The New Orleans Saints, founded in 1966, are not a team with a long history. However, in just half a century of history, this team has had a troubled life, just like the team name "Saints". , experienced countless thorns on the road of pilgrimage, and was covered with bruises and vicissitudes of life.
In 1970, the Saints officially joined the NFL. In the first draft, they selected University of Mississippi quarterback Archie Manning with the second pick. At that time, no one knew that the Manning family would become An integral part of the history of the Professional Football League. After that, the Saints began their long and arduous journey to the professional league.
After the team was established, in order to achieve better results and improve the team's competitiveness, many coaches were changed successively, including the top coaches in the Zongheng League, but the results still did not improve, with ups and downs and stumbling.
From 1971 to 1985, they had only one season with a winning percentage of more than 50% and never entered the playoffs; and in 1978, they achieved the worst record after the league's regular season expanded to sixteen games, with one win. Fifteen losses were not surpassed until 2008 by the Detroit Lions' losing season.
There seems to be no hope at all in the long trough.
In 1985, car sales tycoon Tom Benson purchased the team, and in 1986, it hired former Chicago Bears managers Jim Finks and Jim Mora. (Jim-Mora), this also became an important turning point in the history of the Saints.
In 1987, twenty years after the team was founded and seventeen years after joining the league, they made the playoffs for the first time in history.
Under the leadership of the two Jims, the Saints ushered in the first peak period in the team's history. They entered the playoffs for three consecutive years in 1990, 1991, and 1992, and won the league championship in 1991. The first division championship since then, but with the death of team manager Finks from lung cancer, the team once again slipped into the abyss.
From 1993 to 2006, they only entered the playoffs once in 2000.
In 2005, New Orleans encountered Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the entire city. It not only destroyed countless people's lives, but also destroyed the Saints' hopes of rising. They even had to move to different stadiums because the stadium was severely damaged. Stadium to host home games, displaced.
The Saints, who have never really been at the top, are always wandering, always struggling, always suffering.
In 2006, the Saints returned to New Orleans and won the respect of the city. Even in the most difficult times, the team never gave up or left. Now, the city needs them to come back and awaken people. hope to start 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 over, and at Payton's insistence, they made the biggest gamble in the team's history in the free market -
Signed San Diego Chargers quarterback Drew Brees.
At that time, Brees was suffering from a shoulder injury and was not able to fully recover from the surgery. The Lightning did not offer a high price to renew the contract, so Brees entered the free market, and the Saints completed the contract with a six-year, 60 million contract. In the same year, they also completed at least three important key drafts in the draft, building the cornerstone of the team.
In 2006, 2009, and 2010, the Saints reached the playoffs three times. In 2009, they won the first and only Super Bowl in the history of the team. This was also the first in the history of the city of New Orleans. The first four major league championships.
In addition, Brees has completed an all-out transformation. In 2007, his passing yards in a single season exceeded 5,000. He was the second quarterback after Dan Marino to reach such a height, and he relied on accurate passing. The ball and efficient and stable performance rank him among the elite quarterbacks.
Half a century of history, so short, but so ups and downs, the Saints never seem to have truly established a dynasty of glory, and most of the time they are a weak team. Even after 2006, they were subject to bad results. The defensive team's performance was also unstable.
But now, this team has become the soul of the city of New Orleans, has countless fans, and has also become an indispensable part of the National League. As long as Drew Bruce remains in the New Orleans Saints, this is a team that no one dares to underestimate.
Just like Peyton Manning is to the Indianapolis Colts, Tom Brady is to the New England Patriots, and Aaron Rodgers is to the Green Bay Packers.
In the 2011 season, the Saints once again played the best season in team history and won the fifth division championship in team history; more importantly, all statistics were comparable to the year when they won the Super Bowl in 2009, and even It goes one step further.
That year, the Saints' offense ranked first in the league and their defense ranked 20th. This year, the Saints' offense ranks second and their defense ranks 13th. They are more balanced and comprehensive. The defensive team that has been criticized is also ranked 13th. Demonstrated top level performance. And the 32-year-old Brees is at the peak of his career. Undoubtedly, this is the best time for the Saints to win their second Super Bowl.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Saints defeated the Lions at home; in the second round of the playoffs, the Saints will play away against the 49ers.
For the Saints, this is a game where everyone is united and determined to win.
Few people know that the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers are old enemies, and they are old enemies with irresolvable hatred. They even once became the heart knot of the residents of the two cities; however, that is already old history, even in the league, Only a few old antiques still remember that long and distant history.
After joining the league in 1970, the New Orleans Saints were divided into the NFC West Division, and were mortal enemies of the San Francisco 49ers in the same division. It was not until 2002 that the league re-divided the New Orleans Saints into the NFC South Division.
As mortal enemies in the same district, the Saints' record against the 49ers was far inferior. Not only during the long initial downturn, the Saints were always suppressed by the 49ers and never got ahead; In an era when the Saints are gradually recovering and starting to rise, they are still helpless when facing the 49ers.
In 1987, the Saints reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. That season experienced a small-scale strike and only completed fifteen games. The Saints achieved a record of fourteen wins and one loss, and that was the only season. One loss was attributable to the 49ers; even at the peak of the Saints' subsequent playoff appearances for three consecutive years, the 49ers led the team in terms of record.
Standing in front of the San Francisco 49ers, the New Orleans Saints never really seemed to have an advantage.
Interestingly, the glory of the San Francisco 49ers stopped in 2002.
Prior to this, the 49ers were the well-deserved absolute hegemon of the National League West. In the past two decades, they had only missed the playoffs four times and won the division a whopping 16 times; at that time, the same team The other four teams in the division, the St. Louis Rams, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers are all breathless, and their game records are almost crushed——
The only exception is the St. Louis Rams, the only opponent that can barely compete.
For the New Orleans Saints, the memories of the San Francisco 49ers are all bitter and even gloomy. Even though they are itchy with hatred, they are still helpless.
But after the rezoning in 2002, the San Francisco 49ers hit rock bottom. The New Orleans Saints, who had gone to a different division, were full of new vitality. They won a strong six-game winning streak in the confrontation between the two sides, completely reversing the decline. . But even so, based on the historical battle records between the two sides, the San Francisco 49ers still have the absolute upper hand with 47 wins, 24 losses, and two draws.
This year, the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints, once rivals in the same division, are about to face off in the first playoffs in the history of the two sides.
On the one hand, it has returned to the playoffs after eight years, finally ending the long trough and finding hope again; on the other hand, it has reached the playoffs for three consecutive years and won the Super Bowl just two years ago. , is still at its peak.
In fact, the past of history is no longer important to the two teams. Now the two are no longer mortal enemies in the same district. Most of the old fans who remember the history have also passed by and it is meaningless to pay attention to them. Old man, it's better to focus on the outcome of this playoff game.
But no one can deny that as two teams that have a long history but have never faced each other in the playoffs, this confrontation is naturally a bit special.
By the way, the two teams have played against each other once in the preseason this season. The San Francisco 49ers led by Colin Kaepernick suffered a disastrous defeat on the road, and the final score was "24:3." .
Although everyone knows that the reference value of the preseason is very limited and cannot explain the problem, but that game is a reference for the next divisional round, triggering more focus of discussion.
Even the Saints and the 49ers themselves are full of expectations for this game, not for the focus and topics, but for the qualifications to advance to the next round. There is no need for deliberate hype and publicity, the smell of gunpowder has quietly begun to permeate the air. Kailai, especially the fans of the two quarterbacks, have started to look forward to it on Twitter, each believing that this victory will definitely belong to them.
As the wild card game progresses, the heated discussion has not only not abated, but is also continuing to rise. All discussions and battles have increased several times, far exceeding the regular season. Under the spotlight, People can really feel the madness and passion of the playoffs.
When the wild card games were all over, Lu Ke and Logan also returned to the team on time and began to prepare for the first playoff game of their careers.
