Steve Gleason Shares Memories Ahead of ESPN's Re-Air: Saints vs Falcons (2006)

"Look out! Breakthrough! A kick block by Steve Gleason! It is scooped and scored by Curtis Deloatch, Touchdown New Orleans!"

Happy Who Dat Monday...

Here's a video from 2019 that seems appropriate, since it feels like all of New Orleans will be watching the #Saints' 'Domecoming' when ESPN re-airs it tonight.

My question: Will you cheer like Steve Gleason's block happens live? pic.twitter.com/9COCaRJi8A
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) April 6, 2020

The roar of the crowd that September night following Mike Tirico’s call represented so much more than a touchdown against a hated rival. That moment, now enshrined outside of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, was the voice of thousands in the Bayou and that voice screamed “We are back”.On April 6th, 2020 ESPN will re-air the famous “Domecoming” with most of New Orleans and the Who Dat Nation watching from home.

Ahead of the Re-Air of the September 25th 2006 matchup against Atlanta, Steve Gleason reminisces on the events leading up to the moment now known as the “Rebirth” of New Orleans. Via his personal Twitter account: @SteveGleason, Gleason takes Saints fans on an inside look of the Camps & Preseason leading into the 2006 NFL Season.

I had played with the @Saints for 6 seasons before @SeanPayton was hired. I didn’t know anything about his philosophy, so I was in survival mode just to make the team. I intended to play a couple more years in the NFL, and I wanted to finish my career in Nola. #Rebirth2020 1/2
— Steve Gleason - "Live Impossible" (@SteveGleason) April 5, 2020

During the months preceding the Monday night @Saints vs Falcons game, I saw 3 clear moments showing me @SeanPayton was bringing change. The final clear moment was in the Dome the night before the game...
I’ll tweet about those moments throughout today/tonight #Rebirth2020 2/2
— Steve Gleason - "Live Impossible" (@SteveGleason) April 5, 2020

The former Saints special-teams ace began by sharing where his mindset was ahead of the season and how newly hired Head Coach Sean Payton showed him three clear moments during the offseason that change was coming to New Orleans. His first clear moment came within the friendly confines of the locker room, when Coach Payton replaced a sign hanging on the wall. The new sign read: “Saints players will be Smart, Tough, Disciplined, and Well Conditioned”. Gleason took it with a grain of salt but was encouraged and even more encouraged when the Saints signed Drew Brees and Scott Fujita.

1st clear moment. @Saints locker - spring 2006:
Coaches often put signs with catchy phrases up on the locker room walls. These signs reflect the principles of the organization and team. I’m not sure how much this inspires teams to actually change or improve.#Rebirth2020 1/4
— Steve Gleason - "Live Impossible" (@SteveGleason) April 5, 2020

The second clear moment came when the Saints played their “home” preseason game in Jackson, MS. Gleason describes the hotel that the team was staying as awful. “Holes in the sheetrock and the carpet peeling up... Brutal”. Sean Payton then voiced his frustration and promised the team that this would never happen again.

2nd clear moment. Preseason game Jackson, MS:
The Dome was being remodeled post Katrina, so we played our ‘home’ preseason games in Jackson. I’m sure Jackson is a nice place, but training camp was so intense, long, and hell hot, my best memory is leaving Jackson. #Rebirth2020 1/3
— Steve Gleason - "Live Impossible" (@SteveGleason) April 6, 2020

The final moment occurs the Friday prior to the re-opening of the Superdome. “New Orleans had been through a year of hell” said Gleason.

2005 was filled with loss, tears, & anguish. Not so different from what our world is enduring now. I learned Resilience from New Orleans that year. When the ordinary see tragedy, the resilient see opportunity. When the ordinary retreat, the resilient reinvent. The Saints had an entirely new coaching staff, & a lot of new players. We had won our first two road games, so the city and the team were cautiously optimistic. But None of us had been in the dome since it had been full local refugees, then ultimately destroyed. The Saints had practice in the dome that Friday. Sean Payton showed a video that briefly documented the history of the previous 13 months. The video held back no details. Body bags, destruction, weeping, embracing, and ultimately - the resilience of New Orleans. That video allowed the guys who had lived through the nightmare to vent their feelings. I was a balling mess. It allowed the new guys to appreciate the magnitude and significance of the return. The rest is history. We'll watch it together and tonight on ESPN.

3rd clear moment. Friday practice before the MNF game:
New Orleans, and the @Saints had been through a year of hell post Katrina. I had been dating Michel & her parents house & her brothers house were destroyed.
People died. People lost jobs. People lost purpose #Rebirth2020 1/5
— Steve Gleason - "Live Impossible" (@SteveGleason) April 6, 2020

As New Orleans re-watches one of the greatest moments on the history of the city, not the team, city, I hope that through this we as humanity recall where we have been and know that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. New Orleans is such a special city filled with resilient people, loving people, and people who always have hope. This game played nearly 15 years ago was and still is a perfect representation of the people of New Orleans. This re-air is for the people of New Orleans. Let us enjoy the beautiful “Rebirth”.

"This game played nearly 15 years ago was and still is a perfect representation of the people of New Orleans."

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