NFL Admits they blew call on Favre's INT (1 Viewer)

[Gopher State]

NFL: Refs missed call on low hit on Favre

By JUDD ZULGAD, Star Tribune

Mike Pereira, the NFL's vice president of officiating, admitted on the NFL Network's "Total Access" show this week that referee Pete Morelli's crew should have called a 15-yard penalty against the New Orleans Saints in the third quarter of the NFC Championship Game on Sunday when Vikings quarterback Brett Favre absorbed a low hit from defensive end Bobby McCray.

Favre was hit low by McCray and high by nose tackle Remi Ayodele and injured his left ankle on the play. His pass was intercepted by linebacker Jonathan Vilma. New Orleans took over at its own 31 with the score 21-21 but did not score on the ensuing series.

A penalty would have nullified the interception and given the Vikings the ball at the Saints 19. Pereira called it "pretty much a direct shot into the back of [Favre's] legs," which isn't legal because of rules about going after a quarterback's knees.

On an extended version of the segment on NFL.com, Pereira also discussed wide receiver Devery Henderson's third-down catch in overtime for the Saints that was upheld on review despite the fact the ball appeared to hit the ground (the question was whether he controlled the ball) and the fourth-down leap by New Orleans running back Pierre Thomas that was reviewed, with the first-down ruling being upheld.

The spot was important, but so was the subject of whether the ball came loose when linebacker Chad Greenway's helmet hit it. If the ball was clearly knocked out on the first contact with the helmet, Pereira said the forward progress point would have been at the first point that Thomas regained possession.

Said Pereira: "It was kind of one of those, 'Did he lose possession?' It's hard to say. 'Was he short of the line to gain?' Equally hard to say."

One call Pereira did not discuss was the pass interference on Vikings linebacker Ben Leber that moved the ball to the Vikings 29 in overtime and got the Saints in position to kick the winning field goal. Leber was still upset about that call Monday in large part because the pass for tight end David Thomas did not appear to be catchable.

Asked about the penalty on Thursday, league spokesman Greg Aiello said in an e-mail that the league clearly supported the judgment call of the official. Wrote Aiello: "If the defender steps on the foot of a receiver while not playing the ball, the rule is that it is pass interference. Tangled feet with the defensive player not playing the ball is a foul by rule."

Whether the ball is catchable is a judgment call.

 

[Pnishthm]

You are days late on this. The game is over and the Saints are going to the Superbowl and you are not. Let it go man and stop with the

 

[Clinton]

Wow, the Saints got the breaks

A guy named Gopher State starting a thread subtitled "Wow, the Saints got the breaks" had me laughing before I even opened it.

 

[Pickle Rody]

No matter where the OP is from or who he roots for, it's interesting to hear that the NFL's vice president of officiating admitted even more mistakes by the League's officiating crew this year. No surprise, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[Vicktimized]

There was a questionable roughing call a few plays before that would have let to a punt if not called.

Interesting that the league does back the PI ruling in OT, which if we're to take the officials at face value 'was' PI now, rendering the Viking boosters wrong that the call "handed them the game".

 

[Idiot Boxer]

Wait. I thought it was the Steelers who got all the breaks.

 

[DropKick]

There was a questionable roughing call a few plays before that would have let to a punt if not called.Interesting that the league does back the PI ruling in OT, which if we're to take the officials at face value 'was' PI now, rendering the Viking boosters wrong that the call "handed them the game".

The league always puts some spin on these things. And they're not always consistent. Pretty clear to me the ball came loose on Thomas. Not sure why he makes it sound so questionable.But, yes, I also think they virtually handed the Saints that game. Every call in OT went the Saints way. That PI call was marginal at best and almost never called in THAT situation - OT in a conference championship game? FWIW, I think the refs helped the Colts too. Too hard for me to believe they missed the cheap shot on Sanchez.ETA: I hope the Saints can regain their mid-season form to make this a competitive SB.

 

[the branded hand]

Life, like football, is hard... wear a friggin' helmet.

 

[Breesisdaman]

There were blown calls on both sides of the ball. Why focus on one that went against the Vikings? Brett Farve is why. People need to let it go.

 

[ScottyFargo]

Wait. I thought it was the Steelers who got all the breaks.

Refs are near-blind so to them black n gold is black n gold. <_<

 

[Pnishthm]

Wait. I thought it was the Steelers who got all the breaks.

Refs are near-blind so to them black n gold is black n gold.

LOL Good one!

 

[saintfool]

:waaaaaaaaa:

 

[zDragon]

There were blown calls on both sides of the ball. Why focus on one that went against the Vikings? Brett Farve is why. People need to let it go.

Not a Vikings fan but they did get calls that appeared to cost them the game. It happens so congratulations on getting to the big game.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Wait. I thought it was the Steelers who got all the breaks.

Different post-season, different game.

 

[JuSt CuZ]

THIS JUST IN!!!

The NFL admits that they missed a call in week 7 back in 1993..... who the heck cares.

To the Vikings fans:

U put all ur chips on Favre, but should have known he sucks at the end of the year, he always does. If he didnt choke all the time, he would of been to more superbowls, he stinks..... he cost u the NFC championship, embrace it, I did as a Saints fan and will love Favre for ever since he came trhu for us Saints fan!

U can always count on Favre to throw picks, always always always!

And yes in full disclosure... I hate Brett Favre, hes a drama queen who is worse for the game then he is better at this point!

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Surprised so many Saints fans are going the "stop crying about it" route. Seems like a defensive position to take. Nobody is saying the game's score should be reversed, but non-biased fans recognize that, in a close game like that, referee errors played a role in one team winning. Both played hard, but the NFL admitted a mistake there. It made a difference.

That doesn't mean the Saints are a fraud. It just means that things went their way and a mistake helped them in the game. They might have won anyway; it was the 3rd quarter, after all. But nobody is crying about it; just pointing out a fact.

Saints fans are acting awfully defensive. It's like you're trying to protect something. There really isn't anything to protect yet. There's still one game on the schedule. Win that and your team wipes away all those years of frustration. But if you don't win, none of this really matters anyway. Being the Super Bowl loser isn't going to validate anyone, so please wait until you win it all before you worry that people are trying to take something away from you.

 

[ChrisCooleyFan]

Surprised so many Saints fans are going the "stop crying about it" route. Seems like a defensive position to take. Nobody is saying the game's score should be reversed, but non-biased fans recognize that, in a close game like that, referee errors played a role in one team winning. Both played hard, but the NFL admitted a mistake there. It made a difference.That doesn't mean the Saints are a fraud. It just means that things went their way and a mistake helped them in the game. They might have won anyway; it was the 3rd quarter, after all. But nobody is crying about it; just pointing out a fact. Saints fans are acting awfully defensive. It's like you're trying to protect something. There really isn't anything to protect yet. There's still one game on the schedule. Win that and your team wipes away all those years of frustration. But if you don't win, none of this really matters anyway. Being the Super Bowl loser isn't going to validate anyone, so please wait until you win it all before you worry that people are trying to take something away from you.

 

[pack100]

Blah Blah Blah.... A. Rodgers looked quite molested in O.T. against Arizona. There is always something. I do believe the 12 in the huddle was the worst mistake of all and for that we cannot blame the refs.

 

[ChrisCooleyFan]

Blah Blah Blah.... A. Rodgers looked quite molested in O.T. against Arizona. There is always something. I do believe the 12 in the huddle was the worst mistake of all and for that we cannot blame the refs.

Also a very

 

[kaa]

I'm still stunned Favre threw that pick at the end of the 4th quarter. They had the game! All he had to do was tuck it in and run with it about 5 yards. I don't think I've ever seen something like that before.

 

[ChrisCooleyFan]

Its over and done with, I guess we can go back to the Redskins Saints game, when Moore trapped the int, and it should of been ruled incomplete, or that Shockey's feet where on Moore's back when they ruled a int. The game is over, not sure why this comes out on thursday. Saints had a higher score at the end, therefore they won. Vikings beat the Saints, just not thereselves. 2 redzone turnovers would of made the Leber int really mean nothing. As a fan of neither, but was rooting for Farve, the Vikings in the end killed themselves, and instead of blaming themselves, want to balme someone else.

Remember though Saints fans, the Miracle on Ice didnt finish with the win against Russia, they had to win again to win the Gold. As stated before, to erase all the memories, you have to win the gold. Enjoy your game, have fun with it. You guys deserved it. And who knows, it could be another 40 years. Have fun.

 

[Chaka]

I didn't have a rooting interest in either team but the Vikings played a ridiculously sloppy game and they deserved to lose. Instead of worrying about one blown call the Vikings should work on not turning the ball over five times, then they wouldn't need to worry about what the refs do.

 

[JohnnyU]

THIS JUST IN!!!The NFL admits that they missed a call in week 7 back in 1993..... who the heck cares.To the Vikings fans:U put all ur chips on Favre, but should have known he sucks at the end of the year, he always does. If he didnt choke all the time, he would of been to more superbowls, he stinks..... he cost u the NFC championship, embrace it, I did as a Saints fan and will love Favre for ever since he came trhu for us Saints fan!U can always count on Favre to throw picks, always always always!And yes in full disclosure... I hate Brett Favre, hes a drama queen who is worse for the game then he is better at this point!

Is it just me or did you recently update your fbg signon to say you're a Saints fan?

 

[Pnishthm]

 

[Da Guru]

The hit had nothing to do with another bad INT by Farve.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Good grief, can you Saints fans get any more defensive? If the situation was reversed, you all be crying bloody murder, and you know it, so stop being hypocrites and enjoy what is going on. Your team is in the Super Bowl. Enjoy it! So what if your team benefited by some egregiously bad calls? That ain't gonna change the fact that the Saints will be playing for the Super Bowl in a week.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Good grief, can you Saints fans get any more defensive? If the situation was reversed, you all be crying bloody murder, and you know it, so stop being hypocrites and enjoy what is going on. Your team is in the Super Bowl. Enjoy it! So what if your team benefited by some egregiously bad calls? That ain't gonna change the fact that the Saints will be playing for the Super Bowl in a week.

And if they don't win, it was all for nothing anyway. That one play won't matter at that point-- winning or losing next Sunday will matter.

 

[Pnishthm]

Good grief, can you Saints fans get any more defensive? If the situation was reversed, you all be crying bloody murder, and you know it, so stop being hypocrites and enjoy what is going on. Your team is in the Super Bowl. Enjoy it! So what if your team benefited by some egregiously bad calls? That ain't gonna change the fact that the Saints will be playing for the Super Bowl in a week.

LOL the situation had been reversed for 42 years

 

[Ghost Rider]

I think a factor too is that the Saints don't have much of a playoff history, and I don't remember them ever losing a close game where a bad call or two went against them, so they don't know what it feels like to see their team's chances slip away in a close PLAYOFF game where you feel like your team got the shaft on a bad call or two at an important time of the game.

Given the Vikings history of close calls, I can understand the frustration over last week's loss, and the NFL admitting that they blew a call that essentially took a possession away from Minnesota, and a red zone one at that, is like rubbing salt in the wound.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Good grief, can you Saints fans get any more defensive? If the situation was reversed, you all be crying bloody murder, and you know it, so stop being hypocrites and enjoy what is going on. Your team is in the Super Bowl. Enjoy it! So what if your team benefited by some egregiously bad calls? That ain't gonna change the fact that the Saints will be playing for the Super Bowl in a week.

LOL the situation had been reversed for 42 years

Please list the close playoff games the Saints lost where the league admitted that a crucial call went against the Saints. I'll hang up and listen.

 

[Pnishthm]

Good grief, can you Saints fans get any more defensive? If the situation was reversed, you all be crying bloody murder, and you know it, so stop being hypocrites and enjoy what is going on. Your team is in the Super Bowl. Enjoy it! So what if your team benefited by some egregiously bad calls? That ain't gonna change the fact that the Saints will be playing for the Super Bowl in a week.

LOL the situation had been reversed for 42 years

Please list the close playoff games the Saints lost where the league admitted that a crucial call went against the Saints. I'll hang up and listen.

I'd hate for you to say I am being too defensive. I have moved on days ago, maybe you might want to do the same.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I'd hate for you to say I am being too defensive. I have moved on days ago, maybe you might want to do the same.

I won't say you are defensive. Please list them if you can. TIA! And moved on from what? I have no dog in this fight. It is just humorous to see how overly defensive fans get when their team benefits by some really bad officiating.

 

[Statorama]

Wow, the OP is right. I mean, the Saints have NEVER had a questionable call go against them. Good grief.

If Vikings fans want to cry about something, they should cry about Jared Allen being held on every play. I'm a Saints fan and I freely admit that Allen was held on everyplay and sometimes held by several Saints players on the same play.

Hopefully, this is the Saints version of "the tuck rule" that kept Oakland out of the Superbowl and initated a Patriot juggernaut. I'd like to see a decade of domination by our boys.

 

[Tau837]

THIS JUST IN!!!The NFL admits that they missed a call in week 7 back in 1993..... who the heck cares.To the Vikings fans:U put all ur chips on Favre, but should have known he sucks at the end of the year, he always does. If he didnt choke all the time, he would of been to more superbowls, he stinks..... he cost u the NFC championship, embrace it, I did as a Saints fan and will love Favre for ever since he came trhu for us Saints fan!U can always count on Favre to throw picks, always always always!And yes in full disclosure... I hate Brett Favre, hes a drama queen who is worse for the game then he is better at this point!

Terrible post.

 

[Tau837]

Surprised so many Saints fans are going the "stop crying about it" route. Seems like a defensive position to take. Nobody is saying the game's score should be reversed, but non-biased fans recognize that, in a close game like that, referee errors played a role in one team winning. Both played hard, but the NFL admitted a mistake there. It made a difference.That doesn't mean the Saints are a fraud. It just means that things went their way and a mistake helped them in the game. They might have won anyway; it was the 3rd quarter, after all. But nobody is crying about it; just pointing out a fact.

 

[Chaka]

I think a factor too is that the Saints don't have much of a playoff history, and I don't remember them ever losing a close game where a bad call or two went against them, so they don't know what it feels like to see their team's chances slip away in a close PLAYOFF game where you feel like your team got the shaft on a bad call or two at an important time of the game. Given the Vikings history of close calls, I can understand the frustration over last week's loss, and the NFL admitting that they blew a call that essentially took a possession away from Minnesota, and a red zone one at that, is like rubbing salt in the wound.

Five turnovers.They have nothing to complain about.Five.

 

[Tau837]

I think a factor too is that the Saints don't have much of a playoff history, and I don't remember them ever losing a close game where a bad call or two went against them, so they don't know what it feels like to see their team's chances slip away in a close PLAYOFF game where you feel like your team got the shaft on a bad call or two at an important time of the game. Given the Vikings history of close calls, I can understand the frustration over last week's loss, and the NFL admitting that they blew a call that essentially took a possession away from Minnesota, and a red zone one at that, is like rubbing salt in the wound.

Five turnovers.They have nothing to complain about.Five.

Well, the call being discussed here would have reversed one of them. The Vikings would have been in the red zone with a new set of downs, so they may have been able to overcome the other turnovers... and some of the other turnovers may not have happened, as the game would have progressed differently from that point.

 

[lodnerpantz]

Its over and done with, I guess we can go back to the Redskins Saints game, when Moore trapped the int, and it should of been ruled incomplete, or that Shockey's feet where on Moore's back when they ruled a int. The game is over, not sure why this comes out on thursday. Saints had a higher score at the end, therefore they won. Vikings beat the Saints, just not thereselves. 2 redzone turnovers would of made the Leber int really mean nothing. As a fan of neither, but was rooting for Farve, the Vikings in the end killed themselves, and instead of blaming themselves, want to balme someone else.Remember though Saints fans, the Miracle on Ice didnt finish with the win against Russia, they had to win again to win the Gold. As stated before, to erase all the memories, you have to win the gold. Enjoy your game, have fun with it. You guys deserved it. And who knows, it could be another 40 years. Have fun.

Vikings beat the Saints? You might want to check the scoreboard.As for needing to win it all to prove something, that is your opinion as an outsider who obviously doesn't understand what this season has meant to the city of New Orleans and to Saints fans in general. I'm not trying to rude here, but your statement about erasing memories and your earlier post that stated the Saints need to win it all in order to win the respect of other fans says that you don't get the scope of the relationship between this team and its fans at this particular point in time. This season wasn't about erasing memories of the years of futility and it's not really about winning respect. The 2000 season that brought the franchise its first playoff victory was more about that, but not this one. Sure, there's some joy that comes from proving doubters wrong and there's a lot of joy that comes from getting somewhere we've never been, but the doubters will always be there. If the Saints lose, non-Saints fans will forget about whatever they accomplished this year. If they win, some will call it a fluke unless they come back strong next year. ESPN and the talking heads will continue to focus on Favre and Manning and the Superbowl that could have been. Regardless, and despite what you say, I'm pretty sure the Saints have been respected by most around the league as a good team since the beginning of the Sean Payton era - just look at the record. This season, however, has been more about about perseverance. It's about hope - justifying the hope of those who never lost it and bringing it to others - and not just with respect to a few football games. If it's about respect, it's more about regaining self-respect and erasing self-doubt and dragging a rebirth process forward than it is about the opinions of a few football fans around the country. I apologize for sounding like a bit of a blow hard here - I don't express it very well, so I don't expect you to understand. Just take my word for it that there is something that makes this season special to this fan base whatever happens in the Superbowl. Don't get me wrong, the Saints and their fans want to beat Indy more than anything - from a football perspective, we are not "just happy to be there," but if Indy wins, it will take absolutely nothing away from what this season has meant.You are right about 2 things, though: it might not happen for another 40 years, and we will have fun.

 

[guderian]

Surprised so many Saints fans are going the "stop crying about it" route. Seems like a defensive position to take. Nobody is saying the game's score should be reversed, but non-biased fans recognize that, in a close game like that, referee errors played a role in one team winning. Both played hard, but the NFL admitted a mistake there. It made a difference.That doesn't mean the Saints are a fraud. It just means that things went their way and a mistake helped them in the game. They might have won anyway; it was the 3rd quarter, after all. But nobody is crying about it; just pointing out a fact. Saints fans are acting awfully defensive. It's like you're trying to protect something. There really isn't anything to protect yet. There's still one game on the schedule. Win that and your team wipes away all those years of frustration. But if you don't win, none of this really matters anyway. Being the Super Bowl loser isn't going to validate anyone, so please wait until you win it all before you worry that people are trying to take something away from you.

Go read all of the other threads where people are trying to take the win away from us. It's just very annoying when virtually every call went the Vikings way during regulation to the tune of a 15/88 advantage in penalty yardage and a 4 to 1 advantage in first downs awarded by penalty and then after the game all we hear is that we won because of the officials.

 

[Chaka]

I think a factor too is that the Saints don't have much of a playoff history, and I don't remember them ever losing a close game where a bad call or two went against them, so they don't know what it feels like to see their team's chances slip away in a close PLAYOFF game where you feel like your team got the shaft on a bad call or two at an important time of the game. Given the Vikings history of close calls, I can understand the frustration over last week's loss, and the NFL admitting that they blew a call that essentially took a possession away from Minnesota, and a red zone one at that, is like rubbing salt in the wound.

Five turnovers.They have nothing to complain about.Five.

Well, the call being discussed here would have reversed one of them. The Vikings would have been in the red zone with a new set of downs, so they may have been able to overcome the other turnovers... and some of the other turnovers may not have happened, as the game would have progressed differently from that point.

Fine.Four turnovers, man. Four. Laid three more on the ground that they were lucky enough to recover.They deserved to lose and have no one to blame but themselves.What's the win percentage for teams with a -3 turnover margin? -4?

 

[Pnishthm]

I'd hate for you to say I am being too defensive. I have moved on days ago, maybe you might want to do the same.

I won't say you are defensive. Please list them if you can. TIA! And moved on from what? I have no dog in this fight. It is just humorous to see how overly defensive fans get when their team benefits by some really bad officiating.

OK I will tell you why Saints fans are defensive...because guys who supposedly "have no dog in the fight" seem to only wanna post one sided. They say the refs cost the Vikes the game... Please explain how "they cost the Vikes the game?" OK so the head of officials came out and said the refs missed throwing a flag... weren't the Saints up 7 at that point? Even if they make that call there's no predicting the outcome of that game. Also the head of officials came out and said the PI call in OT was the correct call. For the record I thought it was a horrible call but I guess since the head of officiating said it was correct then it must be right? Then we have the P. Thomas fumble that is being complained about. Two things... one he never lost complete control so by NFL rule it's not a fumble and forward progress was awarded accordingly. The other was that even had he lost control, the ball moved back what, half a foot or a foot at best? If you look at the spot and the red line for a 1st down Thomas made it by a good half a yard. It still would have resulted in a 1st down. The Meachem catch was complained about because by most parts guys don't know the rules...the ball CAN hit the ground as long as the WR has control of the ball and does not trap it against the ground. Meachem did this thus it was ruled correctly. Now on the flip side none of you supposed "neutral guys" never respond when Saints fan points out that around the 11 minute mark in the 4th, Brees after throwing the ball was picked up and the defender leaves his feet and slams Brees to the ground. About the exact same way that the Saints were flagged for on Favre. Also in the 4th J. Greer stepped in front of S. Rice for an easy pick and Rice grabs Greer's right arm from behind well before the ball gets there so Greer is not able to close his hands and make the pick. This is a big play that was missed by the refs. Yet none of you guys complaining ever respond to this when it's brought up. I wonder how the game turns out if that easy call was made? Heck maybe the Saints lose but we won't know. Calls were missed both ways which is usually the case in just about every game. To say that one caused a team to win or lose is ignorant. I still say I thought the Vkings outplayed us and we did not play our best game. But the Saints found a way to win and it wasn't because of the officiating. I have moved on and I suggest everyone else do the same. WHO DAT!!!

 

[cr8f]

After all the bad calls for the Vikings in the first half I find this a little thread a little bizarre.

Green bay got hosed on the final play in our game too. It happens. I hate it when refs decide games, especially the final play, but what can you do?

 

[Mario Kart]

The Saints benefited from calls that could have gone either way. The Vikings had a great discrepancy in time of possession and thus other stats like, first downs, would be in the Vikings favor. Sure, the Vikings did not hold onto the ball like they should have but even with those turnovers the Vikings were still one possession away from winning. The calls in overtime were, for better or worse, more beneficial to the Saints than they were to the Vikings. Also, those calls could have gone either way. It is fair to say that the Saints benefited from more calls than did the Vikings. Oh well, move on, know that the Saints had some leverage in terms of penalty calls. Have fun in the Super Bowl although, and this would be almost true in any NFL game, the Saints ended up with an advantage in terms of "questionable" calls. No doubt about it but have fun in the Bowl.

 

[JuSt CuZ]

THIS JUST IN!!!The NFL admits that they missed a call in week 7 back in 1993..... who the heck cares.To the Vikings fans:U put all ur chips on Favre, but should have known he sucks at the end of the year, he always does. If he didnt choke all the time, he would of been to more superbowls, he stinks..... he cost u the NFC championship, embrace it, I did as a Saints fan and will love Favre for ever since he came trhu for us Saints fan!U can always count on Favre to throw picks, always always always!And yes in full disclosure... I hate Brett Favre, hes a drama queen who is worse for the game then he is better at this point!

Is it just me or did you recently update your fbg signon to say you're a Saints fan?

Yup, u figured it out! BTW: since the feature was installed its been the "Fluery", check earlier Saints threads for posts! LOLP.S. --- Its "Bad Karma" to put anyones fandum into question

 

[JuSt CuZ]

I think a factor too is that the Saints don't have much of a playoff history, and I don't remember them ever losing a close game where a bad call or two went against them, so they don't know what it feels like to see their team's chances slip away in a close PLAYOFF game where you feel like your team got the shaft on a bad call or two at an important time of the game.

Given the Vikings history of close calls, I can understand the frustration over last week's loss, and the NFL admitting that they blew a call that essentially took a possession away from Minnesota, and a red zone one at that, is like rubbing salt in the wound.

Five turnovers.They have nothing to complain about.

Five.

Well, the call being discussed here would have reversed one of them. The Vikings would have been in the red zone with a new set of downs, so they may have been able to overcome the other turnovers... and some of the other turnovers may not have happened, as the game would have progressed differently from that point.

Terrible post"Just Win" seems to like "what ifs"

Hey what if the Chargers beat the Jets?

 

[Pipes]

LOL at Saint's fans getting chastised in this thread.

The Vikings made too many mistakes which put the game in the hands of the officials. If the Vikings had taken care of the ball they win this game going away but they didn't so they only have themselves to blame.

 

[crowe1130]

THIS JUST IN!!!The NFL admits that they missed a call in week 7 back in 1993..... who the heck cares.To the Vikings fans:U put all ur chips on Favre, but should have known he sucks at the end of the year, he always does. If he didnt choke all the time, he would of been to more superbowls, he stinks..... he cost u the NFC championship, embrace it, I did as a Saints fan and will love Favre for ever since he came trhu for us Saints fan!U can always count on Favre to throw picks, always always always!And yes in full disclosure... I hate Brett Favre, hes a drama queen who is worse for the game then he is better at this point!

Terrible post.

Agreed. I'm not sure I can even cheer for the Saints on Sunday anymore, just because of it.

 

[Doug B]

Don't get me wrong, the Saints and their fans want to beat Indy more than anything - from a football perspective, we are not "just happy to be there," but if Indy wins, it will take absolutely nothing away from what this season has meant.You are right about 2 things, though: it might not happen for another 40 years, and we will have fun.

x 100Love the view point that "losing the Super Bowl" = "going 0-16". No, no one said exactly that ... but some of the takes in here, extended to their logical conclusions, mean the exact same thing.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Its over and done with, I guess we can go back to the Redskins Saints game, when Moore trapped the int, and it should of been ruled incomplete, or that Shockey's feet where on Moore's back when they ruled a int. The game is over, not sure why this comes out on thursday. Saints had a higher score at the end, therefore they won. Vikings beat the Saints, just not thereselves. 2 redzone turnovers would of made the Leber int really mean nothing. As a fan of neither, but was rooting for Farve, the Vikings in the end killed themselves, and instead of blaming themselves, want to balme someone else.

Remember though Saints fans, the Miracle on Ice didnt finish with the win against Russia, they had to win again to win the Gold. As stated before, to erase all the memories, you have to win the gold. Enjoy your game, have fun with it. You guys deserved it. And who knows, it could be another 40 years. Have fun.

Vikings beat the Saints? You might want to check the scoreboard.As for needing to win it all to prove something, that is your opinion as an outsider who obviously doesn't understand what this season has meant to the city of New Orleans and to Saints fans in general. I'm not trying to rude here, but your statement about erasing memories and your earlier post that stated the Saints need to win it all in order to win the respect of other fans says that you don't get the scope of the relationship between this team and its fans at this particular point in time. This season wasn't about erasing memories of the years of futility and it's not really about winning respect. The 2000 season that brought the franchise its first playoff victory was more about that, but not this one. Sure, there's some joy that comes from proving doubters wrong and there's a lot of joy that comes from getting somewhere we've never been, but the doubters will always be there. If the Saints lose, non-Saints fans will forget about whatever they accomplished this year. If they win, some will call it a fluke unless they come back strong next year. ESPN and the talking heads will continue to focus on Favre and Manning and the Superbowl that could have been. Regardless, and despite what you say, I'm pretty sure the Saints have been respected by most around the league as a good team since the beginning of the Sean Payton era - just look at the record.

This season, however, has been more about about perseverance. It's about hope - justifying the hope of those who never lost it and bringing it to others - and not just with respect to a few football games. If it's about respect, it's more about regaining self-respect and erasing self-doubt and dragging a rebirth process forward than it is about the opinions of a few football fans around the country. I apologize for sounding like a bit of a blow hard here - I don't express it very well, so I don't expect you to understand. Just take my word for it that there is something that makes this season special to this fan base whatever happens in the Superbowl.

Don't get me wrong, the Saints and their fans want to beat Indy more than anything - from a football perspective, we are not "just happy to be there," but if Indy wins, it will take absolutely nothing away from what this season has meant.

You are right about 2 things, though: it might not happen for another 40 years, and we will have fun.

Your post shows you are just happy to be here. This sounds like a fan who knows their team has a tough game ahead and doesn't want to "give up" all they've accomplished so far. Well, they've had a great year. Nobody can take that away. But if they end up losing, they're last year's Cardinals-- great year, didn't close the deal. Not a champion and not erasing decades of shame. If that's good enough for you, great. I'm sure Arizona's fans are proud, too. But this story will be told through the lens of the final chapter. If they win, they're world champions and you'll have this great season and story forever-- regardless of what the future holds. If they lose, it was a nice year and the city needed a boost and good for them, but it's all about the Colts.

I'm sure this season will be special because the team has been losers forever and this is a nice taste of success. But don't be so arrogant to assume other fans can't understand. I bet some fans here can understand, and even know what it's like to finish the season with a Super Bowl win-- something you cannot hope to understand.

Not yet, anyway. Good luck next weekend.

 

[The Ref]

Wait. I thought it was the Steelers who got all the breaks.

Nope - thats the Patriots.