The New Orleans Saints is an NFL team based in New Orleans, Louisiana and playing in the NFC South division. The team have played their home games in the Louisiana Superdome, now called the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, since 1975. The Saints are named after the local jazz scene and the ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ song popular in the region.
In its early years as a team, the New Orleans Saints were not hugely competitive. It was not until 1987 that they had a winning season and reached the playoffs for the first time. The team has won the NFC Championship on just one occasion in 2009. They won the the Super Bowl that same year, defeating the Indianapolis Colts in the big game.
History of the New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints were established in 1966, with their black and gold colour scheme intended as a nod to the rich history of oil in the region. They played their first game in 1967 and the opening kick-off was returned 94 yards for a touchdown for the Saints. It was to be two decades before the Saints had a winning season. In 1987 they finished the season 12-3 up.
Some success
The team went on to win their very first title in 1991 and under Jim Mora as head coach built up a reputation for a strong defence. Mike Ditka took over for a few seasons at the end of the 1990s and most famously traded all of the draft picks in 1999 and notable picks for the next season to get Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams. However, Ditka got fired after the 1999 season ended 3-13. The team got its first playoff win in 2000 after beating the St. Louis Rams, who were Super Bowl champions at the time. During 2005, the team were unable to play any games at their home venue as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
First Super Bowl
Sean Payton took over as head coach in January 2006, signing quarterback Drew Brees shortly after. They won a divisional title in Payton’s first season. In 2009, they claimed their first and, to date, only Super Bowl. Having won their first 13 regular-season games and they went on to defeat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game before going on to beat the Indianapolis Colts in the big game.
In 2012, a bounty scandal emerged in the New Orleans Saints that led to head coach Payton being suspended for a year. The team struggled for a number of seasons after that, but have had some strong performances in recent years, with Drew Brees playing out his final season in New Orleans.
Support of the New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints play their home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, which has a seating capacity of just under 76,500 people. The historic rivals for the Saints are the Atlanta Falcons, with both teams having joined the NFL within a year of one another. There is also a rivalry with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers.
Notable players
Quarterback Drew Brees has set many team and NFL records while at the team. The future Hall of Famer is one of the most important players to ever play for the team. Other notable players from the past include Jim Taylor, Doug Atkins, Earl Campbell, Rickey Jackson, Ken Stabler, and Morten Andersen. In more recent times, some of the leading players have been Roman Harper, Jahri Evans, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and Jonathan Vilma.
Betting on New Orleans Saints games
The New Orleans Saints are known for being a very offensive team, leading to a lot of high scoring games. This makes Saints games ideal for betting, as there are tons of great opportunities for you to check out. To see what the best betting sites are for these games, you can have a look at the expert reviews on Roger.com. The signup process takes just a few minutes before you can start placing bets.
