Ernie Conwell Quotations

We really felt like we were representing the Gulf area, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, all the people down there. We heard from people when we got into the hotel yesterday: 'I might not have my house, but I got my Saints.' Football means something to these people.

The reality is that it's not even there every series, every play. Even in big games in championship games, in Super Bowls that emotion either can hamper you or it can bless you. You have to know how to handle it and not be overwhelmed by it.

Obviously, when you have Deuce back there, defenses have to account for him all the time. I'm sure teams are going to adjust to some degree, but we are who we are. We're not going to revamp this whole offense in a week, or, for that matter, even during the course of a season.

I wouldn't use the word normalcy as much as this week is going to be more convenient for us. The normalcy issue is we've never played in this stadium before. We've never come here on a game day. We didn't get the numbers and hash marks on the field until a couple days ago. We have to double up in our locker room and give the other half to Buffalo. So this is going to be a brand new environment for all of us.

I would bet - well, I'm not a betting man - but I feel 99.9 per cent confident that I had possession of the ball and that I was down by contact. I went over to the official and told him I had possession, that you guys have got to review that.

But a lot of guys have been thinking about this. This is Texas; so they know football whether there have been a lot of NFL games here or not. They know high school football. So they're going to know how to cheer. We anticipate they'll be educated fans who are going to be quiet when our offense is out there and loud when our defense is out there, and full of energy.

Here was a guy who had nothing and wanted to do the right thing, ... He wanted to go on with his life. He said he had some engagement rings in Louisiana but had lost them all.

I think it's just going to be fun to go back and just hope you can see someone smile when they see you because we won a game.

I think (the trainers) were just being very cautious. I'm sore, but having the extra day off will help.

Last year, Boo showed a greater maturity level. Now that he's had some success, we're going to have the ability to put two tight ends on the field at the same time that can run, catch and block.

It felt more sore today than yesterday, but that's normal with a strain.

I think everybody wants to perform well against their old team. If for nothing else, it gives you bragging rights until the next time you play against them.

Maybe so, ... but you've got to understand what it means to have a guy like that calling your offense. He's bold and unorthodox. He's always looking to go for the jugular, no matter what the book says you should do. So pretty soon you adopt a killer mentality yourself, and you're bold out there. And that's what got us where we are.

I was apologizing to my family for having to watch that. The pain that's in your stomach, it's like a broken heart. I don't ever want to feel that again.

Yeah, I have a lot of great memories there,

We want to know what is going on, what is being discussed. After all, what is decided impacts our lives.

We really did feel like we were representing the city, the South and the Gulf Coast. We had people say to us, 'I might not have a house, but I have the Saints.' Football means something to people. We were shocked at how much interest there was in football. People were excited about the Saints still. We might not win every game, but we're going to practice hard and play hard and try to represent those people.

And then the NFC championship game against Philadelphia (Jan. 27, 2002) that got us to our second Super Bowl (XXXVI). The atmosphere. The crowd. And then the hardships I've had there, like when I dislocated my knee and was looking at a potential career-ending injury. It's a great sport town.

You're getting into dangerous territory if you go down that road,

They said I had a slight separation of my jaw and a mild concussion,

Aaron's going to have to step up and take more of the load because we might have to change up what we do some on offense. You don't have No. 26 back there to carry the ball 25, 30 times a game. I've been in this situation before at St. Louis. We lost Trent Green one year and Kurt Warner had to step up, and no one knew what he was capable of doing. All of a sudden, we had a huge turnaround, and we won the Super Bowl. And the rest is history.

It's like running downhill. You're out of control, your arms are flailing. If you play that way, it won't work.

It was a no-brainer for me, ... I thought, this guy isn't looking for a handout. He was ready to pay everything he had.

I've had lots of great moments in St. Louis,

I know Gene is going to be looking into it. Our seat at the table will be Gene Upshaw.

I don't think guys are holding their breath thinking that the league is going to do what is best for the players on this team.

How many people are going to show up?