Feature
January
05
Saints Smash Records, Roll Into Playoffs
by Terry Trahan Jr.
Say it ain’t so. The New Orleans Saints reserved a ticket to the playoffs again this year—the fourth trip since Sean Payton and Drew Brees teamed up in 2006 to create what would become a football powerhouse on the bayou.
This time around, the road to Super Bowl 46 in Indianapolis will begin at home against the Detroit Lions at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The 2009 Super Bowl season has yet to lose its charm, yet the boys in black and gold have followed that up two years later with another 16 games that have showcased what they are really capable of when all three phases of football come together to create something magical. Having finished the 2011 season 13-3 (Déjà vu?), the Saints are readying the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for the return of the Lions.
And we all know how that Dec. 4 game turned out.
Still, the Lions have proven to be a formidable foe for 10 other NFL teams. The bottom line is that if they don’t come back with a revised game plan, the team’s first trip to the playoffs in the 21st century will be short-lived.
Brees and the rest of the Saints are rolling at the right time, as analysts say, and that’s what makes their approach such a lethal one. With a healthy roster that drops names like Marques Colston, Will Smith, Jimmy Graham, Tracy Porter, Darren Sproles and Jonathan Vilma (just to name a few) on offense, defense and special teams, the Saints have put together an undefeated season at home, the first in franchise history. And that’s exactly where the Lions are headed on Saturday.
It’s the same deafening environment that all but lifted the roof when Steve Gleason blocked that punt by the Atlanta Falcons in 2006 during the first game back following Hurricane Katrina. It’s the same quaking environment that shook even more violently when Garrett Hartley’s foot put up the three points that sent the Saints to their first Super Bowl. It’s the same historical environment that witnessed Brees breaking Dan Marino’s record for most passing yards in a single season just two weeks ago.
Marino finished his 1984 season with 5,084 passing yards. Brees wrapped up his 2011 season with 5,476 yards.
The record-breaking moments haven’t stopped since. The Saints set a franchise record against the Carolina Panthers, their last regular season opponent, on New Year’s Day for most yards in a game, finishing with 617.
That also led to the team’s possession of the record for most yards in a season—7,474. The St. Louis Rams set the previous record of 7,075 in 2000, the same year the Saints defeated the same team to get their first “W” under the playoffs column.
As for scoring, the Saints now hold the NFL record for most points scored at home in a season—329. Their 472 completed passes and 416 first downs also made their way into the records books, as did their six fumbles for fewest in a season.
The Saints also raised the bar within their own franchise with 66 touchdowns, 63 points after touchdown, 6.7 average yards per play, 4.9 average yards per rush, 662 pass attempts, 118 third-down conversions and 46.9 average yards punting this season. The 2011 team also had the fewest fumbles lost and the fewest turnovers.
Amid all the NFL and franchise record-smashing, key offensive players also walked away with a few blue ribbons following the final snap. Brees completed 468 passes this year, breaking Peyton Manning’s best of 450. The Saints quarterback even broke his own completion percentage record by a whole point, from 70.6 percent in 2009 to 71.6 percent in 2011.
Graham broke Kellen Winslow’s record for receiving yards by a tight end with 1,310 yards; however, Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots took over the record the same afternoon by finishing with 1,327 yards.
In the all-purpose yards category, Sproles captured the NFL record with 2,969 yards combined from rushing, receiving and returning kickoffs and punts. Colston also set a franchise record with his fifth 1,000-yard season.
Still, with all of the hype over numbers, the only digits the Saints have their eyes on are those on the scoreboard at the end of the fourth quarter Feb. 5.
Records can be celebrated when the season is over, Brees said; until then, the next season is set to begin. And it’s a coveted one—one that has a prize with bragging rights—one that can satisfy the craving for a Two Dat.
