Following Hurricane Katrina and a 2005 Saints season spent on the road, with “home games” in San Antonio and Baton Rouge, the arrival in New Orleans of Sean Payton was seen as a new beginning. No one could possibly have been optimistic enough to predict the 2009 Super Bowl win that forever enshrined the man as a Big Easy legend.
My how things change.
New Orleans is a forgiving city. Frequently to a fault. When Payton was forced to sit out 2012 due to the Bountygate scandal, Saints fans were ready and eager to welcome him back with open arms.