Former Saints player Steve Gleason on life after the NFL
That blocked punt was like opening the levee holding back the repressed pain and sadness of what had occurred in our dome, in our city, and in our family after living as refugees for so many months. It didn't take away our rebuilding reality, but right off the bat of that night it funneled that repressed energy into a moment gushing out in tears of a hybrid joy and sadness of every seat in that dome and every set of re-located eyes watching around America to say, "We are here. We are stronger than you think and we will survive." That was so much more than a football play.
Maybe there is some bit of hyperbole in what I am trying to express, but think about the feeling in your heart when you watch that replay, do you not well up inside?
We are New Orleans.