Chapter 587: Saints of Vicissitudes

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The New Orleans Saints, founded in 1966, is not a player with a long history, but in just half a century of history, this team has a lot of fate, just like the team name "Saints" On the path of pilgrimage, I have experienced countless thorns, bruises and vicissitudes.
In 1970, the Saints officially joined the NFL. At the first draft, they selected the University of Mississippi quarterback Archie Manning with the top spot. At that time, no one knew that the Manning family would become An integral part of the history of the Rugby Professional League, after that, the Saints started their long and difficult professional league journey.
After the establishment of the team, in order to achieve better results and improve the team's competitiveness, many coaches have been replaced, including even the top coaches of the vertical and horizontal leagues, but the results have still not improved, ups and downs, and stumble.
Between 1971 and 1985, they had only one season with a win rate of more than 50% and never entered the playoffs; and in 1978, they achieved the worst record after the league regular season expanded to 16 games, one win Fifteen losses. It wasn't until 2008 that the Detroit Lions' all-defeated season was refreshed.
The long trough seemed to see no light at all.
In 1985, auto sales tycoon Tom Benson (Tom-Benson) bought the team, and in 1986, hired former Chicago Bears team managers Jim Finks (JIm-Finks) and Jim Mora (Jim-Mora) This also became an important turning point in the history of the Saints.
In 1987, two decades after the team was established and seventeen years after joining the league, they reached the playoffs for the first time in history.
Under the leadership of two Jims, the Saints ushered in the first peak period in the history of the team. In 1990, 1991 and 1992, they entered the playoffs for three consecutive years. Among them, 1991 won the league. The first division title since, but as the team manager Finks died of lung cancer, the team slipped into the abyss again.
From 1993 to 2006, they only entered the playoffs once in 2000.
In 2005, New Orleans suffered from Hurricane Katrina, and the entire city was devastated, not only destroying the lives of countless people, but also destroying the hope of the Saints ’rise. Even because the stadium was severely damaged, they had to toss different The stadium came to host home games and was displaced.
The Saints, who have never really stood at the pinnacle, are always wandering, struggling, and suffering.
In 2006, he returned to the New Orleans-based Saints again, winning the respect of the city. Even in the most critical times, the team never gave up or left. Now, the city needs them to come back and wake people up. Hopes to start a long reconstruction after the disaster.
This year became the second glory era for the Saints.
Sean-Payton, the former assistant coach of the Dallas Cowboys, took office, and with Peyton ’s insistence, they made the biggest gamble in the history of the team on the free market-
Signed San Diego Lightning quarterback Drew Brees.
At that time, Briss was suffering from a shoulder injury and was not able to fully recover from the surgery. The Lightning did not issue a high-price contract renewal. So Briss entered the free market and the Saints completed a six-year 60 million contract. This bold and risky deal; in the same year, they also completed at least three important key drafts above the draft conference, building the team's cornerstone.
In 2006, 2009 and 2010, the Saints entered the playoffs three times. Among them, 2009 won the first and only Super Bowl in the history of the team, which is also the history of the city of New Orleans. The first four major league league titles.
In addition, Briss has completed a full-blown transformation. In 2007, the single-season passing yards exceeded 5,000 yards. This is Dan Marino's second quarterback who can reach such a high level and rely on accurate passes. The ball and efficient and stable play among the elite quarterbacks.
Half a century of history, so short, but so ups and downs, the Saints never seem to have truly built a glorious dynasty, and most of the time they are fish belly teams, even after 2006, subject to bad The defensive group, their play is not stable.
But now, this team has become the soul of the city of New Orleans, with countless crowds, and it has also become an integral part of the League of Nations. As long as Drew Bruce remains in the New Orleans Saints, this is a team no one dares to underestimate.
It's like Payton Manning to the Indianapolis Colts, Tom Brady to the New England Patriots, and Aron Rogers to the Green Bay Packers.
In the 2011 season, the Saints once again played the best season in team history and harvested the fifth division title in team history; more importantly, all the data are comparable to the 2009 Super Bowl championship year, even Go even further.
At that time, the Saints 'offensive group was first in the league and the defensive group was twentieth in the league; and this year, the Saints' offensive group was second and defensive group was thirteenth, which was more balanced and comprehensive, and the defensive group that has been criticized Shows the forefront level. The 32-year-old Brice is at the peak of his career. Undoubtedly, this is the best time for the Saints to impact the second Super Bowl.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Saints beat the Lions at home; in the second round of the playoffs, the Saints will go to play against 49 players.
For the Saints, this is a game that is full of ambitions and ambitions.
Few people know that the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers are enemies, and are enemies whose hatred cannot be resolved, and even become the knots of the residents of the two cities; however, that is already an old calendar, even in the alliance, 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 Western Union of the League of Nations. They were the enemy of the San Francisco 49ers. Until 2002, when the League redefined the area, the New Orleans Saints came to the South of the League.
As a dead enemy in the same region, the Saints and 49ers have a record of confrontation. In the era when the Saints gradually recovered and began to rise, when facing 49 people, they still had no choice.
In 1987, the Saints team history reached the playoffs for the first time, that season experienced a small strike, only completed 15 games, the Saints scored 14 wins and 1 loss, and the only A defeat was won by 49 people; even if the Saints then reached the peak of the playoffs for three consecutive years, the record of the engagement was 49 people.
Standing in front of the 49ers in San Francisco, the New Orleans Saints never seem to have actually taken advantage.
Interestingly, the brilliance of the San Francisco 49ers just stopped in 2002.
Prior to this, the 49ers were well-deserved absolute overlords in the Western Division of the League of Nations. In the long 20-year period, they only missed the playoffs four times, and the number of division wins was as high as sixteen; the same one at that time The other four teams in the division, the St. Louis Rams, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers, have always been breathless, and have almost been crushed in the battle record-
The only exception is the St. Louis Rams, which is the only opponent that can barely form a confrontation.
For the New Orleans saints, the memories of the 49 people in San Francisco are all bitter, even gray, and even if the teeth are tickled with hatred, they are still helpless.
But after re-zoning in 2002, the San Francisco 49ers fell into the bottom, and the New Orleans Saints who traveled to different divisions renewed their vitality and achieved a strong six-game winning streak in the confrontation between the two sides, completely reversing the decline. . But even so, the San Francisco 49ers still have 47 wins, 24 losses, and two draws on the record of historical engagement between the two sides, occupying the absolute upper hand.
This year, the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints, the former rivals in the same district, are about to usher in the first playoff match between the two sides in the history of confrontation.
On the one hand, it was back to the playoffs after an interval of eight years, and finally ended the long valley, and found the dawn of hope again; on the other side, it reached the playoffs for three consecutive years, and just won the Super Bowl two years ago. Now it is still at its peak.
In fact, what used to be historical is no longer important for the two teams, and now they are no longer dead enemies in the same region. Most of the old fans who remember history have also passed by, and it is meaningless to focus on them. Old Huang Li, it is better to focus on the outcome of this playoffs.
But no one can deny that as two teams that have a long history but have never met in the playoffs, this time of the confrontation naturally adds a special point.
By the way, in the preseason this season, the two teams once played against each other. The 49 people in San Francisco led by Colin Cappenic 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 can not explain the problem, but that game is a reference for the next divisional game, triggering more discussions.
Even the Saints and 49 people themselves are full of expectations for this game, not for focus and topic, but for the qualification to enter the next round, without deliberate hype and publicity, the smell of gunpowder has begun to quietly diffuse In the beginning, especially the fans of the two quarterbacks, they have launched their prospects on Twitter, and each of them believes that this victory is bound to belong to themselves.
With the progress of the wild card game, the heated discussion has not only weakened, but it is still rising. All the discussions and battles have turned up several times, far exceeding the regular season, which is in the limelight. People can really feel the madness and excitement of the playoffs.
When the wild card games were all over, Lu Ke and Logan also returned to the team on time to start preparing for the first playoff game of their careers.