Super Bowl XLIV (44) will be played Sunday, February 7th in the tropical climate of Miami. The game will pit two prolific offenses against each other, each one guided by a quarterback at the pinnacle of his powers. While each team’s defense lives in the shadows of the offense, both have generated big plays in order to reach the Super Bowl.
Despite the many similarities between the Saints and the Colts, each team’s history is as different as can be imagined. The New Orleans Saints were founded in 1967 as an expansion franchise of the NFL. Twelve years passed before the team had its first season without a losing record, but it would be another eight years before the Saints could sustain their success. With Jim mora as head coach the Saints made the playoffs for the first time in 1987. In 1991 New Orleans captured its first division title.
The next decade was characterized by some successes along with many embarrassments. One of the highlights was the franchise’s first postseason victory in 2000. The previous year head coach Mike Ditka traded away all of the team’s draft picks for that year as well as the team’s first- and third-round picks for the following season so as to draft running back Ricky Williams. Williams never lived up to expectations in the Big Easy and lasted only three seasons with the team.
The stage for the Saints’ revival was set in the 2000s when the team hired Sean Payton as head coach, acquired quarterback Drew Brees and drafted running back Reggie Bush. They contributed to the dramatic turnaround the Saints experienced; after having gone 3-13 in 2005, the Saints in 2006 advanced all the way to the NFC Championship game where they lost to the Chicago Bears.
New Orleans Saints NFL Fabric: Logos Cotton
go Saints! haha!