METAIRIE, LA — There have been some changes, to say the least, regarding the New Orleans Saints in the offseason. Mark Ingram is now in Baltimore, replaced by Latavius Murray, and receiver Michael Thomas is a no-show so far as he works to renegotiate his contract. Those moves alone could be enough to bring apprehension to the Who Dat Nation.
So Friday morning, hours before the gates opened at Saints training camp off Airline Drive in Metairie, fans lined up with their team gear and other items, perhaps hoping to snag an autograph from Drew Brees. Were they worried about the new running back? What about Michael Thomas’ absence? Nope.
Fans we spoke with were more concerned about the closing moments of last season and whether the team would have to endure another no-call this time around.
“Definitely don’t let them get robbed because it will be on,” fan Florence Mickens told WGNO. Mickens says she’s been a Saints fan since the days of Tulane Stadium.
“I just don’t want them to get robbed,” Victoria Taylor echoed. Taylor is a fan from Georgia who is in town to see Saints training camp for the first time.
“They don’t get robbed,” yet another fan told us. Michele Duchock is from the Dallas area and drove here to watch her Saints play.
Plenty of other fans are tired of hearing complaints about the no-call that came late in NFC championship game in the Superdome. After officials failed to call pass interference on a Rams player, the Saints settled for a field goal and left Los Angeles with too much time remaining on the clock. The Rams were able to tie the game and go on to win it in overtime.
If there’s any consolation for angry Saints fans, it’s that the Rams went on to lose the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots.