The New Orleans Saints’ season opener is still a few weeks away, but the team isn’t wasting time preparing for their big rivalry game with the Atlanta Falcons. And they’re embracing the spirit of the long-running series like only they can: raw pettiness.
As noted by our own Ross Jackson, the Saints have been practicing at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center with a unique scoreboard displaying a margin of 28-3. That, of course, is in reference to the Falcons’ Super Bowl LI loss to the New England Patriots in which Atlanta took a 28-3 lead late in the third quarter only to lose in overtime. Any opportunity to remind New Orleans’ rivals of that egg on their face shouldn’t be missed.
And this is a good way to wrap up Saints training camp. Wednesday marks their final real practice session before Friday night’s preseason game with the Los Angeles Chargers. A series of roster moves will follow over the weekend, then it’s on to Atlanta (where the regular season will kick off on Sept. 11).
Some things have changed under Dennis Allen’s tenure as head coach, but he’s been just as quick to embrace the pettiness that Sean Payton employed over the years. Motivational tactics like this aren’t new (Payton often had the Saints practice field painted with opposing teams’ logos) but it’s always fun to see what new maneuvers they roll out.
Coincidentally, barriers at construction zones in the Caesars Superdome also make reference to the Falcons’ all-time collapse. See for yourself:
Love my petty team!!! ⚜ @Saints pic.twitter.com/HMAZeoKjPe
— ⚜ Tina Howell ⚜ (@TheNolaGirl) August 24, 2022
