The faith of fans and the determination of football players in the aftermath of the worst natural disaster in American history are the perfect formula for a miracle season that shows the world that an entire region is back.

Now That Should Be A Movie.

Short Pitch

It is called Patron Saints

It is a Sports Drama

In the vein of The Blindside.

It is like American Underdog meets Invictus. 

It follows a determined football franchise with an abysmal track record called the New Orleans Saints

And their downtrodden storm victimized fans The Who Dats

As they rebuild the team and the Golf Coast area after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Problems arise when the team loses games and the longsuffering Who Dats begin to wonder if the franchise has really improved.

Now they must feed off each other’s determination and faith as they show the world that the Gulf Coast is coming back.

This idea came to me when The Saints won XLIV 44.                                       

My unique approach is the symbiotic relationship of a city and a football franchise as they recover from disaster and build a team of champions.              

A set piece would be when the team is playing one of their first games. A dejected fan sits in his FEMA trailer looking at his damaged house that contractors have still not shown up to clean out. The team scores two field goals and a touchdown in the first quarter. The fan sits up. Then the team scores two more touchdowns in the second quarter. The fan stands up and starts pacing back and forth in his trailer. In the third quarter, the team scores two field goals. The game is close. The fan leaves the radio blaring as he runs into his house and begins cleaning it out. By the time the team has won, 34-27, the fan has completely cleaned out his house.

Target audiences would be football and sports fans, men and women 20-100 years old, the faith-based market, and residents of the Gulf Coast region.                                                     

People would turn out to watch the film in theaters because of the universal themes of recovery, healing, overcoming adversity, and the indomitability of the human spirit.

Today’s book I would like to pitch as a movie is Patron Saints: How the Saints Gave New Orleans a Reason to Believe by Alan Donnes, from Center Street. Unlike most of the other books on the Saints I’ve covered, Donnes’s book was written in 2007 and only records the team’s first post-Katrina year. Its unique approach is that the majority of the book is made of excerpts from interviews with franchise faculty, players, Superdome staff, politicians, and fans. From Dave Dixon, the “Father of the Superdome,” to the organizer of jazz festivals, and the owners of small Saints-themed stores, Donnes’ book covers a variety of perspectives. It also gives voice to individual fans that other books would leave as faceless crowd members. And even after writing four blog posts about the Saints already, the subject still excites me.

The New Orleans Saints organization was established in 1966. There was some debate about the name, some thinking it be would sacrilegious. When the original team owners saw the brand-new archbishop of New Orleans, Philip Hannan, in a restaurant, they approached and asked him for his opinion. “I think the Saints is a marvelous name,” he said. “And besides, I have a terrible premonition that we are going to need all the help we can get.”

The poor performance of the derisively nicknamed “Aints” has been well recorded. Despite a period in the 1980s when fans, called Who Dats, wore paper bags over their heads during games, the team’s supporters continued to attend games. The city once known as the Paris of the South had been in decline for several decades. Having a National Football League franchise helped the citizens feel like they were still in the big leagues. In 2005, even before Hurricane Katrina had hit the city, the theme for the football season was declared to be “Faith.” Soon sports gear shops geared toward the Saints were full of memorabilia bearing that word.

The Saints were in San Jose, California when Katrina hit. Their first game after the storm was a 13-6 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Many of the players had seen the images on the TV of people being rescued from their rooftops by helicopters and were worried about their families back home. Steve Gleason’s girlfriend’s family had lost their home under eight feet of water. A prayer for New Orleans was even held before the game.

The team was then relocated to Texas. Franchise owner Tom Benson got a bad rap over setting the team up in San Antonio, but staff like Mickey Loomis and players like field goal kicker John Carney said he did a good job finding homes for them. Many of the players had to live in hotel rooms. Their training facilities were far from ideal. They were supposed to practice in the Alamodome but had to share it with other sports events, like volleyball. Steve Gleason knew the settings were not ideal but was grateful for what the team had since many people in New Orleans did not even have hot meals, running water, or electricity.  

Being in Texas brought the players in direct contact with refugees from the storm. They visited refugee centers and camps. Wide receiver Joe Horn was at Wal-Mart in Houston with some other players when they saw several refugees shopping. They went up to the cashier and gave them their cards to pay for whatever the refugees needed. A large portion of the gate’s proceeds from the September 19 game against the New York Giants, a loss of 10-27, were donated to the storm victims. NFL owners, players, and fans would generate over $22 million for Gulf Coast recovery. The National Football League committed an additional $15 million to the renovation of the Superdome.

There was much debate about restoring the Superdome. Some wondered if anyone would want to enter the stadium after the bad conditions and horrific, though false, stories of murder and mayhem reported by the media in Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath. The thousands of people trapped there in the chaotic days of late August and early September might find it too traumatic to go back inside. But if the Superdome was torn down, the Saints would have to find a new home. No dome, no team.

The team had already begun giving people hope, winning their season opener against the Carolina Panthers, 23-20. At the close of the season, the NFL bestowed upon the Saints franchise the Ed Block Courage Award. As Tom Benson so eloquently put it, “These people need hope. We It.”

If the Dome had sustained more than 50% damage, FEMA would have had it torn down. Estimates for the remodeling gave a timeline of thirty-six months and a cost of $200 million. But the Dome’s general manager Doug Thornton stepped up. According to him, the dome was the heart of the city, being visible from nearly every direction. What would the people of New Orleans think if it just set there rotting? If it was torn down, it would be a gaping hole in the city’s psychic. According to Thornton, every contractor and subcontractor he hired took pride in their work, knowing what the sight of the stadium being rebuilt meant to the people of the city.

As the Superdome was being rebuilt, so was the team. A new coach, Sean Payton, was brought in because according to general manager Mickey Loomis, he was the kind of guy for whom players would want to play. They brought in quarterback Drew Brees not only because of his record of winning but also because his attitude could give the team a kick in the rear. According to Brees, he chose the Saints because the opportunity to help turn a franchise around for an entire region does not come around in most people’s lifetimes. “It was meant to be,” he said.

Another boost to the city was the drafting of running back and Heisman Trophy Winner Reggie Bush. At first, there was some doubt about the team getting him. Mickey Loomis bet Sean Payton $20 that they would not get him. It looked like Reggie was going to go to Houston, but at the last minute, a deal was made. Ram Randazza, owner of the Black & Gold Sports Shop, called his distributors and told them he would need lots of Reggie Bush jerseys. The psychological boost that his draft gave the city was immediately obvious. When he walked into Emeril’s, the whole restaurant jumped up and started chanting “Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!”  According to Loomis, the pick sent ticket sales skyrocketing. The running back repaid the city’s confidence in him both on the gridiron and off, paying for the resurfacing of the historic Tad Gormley Stadium.

At first, there was concern that Bush would not get along with veteran running back Deuce McAllister, who had torn his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee the previous season. All of the hype around Bush could make McAllister feel threatened. But when Bush arrived at training camp, McAllister went right up and gave him a big hug. According to Payton, he knew what kind of attitude being on a team required

Throughout Saints 2006 training camp the team developed a winning attitude. It was obvious in their first preseason game when they won, 19-16. Even though they lost the next three games, it was obvious that they were coming together as a team. The team had shown improvement during preseason games against Dallas and Indianapolis but had fallen apart in the second halves, with 30-7 and 27-14 losses. It was during the game against Kansas that they found their stride. Sideline reporter Kenny Wilkerson said it was like someone threw a switch on Payton and he started taking control. Steve Gleason says that during the huddles Brees’ leadership took over. Brees recalls watching with confidence from the sidelines even as the team lost 10-9.

Meanwhile, the progress on the Superdome continued. According to Thornton, all the supplies were coming in on time. Half the people in the city had to drive by the dome to get to work. They could see the progress being made. Banners hung from the side, which read “Our Dome. Our Home. Our Team. Be A Saint.”

The regular season began with a 19-14 win against the Cleveland Browns, the first time the team had won a season opener since 1978. Not every fan was excited. Abbe Garfinkel had just about given up on the Saints a few years before the storm. He was living in a FEMA trailer a few feet from his devastated house, dealing with insurance and contractor hassles. Weeks had gone by and the company he contracted to clean up his house had still not arrived. “Okay Sean,” he said to himself as he taped his picture to the refrigerator. “I’ll give you a chance.” He started listening to the Saints vs Packers game. When the Saints started getting touchdowns and scoring field goals, it started Abbe Garfinkel’s adrenalin. Soon so much was rushing through his body that he rushed out of his FEMA trailer, into his house, and started cleaning out the trash. By the time the Saints had won the game, 34–27, he finally had his house clean thanks to Payton.

Despite the Packer’s game, some fans felt that the team was still no different from the past. But the team kept up their winning attitude. According to Gleason, they were determined to believe nothing was impossible. This determination was repaid by the fans who came to the airport after games on the road.

Then came the first game back in the Superdome was September 25, a year a few weeks after Katrina. According to Thornton, the place was football-ready, even if the suites and floors on the club level were not finished. The paint was still wet in some places. The entire season was already 100% sold out, a first in franchise history. The Saints merchandise was flying off the shelves at Pam Randazza’s store. People told him to raise his prices to meet the demand. No way. The people had been living in FEMA trailers and wrangling with contractors and insurance companies for months. Now they had something to be excited about. He wished he could have given away the merchandise for free. Sammy Martin, a fan from Tennessee, started listening to radio reports about how well the team was performing. He drove all the way to New Orleans and took the first parking place he found so he could watch the game in person. Doug Thornton had been in the stadium for hundreds of concerts, games, and other events and had never seen it electrified as it was that night.

The game was getting more media coverage than is usually given to football. It was ESPN’s largest-ever audience, with approximately 10.8 million households tuning in. At the time the second-largest audience in cable history. Many networks that normally did not carry football broadcast the game around the world. It was great exposure from the media that had been portraying the Crescent City negatively for over a year. Now it was showing the world that New Orleans was coming back.

There was something different about the game. There was none of the usual trash talk between rival fans. Local musicians like The Rebirth Brass Band played before the game. Every concession stand was run by local nonprofits. The commission for that one Monday alone was more than the entire 2004 season. Doug Thornton was no celebrity, but since he had appeared on TV news conferences about the remodeling of the dome, members of the crowd would walk up to him, shake his hand, and thank him. Defensive end Will Smith said the cheering was louder during the pre-game warmup than he had ever heard during a game. Wide receiver Joe Horn said he could feel the energy as he waited in the tunnel to rush out and started crying like a baby. He would have rather died than lose the game that night. Sideline reporter Kenny Wilkerson said that out of all the Super Bowls he had covered, none of them had the “drama and emotion and exhilaration that was going on” that night. Even Falcons Head Coach Jim Mora said the night made him realize the resilience and toughness of the region’s people. According to Dave Dixon, “It was the perfect example of the indomitability of the human spirit.”

Donnes compared the game to The Battle of New Orleans, which also deserves an epic movie. Like Andrew Jackson 200 years before, “Coach Sean Payton defied incredible odds and routed the mighty, red jersey-clad Atlanta Falcons.” The game was as grand and glorious as the battle because, like the American and citizen soldiers who had saved the city from the British Empire, the Saints had shown the world that the people of New Orleans once again “were willing to stand up and fight.” (Patron Saints, p 177)

I have already covered the euphoria that Steve Gleason’s blocking of the Falcon’s opening punt and the Saints’ 23-3 victory had given the people of the Gulf Coast elsewhere. Here are some scenes from after the game. Kenny Wilkerson described it as a lovefest. Tom Benson was down on the field with his umbrella doing the “Benson Boogie.” Fans in the stands who a year earlier might have sent him threats over the rumors that he was moving the team to San Antonio were cheering him. Reggie Bush truly realized for the first time he was not just playing for the Saints but for the people who had lost their homes. The cheering was so loud it could be heard in the otherwise sound-repellant media boxes. Instead of giving the ball to one person that night, Sean Payton said it was for the people of New Orleans.

The season continued to inspire the people of New Orleans. Even though the next game was an 18-21 loss, the team focused on the fact that it was only by three points. Tickets became harder and harder to come by. For the first time in history requests for season tickets outnumbered available seats in the Superdome. The ticket and suite sales for the franchise set up a ticket exchange on their website so season-ticket holders could give away their tickets for the games they were going to miss. Even the hosting stadiums were filled with chants of “Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!” or “Beer Man!” in reference to wide receiver Michael Lewis who had supported himself as a driver for Budweiser before his big break.

Even after Reggie sprained his ankle and an injury took Joe Horn out for the season, the enthusiasm of the fans did not falter. My post on Coming Back Stronger by Drew Brees covers how the Dallas Cowboys home stadium was filled with chants of “Who Dat! Who Dat! Who Dat” as the Saints defeated them, 42-17. The game was a significant psychological victory. For ages, the Cowboys had been thought of as America’s Team. Now that title had been passed onto the team representing hope for a devastated region. And not only for Americans but for people from around the world.

A film could have a montage of the 2006 season with the city recovering and PR events featuring players. Abbe Garfinkel finds a contractor to work on his house. Police report crime going down. Drew visits the Children’s Hospital. The team even works with Habit for Humanity with smaller communities in the far reaches of the Gulf Coast. People would walk up to Brees while he was in public and thank him for coming to their city and helping them rebuild.

When the team found out how many Who Dats wanted to go to the game in New York even though it was on Christmas Eve, the players gave away tickets. Many fans, even the ones still living in FEMA trailers, considered the 30-7 win the best Christmas ever. They even turned out to greet their “Papa Noels” at the Airport.

The Saints then beat the Panthers, 31-21, partly due to a touchdown by longtime player Fred McAfee.  It was his first touchdown since 1998. The team was going to the playoffs for the National Football Conference for the second time in the franchise’s forty-year-long history.

The excitement of the fans was visible all over the city. Placekicker Billy Cundiff remembered going into a Walgreens. The only person not decked out in black-and-gold jerseys was him. Local talk shows that had mainly focused on the lack of recovery from the storm devoted hours to the Saints. Before the game started, a lot of people without tickets showed up to concerts and tailgate parties outside of the Superdome. They just wanted to be a part of the excitement. Steven Gleason remembered that fans were not yelling “Beat the Eagles,” like they would before a normal game. Instead, they were coming up and thanking the players and letting them know how much the team meant to them.

Before the game with the Eagles, a video played on the jumbotrons entitled In Your Honor. Unlike other game-time reels that showcased the team’s highlights, it highlighted the enthusiasm and energy of the Who Dats. In many ways, it was a full circle from the video played at the Superdome at the beginning of the season, which highlighted the disasters, tragedies, and sorrows the city had experienced during Hurricane Katrina. When Brees came out of the tunnel, the stadium filled with chants of “MVP! MVP! MVP!” Abbe Garfinkel remembers yelling at Payton’s image on TV, “Don’t get Drew hurt!”

During the game, Deuce McAllister rumbled from midfield to the 22-yard line. From there kicker John Carney scored a field goal and the first point of the game. Reggie Bush recaptioned for 25 yards and completed a 35-yard pass to Devery Henderson, setting it up for another field goal from Carney. One of the Eagle’s players was a former wide receiver for the Saints. Sportscasters had commented on the possibility of the trade coming back to haunt the Saints in the game, but once again the team overcame adversity. At the end of a 75-yard drive, Reggie Bush dazzled his way into the end zone. Touchdown! A 13-7 lead. Deuce McAllister ran a 5-yard touchdown. The entire time the Dome was reverberating with the chant of “Deuce! Deuce! Deuce!” as he scored a final touchdown to take the Saints to the NFC Championship!

Deuce had been a metaphor for the city. Like the people of New Orleans, he was rebuilding his career despite the hardship of his injury. Steve Gleason said it was McAllister’s destiny. The fans were clapping, dancing, and cheering for him and the team after the game. Nobody headed toward the exits. Scott Fujita said his wife recorded a video long after the game was over and it was still a, packed, chaotic scene as the fans remained in the Dome celebrating.

For the first time in the franchise’s history, the team was one game from the Super Bowl. For the fans, it was a vindication of years of futility and struggle. They began making their way to Chicago by plane, train, truck and even hitchhiking. Tickets for the game were going for $467. Sammy Marten drove to the Windy City in his truck covered with Saints flags and stickers, shouting “Who Dat” the entire time. Someone on the street asked him if he wanted to sell his tickets. Marten looked at his “Who Dat” jersey and asked the stranger, “Do I look that stupid?”

Back in the Big Easy fans like Abbe Garfinkel were wearing jerseys and having parties in their FEMA trailers. Some fans rode through the streets blaring music from their vehicles’ speakers. Others set up giant TVs on the medians known as neutral grounds so all their neighbors could watch the game.

A sportscaster once said that it would be a cold day in hell before the Saints made it to the Super Bowl. Soldier Field might not have been hell, but it was cold. The weather worked against the Saints as they failed to break the Bear’s defensive line. One of the worst moments of the game was when placekicker Billy Cundiff attempted a 47-yard field goal. In the controlled environment of the Superdome, it would have been a cinch. But Cundiff was unaccustomed to the wet and cold ground. His kick fell short. It was the Saints’ last serious attempt to penetrate the bear’s heavily defended endzone.

Adding to the misery was the attitude of the Bear fans. Saints fan Sammy Martin recalls being hit by snowballs thrown by the Chicagoans. Yells of “Who Dat? Da Bears,” filled the stadium. Even “Finish what Katrina started” could be heard as the Saints’ dream season came to a close one game short of the Super Bowl. (Note: The Bears would go on to lose the Super Bowl to the Indianapolis Colts, who the Saints would later defeat in Act Three of their story. So, nice foreshadowing.)

On the flight home, Cundiff kept thinking about the kick. If only ie had done it differently. But the fans were not thinking of the kick. Abbe stepped out of his FEMA trailer and looked at his house. It was in much better shape than it had been at the beginning of the season. Then he looked at the pictures of Payton taped on his refrigerator. That’s it, he declared to his friends. They were going to meet the team at the airport. Radio host Bobby Hebert said that fans kept calling about how they were going to take their kids to meet the Saints, so he kept breaking into his broadcast to give updates about the departure and expected landing of the Saint’s plane. The last time he had broken into his broadcast with updates was during Katrina’s landfall.

When the plane landed, it was greeted by thousands of fans. The cheering was so loud it could be heard inside the plane. Steven Gleason was not surprised that a little cold rain had not stopped the people who had survived a category five hurricane from turning out. As his vehicle passed the crowd, he rolled his window down to thank them. No, thank you, they replied. The Team going from 3-13 season the previous year to a division title and an NFC Championship game proved that anything is possible. No one thought it was sacrilegious to say that the Saints were leading the people into the promised land. Sean Payton received Coach of the Year awards from both the NFL and the Associated Press. As Scott Fujita said, “We didn’t need a trophy. The City of New Orleans is our trophy.”

Here’s where we leave the Saints story for now. This would be about the fifty to sixty mark in a film. The rest of Act 2 and the climax of Act 3 is a story for another time.

Because it is an inspirational story of a community overcoming adversity together and an amazing example of the indomitability of the human spirit is why I believe Patron Saints by Alan Donnes should be a movie filmed in Louisiana.

If you enjoyed my post, please consider donating so I can continue to upload more in the future.