I have found one of the hardest parts of being a Saints fan is the stigma of mediocrity that has followed the franchise around since 1967.
To be honest, the team didn’t get off to a great start. I understand that. It took them a decade or so to achieve .500 and another decade to make the playoffs and still another decade to actually win a game in the playoffs. The Mora years really helped shake the devil off. Jim Haslett did his part as well. But that ghost of being likened to not just bad NFL teams but bad teams in all sports still follows the team around. I hope this season, regardless of what happens from now on, helps establish the team as wirthy of being mentioned among the elite. It takes a while for a franchise climb from that dungeon.
I think an appearance in the Super Bowl this year would do wonders for us. As it stands now we are one of only five teams to have never made it (Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans). The Texans and Jaguars have only been around a few years and both the Browns and the Lions have won “NFL Championships.”
I was upset last year when the Cardinals made it in because I always looked to them as the franchise that was always worse than the Saints.
But things are looking up. If if we don’t make it to the Super Bowl this year, this team has accomplished some things that rate it among the best league-wide.
For instance, if we win just one more game this year, we will join a unique crowd of franchises that have posted 14 or more wins in one 16-game season.
They are:
Falcons (1998, 14-2)
Bears (1986, 14-2)
Broncos (1998, 14-2)
Colts (2005, 14-2)
Jaguars (1999, 14-2)
Dolphins (1984, 14-2)
Vikings (1998 15-1)
Patriots (2003, 14-2) (2004, 14-2) (2007, 16-0)
Giants (1986, 14-2)
Steelers (1978, 14-2) (2004, 15-1)
Chargers (2006, 14-2)
49ers (1984, 15-1) (1989, 14-2) (1990, 14-2) (1992, 14-2)
Rams (2001, 14-2)
Redskins (1983, 14-2)
So that’s awesome right?
Then if we manage two more wins we join a more elite group of teams that one 15 or more regular season games…
San Francisco 49ers (1984, 15-1)
Chicago Bears (1985, 15-1)
Minnesota Vikings (1998, 15-1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (2004, 15-1)
Then of course there is the undefeated season. Fortunately for us, the Patriots cushioned us from any potential failure after their 2007 choke. I could certainly see something like becoming Saints lore but now that it’s been done, people will tend to focus on the Pats more than if we acheived that dubious distinction.
So I am hopeful that this team can help us inch further away from the “Aints” of the ’80s and that stigma of mediocrity. We still have only two playoff victories and only six appearances. Of course the cardinals only have seven and they have been around since the ’20s.
Mediocrity should also not only be judged by how much a team wins but just how bad they sucked when they did. The Saints never sucked as bad as the Bucs or the Lions (o-win seasons) or the Oilers (back-to-back 1-win seasons) but they do have a 1-win season in their history.
Of course, look who else has 1-win seasons: the 2007 Miami Dolphins, the 1989 Dallas Cowboys, the 1990 New England Patriots, the 1991 Indianapolis Colts, the 1996 New York Jets, the 2000 San Diego Chargers and the 2001 Carolina Panthers.
Colts and Pats eh? Nobody ever mentions that. I think the reason why is because once mediocrity gets stuck on a team it’s hard to get off. It’s like a bad reputation.
There are signs we are starting to shake it though.
Check these recent articles about the worst franchises in sports…
Not here either (didn’t even “receive votes”)
So perhaps the aura may be waning. I actually am pretty happy with what the Saints have done so far this year and what Drew Brees has done since he has been here. Anything else we do this season will only help pull the team up furthur from the doldrums. I think a Super Bowl victory would erase it entirely. But then look at how the Bucs keep showing up on these lists. Even after a victory in the big game and a recent division title. They have 10 playoff appearances and six division titles. I guess a bad reputation is hard to shake.