in the final seconds 36-32.

For 2012 the Saints will be looking to re-sign Drew Brees and Marques Colston while also looking to fortify their defense with new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.