The 2 Minute Drill: Live From the "Big but Not So Easy"

By Ivette Ricco

December 3, 2006

I flew to New Orleans for the first time, ever on Wednesday, November 29, 2006.

My purpose was not to dance down Bourbon Street with a drink in one hand and a crawfish pie in the other. I wasn't there to eat the Jambalaya, the Gumbo, or to suck up the Hurricanes, my mission was two-fold, to watch the San Francisco Forty Niners vs. the New Orleans Saints, and more importantly, to research my next article, "The Rebuilding of New Orleans, When the Saints and New Orleans Came Marching Back".
It was an experience I won't soon forget.

This article is solely about the football experience I had on Sunday the 3 rd of December, a day also known as Reggie Bush's Personal Mardi Gras Party.

I flew to New Orleans for the first time, ever on Wednesday, November 29, 2006.

The Super Dome is huge, and given that it needed a complete overhaul after Hurricane Katrina it is impressive that it shows very little after effects from that situation.

The Super Dome is Loud! Once the fans get into the game they bang on anything and everything. These fans have a torrid affair going on with their team.

With both teams feeling confident going into this game, the expectation was that it would be close. The 49ers would pound the ball with Frank Gore while Drew Brees would toss the pigskin a record number of times.

Neither of those strategies took effect on this Sunday.

Rather, the game was kept close for 2 quarters as both defenses stopped the other's weapons. The Niners had no running room and the Saints had no long passes.

But, that all that changed after the half.

Forgive me if I don't recall every single moment of these painful 60 minutes, as I had my face covered up and my eyes closed for the third and fourth quarters as my Niners were run over by Reggie Bush.

Now that the game is over I can say that I will be rooting for the Saints, formerly knows as the Aints, for the rest of the season. My husband and I were the guests of John Morton, who is an offensive coach with the Saints and his wife and my pal, Shannon O'Toole II would like nothing better (that is of course than a winning record for the Niners) than to see the Saints win their division and go deep into the playoffs.

The City of New Orleans and the people of the Big Easy haven't had it easy of late and their team has provided them with more than just a winning season, they have given them a reason to smile and to celebrate. Reggie Bush is clearly "The Man" in New Orleans .

The man Reggie Bush considers his dad, LaMar Griffin, was at the Super Dome for the first time since Reggie turned pro. Given that Mr. Griffin is a longtime 49ers fan it was no small thing that he showed up wearing a Reggie Bush jersey.

Reggie did put on quite a show and I had to wince as the crowd rose and hollered, "REG-GIE, REG-GIE". But Reggie has given fans more than excitement on the field.
From the time he had arrived in New Orleans , a hurricane-battered town needing something to cheer about, Bush was welcomed like a savior.

He has acted like a savior off the field, giving $50,000 to a school for special needs children, paying to resurface a flood-damage high school football stadium or donating Hummers to a metro area police force. He also partnered with Diet Pepsi in the Yard by Yard program.

"Obviously it was great to hear the fans chanting my name," Bush said. "Our whole season is dedicated to the City of New Orleans . Everybody who lived in New Orleans or is from New Orleans that went through Hurricane Katrina last year, it's really at the end of the day about them. Because we know, obviously, if we win, that's going to give them something to be proud of."

Saints owner Tom Benson drew applause when he spoke to fans from the sidelines during the two-minute warning (strange that he did that while the game was still in progress), thanking them for selling out the Louisiana Superdome for the season, and announcing a freeze on season-ticket prices for next year.

The Week That Was
I only had a brief glimpse at the rest of Week Thirteen's games, here are the high and low lights.

 

 

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Final 1 2 3 4 T Baltimore  (9-3-0) 0 0 0 7 7 Cincinnati  (7-5-0) 0 6 7 0 13 The Ravens had to postpone their celebration, for another week as the Bengals took the W.

 

Sunday, December 3, 2006

Final 1 2 3 4 T Detroit  (2-10-0) 0 10 8 3 21 New England  (9-3-0) « 3 10 0 15 28 Wow was this ever close to being a huge upset! The Lions had the Pats on the ropes and pulled out a last minute victory over the lowly Lions.		Final 1 2 3 4 T San Diego  (10-2-0) « 10 7 0 7 24 Buffalo  (5-7-0) 0 0 14 7 21 The Chargers had a 17-0 lead and almost blew it. But hung on to win.
Final 1 2 3 4 T Atlanta  (6-6-0) « 0 10 7 7 24 Washington  (4-8-0) 14 0 0 0 14 With the finger incident behind him Vick made the most of this game.		Final 1 2 3 4 T Indianapolis  (10-2-0) 7 7 0 3 17 Tennessee  (5-7-0) « 0 10 0 10 20 Another Music City Miracle! 60 Foot Field Goal to Win it!
Final 1 2 3 4 T Arizona  (3-9-0) « 7 10 7 10 34 St. Louis  (5-7-0) 3 0 7 10 20 The Edge finally got his groove on.		Final 1 2 3 4 T San Francisco  (5-7-0) 3 0 7 0 10 New Orleans  (8-4-0) « 0 14 10 10 34 The Saints put the voodoo curse on the Niners in the form of Reggie Bush.
Final 1 2 3 4 T NY Jets  (7-5-0) « 10 21 0 7 38 Green Bay  (4-8-0) 0 0 10 0 10 Are the Jets for real? They sure look like it. The Packers are in "wait til next year" mode.		Final 1 2 3 4 OT T Kansas City  (7-5-0) 0 14 7 7 0 28 Cleveland  (4-8-0) « 7 7 0 14 3 31 After a chaotic week for the Brownies and after losing Charlie Frye in the game, the backup quarterback Derek Anderson came in and saved the day in a big upset win.
Final 1 2 3 4 T Minnesota  (5-7-0) 0 3 3 7 13 Chicago  (10-2-0) « 0 7 14 2 23 Rex Grossman didn't help the cause but the Bears Clinched the division.		Final 1 2 3 4 T Houston  (4-8-0) « 7 0 7 9 23 Oakland  (2-10-0) 0 14 0 0 14 How many ways are there to lose a game? The Raiders defense played great football, the offense, well not so much. Add three missed field goals by Janikowski and you know why this team is imploding.
Final 1 2 3 4 T Jacksonville  (7-5-0) « 3 14 0 7 24 Miami  (5-7-0) 7 0 0 3 10 The Jags needed a win and they got one.		Final 1 2 3 4 T Tampa Bay  (3-9-0) 0 0 0 3 3 Pittsburgh  (5-7-0) « 7 3 0 10 20 Turnovers ruled the day, but the Steelers came away with the W.
Final 1 2 3 4 T Dallas  (8-4-0) « 7 3 3 10 23 NY Giants  (6-6-0) 7 0 3 10 20 Romo and Gramatica - winning combination for the Boys.		Final 1 2 3 4 T Seattle  (8-4-0) « 0 7 0 16 23 Denver  (7-5-0) 3 10 0 7 20 From Jake to Jay - result - another loss.
Final 1 2 3 4 T Carolina  (6-6-0) 7 7 7 3 24 Philadelphia  (6-6-0) « 0 7 7 13 27 Jeff Garcia led the Eagles to a badly needed victory to stay within sniffing distance of the playoffs.

 

Week 13 Record 7-9

Season Record 109-83

 

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