White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. – Morten Andersen crafted a 13-year career with the New Orleans Saints, and a 25-year career overall, on a steely on-field demeanor that projected calm amid chaos.
He won game after game with left-footed field goals that sailed through uprights with mere seconds remaining, or as time expired, his expression unchanging during the sideline preparation for those kicks or the execution of them.
Likely, he’d have had a difficult time kicking a game-winner Monday, and not just because of the aging process. Emotionally, Andersen clearly was compromised as he addressed media members at The Greenbrier, where the Saints announced that the future Pro Football Hall of Famer has been honored as the fourth member of the team’s Ring of Honor, joining prior honorees Rickey Jackson, Archie Manning and Willie Roaf.