Saints on Fire

As can well be imagined, the talk down here on the bayou is reaching fever pitch about the New Orleans Saints having a realistic shot at making it to the Superbowl this year. With home field advantage, this is the closest they have ever come to making it into a Superbowl game, and it is getting crazy down here. I thought about wearing my Vikings sweatshirt to work today just to get a reaction, but realized that it might not be the safest thing to do. Besides, I really do want the Saints to win. There was a time in my life that I was a big fan of the Vikings, back when I was a graduate student at the University of Minnesota between 1972-1977, but they let me down by going to the Superbowl three times in four years (1974, 1975, and 1977) and coming away empty. If the Saints make it to the Superbowl, I wish them well. On the other hand, if the Vikings make it, I only hope they don't disappoint again. They would be the only team to have gone to the Superbowl as many as five times only to lose every time.

There are many twists, turns, and ironies as each NFL season comes to a close, and this one is no exception. Three of the final four quarterbacks have at least some connection with the Saints. Brett Favre (Minnesota Vikings) grew up a fan of the Saints in Kiln, Mississippi, only 57 miles from New Orleans. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) was born and raised in New Orleans while his dad, Archie, played with the Saints. And, of course Drew Brees is the Saints' current quarterback. If you live in Kiln, MS, who do you root for this weekend? The town is divided between home-grown Favre vs. the Saints, according to the news. Another twist is that, if the Jets and Vikings somehow managed to make it to the Superbowl, the Jets would be facing the very quarterback that they said good riddance to just one year ago. This is just a tiny sampling. Share your own favorite if you like.

On another football note, Nicholls State University next door in Thibodaux, LA, just hired a new football coach. Charlie Stubbs is a BYU graduate, with 31 years of coaching experience at several schools, most recently, he was the University of Central Missouri offensive coordinator. He and his family will be attending Thibodaux Ward, the church ward we belong to. One of the assistant coaches coming in with him is, Justin Anderson, a son-in-law of Greg Stock (current member of the New Orleans Stake Presidency, CEO of Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, and a close friend of mine).