At What Point Do You Consider A Player A True Saint? (1 Viewer)

[Scorpius the Allfather]

I was going to evoke Reggie's name. When he came here, he was already so famous and it was such a huge media splash I remember saying, Well, no matter how well he does, he'll never be beloved here. But then he came in and did a lot for the city monetary wise in the post-Katrina renew and that was impressive And then he actually struggled a bit on the field, not getting his first TD till, what, 8 games in? Oh, so the great Reggie Bush IS human and I began to look at him differently.

He obviously wasn't going to be a Beerman kind of story, but I have nothing but fond memories of Reggie here. Wish the story could have been different with like multiple SBs, but he's an important part of the overall Saints story. And, like you said, he's been advocate for the franchise having never burned the bridges. And now I have only one more thing to say ... GIVE HIM HIS DANG HEISMAN BACK.

I don't think it was 8 games, but I do know it was the punt return against Tampa that helped us seal the victory.

 

[Scorpius the Allfather]

Cam Jordan is definitely a true Saint. He has admitted on several occasions that he wants to end his career here, and he recruits for other players to join us (although his record isn't too good lol).
Another player i'll add to that list is Keenan Lewis. Even though his time with us was short, but he grew up a fan and took less money to come here. You don't see that too often.

And he was dominating in that road Eagles playoff victory in 2013, but he got injured and you could see how mad he was that they wouldn't let him back in. Once he left, the Eagles started to make things happen.

 

[COACHTDL]

So joke out of the way. Most of the time I base it on success on field, actively helping in the community, good locker room guy and men that are accountible for their action/mistakes. Not guys that say the DC did not put me in a position to succeed following a Superbowl loss. I just "added " Jameis Winston to the list in my head. He is so much different than I thought. Did not have much of an opportunity with injuries and DA, but he is a guy I am proud to have on this team. He really loves the fans and this city. He shows a mature team first approach with the team. Any ego he has he put off to the side. Other guys on this team would be Cam, Lattimore, Davis, Alvin, MT(been thru a bunch last few years), Ramczyk. Then guys from the past..the BEER Man. Of course there are many more.

 

[saintsmarchin]

Once they leave, they don’t sign with Atlanta…Bobby I’m talking to you you dirty traitor

Imagine Saints win a superbowl with Carr.

Bobby's forever meme will be

We still ain't gonna win nothing!

 

[SaintJ]

Longevity helps, but all you have to do is embrace the city while you're here, and generally be a good guy.

Reggie is a perfect example of a guy who didn't need to spend his entire career here to always be a Saint. Tom Dempsey was another.

 

[saint_drago]

It's not about having a long career with the Saints. It's about the impact you had on the game. It's about how fun you were to watch. It's about how you carry yourself while you're playing for the Saints and how you represent the Saints post career. Reggie Bush and Jabari Greer each played five seasons with the team but would anyone argue that they aren't true Saints?

Saints history is littered with fan favorites who had relatively brief careers. Were Rueben Mayes and Ironhead Heyward true Saints? They didn't reach 6 years with the team.

 

[Cbarra87]

Along with long tenure, I’d add

-Successful individual Saints career (consistently top 10 at position or multi All-Pros/Pro Bowls)
-Recognized team leader as a Saint
-Memorable plays and significant role in winning significant # of games/playoffs
-Heavy fan favorite in the community
-Players that remain involved in Saints media or community after their careers

All of those describes Willie Roaf, Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Cam Jordan, Demario Davis, and the Dome Patrol members, also Lance Moore and Reggie Bush in different ways. There’s other players from the Mora, Haslett, and Payton teams that would fit those too.

I agree with your entire list. I would add:

Thomas Morstead
Steve Gleason
Jonathan Vilma (Maybe)


I'm sure there are a few others. If we reach back to the pre-Payton era, guys like Dempsey come to mind.

 

[MudvilleStomper]

One big play can make you a true Saint.

Take Michael Mauti, for instance, who is and will forever be a True Saint for that hit on Cam Newton.

 

[HouseCall]

One big play can make you a true Saint.

Take Michael Mauti, for instance, who is and will forever be a True Saint for that hit on Cam Newton.

But how much of that is unconsciously tied to the historical connection Rich Mauti has to the Saints? So there’s a legacy connection there.

Also, I always think of Curtis DeLoatch as a somewhat forgotten part of the Gleason punt block. Of course, we here on this board know who he is, but id bet if you asked who scored the TD on the Gleason block - many casual
Saints fans would assume it was Gleason.

It’s a really interesting thread topic. I really had to ponder my response and I’m honesty still not sure I know what is and isn’t the spark that make someone a “Saint”.

Guys like Curtis Lofton and Michael Haynes were free agents who came in and had decent output for the team during their tenures. But I still think of both as Falcons. Heck, Haynes is from New Orleans - and I don’t think of him as a Saint.

Jim Everette put up some of his best career numbers as a Saint - but he’ll always be a Ram to me. Strangely the same way I’ll always see John Carney as a Charger.

It’s weird and I think this is a fascinating topic.

 

[UFCSaint]

Play most of your career with the Saints
Stay out of major trouble
Not be injured all the time
Don't run your mouth on social media
Make a significant positive impact on or off the field
Longevity

btw most of these are the same criteria I used to use to purchase a player's jersey

 

[Complex Kid]

And in the Super Bowl year, Hartley and Porter definitely get included despite not having particularly long careers here.

I'm surprised I haven't seen his name pop up more in this thread. He only played 43 games for us but he had arguably two of the biggest plays in team history. He's definitely up there for me.

 

[Dome50]

Just being associated with the Superbowl team can get you "legend" status. The team will roll out old players at half time for interviews and I had to chuckle a little bit when they deemed Jeff Charleston a "Saints legend." He was on the team as a reserve for four years. That said, I do have some fond memories of the few plays he made during that time period. So I'm not here to argue the legend status.

 

[Scorpius the Allfather]

I'm surprised I haven't seen his name pop up more in this thread. He only played 43 games for us but he had arguably two of the biggest plays in team history. He's definitely up there for me.

Of course Porter is a true Saint! Dude had a Lombardi cut into his head for the game itself. And also for purposefully waiting to pick Manning. We obviously knew about the tendency on a certain down and distance, and let them run that play at least one time before deciding to pull the trigger.

 

[Scorpius the Allfather]

Just being associated with the Superbowl team can get you "legend" status. The team will roll out old players at half time for interviews and I had to chuckle a little bit when they deemed Jeff Charleston a "Saints legend." He was on the team as a reserve for four years. That said, I do have some fond memories of the few plays he made during that time period. So I'm not here to argue the legend status.

This reminds me, Jonathan Casillas is most definitely a true Saint and I'll tell you why. He's the reason we recovered the onside kick. Early on, Indy had it but then Casillas spears the guy with the ball and that's what popped it loose for Chris Reis, another automatic true Saint, to recover.

 

[ChopperSaint]

I go with at least 6 years or 100 games.

I would not make this a criteria .
Example Steve Gleason .